My Australia Day message...

Australia Day - 26th January - 2022

Hello everyone,

Wishing you all a safe & wonderful Australia Day.

I was so moved watching Dylan Alcott's acceptance speech last night when he received his Australian of the Year award, I couldn't wait for today to put pen to paper.

Dylan Alcott is a true inspiration to me...

It is so refreshing to see a normal person receive this prestigious award, instead of a politician or some trumped up person in the know who really does not deserve it.

Dylan Alcott is an inspiration to me, it is people like him that make me want to get out of bed in the morning so that I can be part of something in our community. Most of you already know that I am involved with the Charity Sylvanvale here in the Sutherland Shire, so Dylan's message is very close to my heart.

Sylvanvale wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the hard work of its founding families & the Warburton family is one of those families that started this long journey in 1947 (75-years ago) at a Baptist church in Flora Street Kirrawee.

Related: The Warburton Story.

"A true champion is not who wins the most tournaments 
It's about your purpose"

Listening to Dylan's speech last night took my mind back 70-years & reminded me of my father's words of wisdom all those years ago, he used to say to me.

"Son, don't ever think that you can't make a difference in this world".
Dylan also used these words last night, very powerful indeed. Thinking back to those very humble days (1947) when those parents did not have enough money to rub two copper coins together, we (Sylvanvale) now look after 750 children & adults with disabilities to live in the community, with over 40 group homes in the Sydney region & Blue Mountains, staffed 24 hours a day, 7-days a week.

If only my parents were alive today to see the legacy they started, I am sure that they would turn in their grave.

From those very humble beginnings in the Baptist Church at Kirrawee in 1947, Sylvanvale's Revenue for the financial year 2020-2021 is as follows:

Revenue. $73,190,000 (M)
Operating surplus of $7,295,000 (M)

The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison awarding
Dylan his 'Australian of the Year' Award.

You are probably asking why I am telling you this story, well I am just about to tell you.

At the AGM of Sylvanvale in 2015 (in general business) I had this bright idea that I would organise a Pre-WWll Vintage Car Show to raise money & help promote Sylvanvale to the general public throughout the 'Shire' & the Sydney region to be more aware of people with a disability, exactly the same message that Dylan Alcott (Australian of the Year) is trying to convey to everyone & is very successfully doing so.

Here we are now in 2022 & my dream has evolved. On the 20th March'22 we will be organising our 6th annual Pre-WWll Vintage car show that has developed into one of the Shire's premium community events of which I am very proud of. Unfortunately we missed out holding our spectacle for the last couple of years due to this wretched Covid Virus. Let's hope & pray that this year's event goes ahead as planned.

I would just like to remind everyone that by entering your very special Pre-WWll Vintage Vehicle in our event at Sutherland on 20th March & all the many thousands of spectators that will attend this extravaganza, all proceeds will be going to a good cause.

Entry fee: Adults $5.00 Family $10.00 Children under 12 free. Show Vehicle entrance fee: $20.00.

I think you've made it when your face gets
projected onto the Sydney Opera House 30m high

Please pencil in to your papyrus diary our Pre-WWll Vintage Car Show to be held in Flora Street Sutherland on Sunday 20th March '22. (9:00am-3:00pm).

Our event could not possibly take place without the many volunteers who willingly put their hands up to make our event such a success, I believe they are the social thread of our community & should be recognised in our society as many have been in this year's Australian of the Year awards.

Congratulations Dylan Alcott, apart from being this year's 'Australian of the Year' I am so happy that you have received this decent honor for a decent human being.

Thank you for all you do for supporting people with disabilities, to reach their potential.

Regards

Ken Warburton

Bounty Inducements

Wednesday 26th January - 2022

This year's Show will be our 6th Edition of the Sylvanvale Pre-WWII Vintage Car Show. The Show creates a field where up to a hundred of historically significant vehicles are displayed and now will be vying for various awards and accolades.

I have previously mentioned to you, that this will be the first year that we will be introducing judging of the Vintage Vehicles entries & awarding trophies for all the seventeen categories of vehicles.

To help build a sense of pride and achievement that accompanies a prize winning entry there will be a First Prize and Runner-up Prize awarded in each best-of-category. Both winners will be rewarded with a trophy to take home to add to their collection on their mantle shelf.

John Keats (left) from Trophy Mart and me

sorting out the award trophies for our 2022 Show

Photo: Steve Core

For the outstanding car that steals the Show, I've created a one-off 'First Choice Vintage Vehicle of the Show' that will be chosen by me. Not only will they win a really nice piece of large, shiny silverware - they will also receive a bonus $200.00 cash in the hand, not to shabby!

Recently, I was fortunate enough to win trophies at this year's All Ford Day with my 1931 Model A Ford, 4-door, (all steel) slant window, Town Sedan, I was so impressed with the quality & design of these trophies that were supplied by Trophy Mart.

Keeping all this in mind Steve Core and I decided that it was time to take a drive out to Leumeah in Sydney's growing south-western suburbs to check out John Keats at his business. (see photo). I decided that John Keats from Trophy Mart was our man and they are going supply us with around thirty-five trophies for our Show.

Warbo

Vintage Brakes & Grease Guns

Thursday 20th January - 2022

Question: Who was the first Car Company to install Hydraulic brakes to their vehicles?

Being the Model A Ford 'tragic' that I am & for all of you vintage car enthusiasts that have had the pleasure or displeasure to drive a vintage car with mechanical brakes - you will completely understand where I am coming from.

The 4-wheel braking system using Hydraulics was first introduced in 1918 by Malcolm Lounghead, this specific braking system was adopted in nearly every vehicle by the late 1920s, except by Henry Ford.

When I recently spotted this photo the very 

sentiment of it tickled me pink

In 1924 Chrysler introduced Hydraulic Brakes to their vehicles, it was not until a staggering 15-years later until Henry Ford introduced Hydraulic Brakes to his world famous Fords in 1939. I find that statistic unbelievable, however it is the truth.

Elsewhere, I received an email from a friend of mine a couple of days ago, he is an old ex-Qantas work college of mine from the days when we were fortunate enough to be 'Trolly-Dollys' flying around the world with champagne tastes on a beer income for Qantas Airways.

Recently he had received a gift from his next door neighbor who was 93-years of age (who has since passed) twelve Vintage Grease guns (photo below), he is aware of our Sylvanvale Pre-WWll Vintage Car show coming up on the 20th March, 2022 & has decided to donate these vintage relics & highly sort after pieces of the automotive history to our cause to raise money for Sylvanvale.

These twelve vintage era Grease Guns could easily be yours,

they're available to the highest bidder out there

Surely there is a keen collector out there in Cyberspace that would love to own these automotive treasures, so what I suggested to him was that I would include a photograph of these vintage grease guns in one of my newsletters. 

To raise funds for Sylvanvale, we are going to conduct a blind auction. If there is anybody out there that would be interested in purchasing these items to get in touch with me via my e-mail address:

warbo47@gmail.com or you can call me directly on 0438 692 737.

I'm sure that there is somebody out there that would really appreciate owning these twelve pieces of automotive history and would like to add them to their nostalgia collections and your money is going to a brilliant cause.

Thanks as always for your continued support, 

Ken Warburton

Oh, and the answer to the brake question: None other than Fred Duesenberg to his Duesenberg Model A in 1921.

Tracking down the '30's era Survivors

Wednesday 5th January - 2022

I am very pleased to advise everyone that the initial response for car entries I have received so far for our Sylvanvale Pre-WWII Vintage Car Show in March 2022 has been way beyond my expectations.

Many of our previous entrants are only too happy to support us once again, however, what has surprised me the most is the response that I have received from first time vintage vehicle owners that want to exhibit their "Pride & Joy" in our very exclusive & unique exhibition in the Shire come March.

The three themed 'Survivor' Model A Fords that will be coming to
our Show in March 2022. Left: '28 'Depression Car' ex-tourer.
Middle:'28 Tourer 'Shitty Chitty'. Right: '31 'Handyman Hauler'.

Where else in Sydney can you go & see a Pre-WWII Vintage Car Show with all the vehicles on display that were manufactured before 1939, with many of these cars in their original condition. This is the reason why our Car Show has proven over the years to be so popular with men, women & children.

We're all here now in the 21st century. It seems that everyone these days wants to be retro or part of this bygone era. How good is it to step back in time to witness vehicles built in the very early 1900s with the most recent built in 1939. If my math is correct, that makes the "baby" car of our show a spritely 83-years young.

The sprawling front lawn of the property we visited

with the three Model A Ford survivors on show.

Why is this so? Our lives these days are so fast & complicated we hardly have time to scratch ourselves.

When we can have the opportunity to walk around at our own leisure inspecting these glamour's & chatting to the friendly vehicle owners it is a treat to behold.

This era of the motor vehicle industry from the early 1900s until the beginning of World War II that started on the 1st September 1939 must have been an absolute hoot, when life was so much more simple, I think this is why our followers & owners of the Vintage car era are so passionate about their hobby & love the opportunity to keep this special moment in time alive & well.

Inside the real man's Shed which can house

up to ten working projects at a time

Long before dashcams, mobile phones, air bags, electronic lane sensors, reversing cameras... the list goes on & on.

Yesterday, Steve Core & myself, (Steve helps me out running the social media side of our event because I really am a computer illiterate), we were invited to a friend of mine's rural property on the western outskirts of Sydney with the intention of inviting he & his wife plus some of his Vintage vehicles to support our show in March. 

Some of the tongue-in-cheek additions to these '30's era vehicles
include an original, low-tech, '30's Kodak Box Brownie 'Dashcam'

We arrived at his magnificent property at 9.30am, as we drove into the driveway of his semi rural property we were greeted by a troop of real live Kangaroos, there were probably twenty or more of them scrounging around in his front paddock, 

Wow! I thought to myself what a pleasant surprise, I have never been welcomed by a herd of Australian native animals before. This only happens in the movies.

Above: The '31 'Handyman Hauler' - featuring an 
original 'Australia Post' pushbike mounted on the side.

Upon arrival we were invited into his Man Shed, (let me tell you it is some Man Shed) and three cups of Bushell's tea later, the three of us old farts had fixed all the troubles of the world & then we decided to get down to business to discuss our upcoming Vintage car show.

Before us, we had nine Vintage Classics vehicles to choose from, I was thinking to myself this is definitely Model A Ford heaven, & here I am standing at the Pearly Gates.

On our arrival, we were greeted by wild Kangaroos peacefully

grazing on the property's front lawns

I chose three of his Model A Ford survivors, because I have a very soft spot for Classic old cars that have not been tampered with & they would fit in perfectly at our upcoming Car show.

We then parked the Vintage Classic vehicles onto his manicured lawns & Steve went to work photographing them in all their glory so that we can use the photographs of them for promotional purposes for the show.

Ready for any job... the '31 'Handyman Hauler'

By now it was around 2:00pm & we were all famished, we decided that it was time for a counter lunch at a nearby hotel washed down with a few cool beers, so off we went to the local Pub in my 1931 Model A Ford, 4-Door (all metal) Town Sedan.

During the afternoon my mate did a call around on his Al Capone to some of his mates that own vintage cars, he received commitments from six of his friends that put their hands up to support us & our Charity, Sylvanvale, on the 20th March, 2020. 

This collection of unique 'Survivor' vehicles will make up

an incredible range of vehicles from Concourse to Survivor

In summary, I reckon we had a very successful day, with a further nine Vintage vehicles to add to the ever growing list. What's more we all had the time of our lives BS-ing to each other as you should do at our age.

Keep your enquiries coming in as we still need more Pre-1939 Vintage Vehicles entrants, it will be a huge effort if we could fill the Sutherland Council's Car Park on Sunday 20th March, 2022.

Ken Warburton

All photos: Steve Core