Driving community spirit

By Matt Romania

Local car events have a unique charm, and it’s not just about the vehicles. When the Marsh Rodders held their 35th annual Show ‘N’ Shine and Swap Meet recently, the real story was the community behind it.

“How many towns have a one-day event like ours?” Club President Peter Douglas said.

Holding such a big, community event needs more than just a place like Maddingley Park. It needs people, passion (and indeed passionate supporters).

Mr Douglas highlighted the role of the sponsors, saying they greatly appreciate the support “not just for this event, but for all our years running this event.”

But it’s not just sponsors. Local Moorabool residents play a huge part too.

“To all the members and their families that helped with gates, parked cars, cleaned the park, and toilets – thank you,” he said.

Planning and setting up the event took a lot of hard work too, and it was all 12 months in the making. Talking about the effort, Mr Douglas said that without the dedication and hard work over the past year, “we wouldn’t have had our event today.”

However, planning isn’t always smooth. Events like these come with their own set of challenges.

“Planning a big event takes time and effort. When problems come up, you need a backup plan. Big events like ours always have challenges, but we do our best with what we have.”

The love for cars and the Bacchus Marsh community keeps the club going.

“We do this for two reasons: our love for cars and to give back to Bacchus Marsh by bringing people here and supporting local charities.”

Feedback from those who attended the annual event was positive.

“Walking around today, most people said, ‘it’s a great event’ and that they’d come back next year,” he said.

“Thank you to all who came – it was a great day. Your support made our event special.”

For all the car lovers, there was one final message.

“Keep enjoying your classic cars, spend time with family and friends, and inspire the next generation to love this hobby as much as we do.”