Auto Collectors Club of Murray Bridge prepares for 50th anniversary run and car show
Car lovers will be able to view more than 50 historic vehicles at Mannum and Murray Bridge on Sunday.
This post was contributed by Graham Edwards.
Almost a century of automotive history will be on show at Murray Bridge and Mannum on Sunday, March 27, as the Auto Collectors Club of Murray Bridge celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Members will parade their prides and joys – cars, trucks and bikes dating from the 1920s through to the 1990s – throughout the Murraylands in a re-enactment of the group’s inaugural classic car run, which took place between the two regional centres on April 25, 1972.
Inaugural club and then committee member Eric Wehrman – now a life member – recalled the very first run as a low-key but enjoyable family affair, similar to the one planned for next week.
“The first inaugural run was a modest one”, he said.
“We went from here to Mannum, had lunch at the punt and came back along the other side of the river.”
In 2022, because of the large number of vehicles attending, the committee has decided not to cross the punt so as to avoid traffic congestion and public inconvenience.
President Claude Minge said it would be the fourth time the club had re-enacted its first outing in 1972, after its 10th, 25th and 40th anniversaries.
Inaugural, past and present members will set out from Finlayson Reserve, at Murray Bridge’s wharf area, on Sunday at 9am, making their way along the Murray Bridge to Mannum Road, and will then travel via Randell Road, Walker and Dollard Avenues, Gass Street, Long Gully and Purnong Roads, up Mannum’s main street and into Trewartha Street.
Four inaugural vehicles will take part in the re-enactment run: a 1925 Chevrolet Superior K tourer, a 1925 Chevrolet Superior K buckboard, a 1936 Cadillac La Salle sedan and a 1939 Buick Straight-Eight sedan.
They will be driven by Mr Wehrman; David Burt, the son of inaugural driver and 2022 passenger Bob Burt; Cecily Graetz, the wife of the late Vernon Graetz, the club’s inaugural president; and Steve Chambers.
Mr Minge said enthusiasts would be able to watch the cars make their way through Mannum, arriving about 9.30 or 10am at Mary Ann Reserve for a BYO morning tea on the lawns by the mighty Murray, enabling the general public to view the collection of wonderfully restored vehicles of yesteryear.
Following morning tea, the group will then travel back to Murray Bridge via River Lane, Johnson Hill Road, North Terrace, Belvedere Road and the main Mannum to Murray Bridge road.
Drivers are expected to make their way into Murray Bridge, through the traffic lights, into Mary Terrace, Olympic Drive and Wharf Road before being marshalled into the wharf area from about 12.30pm.
Pre-registered ticket holders only will enjoy a catered luncheon thanks to and by the Mobilong Rotary Club.
The free public car show will be held at Finlayson Reserve from approximately 1.30pm, with more than 50 vehicles from 1925 to 2008 being on display.
Why not come down, take an up-close-and-personal look and speak with past and present members about their wonderfully restored vehicles while enjoying some lunch – the public will be able to purchase food and drinks from the Mobilong Rotary catering van.
Please note that Finlayson Reserve is classified as an alcohol-free zone.
- More information: autocollectorsmurraybridge.com/50th-golden-anniversary.
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