Veteran Car Club (Queensland) 70th Anniversary Lunch

Veteran Car Club Australia, Queensland President, Mr Graham Donges; Vice President and Town Crier, Lord Sydney Norman; Club Members, including 60-year membership holders, Mr Ross Guthrie and Mrs Rhonda Guthrie; ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders Past, Present and Emerging.

To be a member of the Veteran Car Club of Australia is to be part of a rich history of times when Australian life was slower, and only the wealthy could afford cars… when driving a car was full of ritual and formality.

It was also a time when cars were made to last, with the vehicle industry dominated by a handful of highly skilled manufacturers.

Those were pioneering days, when vehicles were crafted from costly materials such as brass, nickel, wood and leather. It is little wonder these cars were cherished by their original owners—and remain so by your club members today.

Perhaps this is why, in a fast-paced world, it is indeed my special honour, as Governor and Joint Honorary Member, with Graeme, to join you for lunch at the Manly Club today to celebrate your 70th anniversary.

We both have a deep appreciation of the important work of conservation and restoration and use of pre-1919 motor vehicles undertaken by the club. Conserving and restoring these cars is undoubtedly, for members, an act of appreciation of the genius of engineering innovation and mechanical practice.

Rallies undertaken around Queensland and beyond, such as the Frostbite rally through the Wide Bay Burnett Region, not only provide you with opportunities to share your restoration achievements and camaraderie but also invite communities to engage directly with history.

Each rally transforms towns and regions into open‑air museums, where the public can see, hear and appreciate the vehicles that once shaped everyday life and long journeys alike.

Equally significant is the Club’s contribution to documenting and safeguarding Queensland’s early motoring story – with your website being a veritable treasure trove of early flyers, advertisements and photographs – while living history exercises, like the centenary re-enactment of the record-breaking ‘Old Whitey’ journey, help bring our state’s motoring history to life.

There is a special resonance between your work and the custodianship of the Rolls‑Royce Phantom VI held at Government House. As one of only a small number of such vehicles in Australia, and a 1972 model acquired for Vice-Regal service in the early 1970s, the Phantom VI is a cherished part of Queensland’s automotive heritage.

Like the vehicles you so meticulously maintain, it reminds us that historic motor cars are far more than conveyances. They are artefacts of design excellence, skilled workmanship and the values of their time.

As you mark this significant milestone, Graeme and I thank the members, volunteers and supporters who have sustained the Club for over 70 years and wish you well for a splendid year of celebrations.