By JESSE GRAHAM
UPDATE: 5 October:
THE Wings and Wheels event, slated for this weekend, has been “postponed” until next year.
Organiser, Matthew Etty-Leal announced on Friday, 2 October, that the event would not go ahead on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October as originally planned, “due to a range of factors”.
The event, a charity fundraiser, would have featured vintage cars and aircraft, with the Bathurst 1000 race streamed live for visitors.
Mr Etty-Leal said he was “very pleased” with the support given to the event by the Lilydale Airport and businesses, but said the event would be postponed.
“It is, therefore, with deep regret and disappointment, that we confirm we are not proceeding with Wings and Wheels 2015,” he said.
“We do believe, with the knowledge we have gained over the last few months, that we will run a Wings and Wheels event in 2016.”
21 September:
ENTERTAINMENT on land and in the sky is just weeks away, with Lilydale Airport set to host a mammoth event on the Bathurst 1000 weekend.
The Wings and Wheels event will open to the public on from 9am on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, for an all-out weekend of planes, helicopters and cars, accompanied by Yarra Valley produce.
Event organiser Matthew Etty-Leal told the Mail that the event will have attractions for children, and for bigger kids, with jumping castles and Life Education’s Harold the Giraffe to accompany vintage cars and planes.
Aircraft demonstrations will take place over the weekend, including some by a Corsair Warbird, a Yak 52 Russian Trainer, biplanes, helicopters and even aerobatic displays and flying formations.
Visitors will be able to take part, with flights available in Tiger Moths and helicopters, as well as scenic flights.
“Or, if they’re feeling silly enough, they can do a skydive,” Mr Etty-Leal said.
He said that a disability-accessible plane will also be available on the weekend for flights.
For those more into wheels than wings, the Bathurst 1000 will be screened on both days, with the practice-runs on Saturday and the main event on the Sunday.
Mr Etty-Leal said the event will raise money for six charities, four of which are organisations which support people living with disabilities, including Melba Support Services and the Yarra Ranges Special Developmental School.
There will be a number of fund-raising events over the weekend, including a raffle and an auction, the latter of which including three week-long holidays.
For those after a bite to eat, Coombe’s executive chef Tony Milton and Sisko Chocolate will both run cooking demonstrations from 10am-4pm each day, and businesses will be running food stalls.
Mr Etty-Leal said that, with a little over three weeks until the event, he was hoping to get more businesses on board with stalls – which go for $160 for the weekend.
He said businesses could also support the event by donating items for the raffle or auction, to help with the fund-raising.
For more information on the event, visit www.wingsandwheelsaustralia.com.au.
