Charge the passengers of hoons
You often hear that emergency services personnel dread attending car accidents and informing families about fatalities.
They are no joy for journalists either.
You sort of become hardened after a while, but it’s never easy to write about a life being lost, especially if it was a young man speeding.
Nothing can restore a young life to family and friends. (more…)
Toyota Corona
I’m guessing a little with these cars now, but I’m going to say this one is a Toyota Corona. We may have even owned it, because it appears in a couple of photos.
I’m wearing the school uniform of St Michael’s Primary, so I think the photo was taken in 1972.
The uniform was shorts, grey shirt, red tie and blue jumper. We switched ties for skivvies a year or two later.
According to Wikipedia, the Toyota Corona was manufactured between 1957 and 2002. The word Corona is Latin for “crown”. (more…)
Ford Zephyr
This picture shows me with my cousin Leanne in 1970. I don’t know for sure what the cars are, but the one on the left looks like a Mini and the other might be a Zephyr.
Even if I’m wrong, I want to mention the Ford Zephyr, because when I was young I rather liked them.
According to Wikipedia, the Zephyr was manufactured by Ford in the United Kingdom. Between 1950 and 1962, it was sold as a more powerful six cylinder saloon to complement the four cylinder Ford Consul. From 1962 the Zephyr itself was offered in both four and six cylinder versions.
If I’m right about the picture it’s probably a Zephyr 4. They were manufactured from 1962-66.
AP Valiant and EK Holden
This photo of my father and I in 1967 shows a Valiant in the front and a Holden at the back. It was probably on a family Sunday drive.
The Valiant is an AP6 model (or maybe AP5), according to my study of photos on the web. They were introduced in March 1965.
Wikipedia says the Chrysler Valiant was introduced to Australia in 1962, with production ceasing in 1981.
Initially a rebadged import of the Plymouth Valiant from the United States, where production ceased in 1976, the Valiant range was sold throughout Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
On May 30, 1963, Chrysler Australia produced the first fully Australian manufactured Valiant, the AP5. (more…)
EJ and EH Holdens
When I started writing this post I thought the picture showed me standing in front of an EH Holden, aged 1, in 1968.
After looking at some photos online however, I think it may be an EJ Holden.
Unique Cars and Parts says: “Produced between 1961 and 1963, the EJ was the first of a bold new shape for the Holden. Gone were the fins of the previous EK model, and a new flat boot and lower roofline was created to keep pace with the more modern looking Ford Falcons.
“The EJ was designed from the Opel Kapitan, but incorporated some American influence, particularly in regard to consideration of aerodynamics. The trusty grey motor was carried over from the previous model, albeit with a few refinements.”
The EJ was introduced in 1962 and according to Wikipedia, the EH Holden was released in 1963, four years before I was born.
A total of 256,959 EH Holdens were produced and sold from 1963 to 1965, when the EH was replaced by the Holden HD series. (more…)
The Austin Freeway
This photo of me was taken in 1969 when I was two years old. The vehicle is an Austin Freeway.
I don’t remember that being our family car, so it was probably one that Dad brought home from work. He was a car salesman at that time.
I looked up Austin Freeway on the web and found it was a British car adapted for Australia.
Wikipedia says: (more…)
Letter from the police
I received a letter from the police today stating that my vehicle had been involved in a collision on or about 5pm April 19 at Kilburn.
That was news to me because I was in Queensland at the time and my vehicle was locked in a long-term car park in Melbourne!
The letter went on to say it’s a legal requirement to report accidents to police as soon as possible or within 24 hours at the latest unless there are exceptional circumstances. (more…)
