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Post by firefighter on Sept 28, 2008 9:15:26 GMT 10
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Post by firefighter on Sept 28, 2008 9:26:02 GMT 10
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Post by cobber on Sept 28, 2008 10:23:44 GMT 10
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Post by andrew on Sept 28, 2008 20:52:22 GMT 10
G'day all,
Saw the bondy at the Muckleford railway rally where I was doing some blacksmithing. Nearly
snapped my head when I spotted it out the corner of my eye as it was comming down the road. 6/9/08
Grouse van. Another lantern Cobber.
Regards Andrew
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Post by firefighter on Sept 28, 2008 22:36:08 GMT 10
  Cobber old neighbour I knew someone would ask that question went inside to take some photos, got talking and forgot Nice original van inside. Would love this in my collection f/f ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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John
Full Member
Posts: 267
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Post by John on Sept 29, 2008 1:47:49 GMT 10
Ok cats out of the bag!!!
Here's the story.
Ray Roehm came down from Qld with idea of grabbing this van, however, he decided that it wasn't for him. So, thanks to this site I quickly pm'd him asking for the detail's of the owners who, as it turned out, lived in the next suburb.
If you all remember, this van was first posted here in the memrobillia section under "From the archives" section. (Great black and white photo with a lady in a swim-suit)
It then turned up on ebay.
This is where Ray had seen it, but so had I......
I rang Dad and convinced him that he needed to have a look at this van, which meant getting someone to teach him how to turn the computer on and showing him what the internet was.......He's a lot better now!!!
After seeing it, he was pretty keen, mind you, might have had something to do with the fact that his two sons both had vintage vans by this stage and he didn't!!
After getting the details from Ray, I contacted the owners, organised a time for my brother and I to have a look, got there and fell in love!! Rang Dad, who came down from Bendigo (2hrs from Melb) that weekend and bought it.
The van was purchased from the widow of the original builder in Sunshine, Vic.
According to the widow the van was built in 1951, HOWEVER, once Dad started to restore it, he tends to believe that while it may have been started in 1951, it wasn't finished until probally around 1958, with it then having a "make over" in 1961 when the fridge was fitted. He knows this as he has the original dated copy of the users manual of the fridge. There is evidence that the cupboards were changed for the fridge to fit though, maybe an ice-chest originally???
It then had another re-fit some time in the 70's going by the carpet, annex (still in the bag, not even Dad has had it open yet..) and the fluro lights put in the van. This is how Dad bought it.
We may be well off the track with these assumptions, but as we all know, it's near impossible to date a homemade van. As we've seen here before, the rego doesn't help as its dated 1900 as a lot of homemade's were.
Anyway, the van made its way to Bendigo, where Dad has spent the last couple of years restoring it to it's former glory.
Mum and Dad's first trip away in the van was the Vintage Drivers Club's 50th anniversary rally in Ballarat earlier this year. A little ironic I guess, concidering that Ray came all the way from Qld for this van, decided No, then bought a van from.....Ballarat!!!!
Now the story behind the Humber.
My Grandparent's bought this car in Nov 1968 off the Neal's Motors showroom floor. The car has been registered ever since, even though it was off the road for 10yrs. Sept last year, Grandma passed away at the age of 91.
I inherited the humber.
Two weeks before Marong picnic, we picked up the Humber, dusted it off, tuned it, and turned up at the show. The following week we went to Muckleford as Dad has been involved with the tourist railway for 20 odd years and was driving one of the steam loco's. For those who were there, the 1925 Dodge ambulance that was next to the caravan was Dad's as well.
The family has been a member of the Humber car club as long as I can remember. Dad did his apprenceship at Neal's Motors, so the car has a lot of family history.
Thanks for your interest,
Cheers,
John
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Post by JBJ on Sept 29, 2008 5:47:33 GMT 10
Hi John,
Do you think Selena might have been the swim suit model in the old pix of the van??? Possibly the original builders wife??and possibly the lady your Dad bought it off??
Whoever the name relates to, its a fantastic restoration & one to be proud of.
JBJ
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Post by cobber on Sept 29, 2008 7:44:33 GMT 10
G'day John, Thanks for sharing that bit of history with us. I know the rear window opens, and the "lantern" windows look as though they might also but, do the side windows open, probably not as there would be problems sealing them I would think. She's a very stylish 'van  Cobber |
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John
Full Member
Posts: 267
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Post by John on Sept 29, 2008 17:40:33 GMT 10
G'day,
The lady in the photo if I remember rightly, was the sister of the lady Dad bought the van from.
The front window which is curved the opposite direction to the rear (concave or convex??? Couldn't remember that stuff when I was at school) both open.
The front 2 windows on both sides of the lantern open also with the rear 2 fixed. The side windows don't open.
Not a real lot of ventilation when the gas fridge is on.......
Thanks for your comments, Dad's currently in WA and will be wrapped that other people are enjoying his van as much as he does.
Cheers,
John
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........ did you get any photos of the inside of it 
