GAZ Jeep

[Mike Kelly]

The GAZ 67B featured in this video lived here in Victoria for many years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTJM1hqeIHo


The guy in the video does a pretty fair job of presenting the GAZ but I spotted a few errors - he refers to the Monegeetta proving ground as being a 'disposal yard' he then goes on to say or infer that Hughes Trading ( surplus dealers) were located at Monegeetta.

Also, the guy presenting the video is rather vague about how the GAZ was acquired by Bill W. Bill told me himself , the GAZ was advertised one Saturday morning in the classifieds of the AGE newspaper. I don't know if Bill was aware of the GAZ before the advert appeared that Saturday morning but at least one VMVC member, Bevan Fenner, had spotted the GAZ back in the early 1960s when the GAZ was sitting in a yard belonging to Hughes Trading. After the GAZ had been repaired to running condition, Bill attended a few of the ANZAC day march parades in Melbourne with the GAZ , one year, we followed him back along St Kilda road and a rear wheel on the GAZ had a noticeable wobble.

I have a few pics of the GAZ under rebuild , that I snapped when I visited Bill W. at his home in Moorabbin. Bill had employed a retired panel beater to help with the restoration work.

I found a few newspaper reports in TROVE . It appears that this particular GAZ ( now residing in the USA ) was on display at one department store in Sydney , David jones, and possibly a few other stores . The GAZ was also on display at the Sydney Royal Easter show, held in March 1953, where it was vandalized by some of the show attendees.

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) View title info Tue 23 Jun 1953

[Mike Cecil]

Thanks Mike, nice vid, few errors as you point out. I note there was no reference to the documentation including a Moveable Cultural Heritage Permit for the permanent export of this vehicle from Australia. Have to wonder how it was able to leave Australia.

Mike

[Lang]

Mike

Having imported and exported a few items of "cultural heritage" to and from Australia I consider the regulations to be very sensibly administered.

If you have a look at the list of applications put out every year by the Department very few are knocked back. Most are only submitted because of the blanket rules on age not particular significance.

It has to be of particular NATIONAL cultural significance. Your time at the Museum no doubt involved you in giving expert advice.

I had a long meeting with the head of the permit section and 3 board members and, for public servants, (to do with an aircraft) I was very surprised by the pragmatic approach.

I remember his words "We live in a global village. This year we imported far more "significant" vehicles from other countries than we exported. Because we are a small but relatively wealthy country the flow of historic items, artwork and other ephemera is quite heavily on the inbound side of the ledger"

"Our task is to protect things of genuine national significance. National "interest" is quite different to national "significance". "Interest" is usually related to time and place and eventually fades. "Significance" is forever a part of our nation. Just because it is old, even if it is a one-off, does not mean it has great significance to the entire nation other than for family members or enthusiasts. We have many attempted blocks on export of artwork by famous Australian painters who may have done several hundred or even thousand, paintings in their lifetime which will be unlikely to succeed."

"We also live in a democracy where if a government (acting for all the people) wants to restrict or seize private property it must fairly compensate the owner. The Act only allows us to prevent the export of nationally significant items, we have no say on the use, sale or even destruction of the property if it stays in Australia. If the government really wants it they must buy it at a fair price.

It does not happen often but where export blocks under the Act have had serious legal appeal, reversal of our decision is more than likely. This sometimes has resulted in the Government buying the item at a high price to prevent its export for cultural and no-doubt political reasons"

Back to the GAZ:

I have no idea of the history of the GAZ but I suspect it was recovered from the side of the road, used by 3RAR and brought back from Korea. Shot Colonels and critical secret papers, not to mention .50 calibre holes from a unit that had no .50 calibre weapons raise eyebrows. Its fate was to be stored, sold and eventually scrapped like thousands of similar items brought back from numerous wars i.e. no national significance.

To be export-blocked it would have to be the very GAZ (not an identical vehicle) Private Fred Flintstone VC shot the Chinese driver, loaded it up with 3 wounded mates and charged under heavy fire through enemy lines to save them.

[Mike Kelly]

Some more on the GAZ.

Just last month at the club swap day, I was talking to the last Australian owner of the GAZ, he mentioned that two AWM staff members came down to visually inspect the GAZ as the vehicle was offered to the AWM for their collection , but for some unknown reason the AWM declined the opportunity to aquire the car.

Rob said with a look of amazement 'they (AWM) walked away and didn't want it'