Cult 1982 Australian film, Running on Empty, starring Terry Serio, Deborah Conway and Max Cullen was celebrated in Cobar at its biennial Running on Empty Festival last weekend.

The popular event again delivered roaring engines, and a shot in the arm for the local economy, but over the history of the event, it has delivered so much more.

Behind the spectacle is a story of purpose. Festival committee member John De Bruin says the event began as a love letter to the film and the roads around Cobar where parts were shot but quickly

became a fundraiser with a mission.

 “We announced in 2018 that we would raise money to build a war memorial in Cobar,” he said.

“There was nowhere that the names of all the people who went to war were in one single spot.”

That promise was kept.

“We made enough money out of the 2022 event to build that war memorial,” Mr De Bruin said.

“By 2024 the Cobar War Memorial was in place. She weighs 7.2 tonne, and at that time had 953 names on it, which went up to the time of the Korean War.”

The monument now lists 961 names and stands as a permanent roll of honour created by community hands.

“All the crane time was donated by a local crane company," Mr De Bruin said.

"The electrical work was donated and so on.

" It was a real community effort, and we are very proud of it.”

The much loved Cobar War Memorial came about with help from funds raised at the Running on Empty event.

Car buff and Member for Barwon Roy Butler called it “one festival that is close to my heart.”

The centrepiece at the latest Running on Empty Festival was Saturday’s Show ’n’ Shine.

“This was a gathering of cars from all around the country, to be displayed in all their glory,” Mr Butler said.

“The cars ranged from some vintage masterpieces through to more recent classics.”

He was invited to select a Judge’s Choice and chose a 1968 HK Holden wagon owned by local Luke Griffiths.

“What I liked about the car was that it had some modern modifications but preserved the patina and the original bodywork," he said.

"Even better, Luke also still drives the car every day."

Mr Butler joined a packed crowd at the Cobar Bowling & Golf Club for an opening-night screening with special guest’s director John Clark and actor Terry Serio.

“When the film came to an end, the audience was asked if they wanted to watch it again and the answer was a resounding yes,” Mr Butler said.

This year’s celebration balanced reverence with revelry and demand saw the festival stretch to five days.

“We had just short of 100 cars here from all over Australia, as far north as Brisbane and as far south as Melbourne,” Mr De Bruin said.

“We had 170 people for the movie on Friday night, a welcome night on Thursday with about 160 at the Golf Club and 150 for dinner on Saturday.

“We were supposed to run Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

"We added Wednesday, and on Sunday we took people out for lunch, so it became a five-day event.

"I would say an extra four or five hundred extra people were in town and I haven’t found one business that didn’t benefit."

The Dustbowl Fuel Burners car club has now “taken the reins” of organising the Running on Empty Festival with Mr De Bruin and Emily Miller helping coordinate events.

“2025 is all about having the future Running on Empty events be self-sufficient, rather than depending on government funding," Mr De Bruin said.

"We think we’ve raised enough money this year, and with a couple more fundraisers we’ll have enough to run 2027.”

Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, "put his money where his mouth is" by not only publicly supporting the Running on Empty Festival at Cobar,but also taking part.

Mr Butler didn’t just turn up, he took part.

“Roy actually put a car into the event,” Mr De Bruin said.

“He wasn’t just here as a spectator and was very generous with auction items with us on Saturday night.”

For the MP, the weekend’s value is civic as well as sentimental.

“The value of events like this cannot be overstated," Mr Butler said.

"They bring the community together as well as drawing in people from out of town who spend money at the pubs, cafes and shops, boosting the local economy.

"Congratulations to John De Bruin and his team from Dustbowl Fuel Burners for such a successful event.

"I look forward to many more to come.”

That hope is widely shared.

“Everybody is positive about it, they want to come back for 2027, and we are already taking about the 50^th anniversary of the film in 2032.” Mr De Bruin said.

 “We don’t want this event to get enormous.

"We want it manageable with a family-friendly atmosphere.

"Our demographics are people who’ve spent thousands on their cars; they want somewhere to show them off, and to cruise.”