Monaro Nationals 2022 attracts thousands to Toowoomba Show and Shine
Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Holden Monaros and their drivers have roared into Toowoomba. See why here:
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Among the thousands of car enthusiasts to file through the gates of the Monaro Nationals 2022 in Toowoomba at the weekend was one driver considered Monaro royalty.
Lloyd Robertson started up the famous Precision Driving Team back in the 1960s and though they weren’t the original car of choice, the Monaro became the team’s signature vehicle.
“I started the team in 1964 in Volkswagens for three years and then we had one year in Ford Cortinas,” Mr Robertson recalled.
“But then we changed to Monaros and stayed with Holden for many, many years.”
Mr Robertson was just 19 when he started the team of four which performed at shows across Australia including the Toowoomba Show at the old showgrounds in Lindsay Street back in the 1970s.
“We’d follow the show circuit and went all over Australia,” he said.
“We didn’t miss the Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide shows for 42 years and we did most of the regional shows as well.
“It was a lot of fun, being young and unmarried, it was a lot of fun.”
Mr Robertson now lives in Noosa and still enjoys a spot of rally driving.
More than 200 Monaro enthusiasts drove their pride and joy from all parts of Australia to attend the Monaro Nationals 2022 at the Brothers Rugby League grounds in Glenvale on Saturday.
Another 80 people drove their Monaros to the grounds for the Show and Shine on the football fields.
“We hold it every two years and go from state to state but our last one in Victoria was cancelled due to Covid-19 so it’s been four years,” explained Monaro Club of Queensland vice president Darryl Lonergan.
“I’ve made lifelong friends out of this and we get to catch up every two years.”
The club hired the Clive Berghofer Pavilion at the Toowoomba Showgrounds to house the Monaros with security officers to watch over them while the club members were in town.
Club members enjoyed a meet and greet at the Glenvale Club on Friday night before the Show and Shine on Saturday with a “Cars and Coffee” at the Toowoomba Railway Station planned and then a Monday cruise to Laidley and back to the Cobb & Co Museum in Toowoomba.
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