FJ – Fond Jalopy memories
Mandy Horris was sitting in her pristine 1955 FJ Holden at Dubbo Classic Cars and Coffee and her smile couldn’t have been wider – she told Dubbo Photo News the Aussie classic inspired so many happy memories for her.
“It was my father’s, he bought it in 1960 and it was our family car. Myself, my brother, Mum and Dad, we used to take caravan holidays in it. Dad passed away three years ago and I inherited it,” she said. “Every time you get in the car you remember the family holidays and the picnics we used to go on. Dad didn’t work on Sundays, he was a mechanic, so we’d just pack the food up, put the portable barbecue in and we’d go and have lunch.”
Mandy says every time she gets into the FJ she thinks of her dad, and she loves driving to Cars and Coffee because so many people use the event to put themselves into that same happy place. She firmly believes Dubbo’s Classic Cars and Coffee is only superficially about the cars themselves.
“This event is hugely important, it’s just a day where you can relax, there’s no pressure on you. A lot of car shows you have to be there are a certain time, out by a certain time whereas here you can come and go as you please and everyone is just so relaxed and friendly. You just meet so many people, it’s just amazing and it’s really good for Dubbo to have this happening every month.” Mandy is a Holden girl through and through. She still has her first car, a Torana, as well as an SS Commodore.
“The 1975 LH Torana, I bought as my first car. It has 520,000 kilometres on it now. I’ve had the motor done once and then, I’m a Holden nut, so the SS VFII was a work car that I brought out when I left. It’s the last of the Commodores so I’ll keep that, it’ll stay with me,” she said.
Husband John Galvin agrees about the importance of recreating those pleasant memories and says Mandy finds a real inner peace while she’s driving her dad’s old FJ. “This brings people together, it’s a nostalgic thing. Mandy grew up in this car so it makes you feel at home, that’s what nostalgia and history does for you, it’s just a nice feeling,” Mr Galvin said.
“Cars and Coffee is just a great community event. Everyone is out, they’re smiling, it’s a great day out and a great environment when it’s at Victoria Park, in the perfect spot under the trees. It relaxes everyone.” He said so many people who turn up have a story about an older car, even if they’re not driving one on the day, a story that may link to their childhood, their parents, or other fond memories.
“This is one of those events where you see people you don’t see at any other event. It crosses so many boundaries and demographics. Cars involve everyone, so the people who are into cars, this brings everyone out, everyone’s got a story. “We’ve got friends up from Tumut and two or three times they’ve been saying “oh, Dad had one of these”, or “this is what I had for my first car” or “I had a ute exactly the same as this, I wish I’d never sold it”, and how many times down here have you heard someone say I wish I’d never sold it?”