T - Minus 3 Months. Sylvanvale Pre-WWll Vintage Car Show. Sunday 17th Sept.

 

Hello again from the engine room of our very well oiled organising committee here in the “Shire”. 

Our team have their noses to the grindstone now with less than 3 months before we hit the bitumen in the Sutherland Shire Council Car Park in Flora Street which is only a stones throw away from Sutherland Train Station.

Now that we are entering the final straight I must remind our participants, volunteers, car clubs, sponsors, vendors to make sure that you have Sunday 17th September ‘23  all locked away in your diaries for another spectacular array of more than 100 vintage cars, food stalls and raffles, it’s always a fantastic day out.

Our Sylvanvale Pre - WWll Vintage  Car Show will once again be taking place at the Flora St Car Park, Sutherland.  Supported by Sutherland Shire Council, it is one of Sutherland Shire’s largest and most popular community events on the annual calendar.

Huge crowds, in excess of 5,000 people -  as well as the extensive media coverage that this event attracts - makes this the perfect way to showcase your Vintage Classic vehicles to an ever hungry audience.

All funds raised will make a difference to the lives of our residents moving into their brand new Specialised Disability Accommodation in IIIawong.

Finally I would like to personally thank and encourage everyone involved in our spectacular community event that include, Vintage and Classic vehicle owners, car clubs, sponsors, Sutherland Shire Council, Qantas volunteers, food stalls, Sylvanvale staff that we are all  “Striving to change peoples lives”.

Don’t ever think that you can’t make a difference in this world.

Please do not hesitate to contact me via email  warbo47@gmail.com  or call me on 0438 692 737.  24/7 if you want further information

Thank you to everyone involved.

Yours sincerely 

Ken Warburton.

N.B. Event organised and Custodian of this very special event.

Roadtrip to Collarenebri in the Clanger PART 2

 On Friday evening we decided to have dinner at the Collarenebri Hotel, now that was a blast as you can see by the photo that I took in the Public Bar with the locals enjoying their schooners after a hard days work on the land, check out the guys at the bar with their well worn Akubra Hats, not like our Prime Ministers one that he swans around in if he ever ventures west of the Dividing Ranges. 

Local Cockies enjoying a few schooners in the public bar at the refurbished Collarenebri Hotel after a hard day on the land.

Saturday morning Farmer John & myself drove our cars to a Show & Shine outside Colli Pub (see photo) to help raise much needed funds for Cancer research.

Farmer Johns 1923 20 H.P. Yellow Roller & my 1931 Model A Ford parked outside the “Colli” pub  for a Show & Shine to raise funds for Cancer research. We raised just over $1,000.00 on the Saturday morning.

Saturday afternoon I asked Farmer John if we could display our vintage cars back at the entrance to “MUNARGO” homestead because I wanted to have a photo memory of my excursion to Collarenebri.

Our vintage cars on display at the entrance to Farmer Johns homestead.  1) 1923 Yellow R/R 20 H.P. (76A7 Chassis). 2) 1929 Model A Ford Roadster (white). 3) 1931 Model A Ford 2 door Delux Tudor sedan. (Burgundy). 4) 1936 Baby Rolls 20/25 H.P.  (Gun metal grey).

Finally, Farmer John took me out to where the cockies store their cotton before it gets shipped off to the markets to be sold & shipped all over the world. 

I particularly like this photograph because it gives you an idea of how large this area is, especially with my Model A Ford parked in front of these storage fields, the cotton piles goes as far as the eye can see.

Model A Ford parked in front of the Cotton Storage facilities to show you the enormity of the cotton bales waiting to be sold & shipped out all over the world.

Statistics that you may find interesting on my road trip to Collarenebri & safe return to the “Shire” 2230 this week.

• Round trip.  1,630 kms. or 1,030 mi. 
• Petrol used in Imperial Gallons & Litres. 
• 68.16 gallons. 
• 257.37 Litres. 
• M.P.G. = 14.86. 
• Litres per 100 kms = 15.97. 
• Cost of Petrol on round trip . = $529.00. 
• Average Cost = $2.05 per Litre. 
• Average Cost = $7.76 per Gallon. 

Very expensive way to travel in my 1931 Model A Ford. Staff travel sure is looking good for this retired “Trolly Dolly”. 

• Population of Collarenebri = 650 punters. 
• The Barwon River is 700kms or 430 mi. Iong. 
• Barwon River is an Australian Aboriginal name meaning. Great, wide, awful river of muddy water. 
• One year ago the Grazier were selling their cattle for $2,500 a head, now they receive only $1,500 a head. 
• One year ago the Grazier were selling their sheep for $235 a head on farm for Iarge Ewes, now they receive only $135 a head for their Ewes. 

What I want to know is WHY are we still paying $40.00 a kilo for Lamb cutlets at the Butchers shop??? We are getting screwed big time, I suppose the authorities blame Covid Iike they do for everything else that happens in this crazy world. You don’t hear about these rip offs in the Fake News media or from the slack Politicians in Canberra, do we. 

The same story can belong to the prices we are paying for our beef. Makes me sick to the stomach how the little man in the street is always being screwed big time. It is not until you go away like I have this week to find out what is really going on here in Australia with meat prices. 

Now that I have had my bitch I should get on with publishing this blog to all my loyal followers. 

Certainly hope that you all have enjoyed reading this particular story of the “Country Squires”  trip to the Aussie bush & beyond. 

Hot news off the press, just released today. “Sheila” has arrived here in Sydney, isn’t that exciting news. My Shipper informs me that hopefully I can pick it up from the wharves at the end of next week, all going well. 

Stay tuned for another blog about the arrival of “Sheila” soon. 

Last but not least, I must remind you all of our Annual Sylvanvale Pre WWll Vintage car show to be held in Sutherland on Sunday 17th of September. You will be able to touch, smell & see “Sheila” one of the most traveled 1931 Model A Fords Town Sedans in the world in all her glory. 

Looking forward to looking back. 

Stay safe & look after each other. 

Warbo. 

Roadtrip to Collarenebri in the Clanger PART 1

Give me an apartment on wheels & I will head for the hills. I am the happiest when  I am on the road in one of my Classic vehicles on a road trip to somewhere.

I know that I have mentioned this before, however this time I really do not know where to start with my story to visit one of my Grazier friends. Farmer John & his wife Biddy Witts,  live in Collarenebri in northern N.S.W. which is only 92kms or 57mls from the Queensland state border.

Farmer John & Biddy live on a 24,000 acre crop & sheep property called “MUNARGO” Farmer John recons it is a hobby farm when you compare it to his next door neighbor's property.

Their neighbour’s property is, wait for it, 500,000 acres, yes that’s the truth. They only do things up this neck of the woods big time. 

What really blows my mind is the maintenance that would be required on the fencing, 100’s if not 1,000 of miles of fencing to look after to keep control of their cattle & sheep.

I am going to try to keep this blog to the bare minimum,  however with my story & photographs that need to accompany this adventure it will still be over the top. I think that you will need to go to my facebook page to read about my week being spoilt rotten with country hospitality, everyone looked after me like a Silkworm.

Departed Sydney at 0400am to beat the traffic out of metropolitan Sydney in my 1931 Model A Ford 2 door Delux sedan to commence the 740kms or 460mi. road journey to Collarenebri. 

My 1st rest break was approximately 2 1/2 hours into the journey beside Lake Windamere. (see photo) Earlier that morning I had prepared a picnic basket that included Salmon & onion sandwiches on 9 grain bread, I also had 2 rock cakes slathered with real butter & to wash it all down I had made myself a Thermos of Black tea with lemon & sugar.

First rest break, parked beside Lake Windamere between Gulgong & Mudgee.

Once I had refreshed myself it was time to hit the bitumen again, there wasn’t too much traffic on the road which made the driving conditions a real pleasure on the open road in my beautiful 92 year old 1931 Model A Ford.

Just after dawn is when the wild life is on the move & definitely the most dangerous time, there was an abundance of road kill (see photo) on the road as you can see with my next photograph. Unfortunately this Fox was a little too slow & never made it across the road.

For the next couple of hours I had to be on my toes to dodge Kangaroos & Wombats that wanted to share the road with me, thankfully no hiccups or near misses.

I drove the Model A Ford all day with 3 petrol stops along the way before I finally arrived into Colli around 1630pm as the sun was setting in the west. I must admit to be behind the wheel for 12 hours of a 92 year old “Clanger” really takes it out of you. I was very relieved to pull into “MUNARGO” to be greeted by my friends Farmer John & his delightful wife Biddy.

Biddy had prepared dinner for us, we enjoyed a few cool amber transfusions, told a few lies, ate dinner & off to the land of nod. Rest assured I did not need any rocking to sleep that night.

Farmer John was up to his ears with shearing his sheep when I arrived. 

We were up at 0600am the following morning drove out to the shearing sheds to meet the shearer’s & their team. I was fascinated to watch the full process of what needs to be done with the process of shearing. I watched in amazement the back breaking work that the Shearer’s do (see photo). There is no room for the weak hearted out here, they all work their butt’s off. 

O.K. the Shearer’s make big bucks, they are paid $3.50 for every sheep they shear, I was talking to one of the guys & he told me that he had shawn just over 200 sheep yesterday, do the math on that & you realise the big bucks they earn.Trust me they deserve every penny of that.

The shearing team hard at work. One of the guys that started flying with me as a Trolly Dolly 48 years ago who now lives in Sweden loved this photograph & compared it with Tom Roberts  “Shearing of the Rams” painting in 1890, 123 years ago. Not too much has changed.

Later on that afternoon Farmer John & yours truly went mustering 600 sheep in the paddocks on Farmer Johns property on his very, very fast side by side Pioneer 1,000 Honda, accompanied by his 2 sheep dogs, we were preparing the flock of sheep that would be shawn the following day into their holding pens.

These 2 unfortunate sheep in the holding pen had been singled out to be short loin lamb chops later in the afternoon.

On the way back to the homestead that evening we decided to drive down to the Barwon River to check out this “BIG” semitrailer that had 4 huge tractors strapped to its trailer (see photo). 

I parked the Model A Ford next to this enormous rig & got a chat on with the guys to find out what they were up to. They were returning from a town called Coolatai, near Moree where they competed in a “Tractor Pull”. They told me that they had won everything that they entered. All I could think of was “boys with their toys” good luck to them.

My 1931 Model A Ford parked beside the Semi that was transporting the Tractors that competed at Coolatai in the “Tractor Pull”.

They offered us a cool beer so I decided to stay around for a while, as you do in the lay back country environment of Cooli. The boys told me that they we’re overnighting beside the Barwon River to catch a few fish & down some amber transfusions. 

While we were there they caught some fish (see photo) yellow belly I believe they were called.  Not too shabby I thought, fresh fish cooked on an open fire for dinner that evening, you can’t do too much better than that can you, if so let me know!!

They would head home in the morning to Griffith & Tarmore with their toys.

My very best new friends showing off their catch of the day.

It was such a magnificent afternoon I decided to take the Model A Ford for a quick trip through the township of Colli to show it off to who ever was wandering the streets on their way to the refurbished Collarenebri Hotel, then on the way back to the homestead I stopped the car just before you drive over the Barwon River. See photo for this classic photograph.

Model A Ford parked just before crossing the Barwon River.

To be continued... PART 2 to be published in a couple of days.