Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show 2024

The Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show makes quite a difference to the Alexandra Op Shop.

Managing committee acting president Brenda Lopez plays a key role in getting her team of volunteers to gel with their different ideas not only before the show, but all-yearround.

And the ideas are smart.

Brenda and her team start stockpiling warm clothing, scarves and beanies from well before the King’s Birthday weekend.

“We also save up clothing with any trucking insignia, as that’s popular as well,” Brenda said.

“So, we hope for a really cold weekend.”

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Unique bastion of charity

With the show providing the charity shop with its biggest injection of money and it staying open for the entire weekend plus the Monday “for any stragglers”, the volunteers do deserve to rest on the laurels of more than 30 years in which they have raised more than $2 million for their key charity.

Among the warm clothing is the typical fare which welcomes visitors as they step in, with a gleaming display of fine china, glassware and jewellery (fewer cufflinks after Country News visited).

Housed in the town’s former SEC building, the shop boasts having no costs for staffing, stock or even rent.

Volunteer Marie Evans is all over that story. “Two earlier volunteers saw an opportunity

when the SEC closed its doors here,” Marie said.

“They decided to buy the building.

“And the show is the biggest bumper weekend for us.”

The original recipient of the shop’s sizeable profits was the Kellock Lodge residential home, to which has been added six other local organisations.

Brenda takes pride in the shop and for good reason.

“We are pretty different, actually,” she said.

“I have travelled around Australia and this shop is unique because of its independence; it’s one of a kind.”

“And the money stays here — it all stays here in the district.”

Tradition and community combine for a great show

Council is thrilled to celebrate the Alexandra Truck, Ute, and Rod Show this June long weekend, where tradition, community spirit and automotive enthusiasts come together for a weekend of fun.

It brings me great pride to extend my warmest greetings to all; whether you’re a first-time visitor or you’re back for the 25th show, you are as integral to this event as the trucks, utes, rods, and woodchoppers on display.

I’m pleased to express my appreciation for our local and national trucking and transport industry and the efforts of drivers, transport operators and freight and logistics workers, who remain a driving force in our economy.

This industry is facing a range of challenges, including rising operating costs and fuel prices and the cessation of native timber harvesting throughout Murrindindi Shire.

Council continues to support a meaningful transition for workers, businesses and for our community, so it is with great reverence that we remember too those in the industry who’ve left us and whose names adorn the Victorian Truck Drivers’ Memorial in Alexandra.

This gathering isn’t just about the vehicles on display; it’s about the people who bring them to life, the stories they carry, and the memories they evoke.

It’s a chance to honour our heritage, celebrate our diversity and revel in the simple joys of community.

Equally, we enjoy showcasing all that is unique and special about Alexandra and destinations right across Murrindindi Shire.

Whether you’re a trucking enthusiast, a fan of classic cars, or simply looking for a great day out, the Alexandra Truck, Ute, and Rod Show has something for everyone.

As arguably the greatest regional truck show in Australia and likely the biggest single-day event in regional Victoria, the

show is a beacon for tourism and provides a substantial boost to the local economy.

The event’s enduring popularity is a testament to the dedication and tireless efforts of the event organisers, community groups and businesses involved in its planning, setup, promotion and execution.

The event committee consistently delivers an exceptional show, year after year.

If you’re visiting the area for the weekend, we encourage you to explore our Discover Dindi channels, including Facebook and Instagram, or visit discoverdindi.com.au where you’ll find ample inspiration on how to maximise your stay.

From our picturesque landscapes to our bustling streets, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy.

You’re always welcome in Alexandra, and I thank our generous community residents for their enduring support for this event.

Damien Gallagher Murrindindi Shire Mayor

Brenda Lopez, Marie Evans and Helen Gibb in the Alexandra Op Shop.

The Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show is a day full of good cheer and shiny vehicles, and although the success comes down to a well-oiled group running the event, if there was one stalwart still on the committee since the show’s inception in 1997, then Andrew Embling is it.

“Actually, there’s two of us,” Andrew said. Gordon Simpson of Simpson’s Fuel is the other one.

Andrew runs Embling Rural in Alexandra and although well-known for his charisma with locals and visitors alike, he plays

it all down, despite the rise and rise of the event over more than a quarter century.

“Last year was the biggest show ever and we are ready for it again this year; we will have a record number of trucks this year,” Andrew said.

“All the hotels will be booked; half of Marysville gets booked and we even have people who come and stay at Euroa.

“And as always, all shops will be open — the whole town will be open.”

The growth in the truck display is best measured in the length of Alexandra’s main road and this year more of it will be closed

The nuts and bolts (and duco) of the day

The return of feature events and participants include:

• The auction at 2 pm on the main stage featuring a Harley Fridge donated by Larsen’s Truck Sales in Melbourne, as well as chopping blocks, metal artwork, boots, craft and other high-quality fare 20 litre of oils and truck washes.

• Woodchopping in Rotary Park with two Victorian championships to be contested and axemen coming from as far away as Tasmania and South Australia.

• CFA 150-year celebration, with displays of historical fire trucks, including an antique Willys Fire Truck.

• A large array of all local businesses catering on the top of the hill beside

Mega event is on a roll

off to accommodate all the trucks, utes and hot rods entered.

“We have gone back another block south so it’s a longer close-off,” Andrew said.

“We always ask ourselves: will we ever make the tip which is over the hill?”

Extra side street closures will also be extended to accommodate more trucks.

Music will be provided by Brooke Taylor and the Poison Spitting Gin Queens, which is no more a mouthful than their repertoire of rock, blues, country, soul and pop music.

“They are a great band, and as well Paul Costa is returning after five years since he was last here, coming from Irymple near Mildura,” Andrew said.

The annual fundraising auction will begin at 2 pm on the main stage with all items on display from the ‘get go’.

Featured in the auction will be two locally made metal artwork sculptures of a deer and a tractor.

The numbers of truck entries are still growing with Andrew saying there is a ‘good chance’ of a display of cranes as well.

“The hot rods are coming from Victoria and of course the trucks come from as far as NSW and we even have at least one driving over from Western Australia,” he said.

And the kudos does not stop with just the one-day event or its organisers.

“We have been invited — as we’re one of the premier truck shows — to send our best trucks up to Brisbane in 2025.

“Last time we did that, we were known as the slow-moving train, matching shirts and all.”

• More

The serious side to the show remains at the forefront of organisers, as it answers the call for action on serious mental health concerns within the community and raises money for mental health services.

The foundation which was established in 2023 is yet to be named (“We want to get it right,” Andrew explains), and is expected to get a healthy financial boost from this year’s show.

“We are going to have Warren Davies again of course; he’s the ‘unbreakable farmer’.

“And some of the trade sites will be relating back to mental health.”

A mega-raffl e will be drawn with a double fi rst prize of a $1000 voucher each from the local Foodworks and Ampol fuel, a further $1000 voucher for local businesses and a $500 voucher for Thornton Butcher and Deli.

Andrew and the committee deflect any praise for this stellar annual event which has such community support and is managed by its committee right down to the rubber hitting the road.

“You do what you do,” he said.

“You do it for the town because you like it — you love to see people here and it just brings so much business and fundraising to this town.”

The Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show will be held on Sunday, June 9 from 10 am to 4 pm. For more information, go to: www.alexandratruckshow.com.au/

Wishing everyone an enjoyable day at the Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show

Good luck to all the entrants and thank you to the organisers and volunteers who make this event such a big success.

helen.haines.mp@aph.gov.au

Rotary Park along with sporting clubs, St John’s, the local kindergarten and community groups.

than 30 trade stalls.

Brooke Taylor will perform with her Poison Spitting Gin Queens from their eclectic repertoire.

“The best way to convey so many human emotions is with different genres,”’ she said.

This year’s Alexandra Truck, Ute and Road Show on Sunday, June 9 is expected to be the biggest one to-date, with the town closing off more street space for displays.

The mega raffle will include locally made tractor and deer sculptures which double as braziers.

The Grant St Grocer restaurant is primed and ready to go.

Taylah Dean welcomes visitors as cheerfully as manager Rae King could want a staff member to do, and both are looking forward to keeping the meals flowing and the vibe ‘amazing’ on show day.

Rae said that in addition to the three staff running the caravan at Rotary Park with

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It’s all ‘go-go-go’ in Alexandra

pastries, brownies, sandwiches and coffee, another 13 would have the restaurant firing on all 16 cylinders.

“There will be 10 in here and three out the front,” Rae said.

“That is what makes the day flow and it’s go-go-go and we’re all happy-happy.

“So are the customers.”

Grant St Grocer is owned by Lisa and Alan Harding, who bring to the restaurant 30 years experience in hospitality.

Their son Josh Harding also works there and said the menu for show day was still being put together by chef Thyago Roche.

“We are working on it still because we like to do a different thing each year,” Josh said, fl inging his rubber gloves and grabbing a tray.

“In the past we specialised in chicken burgers and last year it was pulled pork rolls, so you’ll need to talk to Thyago.”

Taylah worked the caravan at last year’s

show and said the huge crowds were very patient and considerate given the wait times being longer than usual.

She said she would try for a good night’s sleep the night before, but had a back-up plan involving coffee.

“I try to get a good sleep; if not, I definitely go home during the day and have a good nap,” Taylah said.

“But it’s good that we work in a coffee shop so we can get our caffeine hit.”

The pasta will roll – Bonissimo!

The step from physiotherapist to Italian cuisine training in Umbria is certainly a sideways one.

It’s as unusual as finding a Brazilian chef specialising in Italian pasta.

Thyago Roche admits as much, and now he calls Alexandra home, having travelled the likes of Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and Perth.

Catching Thyago still deciding on the full menu stirred him most likely to name the speciality for the truck show.

“Fresh pasta will be the highlight,” Thyago declared.

“It is house-made; we hand-make the pasta.”

It will be his expertise on show for the throng.

Thyago Roche puts the final touches to Grant St Grocer’s menu and says the signature dish for this year’s show will be handmade pasta.

Rae King, Jacob Harding and Taylah Dean working the floor at Grant St Grocer. Rae says good staff numbers makes the day flow.

Taylah Dean welcomes visitors to Grant St Grocer restaurant as she and a team of 15 prepare for the big event.

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Alexandra Apparel has always enjoyed the truck show with its popular winter clothing being a hit with the town’s visitors.

Melissa Del Conte has worked at the store for six years and said she loved the crowds that poured in each year (she’s never missed a show) and what the event did for the town.

“It’s our biggest weekend,” Melissa said.

“It brings an awful lot of people.”

However, the highlight for Melissa is visitors being such a fun crowd.

“They are all here for a good time, everyone is in a really good mood, no-one complains,” she said.

“It’s one of those weekends you really want to work.”

The shop boasts being able to cater ‘from ages zero to 100’ in a range of styles, with Milton flannelette shirts being one of the

More than a big weekend

most popular.

“They are always a hit; there’s also some lovely women’s clothing that will keep them warm and of course the lumberjackets,” Melissa said.

“All of our surf brands and work clothes as well.”

Adding to the day of sales are the interactions her and the staff of six have with ‘regulars’.

“Some people come back from the year before to say hello, we have kids running around — it’s great.”

Melissa also looks forward to the traditional exit of the trucks at the end of the day.

“Watching the trucks going out at 4:30 and they hoot their horns and everyone’s hanging around.

“It’s a really good buzz.”

Ready

Kevin and Sirikarn Mortley are ready to remind us all the term ‘blockbuster’ has a functional origin.

Into their seventh year running Rounda 3 café on Grant St, the couple is stocking up on more than just chips in anticipation of again having up to three queues snake outside their door and around the corner of their block in both directions.

It’s how they got their name.

“For the show, we get about 50 boxes of chips in, each with 15 kilograms of chips,” Kevin said.

“And customers are packed to the door and stretched well outside.”

With 17 years experience running at one point three different cafes in Alexandra (Roundas 1, 2 and 3), Kevin focuses on getting more than 200 mini-pizzas into the bain-marie in time.

The double conveyor pizza oven will be on full throttle along with the hotplates as the couple trim the menu to burgers and pizzas until 4 pm when they will open their regular menu.

Kevin’s anticipation comes with its humour.

“We open on Saturday morning at 9.30 and don’t close until Sunday night at nine o’clock. A 40-hour shift, only the two of us,” he said.

Any overtime?

“Oh yeah, we give overtime; time-and-a-half times by zero is still zero, isn’t it?”

There is doubt on that one: this year will see their trade roar again.

And any tweaking of the menu is never an option.

“Don’t change what works. I never do.”

The highlight of the truck show for Melissa Del Conte is the visitors being such a fun crowd.

Kevin and Sirikarn Mortley can expect up to three queues snaking their way down Grant St when they open up during the show weekend.

For Tim and Henri Buckley at The Corner Hotel, it will be a slick night as they expect a buzzing crowd and long hours on the King’s Birthday weekend.

According to Henri, there are three hardand-fast rules for her staff.

“We do not run out of draught, we do not run out of chicken, and we do not run out of chips,” Henri said.

She adds a fourth: “Tim and I do not have a big night on the Saturday evening.”

The same cannot be said for her staff, but Henri assures that they too will be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Sunday morning, despite the regular last-minute influx of floor and bar staff to lighten the load, even if they do have what Henri calls ‘some play time’ with the pub’s live band the night before.

“A lot for us is the uni students coming back for the weekend,” Henri said.

“Often we are begging and borrowing staff, but with getting our holiday ones back we seem to pull enough out from somewhere every time.”

The challenge of accommodating the army of hosts is easily, if not quite cosily, answered.

“Well, it’s a full house at our place and at everyone else’s homes.”

The hotel will have a kitchen roll call of more than 10 with Henri directing the rest of the staff on the bar and floor while she hosts with her natural flair and cheer.

Keg beer and ice-filled bins of pre-mixes will keep the bar churning over for the collective thirst, and the menu will have a variety of eight of the restaurant’s fine food dishes.

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Full houses around the Corner

Tim said the event was always a fun day, including that specific time they always look forward to.

“It’s a fun day in that regard, but by four o’clock we are exhausted.”

Tim praised the hard work the committee did all-year-round to organise the show.

“Andrew Embling and Ayden (Embling) and also Simmo (Gus Simpson) — they all do a great job,” Tim said, pausing to possibly

reflect that there won’t be time to list off all of those who muck in.

“It’s such a great thing for the town. It’s the middle of winter when it’s slowing down, and then, well, it’s suddenly big.”

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Henri Buckley has developed a well-tested formula for the Alexandra show, with customers enjoying slick service from eight of The Corner Hotel's finest meals, keg beer and bins filled with cans of pre-mixed drinks.

Attention to detail makes all the

Despite having a backlog of orders for cars, Deluxe Rod Shop – nestled almost unnoticed among the gum trees outside of Yea – does not mind the well-paced style of valued staff member Jim Wolstencroft whenever a visitor arrives.

Jim seems to always be the man to update the state of play for Victoria’s most productive hot rod producer and this year we caught him polishing underneath a 1960s Ford Fairmont XR to make sure every surface of the vehicle was pristine.

will be on display at this year’s

un-started

Is it the ’66 or ‘67?

“That’s the steel dash,” Jim said and loses me on the first turn.

But he knows that, explaining: “After 1967, Ford went all plastic dashboards for less injury during accidents; the ’66 was the last steel dash’.”

“It’s the ’66.”

“And we fight it out for the super six.”

The company regularly finishes in the top six cars at Melbourne’s MotorEx Show, far surpassing any other hot rod builders, and is hoping to make it four in a row this year.

“We also had one in the Hall of Fame last year.

“It is such an honour to get into the hall.” I am keeping up with the halls. Get closer to the orange pick-up and one sees that every conceivable surface of the engine shines like Stirling silver, seeming to illuminate the room.

Joe is patient with the uninitiated but can also pre-empt them.

“I haven’t started it yet,” he said Good, that’s one stupid question out of the way.

“Because it needs to be pristine.”

There’s another one.

Jim then dropped everything and modestly showed off the workshop’s variety of divine cars in various stages of construction, from the state-of-the-art paint shop at the back to his own 1928 Ford A-Type pick-up that stands atop shining wheel-risers on the workshop’s eat-your-dinner-off-it clean floor.

Naïve eyes can’t see a difference in the A-Type from last year, but it is definitely now completed after more than a decade. I think.

I ask how the one-piece hand-beaten aluminium fan cover is shaped and I am told it is hand beaten from one piece of aluminium; Jim is generous with his patience.

Of interest is the nitty-gritty specifications of judging a hot rod and Jim takes pride in every stainless steel bolt and screw with their slots facing the same direction, as is required in competitions.

“Even the ones that are out of sight.”

Customised Steering Wheels by PearlCraft

The pick-up featured in a Maguires unveiling and then went straight into the Superstars’ Hall.

“There’s another 30 cars from all over Australia in the Hall,” Jim explained.

Western Australian detailer and newcomer to the team Johnny Lelati took a break from polishing to explain the network and friendships that he builds up during the show.

“I do come annually and last year brought over a ’55 Chevy from Perth,” Johnny said.

What makes it a hot rod?

We all know what one looks like and sounds like, but what defines a ‘hot rod’?

According to several American sources, the hot rod is effectively any pre-1948 vehicle that has been adapted to look, feel and sound much better than the original. Hot rods are typically Fords or Chevrolets that can be either built from the ground up or as modifications on any preserved part of an original car.

There tends to be no rules for tinkering to build one as they all gravitate towards the low-lying and well-throttled style that we recognise easily and love to hear start up.

But judging at hot rod shows is serious business.

The unveiling of a car at an event allows it to be judged in higher categories and in some US shows all cars need to be ‘unveiled’ as a prerequisite for entry.

Jim Wolstencroft from Deluxe Rod Shop said the nearest thing he could think of was a debutante ball.

“It needs to be the first public viewing in order to qualify,” Jim said.

And the judging can go even further down the finicky path.

“In some events, the angle that every bolt faces needs to be the same; they’ll even take a bolt out and count the number of threads on it to make sure they’re all identical,” he said.

“It’s a serious competition.”

The history of hot rods is as varied and interesting as the cars themselves.

Although the “street rod” became popular after the 1940s, they were designed for family use.

The ‘hot rod’ builders became a more rebellious counterculture.

And the origin of the name seems to be contentious.

‘Rod’ is thought to be named after the connecting rods of the engines, or else a shortening of the word ‘roadster’ which was an early name for two-door cars often used as a starting point for construction.

The word ‘hot’ has been attributed to either the heat that engines require to produce such high power, or else that the original cars were often stolen.

Either way, it’s a recognisable name suited to an equally recognisable style of car.

Both the history and the name of hot rods are shrouded in some mystery.

Jim Wolstencroft with his 1928 Ford A-Type pick-up which

Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show with its pristine

engine and bolt heads all perfectly aligned.

Not everyone likes taking their work home but those who deal in finely restored cars often have no choice, although technically ‘Plymouth Dale’ McKeon’s 1958 Plymouth Fury is well-finished.

difference for hot rods

Johnny Lelati comes from Perth every year to the Alex Show and last year brought over a ’55 Chevy. Johnny said he’ll never stop learning, despite his expertise in detailing. “There is always something new to see and something to learn,” he said.

“But this year I am working here — a bit different.”

Despite being a detailer with expertise in hot rods, Johnny says he’ll never stop learning.

“There is always something new to see and something to learn.

“I always learn something at shows.”

Deluxe Rod Shop’s owner Steven Alldrick and renowned photographer ‘Plymouth Dale’ McKeon were busy bringing together a 1935 Roadster pick-up which the crew built as a ‘phantom’ Ford.

I resist asking, but Jim knows what I’m after.

The car who walks?

“It’s a Roadster pick-up that we have invented — so it’s called a phantom — Ford never made it.”

Which gives even more kudos to the fact that the creativity on display will be unveiled at the Sydney show in May.

Both ‘phantom’ vehicles will be on display among about 30 other expected hot rods at this year’s Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024

‘Plymouth Dale’ McKeon busy bringing together a 1935 Roadster pick-up which the crew built as a ‘phantom’ Ford.

Trucks, trucks and more trucks

SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024