Greece to Normandy Convoy '09

[Snowy]

For everyone involved, have a good and safe trip, and looking forward to hearing about as many of these historic australian military vehicles returning home as possible - so our grandkids can get to drive them not just watch them on a screen.

Steve.

[Lang]

Originally Posted by Snowy

For everyone involved, have a good and safe trip, and looking forward to hearing about as many of these historic australian military vehicles returning home as possible - so our grandkids can get to drive them not just watch them on a screen.

Steve.

Steve,

A number of the vehicles are going to be sold (including mine). I don't really have a problem with common types such as these leaving the country because we live in a global village.

Information from someone who works with the the Moveable Heritage people who issued our export permits indicates there are nearly twice as many veteran, vintage and classic cars coming into Australia as are going out. One of our vehicles was a protected object and must be returned.

Several of our members have brought in historic vehicles from overseas (I have brought in 5 and if I sell my Normandy Chev it will only make 2 I have exported. I have also brought in 7 rare vintage aircraft and exported 2).

I think people who are worried about a few dozen vehicles a year going out of the country should look at the hotrod people who are destroying thousands of historic vehicles a year!

[Snowy]

Lang,
I appreciate your reply and thanks for taking my comment sincerely. Earlier in this thread you said "I am working on a very rare Australian built vehicle. Should be nice and comfortable." for this trip, yet you've just said "A number of the vehicles are going to be sold (including mine). I don't really have a problem with common types such as these" and that it's not coming back. But I'm confused, it's gone from "very rare" to "common" in the same thread?

You mentioned at a club meeting some months ago as a counterargument to me that vehicles are coming into the country all the time, and you raise it again here in your reply. This doesn't sit as easily with me as perhaps others who look at their vehicles from a dollar value aspect, I even hesitate to say it's somewhat disingenuous. Why? Because these imported vehicles don't have an australian military history. They are just some other countries' vehicles, not our vehicles. Not our history.

One of the great pleasures of owning an australian historic military vehicle - to the distinct envy of HMV restorers in other countries - is that we are so very very lucky that we do have records of them, sometimes of their use, and often of their subsequent disposal. How many of us have visited the AWM and experienced the excitement and thrill of finding our vehicle listed in the well-thumbed journals, or detailed in a report? I have, and friends have done that for my other vehicles too. For example a four-page army report on the testing of the two australian army Weasels has recently emerged for the sole surviving example we are rebuilding. To me that's what makes these vehicles special. That's just not possible for any import. Or since you mentioned it from left-field, hotrods. If importing ten hotrods meant more to me than the export of one jeep then surely I would be hanging out on a Hotrod Board, not posting on this Board.

Before each Anzac Day the call goes out at club meetings to supply enough vehicles for the marches and there never seem to be enough to meet demand, the diggers have to wait in line while the jeeps or Blitzes go around and around. I'm lined up for three marches this Saturday myself. A few more jeeps would not go astray here, we don't have a surplus.

Now I will declare like you I've imported four vehicles myself from overseas so perhaps some may consider me hypocritical or even selfish, but for vehicles that have a tie to our military history and have left our shores, they're... gone. Never to grace our Canungras and Corowas, our historic displays, our swap meets, our Anzac Day marches ever again. So yes, I am saddened at such a mass export. We may own these pieces of rolling history in a financial sense, but we are all just temporary custodians as they pass through our hands for future generations of australian HMV enthusiasts to enjoy.

Anyway - I've got that off my chest as it's been bugging me for some time. Have a good trip and looking forward to your report at a club meeting.

Steve.

[Lang]

Steve,

Thanks for your reply. When I said my vehicle was a "rare" model I was responding to an overseas enquiry. They are extremely rare overseas having been made nowhere else in the world and never commercially exported but can not be called anything like that in Australia - they are the most common of the 40's 1/2 ton utes of any make by a long shot having been produced through the war and for two years afterwards. You would find few issues of "Just Cars" that did not have at least one of these Chev utes in it.

I think you might be a little precious taking the high moral ground when you intimate the people going on the trip see their vehicles in dollar value. Almost all of them have a long history of military vehicle restoration and between the group I would not be surprised if over a hundred vehicles have been saved and restored over the years. I have never met a restorer (as compared to a ready made buy and sell type owner) who has genuinely made money on a vehicle if they place any value at all on their time - most don't even get their actual outlay back. As far as I am aware everyone on the trip has as much or more interest, respect and love of our history as you do. Most are not wealthy and some are forced to sell their vehicles to fund a trip of a lifetime. What will it be - a trip across the world promoting Australia's military history or driving around the block 3 times on ANZAC day once a year? I don't think anyone should judge them.

When I was talking about hotrods I never mentioned anything about importing them. My comments on importing referred to quality historical vehicles. My comments on hotrods referred to hundreds of these guys combing the Australian countryside, paying top dollar, dumping all the running gear and chopping the bodies of often extremely rare complete vehicles.

The more well heeled of these people go out and buy beautifully restored vintage cars and destroy them the same. They have the most wonderful workmanship but finish up with a one man mongrel that many observers admire for a couple of years but do not wish to purchase so the parts get used on the next project often dumping what remained of the original historic car.

I am interested in your comments on Jeep Club members owning 90% ex-Australian forces vehicles but having 90% marked with USA colours - there are even blitzs with US markings floating around. I have never understood this - is this preserving Australian history?

I figure what we are doing on this trip, even if everybody sells their vehicles (which is not going to happen - I think 3 or 4 out of the 15) is promoting awareness of our military history within Australia and across the world more than a hundred jeeps with American markings driving in a parade on ANZAC day in Sydney.

I know at least two of our people are looking at bringing back in military vehicles of a type used in small numbers by Australian forces overseas but now very scarce or extinct in Australia. Lose one of a thousand+ jeeps, blitzs or Chevs still active in Australia to give people a look at a type seldom seen or no longer here (even if that particular vehicle never carried Australian markings) I think is good value.

Anyhow we all have our opinions and it is good thing too! MLU forum is an excellent place to voice them.

Lang

[Lang]

We now have 4 addresses of people on the trip doing regular reports. As I said there will be as many different stories of the same incident as there are people!

Jim & Sandy Sewell (MLU) http://www.sewellnormandy.blogspot.com (C15A Radio)
Hans & Anjolien Sprangers http://www.sydney-normandy-2009.blogspot.com (Jeep)
Karen & Dale Barnard http://www.anzacconvoy.blogspot.com (Chevrolet 1 1/2ton)
Lang & Bev Kidby (MLU) http://www.next-horizon.org (Chevrolet Coupe Utility)

[Alex van de Wetering]

Lang and all others onboard the Greece to Normandy Convoy, Have lot of fun during the trip.

I really admire everyone who joins this trip and will closely follow it through the websites posted by Lang. Maybe these sort of distances are usual in Australia, but for Europeans it is just a long, long.....trip, especially with a column of vehicles older than most of us.
I hope to see you guys save and well in Normandy and I am really looking forward to haveing a close look at the Australian vehicles in real life, in stead of on the Computer screen.

p.s. I will staying on the Etreham campsite as well. Look for a red Fiat van and hopefully a restored BSA folding Bicycle!

Alex

[zemsi]

... for those of you who haven't been following the participants blogs, here's a good pic from the weekend (courtesy Hans & Anjolien Sprangers). All Aussie/NZ Trucks and Jeeps at Anzac Cove, good onya mates. A fantastic sight! Here's the original image.