Couldn't resist looking up old photos for Keith Webb when he posted the Morris picture of the upcoming Belfield auction in Victoria.
Attached photo of my first military vehicle on South Stradbroke Island, near Queensland Gold Coast. Early 60's me aged 14 and 12 year old sister.
We used to hide the vehicle in the bush then go across the two mile bay in our family put-put boat with a battery and drum of fuel. After about 2 hours getting through the sandhills on one sheet of marsden matting at a time (Oh how I wished for four wheel drive!) my mates and I would spend the weekend blasting up and down the 20 miles of deserted surf beach. Camping out under the stars, getting bogged 6 times a day, swimming and driving - what a life for young teenagers!
Parents today would be horrified to see their sons riding a driftwood log attached by rope behind an old army Morris flying along at 30mph down the beach.
We got really stuck once trying to get back up the steep sandhills off the beach and a blitz truck (the only other vehicle on the island) belonging to some fellows who made a living collecting rutile and zircon sand by shovelling it off patches on the beach - they had muscles in their eyebrows - came along. They hooked onto us and even with about 6 tons in the back of their 3 ton Chev made us fly up the hill.
End of Morris enthusiasm, four wheel drive or nothing after that.
Lang
|