The organisers of the Beaudesert Heritage Truck Show don’t hand out awards at their annual event – it’s more about bringing the community together.
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The Queensland show, which features a display of vintage trucks, tractors and cars as well as trade stalls, is an opportunity for people to show off their vehicles and enjoy a great day out for the whole family.
“We’re not a competitive club,” says organiser John Dodd. “Everyone’s on an equal footing and we encourage people to do the best they can with what they’ve got.
“Everyone works on a different budget. There are some people within companies that have a bigger scope of things they can do with their trucks, while others are on a limited budget.
“So, everyone is equal and there’s no differentiation between a blinged-up truck and a working truck.”
John says the day was “very enjoyable” for young and old.
“Everyone was having a great time, everyone was happy, talking and mixing,” he says.
“There was music going all day and ice-creams and soft drinks for the kids.
“There was just a really nice environment.”
The show involved a parade of 40 trucks through the township of Beaudesert, showing off models of all shapes and sizes.
“We have started to form some good relations with the police and TMR, so the parade went seamlessly.
“There were three or four outstanding LTL Louisvilles – the owners must be super proud of them because they represented so well.
“There were a lot of vehicles with a historic background – like some very old Macks, there are only one or two of them in Australia.
“There was a Diamond Reo that represents very well, the owner put a lot of money into it.
“But then there were also trucks there in their working clothes so people could come in and see what trucks are like when they are working.”
The Beaudesert Heritage Show is hosted by the Heritage Truck Association of Australia, and John says attendees benefited from the knowledge of a former association president who acted as MC.
“His depth of knowledge on trucks is outstanding,” he says.
“He walks up and down the lines and talks about each truck, telling you about the history of it and what it does.
“People follow him around to learn, it’s great.”
John says people came from far and wide for the popular show.
“We had some people from New South Wales and I spoke to some who came down from Toowoomba to have a look,” he says.
“I live in the north side of Brisbane so it was about an 80 kilometre trip for me, but there was another bloke who came from even further north.
“There was good representation from all areas!”
The Heritage Truck Association of Australia is based in Rocklea, where they also host their annual Heritage Truck Show – their main event for the year.
“We also work with the Brisbane Truck Show and support them as well – that’s a strengthening situation,” John adds.
“The last time we did the Beaudesert show was in 2022, we’re still feeling our way with that one.
“Whether it becomes an annual thing, we’re not sure yet.”
Money raised from both the Beaudesert and the Rocklea shows mostly goes back into running the club for the year, with other proceeds going to charity.
“We run the club and if we have money to spare, we pick a charity.
“Everyone paid a subscription to go in the parade at Beaudesert this year, and that money went straight into motor neurone disease research.”
The community is always at the heart of what the Heritage Truck Association does.
“We had the local Rotary Club there, and the local swimming club, they were all running stalls so they could get some revenue from us bringing the public in.
“It’s like a Men’s Shed on wheels for the members – it’s all about the community.”
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