After two years of waiting, the 12th Chevrolet Convention was finally upon us. With the promise of perfect mid twenties weather in Echuca it was set to be a brilliant weekend.
An early departure from home had us arrive nice and early at the planned meeting point for the first part of what promised to be a great event. A handful of club members made the early morning meet at the Bunker Hill servo on the Friday morning with enough time for a coffee, calories and catch up before the first stage of our cruise to Echuca via Heathcote for lunch.
Alan Smithson lead the group for the very quick dash up the Hume to Heathcote getting us there much quicker than expected for a bite of lunch. From there it was an easy cruise to Echuca arriving with plenty of time for check in and gathering to visit one of the local custom workshops.
After a tour of the workshop everyone made their way back to the park for the registration and sausage sizzle. The place was buzzing, with everyone eagerly anticipating the weekend ahead. There was a constant changing display of classic cars as people came and went, making it an awesome sight for all who were there. The party continued on back at the caravan park well into the night, with lots of laughs and good times had by everyone.
Saturday presented itself with perfect weather for the Poker Run. Having registered on the Friday night meant a leisurely start for the morning, meeting at the park for the Poker Run, which took us around the township, treating all the tourists and locals to a magnificent display of cars. Following the run and lunch we were allowed some welcome free time to chill out before gathering at the Port for the paddle steam boat cruise to the RSL for dinner.
The RSL was a perfect venue for the group with great food and live music from the
Rockin’ Tones. The band had everyone up dancing the whole night with great tunes for all ages. A few sherbets to loosen the legs sure helped as the skill level on the dance floor was pretty high all night.
Sunday morning had us up bright and early to help the crew with parking and setting up. With the promise of great weather the cars soon started rolling in, with a steady stream of weekend and day entrants arriving all morning. All up there were about 200 cars of all makes and models, turning the parkland into a car lovers dream. Complementing the cars were a healthy number of merchandise tents and food vendors. What a perfect way to spend the afternoon with the
Rockin’ Tones pumping out their great music adding to the atmosphere.
The work that the convention committee had put into the event was evident with the whole weekend running like clockwork. After a brilliant day of cars, fun and sun the event was just about at its end.
The presentations were made by Rowie, with a healthy number of trophies handed out to entrants including the best top ten and a host of other categories. This was followed by a massive raffle, which seemed to go on and on with many prizes up for grabs. Then, before we knew it the Convention was over for another year.
I must congratulate the Convention Committee for all the months of hard work and planning that has gone into this event. A special mention goes to Rowie, John X and Tony Anastasio who have put in a massive effort. The whole event ran without a hitch, testament to all their hard work and planning. Also thank you to the other committee members and the many volunteers that helped throughout the weekend, without their support the Convention simply wouldn’t survive. To be a member of such a great club and group of people makes the Convention such an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Pity it’s such a long wait until the next one.
Cheers, David
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