BY DUCK PATERSON
British automobiles were gleaming on a sunny day at Ladysmith’s Transfer Beach this past weekend.
With a slight breeze coming off the water, the weather couldn’t have been better for the largest Brits on the Beach event that organizers have ever put on. There were more than 220 vehicles lined up at the park, and the crowd numbered somewhere around 1,500-2,000 people.
“What started out 21 years ago has turned into one of the largest gatherings of English-type cars in the province,” said Kurt Luneburg of the Central Island chapter of the Old English Car Club. “This year not only did we get record turnout from the Island, there are also vehicles from the mainland and the Gulf Islands as well.”
Transfer Beach was chosen as a spot for a club picnic years ago, and that’s how Brits on the Beach got its start.
“It really makes it Brits on the Beach, and when the word spread to other owners and clubs seemed like a natural transition. Over the years the crowds have grown larger and the feedback has been so good,” Luneburg said. “We’ll always use Transfer Beach. As long as the town will have us with such huge crowds, we’re going to be coming here.”
The event was a fundraiser and food drive for the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association food bank, and $2,500 was collected in donations as well as a car load of food.
“Participants don’t have to be members of any club,” Luneburg said, “and we don’t charge any entry fee for the show either. As long as the vehicles are of British origin and the entrant makes a donation, either food or cash, they are more than welcome to attend. Being able to have a very worthwhile group to support is also important to all who attend including the spectators and that has helped to add to the show’s success.
Organizers thanked Ladysmith and District Credit Union for its sponsorship, and also the Town of Ladysmith for a grant-in-aid supporting the event.
READ ALSO: Hundreds of Ladysmith residents rely on food bank
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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