Wellington Strawberry Fete 5/10/2025
Despite blustery conditions that saw marques flapping and stalls struggling to stay upright, the Wellington strawberry fete went ahead in fine community spirit on Sunday October 5th 2025.
Adding a touch of motoring nostalgia to the occasion and in keeping with a long-held tradition of attendance at the fete, twenty four members of the Auto Collectors Car Club of Murray Bridge, along with their partners and friends, brought a sparkling line-up of both modern and classic cars for display around the tennis court area, at the rear of the site. As has become accustomary at events of this nature, the polished chrome and paintwork of the dozen or so vehicles brought some admiring inspections from both young and old alike and provided a colourful contrast to the grey, windswept skies.
The event is an annual community fundraiser, organised and run by the Wellington Progress Association to support town projects. The fete, which began around 1962, featured market stalls, homemade produce, bric a brac, music, local food and the sale of strawberries served with lashings of cream, icecream or pavlovas and scones. Funds raised go towards town improvements, such as maintaining the local hall, whilst also serving as an important social and community-building event for the town and surrounds.
After meeting at the car park of the Uniting Church Hall at 8:30am (7:30 pre-daylight saving time), the convoy of cars and drivers set off, with Tom West in his 1958 FC Holden leading the way. Tom’s wife Lyn has long been the stalwart of the club run to the Wellington strawberry fete and it was in memory of her that we “took to the road” again this year. Lyn’s efforts were acknowledged during the day and a celebratory “cheers” was made in her memory-she will indeed be missed by all members of the Car Club.
With the Kitto’s in their immaculate ’64 EH Holden, the Burbidge’s in their unique 1956 Humber Hawk, the Courtney’s in a 1976 Ford Fairmont, the Mach’s in their 1967 VW, the Southern’s in a 1988 300SEL Mercedes, Jan Hall (with passengers Brenda Cowie and Ian Rik) in a classy convertible BMW and the Kriel’s in their 1982 Mercedes Unimog, a head-turning array of vehicles set off on their adventure. Of course, one cannot ignore the inclusion of the three modern vehicles-a cool Kia driven by Elaine Bretag, a classic C63 AMG Mercedes (Claude and Liz Minge) and the GLA 250E Mercedes driven by Brian and Rosaria Rainey.
While gusty winds caused a few challenges-sending leaflets flying, tent pegs shifting and testing the patience of stallholders-the cheerful mood never faltered. Those of us who had taken the time to clean and polish our “pride and joy” may have felt a pang of disappointment or frustration, but it certainly wasn’t evident-in fact, these car club events and outings foster pride, friendships-both new and old-and an overall feeling of fun and fellowship.
Many of our car club members enjoyed browsing the local craft and produce stalls, sharing stories and catching up over a delicious barbeque selection and bowls of strawberries and icecream. Original art works, glassware and other items such as mechanical and vehicle books and magazines were purchased by a few of the car club participants. I’m sure that there must have been strict instructions however, to not bring home too much more garagenalia and memorabilia from several of the partners, as acquisitions were kept to a minimum, despite protestations and lamentations of “but it’s a bargain, dear”.
We were joined by Mayor Wayne Thorley, who also sought the protection from the unsavoury weather conditions in the shelter of the Wellington hall courtyard. Both Mayor Thorley and event organisers praised the community for turning out in such conditions. “It’s great to see everyone supporting Wellington” said a representative of the Progress Association. “Even the wind couldn’t blow away our enthusiasm.”
As the afternoon drew to a close, laughter, chatter and the hum of engines filled the air-a testament to the enduring community spirit that makes the Wellington Strawberry Fete a much-loved and anticipated tradition each year.
Participants made their way home in a leisurely fashion and with appetites completely satisfied-content in the knowledge that despite inclement weather, bumpy highways or the occasional mechanical hiccup, tomorrow is another day, with boundless possibilities……..
