Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show (Alexandra Traders & Tourism Assoc)
The Alexandra Truck, Ute & Rod Show is an event staged by the community, for the community of Alexandra. The net outcome is a sense of community pride in staging a local event, principally on the Sunday of the Queens Birthday long weekend, which both demonstrates the skills of the local community. It also produces a significant commercial benefit to local retail, accommodation providers and other support businesses and contributes to local aged care, hospital, State Emergency Service, Country Fire Authority, the UG FM community radio and a range of support auxiliaries in terms of funds raised. The first Alexandra Truck, Ute & Rod Show was staged eleven years ago (i.e. 1997) when it was recognised that sawmilling and timber harvesting was a key economic activity and employment source in the Murrindindi Shire (whose headquarters are in Alexandra) from which many local businesses in Alexandra in particular derived the principal benefits. Beginning as an opportunity for logging contractors and the timber harvesting sector to show off their equipment and skills to a wider community, the Show has simply grown exponentially from the humble beginning. The Truck, Ute & Rod Show is essentially a ‘show and shine’ event for vehicle enthusiasts supported by music, a major wood chop event, chainsaw carving, quilting display and a trade exhibition largely related to the vehicle interests who participate. As a free event (i.e. - no admission charges from the public are sought) the estimated attendance on Sunday 10 June 2007 was 12,000 people while the Show has been judged “the biggest and best in its history”.
