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VolksFest - 2008 |
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30th
November 2008 - Todd St Port Adelaide
After
a very successful festival in 2007,
the club's committee lost no time in settling on a date for the 2008
event and getting in a booking with the City of Holdfast Bay. However
as the 2008 event grew close, we received the news that our booking had
been gazumped by another, higher profile event. This left us with two
choices: pick another date or find another venue. Since moving from the
original location at Bonython Park to Colley Reserve and in turn Wigley
Reserve, the Glenelg sites had proven ideal for Volksfest and had a lot
going for them, with plenty of through traffic and a great atmosphere.
However the same popularity brought its own problems, in a steady
growth in the regulations which needed to be adhered to..
Gary Johanson, a long
time supporter of the modified car circuit in SA,
had been elected to the position of Mayor the City of Port
Adelaide-Enfield and, after a bit of wheeling and dealing, was able to
offer us a great alternative: a closed street in the heart of the Port
district. What's more, the Pt Adelaide-Enfield Council were prepared to
handle the street closures for us and promote the event through local
traders.
With a degree of
nervousness, the committee put their trust in Gary and
locked in the new venue. The already printed Festival posters were
trashed and a new batch made up and distributed. One big question
remained: would people come to a new venue?
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In a great
example of Club Spirit, Rob
Gilbert (former chief of the Club Kombi resto' project) volunteered to
head up the organising committee for Volksfest and spent countless
hours working behind the scenes to get things ready. The council staff
bent over backwards to help, as did the various traders he talked to. A
financial contribution from the council helped even more, and it wasn't
long before A0 posters were hanging on prominent positions all around
the place.
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The weekend
started with a very
successful cruise. Over 35 cars joined in, a level of support unmatched
by any recent events. Then on Sat evening, over 65 people met for
dinner at the Lobethal Bierhaus. Interstate visitors (including ever
faithful VWMA Editor Craig Hughes) were collected and delivered to the
dinner to join in the celebrations. All agreed that the atmosphere at
dinner made this one of the most enjoyable people had attended.
The Port precinct has been enjoying a quiet renaissance over the last
10 years. The harbour tours, markets and Lighthouse, all combine to
become a magnet for weekend visitors. Todd street is within a couple of
hundred metres of this buzzing precinct and very well suited to public
events: it is wide, accessible at each end and, other than the pubs,
filled with business which are closed on the weekend. So when the first
of the volunteers arrived on the morning of Nov 30th, the street was
already closed and safety barriers erected.
With the shift from grass to a paved surface, setup for the event was
greatly simplified. No bunting to roll out, no star pickets to drive,
no category signs to erect. With erection of tents and setup of tables
and chairs passed to a hire company, setup was completed in record time.
Traffic marshals had to rush to their posts soon after 8:00 am as the
cars started to roll in. By 9:30 one thing was certain: there would be
no shortage of cars. They were rolling in so fast the marshals had to
start parking the cars closer together to make room. Where previous
years had seen a large rush of cars from 10:00 to 11:00, this year the
cars were almost all in place by 10:00. When the gates were closed at
11:00, a count revealed over 135 cars - a new record. All previous
doubts were now well and truly dispelled.
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The mix of cars
for 2008 was also quite
different to previous years: with a large increase in the number of
Kombis on display. The Eureka and Formula Vee clubs also fielded large
contingents.
An area was available on site for traders to park and display their
wares. The Club Tent was staffed all day to promote membership and sell
Club Merchandise. And the BBQ did a roaring trade in steak sandwiches,
bratwurst, sausages and cool drinks.
The day ended with trophy presentations (see below) and then the task
of emptying the venue. It was truly a credit to the participants to see
them line up patiently in their cars for their chance to exit. Many
chose to simply re-park their cars in a "normal" car parking space and
stay on to chat. The smiles on people's faces at this time showed the
shift to the new venue resulted ain a festival which was extremely
sucessful. One which brought a new street-party mood. There was no
shortage of through traffic, with people attracted by the beats from
our resident band - Black Cat Bone.
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Trophy Winners
The new layout made the judging task
harder but it did not stop the judging team from getting out and doing
their work. After walking around the field a few times, they retired to
one of the nearby pubs to complete their deliberations.
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Award
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Sponsor |
Winners (1st /
Runner Up)
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| Roy Williams
Trophy |
Volks
Enthusiasts Club
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Nick Fordham
(1964 Kombi Panel)
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Best T1 Modified
to 1967
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A Class
Metal Finishers
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Vic Coombe (1961
Beetle)
Rob Gilbert (1962 Beetle)
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Best T1 Standard to 1967 |
Solitaire Automotive
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Nev Chaffer (1956 Beetle)Tony Mudge (1962 Beetle)
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Best T1 Modified from 1968 |
Royal Arms Hotel
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Wayne Howard (1969 Cabrio)
Trent Cilento (1968 Beetle)
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Best T1 Standard
from 1968
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Port Dock Brewery
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Ben Bruce (1979
Cabrio)
Gary Johanson
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Best Type 3
Modified |
VolksCare |
-
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Best Type 3
Standard |
Duttons Automotive
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Kathleen Conroy
(1972 Fastback)
Michael Oxih (1969 Fastback)
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Best Kombi Split
Modified |
DeBiasi
Auto Repairs
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Glyn Whale (1968
Microbus)
Shane yap (1960 Kombi)
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Best Kombi Split
Standard |
GHR Motors
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Nick Fordham
(1964 Panel)
Stuart Ermel (1967 Kombi)
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Best Kombi Bay
Modified |
Unique
Fabrications
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Simon Howard
(1976 Camper)
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Best Kombi Bay
Standard |
V&T
Motors
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Vince Ivens (1976
Camper)
John Murphy (1977 Camper)
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Best Karmann Ghia
Modified |
Shannons
Insurance
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Rob Gilbert (1962)
Klaus Gohra (1963)
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Best Karmann Ghia
Standard |
North Tce Tyres
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Malcolm Keen
(1969 Cabrio)
Roma Rowlands (1961)
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Best T25/T3/T4/T5 |
City of Port
Adelaide Enfield
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Corey Seegers
(2004 Camper)
Alf Anderson (1990 Transporter
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Best Buggy |
RAJ Carpentry
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Adam DeBiasi
(1965)
Steve Spray (1973)
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Best Buggy/Kit
Car/Special |
Flurieu Milk
Company
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Michael
Polljonker (1976 Eureka)
Jeff Sobel (1959 Ascort)
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Best New Gen Over
10 years |
Volksfactory |
Martyn Franklin
(1977 Golf)
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Best New Gen
Under 10
years |
German
Auto
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Leanne Keen (2008
Eos)
Julia Rozleja (Camper)
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Best Rat (must be
driven
to Festival) |
Acorn Property
Group
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Heather Martin
Lee Munro (1966 Beetle)
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Coolest Ride |
Paint Supplies SA
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Vic Coombe (1961
Beetle)
Trent Cilento (1968 Beetle)
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Thanks
The Volks Enthusiasts Club
of SA cordially thanks its sponsors, without whom the event could not
be held. Members are encouraged to check out the companies listed above
and patronise their business when ever possible. Special thanks also to
the committee and office bearers for their tireless efforts in putting
the show together and to all who brought their cars along - both local
and interstate.
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