THE ROCHESTER MOTORING CLUB IS GEARING UP FOR ITS ANNUAL SHOW AND SHINE EVENT AT THE ROCHESTER RACECOURSE RECREATION RESERVE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25 FROM 9AM TO 3PM.
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Club vice-president Merv Wild said the event, which runs alongside the town market, attracted impressive numbers last year.
“In 2024, we had just on 300 cars, 80 motorbikes and half a dozen trucks come along to the Show and Shine,” he said.
The club, which boasts 184 registered vehicles, welcomes a diverse range of vintage transport.
“We have everything from old Chevys, we have got an AJAX, which is an unusual one, we have a Bentley, we have a bit of everything,” Merv said.
“We call ourselves the Rochester Motoring Club, and as long as the vehicles are over 25 years old, they qualify for membership.
“We have that many members mainly because we have no restrictions on the number of meetings you have to attend or what types of vehicles can join.
“But they have to turn up to get their club registration signed twice a year.”
Mev himself owns a 37 Oldsmobile and an EJ Holden Premier.
“The EJ has only 61,000 miles on it, so it is in pretty nice condition, although it has been completely rebuilt because she got drowned in the floods in 2011,” he said.
The event holds special significance for the community.
“It will be three years exactly since we were flooded, and there are still a lot of homes in Rochester that haven’t been started yet, so the show and shine is a bit of a morale booster for the town as well,” Merv said.
Entry fees are $10 for show and shine participants and a $2 donation for spectators.
“The money goes to running the club, as we are a non-profit organisation, but we look after a few other charities around town as well,” Merv said.
Vehicles can arrive from 8am at the Rochester 4R’s on Diggora Rd, Rochester.
The Rochester Show and Shine will run in conjunction with the Rochester Market, featuring art, crafts, a sausage sizzle and food trucks.
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