The Kempsey Truck Show made a long-awaited comeback last weekend, and this time it was bigger and better than ever.
The show, which took place on September 23 in West Kempsey, NSW, featured over 150 trucks and drew a fantastic crowd.
The event was hosted by the North Coast Trucking Social Club, and NCTSC Secretary Kate Jones said the club committee was delighted with how the day went.
“The day was a huge success,” she said.
“We had more than 1200 people attend, and that’s not even counting the kids because they went free.
“We had a street parade and loads of activities, from a dummy spitting competition to a truck pull to Billy Cart races. The atmosphere was really fun and the kids had an absolute ball.
She laughed: “The winner of the dummy spitting competition actually spat it 5m away, which is pretty impressive.”
Winners were chosen across 44 categories, from Best Presented Kenworth to Owner Driver of the Year. Chris Robinson from Robinson Heavy Haulage was awarded with Best Truck in Show, while David Rose from CAP Transport was runner-up. For a full list of all the winners, see here.
The show also featured a log truck display and a crane display.
The day ended with a dinner and a charity auction, with drums of oil and other prizes up for grabs
“We had over 70 items in the auction, all donated from local businesses who wanted to support the event,” Jones added.
She said it was too early to tell how much money had been raised, but all proceeds from the day will go to a good cause. Beneficiaries include mental health charity Lifeline, the Naval Cadets, and the Lilli Pilli Ladies’ Organisation, who raise money for local cancer support in the area.
This year was the first time the Kemspey Truck Show has taken place since 2019, so the organisers and attendees were thrilled to be back.
“In 2019 we only had 89 trucks in the show, so it was much bigger this time around,” Jones said.
“The show was cancelled due to Covid for a few years, and we then didn’t have enough club members to get the show going again.
“We are always open to new members at the NCTSC, and encourage people to get in touch with us at nctsc@outlook.com.au if they are interested in joining.”