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Old 09-14-2018, 04:36 PM   #261
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Just in case you missed it, published in naming Model A's.


I had a great little dog. Woofa. Loyal, courageous, funny and very very popular. We neither have animals in the house nor are they permitted to ride in motor cars, with one exception and strictly for Woofa in the Model A. He was to sit only on the floor. Well Woofa was always at my heals when I was anywhere near the A for fear of missing a ride.
Woofa was skittled just over a year ago and we live on a street with very little traffic. Chasing a visitors dog. I still get a bit teary when I think of Woofa. I named the ute (pickup) in memory of my little friend. At this moment I have a adhesive sign being made to stick on the bonnet. "woofa.express".
And that's how my ute got its name. The offending vehicle was a Nissan and I have never liked Nissans since.
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Old 09-15-2018, 01:17 PM   #262
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Quiz.


I’d enjoy a chat with the farmers I worked for. I’d land, my loader would arrive, and the farmer client and I would discuss details of the job to be done. There was rates of chemical to apply, size and shape of paddock/s etc etc. Then we would chat for as long as time permitted. When I was ready to start I’d say, the time has come the walrus said.
“and what did the walrus say?” I ask the farmer. In all my time I had only one fellow answer. That was Richard Sleigh.
Question. Do you know what the walrus said???

Some of you yes, but I’m sure many won’t without reading the first line in this verse. It’s the 11th verse.

The time has come,' the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.'

And where did this poem come from?? The picture is small but the gentleman has a 10/6 tag in his hat. And what does 10/6 pertain to??
Answer will come later.

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Old 09-15-2018, 01:22 PM   #263
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

who can answer the quiz in previous posting? number 263?
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Old 09-15-2018, 10:52 PM   #264
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Quote:
Originally Posted by woofa.express View Post
who can answer the quiz in previous posting? number 263?
The illustration is from "Alice in Wonderland", written by a mental patient, apparently. (or sickadelic drug user!)
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Old 09-16-2018, 03:09 AM   #265
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Any others going to have a go on naming the fellow with 10/6 tag on the side of the hat. Posting # 263


todays story is 10 hours away. I'm changing my lodgement time to early morning Australian time. gary
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Old 09-16-2018, 08:29 AM   #266
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

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Old 09-16-2018, 01:29 PM   #267
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

yeh, Deluxe 40 and Katy go to the top of the class, the rest of you stay behind.

Todays story to follow in half hour. gary
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Old 09-16-2018, 02:00 PM   #268
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The Aeroplane I Disliked.

Yes there was one. Called a Dromedary and came with the name painted on the fuse including a camel along with the beast’s testicles.
I had the use for an additional large hopper plane for sowing rice and spreading urea for only a short period , from October to January inclusive. Because of an experience with an ordinary pilot /contractor who flew the previous season, I spat the dummy and bought this low capital beast.
Even the assembly was troublesome. The aeroplane engineering operator took far too long and their bill was too big to jump over. That ended a long term relationship I had with them. It also ended their relationship with their ag operating subsidiary for whom they assembled some three. The engineering company went broke as a result of being too incompetent too frequently.
The aeroplane was built in Poland. The Poles have a good name for engineering. The workmanship was superb. It was grossly over built and no company in the West could have matched the building man-hours for the price. It was strong, except for two components and I’ll come to that. It was big and powered by a 960 hp radial which I understand was a copy of the American Wright -cyclone R1300 and that is single row of the twin row R2600 , the numerals pertaining to the cubic inch capacity.
It was designed off an American Rockwell Thrush which was the forerunner to the Airtractor. Both designed by Leyland Snow. The Poles imported 2 Thrushes, copied the wings and cabin, increased the wing span by means of an insert. It was so high off the ground one needed to do a check list before climbing into the cabin. For if you needed to do it twice you would need an additional sandwich in your dinner box. I was never game to put it under a power wire.
The controls were so heavy it was exhausting to fly. Okay for firebombing, but that was a frightening experience because of it’s uncontrollable pitch up after one dropped the load. But really too heavy for ag work whether spreading or spraying. I modified the ailerons and that was easier. The elevator could be manageable if one had the right hand on the pole and left hand on the elevator trim. The pedals for the rudder. Even a sumo wrestler would have found too heavy. The roll was so slow there could be no fine adjustment in lining up a spray run. It was just a beast and I hated it.
The engine oil temp ran in the red. I did everything to keep it in the green zone, even put on an extra large oil cooler. In retro I should have simply bent the needle in the temp gauge.
It was popular to re-engine these with Garrett turbine. They would carry heavy loads but were still dogs to fly. If one increases the power and thus the payload there will be other downstream components to modify. This be the case here. One poor bloke had a major failure in the fuselage when the longerons failed. He was about to touchdown and he survived. Another, a personal friend, had a wing come away whilst firebombing. He did not survive. The aft spar attachment failed.. And why did that happen? The court of law is still to decide. It could be a number of factors. The manufacturer has a time/life on the whole aeroplane and maybe this was exceeded. Maybe the hours flown may have been fudged. Who would ever know and no one is going to admit error.
I sold mine before either of these problems showed. They are permitted to be modified but the cost exceeds the value of the aeroplane. I think these big, robust, horrible machines should go to a kids playground, however even there litigation could well be a worry.



The Dromedary on the ground is Gary's and the one in flight is an internet acquired picture
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File Type: jpg gary's camel.jpg (20.1 KB, 7 views)
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Old 09-17-2018, 02:17 PM   #269
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

START HERE.
The next stories are of my Ute, "Woofa.Express". Starting off with the Deniliquin Ute Muster. Deniliquin is usually shortened to Deni. The three following are the history of the vehicle, and yes they are contradictory and intentionally so. You can judge the stories and tell me which one is correct.
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Old 09-17-2018, 02:40 PM   #270
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story



Deniliquin in the Riverina, NSW.


A town with a population on 8K and each October the population doubles when utes from near and far drive to a dedicated function on a farm near the town. It’s the Deni Ute Muster. A weekend of entertainment with well known entertainers performing on stage. A weekend of fun and laughter and happy times. A weekend of drinking and drunks a plenty. Or a weekend of nonsense and misbehaviour. One has a choice of which one or more one joins in with. A policeman told me only yesterday that the very drunk along with the nuisances are compounded in the “pig pen” and even though some can’t scratch themselves they are never discourteous or disrespectful. That’s unusual he tells me but it’s an event made up almost entirely of country kids and big country kids.
Last year some 1800 utes turned up. Slightly smaller than usual and that’s probably because the weather was rotten. Many attendees enjoyed doing their “circle work” in the mud instead of the dust.
Some years back a local wine maker used my ute (woofa express) to sell wine from. He entered it in the competition for vintage and won. Some years later the muster committee asked if they could put it on display and that was okay by me.
At vintage motor car gatherings many vehicles have a notice posted inviting people to look but not to touch. I have a sign saying do look and if you like it you are welcome to fondle. I take people for rides and let people drive. It was a heap of shit when I bought it and it can be restored yet again if damaged. It never is. It’s for me to enjoy and I get enjoyment by letting others enjoy themselves too.



Tomorrow the history of the vehicle as told by the wine maker. Part 1
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Old 09-18-2018, 01:52 PM   #271
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Do read number 271 prior to this story.
From the pen of Bernard the wine maker who entered the vehicle in the Deni Ute Muster with the following story. The ute took first prize in the antique section. The ute is pictured as my avatar.

1928 A Model.

Originally a family car, then converted to a ute which was used by a plumber working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The vehicle then played a major part in the activities on a farm on the outskirts of Sydney, used for cutting wood, when the rear wheel used as a pulley to run a belt to the saw. Its first life had ceased under a blackberry bush in the fifties. Then restoration had began by Mr Norm Smith of Parramatta, but due poor health had not completed it.

The ute was purchased after I had placed a wanted advertisement for a small commercial vehicle under restoration.

The restoration was completed in 2000


And tomorrow another history of this vehicle. You decide which of 3 is true.
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Old 09-19-2018, 03:19 PM   #272
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

story number 2. Do read the Deni ute muster and story 1 prior to this. #271 +272

History of Woofa Express, 1928 Model A.

It was a proud ute painted “British Racing Green”, a custom paint job by the Australian distributor of Ford’s and purchased by the Hadden Fig Grazing Company northwest of Dubbo NSW. When hard times fell on the grazing industry it was sold to a wealthy prospector at Lightning Ridge by the name of “Precious” after a particularly valuable opal he had once found. Precious used it mainly to drive around Lightning Ridge simply to show off but he did drive to Dubbo, 220 miles to the south, each Friday to pickup the town’s mail. This service continued until the early 50’s when aeroplanes entered service to outback areas.
It did have one very famous incident. It was used as a hearse in Coonabarabran to carry the body of their famous son to its final resting place. Sir Sydney Ogden, V.C.(Victoria Cross) and M.G. (Medal for Gallantry).
Not a great deal is known about it after the hearse incident except it was parked beneath a pepper tree for years. I bought it from a Sydney gentleman, and yes he was a gentleman, by the name of Vern Blackwell and I had it restored. That was about 2000. I love it and I reckons it’s pretty fond of me too.
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Old 09-19-2018, 06:30 PM   #273
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

I think story #2 is correct.
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Old 09-20-2018, 11:38 AM   #274
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 40 Deluxe View Post
I think story #2 is correct.
Sorry 40 Deluxe, you have jumped the gun. One to come. Do review it and remake your decision. cheers, gary
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Old 09-20-2018, 11:51 AM   #275
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Ute History #3.

I purchased this ute from an elderly Sydney gentleman by the name of Vern Blackwell. Mr Blackwell started the restoration but it grew stale when he developed an interest in fast racing yachts. I purchased it from him in 2005.
Mr Blackwell found the bones of this vehicle whilst camel trekking across the Simpson Desert in the north of South Australia and later retrieved it with a 4 wheel drive ex military truck.
The ute had a colourful history. It was owned by a grazier on the north side of Menindee in NSW by the name of Percy Periwinkle. Mr Periwinkle and indeed the ute received considerable publicity in the 40’s when the publican at Menindee, Dizzy Day had a severe heart attack. The local airstrip was too wet for the Flying Doctor to land and transport Dizzy to hospital. Dizzy was made as comfortable as it was possible in the tub (bed) for the ride over a gravel road to the Broken Hill hospital. Dizzy’s wife May went with him but she was much more comfortable in cab. The incident received considerable publicity because both Percy and Dizzy were well known and popular throughout the outback. Dizzy did survive.
The ute had a sad ending. It was stolen by a infamous couple who were known to be in the area at the time. Mr Blackwell found it on the Strzelecki track some 60 years later. The dingos the crows and ants had dined off the bodies of the couple until only the skeletons were left. The couple were well known for their antics and their names. He, Bundy, named after the famous “Bundaberg Rum” and she a German expat named Heidi or Heid for short. It is said an American couple who plundered and killed in Louisiana were named after them.
Well now the ute has a charmed life. It hardly goes out in the rain and that is because it doesn’t rain much. I keep it in my garage next to my town car, a VW. They have difficulty with language but they tolerate each other. I’ve never thought about it before but one could call the VW “the cabbage” and the A “coca cola”representing their respective countries of origin. No, just joking, the A will always be Woofa.Express. Woofa pictured below.
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Old 09-20-2018, 03:59 PM   #276
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Take an educated guess at which of the three stories is the correct one.
Go on accept the challenge. gary
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Old 09-21-2018, 06:38 AM   #277
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

Give it a go people. Which one is correct? Answer in morning Au time. g
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Old 09-21-2018, 09:06 AM   #278
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story

My "educated guess" is #2
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Old 09-21-2018, 03:23 PM   #279
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History of Woofa.Express.

Yes Vern Blackwell was the gentleman in Sydney from whom I purchased this ute. Yes he did develop an interest in fast racing yachts. The vehicle was a continuous sided ute as displayed in the picture which is of course a 1936 model. The rear was too rusted out to rebuild so I substituted a tub. It is a shame I have no information on the history of the vehicle. So, the rest is just plain bullshit. Once I had read the story composed by wine maker Bernard I thought I’d have a go at it too. My stories are not quite as good as Hans Christian Andersen may have told them but I didn’t think they were too bad.
Tomorrow I will congratulate myself on a career milestone followed by a report each day on two accidents I have had and two incidences resulting in damage to aeroplanes. They are honest reports where I don’t cover over my errors.
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Old 09-22-2018, 03:31 PM   #280
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Gary’s Working Life.

Writing of my Model A and work experiences has been well received in this forum and I've enjoyed it so now I will write a little of myself personally. Here goes.
My first ag job was spraying cotton on the Ord River irrigation area in West Australia in1968 That wasn’t a great success insofar as I didn’t do enough work and acquire a great deal of experience. I had a 4 year break and aerial mustered cattle in the Kimberly’s and Northern Territory using both fixed wing and helicopter.
Returned to ag work, spreading fertilizer in the New England area of NSW until the price of fertilizer doubled, yes doubled combined with the cattle price collapse of ’74. Then off to Queensland spraying locusts followed by normal seasonal work. I worked for a good company and had a variety of work from the south of the state to the far north. However Queensland is prone to drought so I took a short term job in Sudan which was a great experience living in a country with a different culture. However once was sufficient.
In ’78 and ’79 when we weren't busy in Queensland I took short term seasonal work in the Riverina of NSW sowing rice and the associated work of spraying the crop for insects and weeds. In ’80 I purchased the Riverina operator and based at Finley.
The flying was long days and long seasons but I always enjoyed that. The management and organisating was never relenting and it drove me nearly insane. In ’95 I sold to my competitor with whom I always had a good relationship. Flew with them until irritations developed between myself and the base manager. Figured it was time to go. Shifted residence10 miles south to Tocumwal. Did itinerant work, much in Malaysia and Borneo and fire bombing and some fish spotting. Still doing itinerant work, about to turn 71 and this will be my last year. Am about 100 hours short of 30K. Flew for 3 corporate companies, they didn’t like me and I wasn’t fussed about them.

I have enjoyed writing for this forum and it has made me realize that my working life has been diverse and even adventurous. Working with farmers has been gratifying. They are honest, hard working and talk my talk. Now I’m in love with another woman, an old lady, her photograph appears below. RHS.

I've had 2 accidents and 2 incidents resulting in damage to aeroplanes. Tomorrow I start writing of each, one a day.
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File Type: jpg catcary.jpg (12.6 KB, 49 views)
File Type: jpg ute at bushlands.jpg (20.4 KB, 47 views)
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