A slice of Franklin’s heritage will be on display in Pukekohe this March.
Vintage Engine Restorers Auckland (VERA) and Franklin Vintage Machinery Club have teamed up to run the Franklin Heritage Weekend at the Pukekohe Showgrounds on March 8 and 9.
Franklin Machinery Club president Scotty Bright said this will be the first major event for the groups since the Covid-19 outbreaks. The lack of events had hit clubs and their fundraising efforts hard.
The weekend will showcase vintage displays from stationary engines, tractors, trucks,
motorbikes, farm machinery, tools, military vehicles, and veteran/vintage/classic cars.
There will also be live demonstrations including haymaking and ploughing.
A 1950s D8 Caterpillar bulldozer will also be one of the live displays. About 60 tractors and 30 engines have registered for the event, with even some local growers planning to bring their tractors in.
VERA secretary Paul Rhodes said they were also seeking volunteers to run some of the
children’s entertainment like sack races and the Santa sleigh ride (that had also featured at the recent Pukekohe Show).
“We would really like this to be a real community event and encourage the Franklin community to be involved.”
The Franklin Vintage Machinery Club is also hard at work to renovate its headquarters at
Pukekohe Showgrounds. The shed has a kitchen, two toilets, a meeting room, a library, and an exhibiting space.
Pukekohe Showgrounds. The shed has a kitchen, two toilets, a meeting room, a library, and an exhibiting space.
The club was incorporated in April 1988, and formed with the purpose of fostering an interest in using all manner of vintage machinery and restoring them back to their original condition.
Meanwhile, VERA was formed in June 1985 by a small number of hobbyists sharing a common interest in old stationary engines, their restoration, preservation and displaying them. VERA does not own or rent any club rooms or workshops, with members’ time spent on the 3Rs –retrieving, restoring and rallying engines.
