Town Talk | Goulburn Valley Motor Vehicle Drivers Club: A legacy of passion

Over time, it can help carry us through good times, and bad.

For Keith Raverty, it is the Goulburn Valley Motor Vehicle Drivers Club — and this is how it came about.

In October 1970, Keith was looking to buy a home for his wife and children.

He was interested in a house in Sutherland Ave.

On the property was the remains of a 1928 Buick, with a man — let’s call him Tom — and some young fellows attempting to move what was left of the car.

Watching them struggle, Keith asked if there was a club in town; the members might give him a hand.

Tom said there wasn’t a club and Keith — also interested in vintage cars — said that he would put an ad in the newspaper asking for interest.

In the next newspaper, Keith saw an advertisement asking for interest in a club and inviting those interested to a meeting in Numurkah.

Around 50 people attended the meeting, which was chaired by Tom.

It was decided that a club would be formed, the Goulburn Valley Motor Vehicle Collector’s Club, and Tom became the first president.

They all took a number, which would remain with them throughout their membership.

Laughing, Keith told me that he didn’t realise he’d be “stuck with the number for ever”. Tom was number 1 and Keith was 39.

In the second year of the club’s existence, Tom was no longer a part of it and Keith became president for the next three years — and for six of the first 10 years.

Keith started the first swap meet — which was, for many years, a substantial fund raiser for the club; with hundreds of sites sold, originally at the trotting track.

People came from all around Victoria.

Keith took care of this activity for just on 20 years.

There were regular rallies and barbecues, and the club continued to grow.

Meetings were relocated to Shepparton, where the majority of members lived.

Limited registration and name change

There were two similar clubs in Melbourne, which benefited from ‘limited registration’.

This meant that owners of vintage cars weren’t expected to pay the full registration fee — as most people rarely drove these cars on the road. Keith wanted the same benefit for Shepparton members.

So, he began taking regular trips to our capital, to persuade the necessary people.

When he told me that he had taken 12 trips before succeeding, I laughed.

“You just wore them down, didn’t you?” I said. “They were sick of the sight of you.”

However, Keith had ensured that the GV club was the first regional club to obtain this serious cost saving for members.

The state government provided registration books, in which details of activities were kept, and their registration costs were considerably reduced.

It also saved time and effort because previously, whenever a rally was held, each driver had to contact the Vintage Drivers Club to ask for permission to use the limited registration.

Each participant had to include details of the rally’s duration and length — then wait for a response.

The name of the club was changed to Goulburn Valley Motor Vehicle Drivers Club — because it more accurately reflected the membership.

About Keith

He was born in Melbourne and raised in Flemington; therefore, becoming a supporter of the North Melbourne Football Club.

He relocated his family to Shepparton in 1967, to take up the position of meat inspector at Stuart’s Bacon Factory and the abattoirs.

He didn’t purchase the house in Sutherland Ave because it had an outside toilet, which was too inconvenient with a son dependent on a wheelchair.

He found a more suitable home in Hawdon St, where he lived until purchasing 80 acres of orchard, with a house, in Lemnos.

He had been looking to purchase a home on a couple of acres — because, at this point, he had 65 vintage cars (at various stages and in varied condition).

But he settled for the orchard, compensated by the possibility of working it, in addition to his regular work, as a meat inspector.

He says he didn’t know an apricot from an apple, but he successfully worked the orchard for four years, in addition to his regular job.

Then, there was yet another move, to Congupna; a brick veneer home on 150 acres; he retired from his job, relocated the 25 cars he still had and became a dairy farmer.

Muscular dystrophy finally took the life of his son, Steven, in 1982; he was 22 years of age.

Three years later, his surviving son, Ian, died in a motorcycle collision.

These were devastating times for Keith and his wife, Aileen.

However, his passion for the club, of which he was an inaugural member, remained.

He continued to attend meetings and events until 2019 when his health deteriorated.

Aileen passed away in 2023.

Keith spent Christmas with his daughter Margo and her family.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Keith Raverty.

Although, like me, he is occasionally searching for a date or a name, he remains sharp, interesting and good company.

I thanked him for the fun we had and left, very aware that, like many who have lost their lifelong partner, he is lonely.

I was now also aware of just how much this club had meant to him — and still does.

In case you are interested, a three-bedroom brick veneer house with the five remaining acres at Congupna will be on sale shortly.

My number is at the bottom of the page if you want details.

Goulburn Valley Motor Vehicle Drivers Club Inc today

It was time to give Peter Vibert a call.

He is treasurer of the club and I wanted an update on the situation.

He told me that the club remains strong, almost 54 years since it began; although smaller than the early days of its existence.

In 2025, no-one is attempting to rebuild a 1920s Ford because it is no longer possible.

However, anything over 25 years of age is considered ‘vintage’ and there is still strong interest in the club’s activities, particularly the swap meets.

The Federal Government has decided that incorporated car clubs should pay tax on their profits.

Surely, this is ridiculous — making a lot of work for members — particularly, I imagine, for their treasurer.

Perhaps someone has whispered in the federal treasurer’s ear about swap meets.

Or perhaps there’s a long-term plan for incorporated clubs of all kinds.

Time will tell!

The club is always keen to accept new members, and you’ll find contact details on its website — or you can give me a call on my number, if you wish, for phone contacts.

Darkest Hour

I came across a movie I really enjoyed. It’s not new but well worth your time, if you have yet to see it.

It tells of Winston Churchill’s first month as prime minister — it was 1940.

I thought I knew all I needed to know about England’s experience of Worls War II, but I was wrong.

I never gave thought to Churchill negotiating with Hitler because I never gave thought to Britain surrendering.

But the decision had to be made, and made quickly, with all that was left of the British Army on the beaches of France.

Churchill wasn’t his party’s first choice for prime minister — but he became their last hope.

England’s fate — perhaps the world’s fate — hung on his shoulders.

And this was the man whose ‘brainwave’ sent 8700 Australians to their deaths at Gallipoli.

(With more than 18,000 wounded).

Gary Oldman gives an electrifying — and Academy Award-winning — performance as Churchill.

This is worth watching for his performance alone.

(There is an underground scene, which gave me chills; however, I’m not at all sure that it is historically accurate, or that it happened at all.)

I watched this on Netflix and I believe it is available for rent on Apple TV or Google TV.

Also, YouTube.

I wish you the very best of years; May 2025 be memorable for all the right reasons.

And may it be easy, my friends.

Marnie

Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au

Letter: Town Talk. The News. P.O. Box 204. Shepparton 3631.

Phone: Text or call 0409 317 187