Thinking of a classic car get-together that was a bit more relaxed and social than your usual “Show and Shine” judging competition, Owen De Carle and his wife Karen had no idea how far their idea would run.

Now having passed on the baton to a new generation, Owen recalled their first round up in 2016 that has grown into one of the region’s top auto events a decade later.

With the first Cars and Coffee Day held at Hannford Tyres, North Dubbo, on Sunday, June 5, 2016 (due to wet weather), Owen was relaxed about its success from the very start.

“I’ve always had classic, customised cars and I did see a similar event in Sydney. A lot of car events are locked-in competitions with serious judging and the like,” Owen told Dubbo Photo News.

“The idea was that this would be more relaxed, a chance to look at other cars and have a chat with their owners,” he added.

With the second Cars and Coffee event held on Sunday, July 3, 2016, at Victoria Park – the event's spiritual home over the past 10 years – its success was set.

“I remember that day, I drove a 1962 Chevy Bel Air… we had 30 or 40 classic vehicles, and we thought that was a great success,” Owen revealed.

“As it got larger, we got a couple of car groups involved – the Dubbo Motorcyclist and Drivers (MaD) Club and the Dubbo Antique Automobile Club – and brought them in to help with parking and traffic control.”

The event has only grown over the years and has become an institution for car lovers from throughout the central west, with a licensing change key to the growing number of classic cars on our roads.

“At its biggest, we had well over 200 cars and bikes a month, even now we average 150–200 a month; it’s an excuse for me and my friends to get our cars out and give them a spin.

“What really happened to make it grow, was that the NSW Government started its ‘limited use’ rego scheme, which made registration of classic cars so much cheaper. A lot of people now go to multiple days,” Owen explained.

The event has always had an eye to the bigger picture with thousands fundraised over the years from this social occasion, which is always held on the first Sunday of the month.

Now called "Dubbo Classic Cars and Coffee," it still relies on volunteers, with a regular cheque going to local charities.

“It was originally a gold coin donation which we donated to a charity. The whole time Karen and I did it, it was ‘Make a Wish’, but the guys running it now support different charities.

“Over the years we’ve raised thousands, so it’s been definitely worthwhile,” Owen added.

The couple have now handed over the reins to a new generation of car buffs, with the event in safe hands for the future.

“We stepped back a couple of years ago after it got too big to handle.

“Firstly a couple took over, Matt and Nat Rendell, and now Lawrence Rogers Gamble.”

With a genuine love of the motor car as a type, Owen and Karen still get along to the meets for the special social occasion that they represent.

“Even after all these years we did it, there are always new cars I haven’t seen before coming through,” Owen said.

“Over the years, it’s grown into something that we didn’t expect,” he concluded.