It was another successful two days of the Border Flywheelers rally. The sprawling museum, steam powered marvels and shiny rides delighted attendees. Saturday saw a light shower of rain but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of visitors from as far away as Armidale NSW and even Perth WA.
Border Flywheelers president, Rob McKenzie, said the weekend was a great success.
“We had a really good two days.
“The ladies had a really good day, they sold a lot of food.
“There were some fairly rare engines people brought along.
“We had a great turn up of show and shine cars on Saturday, and about 20 cars turned up on Sunday.”
One local car that takes attendees around the site is the 1944 Willy’s Jeep of Tom Underwood. Originally purchased out of an auction at Puckapunyal in 1950, the disposable workhorse of the Second World War was less than pristine when Tom found it more than 55 years ago.
“I came across it in a chook shed on the Pyramid Creek,” said Tom.
“It had been in the chook shed for quite a number of years. It was out of the weather, it was a mess, but it never got wet, that’s what a lot of them suffered from.
“It had been pranged into a cattle yard after it ran out of brakes. Buggered the radiator and the grill and bent the chassis a bit and it needed a new front spring.
“I brought it home and started work on it. In the end, I brought it right down to the ground and reshaped all the front end.
“They never had a life expectancy whatsoever; they were classed as disposable. It cost me £100 at the time.”
The no frills khaki workhorses were the world’s first mass-produced four-wheel drive. Tom explained to me that Ford also joined the party in building jeeps with only slight variations, the Ford logo stamped on parts and the engine cross member being pressed steel instead of the Willy’s pipe cross member. Tom’s love for his machine is evident as he explains the recent replacement of parts, which are still surprisingly available. No-one seems to do replacement parts as well as the Yanks.
Another impressive sight was Brian Coates, who was at the blacksmith display. Although not a member of the Flywheelers, Brian volunteered his time to belt some cherry red steel into shape. A trade he learnt in a Tasmanian rail yard more than half a century ago.
The displays and diversity of items at the museum are a credit to everyone involved. The museum is open most Saturday mornings. The main days are the first Saturday of the month or by phoning the club. New members and volunteers are always most welcome, and I have been assured that even if little work get done, there’s always great conversation.
This article appeared in The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper, 25 May 2023.