Rotary Castlemaine Keeps on Trucking
Each year Rotary Castlemaine’s national Truck Show brings over 200 trucks (and lots of spectators) to the Mount Alexander Shire and raises in excess of $40,000 for a range of community projects and local charities. With COVID-19 restrictions, the 32nd annual Truck Show scheduled for 28-29 November 2020 had to be reimagined.
To pay tribute to the trucking industry that worked particularly hard during a challenging year to keep goods and services available to the public, Rotary Castlemaine decided on an alternative online program … one that would reach over 40,000 people.
A photographic competition titled ‘At Work with Trucks’ was launched in October with sponsored prizes that attracted 54 photographs from as far away as Queensland and South Australia. A panel of judges had great delight in assessing a wide range of photographs submitted by small trucking families, big tracking companies, farmers, student employees, and even a worker on the Monash Freeway works.
To engage online trucking enthusiasts, the top 28 ranked photographs were publicised via a video clip on the Club’s Facebook page with a link to a People’s Choice vote on Survey Monkey to determine the winner. A sponsor was obtained to print a calendar designed by local artist, Geoff Hocking, to feature the competition photographs (the competition entry fee covered the cost of the calendar with extra printed for additional fundraising). With general information about the Truck Show and the 2021 and 2022 dates, the calendar has proven excellent marketing.
The Club Truck Show Committee also pursued a program of online speakers through Zoom, which was simultaneously broadcasted with Facebook Live – it was a great hit with fans. On 29 November, ‘At Work with Trucks’ was streamed continuously for two hours and a local resident provided a behind-the-scenes insight into heavy vehicle research. Rotarians came online to announce the winners of the raffle and photographic competition and there was an interview with South Australian author, Lorraine Day, about her recently published book, The High & Mighty, the story of Noel Buntine’s iconic trucking business in the top end.
The news that restrictions were easing and that the Club could also conduct a small ‘Truckies Breakfast and Convoy’ on 29 November was met with great celebration and locals came out in force.
Overall, the event attracted 11,500 Facebook views, raised $9000 and was awarded Community Event of the Year at the Mount Alexander Shire Australia Day Awards.