Show gives to vulnerable children
Parades of car-lovers and anglers alike supported two key community events in Horsham at the weekend.
Wimmera Against Cancer in Kids Car and Bike Show, in its 20th year, welcomed more than 200 entrants and up to 3000 spectators who backed its cause to support vulnerable children.
After wet weather put a damper on last year’s event, organisers said they were overjoyed with the sight of a clear sky, which complemented all the freshly polished rims.
WACK trustee Keith Fischer estimated the event raised more than $10,000, which he said would go to renovating a charity house in Melbourne to accommodate seriously ill children.
“This year has improved again. We had 232 vehicles being shown. There was fantastic support from the public and I believe we could have raised more than $10,000 for the cause this year,” he said.
“May Park is a fantastic setting for the show. The park is renowned throughout Melbourne and Adelaide. We really appreciate Horsham Rural City Council for allowing us to have the show there.”
Mr Fischer said money raised would channel into renovating a room at Ronald Mcdonald House in Melbourne.
“We believe this is a great way to help families of ill children. Ronald Mcdonald House is a fantastic facility for families,” he said.
“Money will also go directly to families in the Wimmera to help with bills and give fuel vouchers and things like that.”
Mr Fischer and Brendan Mckinnon founded WACK after seeing the effects of cancer on 18-month-old Brandon Taylor and his family.
“After Brandon was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1999, his family left their home to stay in Melbourne for three months for his treatment, without an income and with bills still coming in,” Mr Fischer said.
“We couldn’t even imagine what they were going through and felt that there are other families in the same situation.
“We started WACK and the car and bike show as a fundraiser to help those families that we just can’t imagine what it would be like to go through what they are going through.”
Mr Fischer said classic and modern Ford Mustangs were in the majority at Sunday’s show.
“We had a lot of different vehicles that haven’t entered before. There was even a Ferrari Testarossa, a first for the event,” he said.
“There was an old Chevrolet at the show, my mother loved this car because she learnt to drive in one of them in about 1944.”
Mr Fischer said WACK would continue to improve the event, with the possibility of showing a classic movie at Centre Cinema Horsham.
“We were thinking about having an older film play at the theatre,” he said.
“We’ve asked management at the cinema to help us out with that. We’re going to keep thinking of ways to improve the event.
“With a large number of new entrants participating this year, it’s giving us a great deal of enthusiasm to keep going.”