25 September 2012

Whitebait Festival to Auction Classic Land Rover for Charity

One lucky punter at the Great West Coast Whitebait Festival will get their hands on a one-of-a-kind piece of West Coast history.

The Labour Weekend festival will feature the auction of a classic 1959 Series Two Land Rover to help raise funds for the Christchurch rebuild.

Westland District Council marketing manager Sonya Matthews says the Land Rover itself has the makings of a collector’s item.

“The Land Rover is an iconic West Coast whitebaiting vehicle and this one is a real beauty. It has a new carburetter, current registration and warrant, a new paint job and it’s running very smoothly. It’s a true blue Kiwi classic, especially because it still has its original four-cylinder engine.”

The proceeds from this auction and others on the day will be donated towards Rebuild Christchurch, an organisation that helps people affected by the Canterbury earthquakes.

Ms Matthews says the charity auction is an opportunity for Westland to show their support for Canterbury.

“One of the great things about the Great West Coast Whitebait Festival is it is an opportunity not only for us to show our neighbours a great day out, but to raise some funds for a really worthwhile cause. The Land Rover is known for its strength and resilience, so it’s fitting we can put it to work helping to rebuild Christchurch.”

The inaugural Great West Coast Whitebait Festival will be held from 10am – 5.30pm on Saturday 20 October 2012 at Cranmer Square in Christchurch. Tickets to the event are on sale from www.whitebaitfest.co.nz.

Early bird ticket: $27
Standard ticket: $37
Children (13-17 yrs): $10
Children under 12: free

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