Community Display | Elizabeth SA

Thursday: 1 May 11am – 3pm

Community display @ Elizabeth SA

Local Community Event: Combining Outreach with Our Vintage Display
Today offered a welcome change of pace with our exhibition scheduled at our current base location, eliminating travel time and allowing for a more relaxed morning. We enjoyed an unhurried breakfast before turning our attention to inventory management, reorganising our supplies into more efficient storage solutions for the upcoming journey segments.

Adapting to Opportunity
While organizing our materials, we noticed volunteers arriving to set up a community food pantry. Although our vintage car display was originally scheduled from noon until 5:00 pm, we quickly recognized an opportunity to engage with more visitors by aligning our exhibition with the food pantry’s hours of operation.

We promptly unloaded our classic car, Bubsie, from her trailer and positioned her on the side veranda of the community center. Our information table and “Right Around Australia” banner were arranged alongside the vehicle, while team members Pieter and Kevin installed our large Anniversary Event banner along the perimeter fence to attract attention from passersby.

Community Engagement
By 10:30 am, our setup was complete, though the gates remained closed until 11:00 am. When they opened, a steady stream of community members who had been waiting entered the complex to access the food pantry services. Brett, the pantry coordinator, addressed the volunteers before opening, emphasizing their commitment to meeting each visitor’s needs.

The interaction between the food pantry and our vintage car display created a vibrant atmosphere. Visitors seemed to appreciate the opportunity to view our restoration project while attending the pantry. Many took photographs and accepted copies of “The Overlander” book detailing our journey. The parking area quickly filled with vehicles as community members arrived throughout the morning.

Afternoon Activities
Around noon, Ricardo Sheffer, the facility manager, arrived with his daughter Carmel. They showed particular interest in our restored replica, and Carmel enjoyed a ride around the parking area in Bubsie.

Our team worked in shifts, allowing everyone time for lunch while maintaining a presence at the display. The afternoon hours were dedicated to various administrative tasks—Kevin focused on correspondence and weekend planning, while I updated our route planner, confirmed upcoming venues, and finalised May’s schedule.

Visitor traffic slowed considerably after the food pantry concluded, and by 3:00 pm, we packed away our display materials and vehicle. Despite the quiet afternoon, the morning’s integration with the food pantry proved beneficial, allowing us to connect with approximately 30 community members.

The evening was spent preparing meals and completing administrative work—uploading documentation of the day’s activities and creating detailed itineraries for the coming week to ensure our team remains coordinated with clear objectives at each location.

This day reminded us of the value of flexibility and the meaningful connections that can be made when community initiatives complement each other.