Upon completion of an automotive mechanics apprenticeship in1972 with a Rootes Group dealership working on Hillman Imps, AP5 to VH Valiants and E38 Chargers etc, overseas travel beckoned. I spent my 21st birthday attending the London Motor Show at Earls Court in 1973. A job with Lucas Aerospace in Hemel Hempstead (UK) assembling electronic equipment for Concord & fighting vehicles in the Middle East was a great experience in a foreign workplace before hitchhiking to Greece via North Africa and eventually returning to Australia.
Stints in Sydney repairing aircraft tow tug transmissions (for Qantas) and in Adelaide with Borg Warner and Girlock repairing automatic transmissions of all sorts (automotive, marine, & 1/4 mile competition units) was followed by ownership of my own transmission business in North Qld.
Cars/bikes owned up to this point (1980) included:
1938 Morris 8 convertible
1966 Austin Cooper 'S' (649 cam grind, extractors, side draught Dellorto & straight cut close ratio gears)
1952 XK120 Jaguar roadster - 3.4 litre
1972 Suzuki GT380 2 stroke triple- new
1972 Kawasaki H2 750 2 stroke triple - new (purchased 'the widowmaker' from Ginger Molloy - the first rider to crack 150mph on a 250cc bike (Yamaha) down Conrod Straight, long before the Chase was installed. The H2 was acknowledged as the fastest road bike in the world at the time - 12 sec 1/4 mile ET.
1968 Bedford CF Campervan (in the UK)
1968 Mini Moke (fitted with 1275cc engine)
1965 Hillman Imp
1970 VG Valiant(Borg Warner 35 transmission - I modified it with a Jaguar forward clutch 'cushion apply' piston & drum)
1970 XJ6 Jaguar - Series 1, 2.8 litre
1968 Twin Cam Escort(Cosworth L1 cams)
1973 Mazda RX3 (road car but rallied in club events at the weekends - 12A bridge ported, 2" exhaust system and 48IDA Weber)
1978 Falcon 250ci 4 sp XC Panelvan
On several occasions in the 70's & 80's I ventured overseas to service crew for Graham Lorimer in the Heatway Rally & Rally of NZ (RX3), the Rally of the West Coast (Cosworth BDA Escort) and to Bathurst in 1986 with his BMW 635CSI entry (20th outright).
I attended the Formula One GP at Long Beach in 1979, including a Winston Cup NASCAR round and the Orange County drag strip as part of a month long motor racing tour of the United States.
A life changing experience occurred in 1981 and golf course construction & management became my key focus. After gaining formal qualifications in Turf Management at Ithaca College in Brisbane (greenkeeping) I spent the next 26 years looking after bowls, golf, cricket wicket preparation and sports ground facilities in Australia, NZ and Brunei.
With the ever increasing reliance on irrigation systems to be computer controlled I undertook formal training in computer management in Rockhampton, Central Qld and gained a Diploma in IT in 1999.
Teaching turf management became a part of my later years as a turf advisor and locations such as Hong Kong, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Bangkok) and Kuwait were visited on behalf of the NZ Sports Turf Institute. This was an element of their contract with the Asian Cricket Council to develop ground staff knowledge in the emerging cricketing nations of the Middle East and Central Asia.
More cars.........& a bike:
1986 Ford Laser Turbo - new (Course Superintendent at Goondiwindi Golf Club)
1989 Ford Falcon 4Lt 5sp EA sedan - new (Golf Course Superintendent at Capricorn International Resort)
1970 Mini Clubman
1994 Toyota Camry 2.2Lt auto
1992 Honda Accord auto
1998 Suzuki GSX-R 750W (first of the injected models)
1985 Jaguar - XJ6 Series III Sovereign 4.2Lt
2000 AUII Ford Falcon 4Lt auto (current)
Now living in Bathurst NSW and working with the Regional Council as an Asset Technician.
Have been photographing cars for over 40 years, membership of the camera club at High School started it all.
