There were happy smiles all round at the Jamberoo Fire Station on 5 December when Rev Jodie McNeill, President of the Jamberoo Rural Fire Brigade, and Ms Elaine King, Treasurer of the Jamberoo Branch of The Australian Red Cross, each received a cheque for $11,000 from Dr David Butcher, Chair of the Jamberoo Car Show and Family Day organising committee. 

The funds were raised at the Car Show held in the village on Sunday 29 October, a popular event at which over 500 classic cars were displayed, and attracted an estimated 6000 visitors to Jamberoo.

In presenting the cheques to the two hard-working Jamberoo institutions, Dr Butcher, who is a long-standing member of the local fire brigade and Red Cross as well as Treasurer of the Jamberoo Valley Classic Vehicles Club, paid tribute to the dedication of the 10 members of the Car Show organising committee.  

He said that the committee started work planning the 2023 show in January this year and will begin work on the 2024 show in early February.  Dr Butcher also acknowledged with gratitude the generosity of the many sponsors who supported the show with funds and in-kind donations, the work of the dozens of volunteers who made it all come together on the big day, the community and businesses of Jamberoo who have really embraced the annual event, and the visitors whose enthusiasm make it all worthwhile each year.

The Jamberoo Rural Fire Brigade will look at using the donated funds to purchase specialised equipment to provide better protection for the community. The Jamberoo Red Cross will look at local projects but is also likely to earmark some of the money raised for disaster recovery, a topical issue as our area moves into a potentially bad bushfire season.

By Amanda Large, Secretary, Jamberoo Car Show Committee 2023