M-H 'DINGO' off to Cairns.

[Mike Cecil]

Both the one I had (77210, ex-Tasmania) and Rick's 77212 have the flat armour plate mudguards, whereas the surviving paperwork indicates that above approx 77200, the guards were lighter sheet steel and rounded, installed in an effort to make the vehicle lighter. (Shows how much you can rely on the paperwork!!) I only ever saw one survivor with the light sheet steel round guards, and the remains of that belonged to Colin Anderson: does anyone know where that ended up?

Nice to see 77212 on display.

That's at least two on display now: 77160 (https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/REL23826/ ) at the Australian War Memorial and 77212 in Cairns. I think the Merredin Military Museum in WA also have one, but I'm not sure how far they have progressed with it. That museum generously loaned me the Bren magazine rack many years ago which I had copied for both mine and the AWM examples.

77210 ended up in Qld: I sold it only partially restored not long before we moved to the USA. Like Rick, I'd been collecting 'bits' for years, including all the fitout items such as the spare vision blocks, No.19 Mk2(Aust) wireless, AFV gas masks, flare pistol & holster, Bren mags, great coats, blankets, POL cans, pioneer tools, and so on.

The Cairns museum appear to have a way to go yet to complete the external fitout, which I hope they will do soon: a vehicle looks so much more 'complete' with its issued 'kit' stowed in the right spots.

Mike