THE morning was made to order.
A bright, sunny day with just the hint of a breeze heralded the first day of spring – Fathers’ Day – and the picture-post-card conditions drew hundreds of people to Jellicoe Park for the Moree Motor Trade Expo and Show & Shine.
The Fathers’ Day Moree Markets are traditionally the biggest of the year.
Stall-holders lined Jellicoe Park’s main pathway, with Moree Motor Enthusiasts’ Club’s annual car show on the northern boundary providing the perfect backdrop.
Club president Mark Treloar proudly displayed his 1974 XB Ford Falcon hardtop, one of dozens of cars on show.
“She’s a bit rough around the edges, but I love it,” Mr Treloar smiled.
The XB two-door has factory-fitted T-bar auto, full GS-pack and sports instrumentation.
Mr Treloar said he bought the vehicle about four years ago.
“She’s unrestored, but has been repainted and is still running its 351 V8 out of the factory,” he said.
“It’s a club-registered car that still purrs and hums, and I’ll take it on a long road trip any day.”
The Motor Trade Expo and Show and Shine drew exhibitors from across regional New South Wales and Queensland.
“We had the Jaguar Club here as well, with members from different areas who brought 15 cars all up,” Mr Treloar said.
“There were visitors from Newcastle and the Hunter Valley as well as Crows Nest in Queensland. Regionally, we had cars from Inverell, Armidale, Warialda and Tamworth.
“It’s been a fantastic morning and there was also a big dinner Saturday night for the people who travelled,” he said.
The Fathers’ Day Jellicoe Park Markets again outperformed previous market days.
Vanessa Smolders, owner of DeliciousNess Cupcakes, enjoyed a sell-out morning.
“It was a great day, and probably one of the biggest days of the year for me,” Ms Smolders said.
“This is also the biggest amount of cakes I’ve made for a single event, and still sold out.”
Ms Smolders, canteen manager at Moree Secondary College, has been creating cupcakes for 10 years.
“Preparing for a day like this is a lot of work,” she said.
“All the different butter-creams have to be made and getting all the chocolates and ingredients takes time – there’s a lot of preparation, which takes a couple of nights and a full day.
“But it’s something I love doing,” she said.
“I love how it makes people happy, especially the kids, and how they enjoy all the different flavours.”
Words and Images: Bill Poulos
