The Beginning 1974 to now...

The Dandenong Valley Historic Car Club was formed in February 1974 by Allan Tregea, Steve Duckett, Denis King, Dennis Renolds, Laurie Plowright, Dennis Jones, Martin Utber, Lindsay Tharle and John Cochrane who believed there was a need for a Historic Car Club in the Dandenong Valley Region. The first meeting was at the home of Allan Tregea on February lst 1974.
The second meeting in March was called by a single page Newsletter. Vic Archer, Winton Platt and Ernie Hopgood attended also, and these twelve people are considered the founder members. At this meeting each member contributed $1.00 and proposed a motion for a membership drive. The name of the Club was agreed to, and a competition held to design a Club Badge. This was subsequently won by Gwen Tregea at the August meeting. It is Gwen's winning design (based on their 1929 Essex Sedan) that remains today as the Club emblem.

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Meeting Places:

The Club has always met on the first Friday of every month including January at 8.00pm. The Club presently meets at the Dandenong Agricultural Society Club Rooms at the Dandenong Showgrounds in Bennett Street Dandenong.

As well as the home of Allan Tregea in Dingley, the Club has also met in The Anglican Church, on the corner of Centre Dandenong Road and Old Dandenong Roads Dingley, The Rachabites Hall Cnr Walker and Robinson Streets Dandenong (opposite the old Dandenong Fire Station),

The Harlequin Soccer Club’s Clubrooms in Glassocks Road, Bangholme which became home for the club, as for some time, we had sole use of this property. Working bees cleaned and prepared the rooms for meeting while outside the grounds were tidied and a gravel driveway installed. It was here that the Dandenong Valley Historic Car Club held its first swap meeting. When the property came up for sale we looked at the possibility of buying it for ourselves, but we did not have the resources and it was sold.

We continued to rent the Clubrooms from the new owners. We went back to the Rachabites Hall in Dandenong prior to its demolition for a short time while the owners lived in the clubrooms and built a new house on the property. However it was time to find a new meeting place and Lindsay Tharle organised the Dandenong Agricultural Society Club Rooms at the Dandenong Showgrounds where we presently meet.