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PRESIDENT Cliff Bambridge—[email protected]

EDITOR and MEMBERSHIP

Mitch Holland—[email protected]

The e—Newsletter

XMAS 2014

Volume 157

PART Beeee.

To all our

Readers of

JEEP NEWS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

STATEMENT and FINE PRINT Information

World War 2 Jeeps NSW is NOT a formal Motor Vehicle Club, but more an “Association” of

WW2 Jeep enthusiasts, bonded together by this e—newsletter. It’s sole intention is to share

information about their vehicles, future displays, trips and events. It was founded in 1991 by

the late Peter Walker in an effort to bring together genuine users of the legendary Jeep.

Contact can be made with the current “Committee” as per the email addresses on the cover.

Joining information for new members is, a sense of participation and contribution to the

Association for your benefit and that of others, your email address for sending of the

newsletter, (this can be of a family member or friend if you don't have one—Don’t forget to

tell them!), a good colour picture of your Jeep along with a few words of your Jeep related

history, so we can introduce you via a “Member Profile”. If you have any Jeep related

restoration talents, please let us know and whether you are prepared to offer any advice to

fellow members. If you really like what we do, then a “Donation” towards our HQ development.

Members, their relatives, friends or guests are reminded that some Four Wheel Drive

activities, events or trips notified herein, can be extremely dangerous. Participation in any

activity, event or trip is entirely up to the individuals discretion and that no responsibility,

what so ever, can be held against any land holder, group or individual, for what ever situation

that may arise, in travelling to or from or during the course of that activity, event or trip.

If we are participating in an activity, event or trip organised by others outside of the

Association, we do so as a group of individuals at their invitation. Prior contact with the person

organising any particular activity, event or trip advertised herein is mandatory, to avail

yourself with the most up to date and correct information, as dates and itinerary can change

due to unforeseen circumstances.

Finally, views expressed in our newsletter are also individual and do not necessarily reflect the

Association as a whole. Membership lists forwarded from time to time are for the benefit of

those listed for contact purposes amongst each other only and are not intended for

dissemination to third parties or to be used for soliciting of unrequested services and or

advertising material.

The image of the Jeep below under the banner “Keeping The Legend Alive” and on the front

cover is from an original drawing by Krystii Melaine and is used with permission.

Prints on quality art paper, ready for framing are available by contacting Krystii at

[email protected]

Dedicated to wearing out yesterdays legend,

today for some bugger to preserve tomorrow!

Jeep News No.157B - XMAS 2014

MARATHON SPARE PARTS CO.

Established 40 plus years. Jeep specialists in Army Models GPW & MB

Website: www.marathonspares.com.au [email protected]

Contact Neil Goodridge on phone (02) 6762 8666, Fax (02) 6762 8777 or Mobile (0411) 864 988

4 In Street (PO Box W686), West Tamworth NSW 2340

Part B of your XMAS NEWS

Krystii Melaine who has created a great

set of drawings of historic Australian

Military Vehicles as mentioned on our

previous disclaimer page, now lives in

the United States with her partner Mike

Cecil. The cost of postage of individual

copies or of sets of the complete series

has increased now due to that location,

however if we get a number sent over at

the same time, it reduces dramatically. If

your interested in a set or individually, let

us know ASAP and we will try and

arrange a bulk order and sort out over

here. Prints themselves are about $5 each.

OH MY!!! Last year, I replaced, like, all the windows in my house with those expensive, double-pane, energy-efficient kind. Today, I, like, got a call from the contractor who installed them. He complained that the work had been completed a year ago. And I still hadn't, like, paid for them. OMG! Hellloooo,............ Just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that I'm, like, automatically stupid. So, I told him just what his fast-talking sales guy told me last year -- that these windows would, like, pay for themselves in a year. Helllooooo? It's been a year, so they're, like, paid for, I told him. There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I finally hung up. He never called back. I bet he felt like an idiot!

XMAS GIFT BUYING GUIDE - continued as an example all the above are under $12!

Check out PMA BOOKS for their latest Sale “cattledog” of Military Books for this month (December).

Many, many great bargains. Their details are - PO Box 5197, Manly Qld 4179 Email JUDY HINZ, at [email protected] or phone 0411 592 386

More on John Summers Amphibious Jeep FOR SALE

Check out website amphibious-jeep.com.au for a great run

down and lots of pictures and stories on this excellent buy

MORE XMAS GIFT IDEAS - above came from Allistair McCoy and in part you can get a nifty

wallet from EpicMilitaria.com in the UK for nine quid plus plus!!

From Facebook comes the official Jeep Desk from MD Juan in the Philippines. Not sure of it’s price,

but you can check with Neil at Marathon, our official Australian Agents for their panels and bodies etc

or email them direct at [email protected]

Perhaps I can sell

them the Barby

idea?

This looks like a

great base for that!

G,day Mitch, Firstly let me tell you I look forward to your news letters when ever I turn on my computer. I

enjoy all the stories about the trips you take and all the photos as well. Now in your latest news letter, you

talk about some Jeeps in hot weather suffering from fuel vaporising. My jeep does exactly this, but I am fairly

convinced that it is not actually fuel boiling. As I have replaced the metal bowl on the fuel pump with a glass

bowl I can now see the bubbles appear on the suction side of the pump. After discussion with Darcy Miller it

was his suggestion to watch the bubbles as the engine was running and observe what happens when you turn

off the engine. If in fact it was boiling, the bubbles must surely continue, but if they stop instantly they must

be air bubbles entering the vacuum side of the fuel system. In my case they stop instantly, so I continue to

search for where they are coming from. If you or any other members have any suggestions I would appreciate

them . Thanking you in advance John . By the way I wish I had $95,000 dollars so I could meet the other

John Summers and help him out. Cheers John. Thanks John - Possibly the fuel filter? Around it’s bowl gasket or at the joins to the fuel lines connecting thereto and at the fuel tank. But most overheating occurs where the lines pass around the front of the engine after the fuel pump.

LAST WORD ON XMAS GIFT IDEAS

Yes I know a bit removed from WW2 Jeeps, BUT … Not entirely.

Talented Singer / songwriter, Luke O’Shea has graced these pages on many an occasion with earlier

related material. Who can forget “Ragged Bloody Heroes”? An earlier tune about our Diggers who

stopped the Japs on the Kokoda Track and we remember that Carl Flannery of Tamworth had the

privilege to run Luke in the Country Music Festival that year in the Cavalcade.

More recently, Luke penned another great tune to celebrate the sacrifices of World War One in

“Three Brothers” which your Editor read as part of a speech on ANZAC Day in 2013 at Pooncarie in

Outback NSW. Well as you may know, he has been awarded Three Golden Guitars now for other

great Heritage style songs and if you are looking for a unique XMAS gift for someone musically

orientated in your family, then you can’t go past Luke’s latest Album - “Sing You Up”. Songs from

which are nominated for SIX GG’s at the coming 2015 awards, including the great “Three Brothers”.

Visit www.lukeoshea.com to order and other great information.

While we are at it, a former Luke O’Shea and the Medicine Wheel Band member, Phil Doublet, who

moved back home to New Zealand, also has a great recording released in the last 12 months, titled

Stone and Wood and it too makes a great XMAS present. Check out www.phildoublet.com


USS California part submerged

and ablaze in Pearl Harbour, view

from USS Missouri.

Remembering Pearl Harbour

1941 - 2014

Didja know? - "Sands of Iwo Jima" was released

to movie theatres 65 years ago today (December 14)

Below - 323rd Infantry motor pool mechanics

performing 6000 mi check to two jeeps in repair

shop. L to R: T/5 Layzari, T/5 Reynolds, T/4 R.D.

Stover. Army Signal Corps photograph.

Photographer: Weber. Camp San Luis Obispo,

California. 7 March 1944

250lb bomb on the ordnance

rack of a USMC Douglas A-4C

Skyhawk

”What can we find

on THE INTERNET?”

from CAM FINLAY

John writes, thankyou Mitch, I am a retired High School

Deputy Principal who lives in Mudgee. I spent 35 years

in the Army Reserve mostly with the Military Police. I

have owned and restored several veteran vehicles over

many years but have only owned my Jeep for about a

year. Here is a photo of my Jeep and a link to a YouTube

video featuring it which was made by my son.

http://youtu.be/F-EHCypU4rI Regards John Fielding


Wiert Oosterom was touring recently and in his travels,

visited Arkaroola in South Australia and met the owners.

Doug, who has owned this 44 Jeep since he was 14. Doug

has been pretty famous in recent times, re-enacting the first

crossing of the Simpson Desert by vehicle, 50 years ago, by

his father Reg, in their Nissan Patrol. I bet Doug has a few

yarns to tell!

NEW MEMBER PROFILE - Welcome to John Fielding and Doug Sprigg

http://youtu.be/F-EHCypU4rI

STANDING

ORDERS

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT OF

YOUR “NEWS” - Read it and act! No use having a

Jeep tucked away in the shed if you don't use it!!

REMEMBER THE SLOGAN!!!

STICK THIS ON YOUR BED HEAD

2015 EVENTS (So far!)

Northern Tablelands Military Vehicle Rally

24 - 26 January, Guyra NSW. Flier elsewhere.

Great event held with the Lamb & Potato Festival

CARnivale (former Motorfest) on Australia Day.

Highlands Steam & Vintage Fair 6 - 8 Feb.

Our usual big weekend at this and out camping at

Matt’s and part of anything that he may arrange.

Camden Military Tattoo - 20 March. Email the

organisers [email protected]

Should be a biggy and one not to miss. Hopefully the

weather will be kinder to them this year.

36th Corowa - Year of the Emergency Vehicles and

General Motors. 9 to 15 March. Entry in by the end of

February to share in the goodies. $20. Khaki Vehicle

Enthusiasts Inc. have created a brand new website

for the Corowa Swim-In, it uses the same web

address and replaces the old site. http://www.corowaswim-in.org/ Lots of photos and

archived reports from past events. The photo gallery

will slowly be expanded to cover the earlier years.

There are downloadable forms for Participants and

Stall Holders. There is a link to the latest issue of KVE

News (October) with all the latest event information.

CAMP COFFS - Thursday 2nd April to Tuesday 7th

April at Nana Glen, near Coffs Harbour.

Australia’s largest annual Jeep event for subscribers to

Jeep Action Magazine - $95 Further info at their

website - ww.jeepaction.com.au

CLASSIC not PLASTIC - 6 - 8 June Nabiac NSW

Full details as they get closer.


CLASSIC NOT PLASTIC 2015

JUNE 6th,

7th

& 8th.

NABIAC SHOWGROUND

Classic Not Plastic is on again for 2015. In keeping with tradition we return to Nabiac for the second year over the June long weekend. Organised by Jeep Club of N.S.W. with the assis-tance of Jeep Action Magazine, the event is centred around pre-Chrysler built Jeep vehicles, but all Jeeps are welcome. If you have an older jeep vehicle that is either in pristine or in used con-dition, or even a work in progress we would love to see it. Put the date in your diary, tell your boss you’ll be away, and start getting your Jeep prepared so you won’t miss the final year at this venue. Keep watching this space over coming months for all the info you’ll need to make 2015 another Classic year.

XMAS IN JULY - In July 2015 of course at Dazza’s

up near Taree. Further details when devised.

NATIONAL JEEP JAMBOREE 2015 Thursday 1 October to Monday 5 October at Rydal in

NSW (location of the last great one!) Register at -

www.facebook.com/JeepJamboree2015/events

Email: [email protected]

WARBIRDS 2015 - Further info, members

displaying vehicles will be provided with 2 free passes

and camping will be available. They are looking at a

more prominent display area for the vehicles. We will

have to register via a group booking. Hopefully better

co-ordinated. Accomodation - if you prefer should

be booked ASAP through the Visitor Information

group. Camping will be allowed near the site and

further information will be supplied later.

http://www.corowaswim-in.org/

OUT & ABOUT - XMAS BASH 2014

Selection of Julie Greens pictures

What can we say ….?

Another great XMAS Bash,

captured here showing the

“Doers” out and about, having

fun in their Jeeps!


Not mentioned in the report was the

generous donation of a concrete

Jeep by John Weeks. Easy up Cliff,

you will give yourself a hernia!!!!!

OUT & ABOUT - XMAS BASH 2014

Selection of Leo’s pictures

Another Common Thread here?

No --- It’s not having a drink!

It’s the typical WW2 Jeeps NSW (and

probably just about all Jeepers and four

wheel drivers) pre disposition to get

together and have a yak on anything,

including JEEPS!


DIVORCE SETTLEMENT

On the first day, he sadly packed his belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, he had the movers come and collect his things. On the third day, he sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining-room table, by candle-light; he put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water. When he'd finished, he went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar into the hollow centre of the curtain rods. He then cleaned up the kitchen and left. On the fourth day, the wife came back with her new boyfriend, and at first all was bliss. Then, slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place. Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which time the two had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked! People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit. Finally, they couldn't take the stench any longer, and decided they had to move, but a month later - even though they'd cut their price in half - they couldn't find a buyer for such a stinky house. Word got out, and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. Then the ex called the woman and asked how things were going. She told him the saga of the rotting house. He listened politely and said that he missed his old home terribly and would be willing to reduce his divorce settlement in exchange for having the house. Knowing he could have no idea how bad the smell really was, she agreed on a price that was only 1/10 of what the house had been worth ... but only if he would sign the papers that very day. He agreed, and within two hours her lawyers delivered the completed paperwork. A week later the woman and her boyfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home ...and just to spite the ex-husband, they even took the curtain rods !!! I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU...?

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change

the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of

to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the

parrot got angrier and even more rude. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in

the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.

Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out

onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions.

I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct

my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke-up, very

softly, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

I Nearly Became A Doctor When I was young I decided I wanted to be a doctor so I took the entrance exam to go to Medical School. One of the questions asked us to rearrange the letters PNEIS into the name of an important human body part which is most useful when erect. Those who answered spine are doctors today. The rest of us are sending jokes via email. Thanks to Lloyd, Roger, Graeme for the above selection of Jokes and for all the heaps of others forwarded over

the year by them and others. As we are a “Jeep” rag, I can only use so many, but rest assured you all have had

me laughing out loud on many an occasion. Cheers for XMAS and I look forward to 2015. Mitch

FOR SALE

Steuart Bonser found this interesting item on a web

site and posted the detail on Facebook on 15/12/14 so

its relatively fresh. A “George” from Earlwood here in

Sydney, has 3 restored Jeeps (one registered in NSW,

USA-171), plus enough spares to make a fourth for

sale at $50K. Also includes some memorabilia. May

separate if the prices are worthy. Picture from the

website and he can be contacted on 0408 673 706.

The Oil Crisis

A lot of folks can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in Australia.

Well, there's a very simple answer.

Nobody bothered to check the oil.

We just didn't know we were getting low.

The reason for that is purely geographical.

Our OIL is located in:-

Bass Strait, East Queensland Shale Fields, Canning Basin, Perth Basin and North-West Continental Shelf.

Our DIPSTICKS are located in Canberra!!!!

Any questions??? NO? I didn't think so.

BABY NEWS!!!!

Not often that we

bunch of old farts

have this sort of

announcement, but

congratulations go to

Cliff and Deb for the

arrival of their

GRANDSON

At least Cliffy will

have a driver for

Rusty which should

all coincide with its

finish!?

ANZAC 2OI4 TOUR TO NORMANDY Part D

Edited by Graeme Person from a trip diary by Mick Jericevich - Photos by Graeme Person (Apologies some of the photos that relate to the Motor Show below and in particular of the Maybach Zeppelin were in the last edition. - Ed). With the story, we left the boys after visiting Hitler’s Eagles Nest and in the Town of Garmish …… May 23 We set out for Fredrichafen on a cold and wet morning, the wet weather gear we are wearing has been invaluable for what is supposed to be Summer. The campsite is very big and we have a I km walk to the shop / internet connection. Fortunately, the dining room was lot closer. This camp is on the shore of Lake Constance with Switzerland bordering part of the lake. We set up camp where we are directed, out in the middle of a paddock, much to the concern of some other campers who were there. The sight of the military vehicles moving in to what they thought was their own little haven, was not their preferred option. We camped where we thought was the best area available and we were soon joined by other campers who were there for the week-end. One group of young lads were celebrating a bucks W/E and were having a big night but didn't bother us. May 24 Today we go to a local motor show which was spread out over 6 halls. We went in the exhibitors gate and had undercover parking. There was a huge swap meet in two halls and the rest were for cars and boats. There was a race track out the back end of the area with several older vehicles and bikes driving around. One of the cars on display was a Maybach 1929 Zeppelin - 7.9 litre 12 cylinder engine - fuel consumption 35lts/100kms. Not the sort of vehicle we would see here very often. We then went to the Zeppelin airship factory /museum. There was a mock-up of the interior, quite luxurious with the cabins similar to a passenger ship. A large lounge with panoramic windows made travel very comfortable albeit slow. We had a group BBQ with everyone joining in and sharing the food. The wine stocks were seriously depleted that night. May 25 Colmar, France is our destination and after following Lake Constance for some time we cross over the Rhine at a set of locks. We were just in time to see a large oil tanker about to pass through the lock. I hadn't realised that some of these ships/barges are of that size. We find the campsite and set up alongside a river but not too close. A group of Citroen 2CV vintage vehicles pulled into the campsite for the night on their way to Mulhouse, France for a rally. We got talking to the drivers who told us they were expecting about 500 2CV's to show up at the rally. Some of the vehicles were modified and some had the little tear-drop caravan behind. Colmar is a very old city with a lot of buildings constructed with the timber frames exposed and in filled with bricks and mortar or anything the would hold cement apart. Some of them were undergoing repairs as they were at the stage of collapsing with the timber finally rotting after probably 400 years or more. May 27 Today we travel to Troyes (pronounced" twa") We have about 300 kms to go but will break at Colombey to visit the museum in the home town of Charles De Gaulle, war time hero and former President of France. The museum was well laid out and had some of the Citroen cars that had been the Presidential limos during his reign. He was obviously held in very high regard in France. We set up camp and decided to walk into town to have a look around and have a meal. The old town was similar to Colmar in the design and age of some of the buildings. We had a look inside the massive Cathedral in the middle of town - it seemed to take up a whole city block - very old of course but each church has it's own little differences that make them interesting. May 28 Paris is our destination today, but on the way we will call into a WWl museum and meet our old friend Henri de Wailly who has connections at the museum which has a great collection mainly of uniforms and insignia also very good diorama's of battle scenes incorporating vehicles. Henri organised free admission to the place and also put on a light lunch for us which was greatly appreciated by all. We head off to Paris which is about 60 kms away after some group photo shots outside the museum. The land is mainly rolling hills with lots of crops and fruit and veg growing along the way. The traffic got heavier as we neared Paris and we nearly lost an argument with a bus on our r/h side- the bus driver must have been a military vehicle enthusiast she reluctantly gave way to us - just as well! It was light rain for our arrival at the campsite alongside the River Seine but we had to get set up anyway. We had dinner at home with canned beef noodles and a quiche we had brought along the way.


Basically this is a re-

creation of what Hans

would have seen if he

was travelling in the

Zeppelin and the size

comparison to the

modern aircraft, the

A380, other airships and

of course, the Titanic!

Chuck another snag on

the Barby Mick!

European Lock.

Going …. Going

GONE!!!

Taking the back “B” roads, leads us

through many interesting towns and

villages


May 29 We catch the campsite bus into town which drops us off at Pt Maillot and we walk up the Ave de La Grand Armee to the Arc de Triomphe. The 8 of us then caught the hop on hop off bus to the Eiffel Tower where 2 of the party wanted to ascend. Needless to say the crowds were huge with 2 hour wait just to buy tickets for the tower. When the 2 finally caught up with us later, they had brought the wrong tickets and only went to the first observation level. As we were going around on the open top bus we were at a stop for a while and were watching some con artists conning people into betting on the "Pea and Thimble" trick. As we watched from above the game, we could see the poor suckers betting on the outcome and not winning. The man shuffling the trimbles was very quick and we found it impossible to detect where the pea was even from the elevated position. We went around the route that the bus takes and stopped off at the West Bank to check out the stalls and artists wares. We saw sights that probably everyone has seen on TV or movies over the years but Paris is still an exciting place even though that was my 5th visit there. We ambled back down the hill to Pt Maillot to catch the bus back to camp and have a nice meal at the camp dining room that we had booked earlier. Marilyn had bought a Eiffel Tower that was about 50cms high and lit up with flashing lights, so we had to sing happy birthday and toast the new tower with the remains of a cask of rouge! May 30 The weather is still pretty ordinary as we set off for Mont St Michel, the grand castle / monastery situated on an island about I km from the Atlantic coast. When we were there in 2009, a causeway connected the castle to the land and it was possible to drive almost to the entrance and park. The causeway had been taken away and replaced by a bridge which allowed for no parking close to the entrance. Buses provided the only means of transport out there and the crowds were large so we did not bother to go. May 31 We went further along the coast to Granville and St Malo which were heavily bombed and also to St Lo where we stopped to look around - lots of photos on billboards of the devastation caused by the Allied air raids, then onto our campsite at Etreham which is about 6 kms from Port en Bessin on the Normandy coast. We were told by our friends at the MVT that we might have to share a site with one of our fellow travellers which was no hardship as the site was big enough for 2 caravans. Each site was divided by a hedge which allowed us to erect a tarp over our tent to provide some shelter from the weather which was pretty ordinary. We were all next to one another on the same driveway within the camping ground. Preston Isscas who was looking after the campsite for MVT members was very welcoming and made us feel as though we were indeed part of the UK group. Paula Kenny from Adelaide and her sister who had brought a campervan over from the UK are camped at the end of our road so we see them each day. June 1 - 4 Richard Taylor from NZ now has a rental car as his Dodge is now sitting in a yard in Holland and is travelling by himself as his Grandson had returned to NZ, has asked us if we want to sight see with him. We are more than happy for a bit of comfort and to get from A to B much quicker. Richard wants to see as much as possible and we have not seen it all even having been there twice before, so we are all happy. We visit the American War Cemetery at Omaha Beach first as this place will be heavily restricted later in the week as Obama and Co will be there. We also went to Pegasus Bridge at Ranville which draws huge crowds and to Gold and Sword Beaches whilst in that area. On the hill above Arromanches there is a 360deg. Round theatre with brilliant shots of the Invasion. We visit some cemeteries that Richard has connection with and Attend the big swap meet at St Mere Eglise which seemed to be one of the main attractions for the week. As we drive around there are museums and wartime hotspots such as Point du Hoc. All up and down the Normandy coast there are many places to see and there will almost certainly be a group of ex-military vehicles there as well. I think that it would be impossible to tell how many ex-mil vehicles are on and around the Normandy area as there is no central check-in point but we heard figures of between 3000 and 4000 vehicles and that would not be too hard to believe. One place that we wanted to see that was not WW2 related was the Bayeux Tapestry. This is a tapestry that is about 70 m long and about 50cm high and is set behind glass to protect it from grubby hands. The tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings with William the Conqueror. The audio device which is a must tells the story as you walk around at your own pace. It is really quite sensational in the craftsmanship and attention to detail. On 5 June we gather near St Mere Eglise and Carentan to witness the replay of the huge parachute drop that took place in the early hours of June6 ,1944. We parked off road and positioned ourselves on a motorway over pass bridge with hundreds of other people to get a clear view over what is fairly flat countryside. So we waited and waited, well past the scheduled time and eventually 5 DC3's did fly over and did a couple of circuits but it was too windy for the parachute drop.


Not even the billboard could

captivate Micks interest!

Locksmiths nightmare!!!

Left: Dining room conversation starter!

Queues waiting for the Parachute re-enactment drop.

To be continued …………...


Long Range Amphibious Group - Finale September 2014 - Bruce Wilshire with the help of

John Summers notes One should “ never say never”, 2012 trip was supposed to be our last until someone suggested,

”Robinvale to Wentworth”, a difficult section of the river.

Starters on this occasion were John Summers, Glenn McAllister (crew), Bruce Wilshire, Mitch Holland,

(crew) Roger Ross, Peter Ross (crew) and David Stafford , Good to see our president David joining us

on our last trip. Mitch is a cartographer working with NSW Roads and Maritime, a very handy addition

to our group.

This section of the river is shallow with lots of snags and rocky outcrops therefore more

planning than usual had to be addressed. Glenn McAllister had been in the area some months before

and had researched the area and with information gained from Phil ( lock master at Robinvale) John,

Glenn and I met and formulated plan A and plan B.

Plan A from Robinvale to Wentworth if river levels were above about two and half metres and

Plan B if levels were below that, exposing too many snags and rocks. Phil very kindly offered parking

space for or vehicles and trailers at Lock 15.

All crews arrived at Robinvale on 22nd and spent next day packing the GPA’s and Plan B was

adopted as river levels obtained from Phil were in the vicinity of one metre for a considerable distance

below the Lock.

Wednesday 24th saw us put Plan B into action, We drove 40 odd kms upstream to Boundary

Bend (1228 mark) . With the weather cloudy and a chance of rain we set off for Robinvale. David

quickly found out how easily one can get bogged trying to exit the river for smoko. Light rain set in

after lunch but not too uncomfortable and at the 1195 mark we exited the river for the day.

Due to the wet conditions we decided to return to Boundary Bend Caravan Park for the night.

Thursday 25th, weather fining up as we drove back to the 1195 mark to resume our cruise, Roger had

fuel problems and John towed him until he was able to restart his engine.

No further dramas and after finding a good camp site at 1163 we all came ashore without

difficulty. Unfortunately a nearby irrigation pump started at 7pm and ran all night, annoying most

campers.

Friday 26th uneventful cruising until lunch when John trying to exit became hopelessly stuck, next to try

I became the second to get bogged .David and Roger seeing there was no future in trying, nosed into

the bank and all hands then winched and pulled both GPA’s on to dry land .The exercise cost one winch

rope and one snatch strap broken and one snatch strap left a little worse for wear. After a couple of

rock jumping exercises and four boggings, fortunately no damage to any GPA`s, (good idea to watch

the charts lads!!) We cruised on to Robinvale to resupply with food and fuel). Camp that night was

below Lock 15 (1116 mark) a good site made more comfortable by Phil who made sure we had plenty

of firewood.

L to R - Owners - Roger Ross, Bruce Wilshire ,David Stafford, John Summers.

David and Roger cruising happily, unfortunately next day tells a different story.

Saturday morning we drove the short distance back to Robinvale to have a compression test on David’s

engine as it had been running very roughly . Worst fears were confirmed, very low compression on

number two, possibly a burnt valve forcing David to retire when we arrived back at Lock 15.

All then made our way back to Lock 15 via river, only six kms. David and Roger’s GPA’s both

suffering vaporising problems. Roger eventually had to be towed ashore and called it “a day” as he was

unable to restart his engine. Both David and Roger packed up and made their way home after

completing only 98 kms.

Our expectations of all four amphibs completing the trip were shattered, that left John and I and

crews to battle on to Wentworth.

After farewelling David and Roger, We drove by road down river into Hattah-Kulkyne

National Park to Sexton (1018 mark) and then on to camp 3 at the 986 mark thus avoiding the worst

section of the river.

Sunday 28th Drove to Watts Bend via Chalka creek, nearly a metre deep being overflow from

Hattah Lakes ,a huge area flooded by seven new pumps put in by governments for environmental

reasons, pumping costs alone were $200 thousand a month for three months.. Back on the river mid

morning until lunch when John made it to shore ok but I wasn`t so lucky. Snatch pull not successful,

winch then employed to do the job. The Capstan winch on the bow of all GPA`s is the most useful

piece of equipment on the machine, with the aid of a pulley block it is amazing how much this winch

can pull.

Cruised on to Nangiloc where we bought fuel and supplies at Mark and Aileen`s store and pub,

recently renovated and a credit to them both. On then by road a short distance to Johnsons Bend at 956

mark to the best camp site of the trip. Mitch who had tried in vain most days to catch a fish was finally

rewarded with two, unfortunately one was a carp.

It was a pity to leave such a good camp site, so back on the river with lots of shallow water

ahead of us and mid morning saw Glenn driving onto a sand bar in a wide ,shallow reach of the river.

Fortunately Mitch did not follow, however in trying to manoeuvre into a position to attach

a tow rope we successfully managed to foul the prop with the tow rope. Score at this point is one

bogged and one with a useless prop with only man power paddling to get to shore to cut the offending

rope off the prop. Mitch being a true crew member with knife in hand jumped overboard when we

finally managed to get to shore. (Well the captain doesn`t volunteer does he!!!!)

With the tow rope now partly removed we went ashore further down river at a sandy beach

to remove the remainder of the rope, then made our way back to rescue John and Glenn who had not

been idle. Glenn from past experience with propeller wash enabled he and John to turn the GPA

around facing deeper water, the necessary tow took place and off cruising again with about an hour

lost. (If there is a rope in the water do not engage the prop in reverse, silly boy that’s the second time)

Arrived at Karadoc boat ramp around 4pm to be met by Paul Mensch a photographer

for the Mildura Weekly who had us in and out of the water taking photos that were published in the

paper, Another good camp site for Monday night.

Tuesday 30th, As we get closer to Mildura the river is under the influence of Lock 11 ,with

deeper water we start to see house boats and don`t have the worry of snags and there are plenty of boat

ramps to exit the river. Mitch`s good friend Eric Taylor who works for NSW Roads and Maritime met

us on his work 260 hp Jet Ski and travelled with us for some time to lead us to a good camp site at

Psyche Bend.

We walked to Psyche Bend pumping station the first irrigation pump in the area, built in 1891

by the Chaffey brothers, the steam driven pumps are huge and are run three or four times a year for

special occasions. We were shown through the pump house and boiler shed, very impressive. Have a

look on www.psyche bend pump station.

Fortunately we were not on the river that afternoon as the wind was blowing about 40 kms an hour

which meant no camp fire that night . Eric arrived late afternoon with supplies we needed, very handy

to have Mitch`s mate helping out.

http://www.psyche

Wednesday 1st October we arrived in Mildura mid morning to meet Eric on his jet ski to show

us around the Marina then tie up at the wharf and have coffee at the Marina cafe . After being shown

through some house boats we made our way to and through Lock 11 along side PS Melbourne and a

house boat. On then to Apex Park caravan park and set up camp.

Don and Iris Wilson (Mildura Salvage) caught up with us again and gave us a rundown on the

salvage of the “Avoca” which had been converted into a floating restaurant and sunk due to the lack of

maintenance. Salvage costs in excess of $265 thousand.

The annual country music festival was on all week at Mildura and surrounding towns, with

Mitch`s friend Luke O’Shea performing at the RSL, it was a good opportunity to have a meal there with

Eric and partner Deb who kindly transported us to and from the venue.

Mitch stayed on till the wee hours and assured us it was a great night, even though it was a cold

one. There was considerable interest in our venture so much so the ABC had an interview with John,

also we had a great write up and photos in the Mildura Weekly thanks to Alan and Paul.

Mildura was a great stopover made more enjoyable by Eric and Deb and Pam a friend of Glenn`s

family from Geelong who had welcomed us to Mildura the day before with beer and Anzac biscuits.


After a very entertaining time in Mildura we only had a day and half to get to Wentworth, the

town saved from flooding in 1956 by the use of many Ferguson tractors and their owners who worked

tirelessly building up the levee banks as the Murray and Darling rivers were in flood at the same time.

There is a Ferguson tractor mounted on a pole in the town park to commemorate the occasion.

One more camp at Abbotsford bridge (846 mark) a good camp site spoilt by a couple of feral’s

cashed up by the weekly handouts, at least they didn`t annoy us after the first visit, (invited by Glenn to

see how we had arrived, thanks Glenn !!!! )

Perfect morning to travel the last 14 kms to Wentworth, speaking to house boat owners on the

way and enjoying the river , finally turning up the Darling for a couple of k`s to a boat ramp next to a

park where the country music festival was in full swing.

After travelling approximately 247 kms on river and about 300 kms on road Mitch and I ar-

rived back at Lock 15, had lunch and unpacked the GPA and then into Robinvale caravan park to meet

up with John and Glenn who had left John`s GPA at Pickering’s transport in Mildura and driven to

Robinvale in Glenn`s car. Early next morning Mitch and I picked up some of John`s gear and headed

off to Dubbo and home, John and Glenn went back Mildura to call on Don and Iris and another friend

then made their way back to Melbourne and finally home.

John the instigator of the LRAG has left the helm and is selling his GPA after a fifty year

ownership and many a tale in its wake, (details at website amphibious-jeep.com.au )

He invites Dave Stafford to take over the helm of the LRAG to keep the idea alive, good luck David.


Below:

Bruce congratulates John on his

long ownership and travels with

the GPA.


Happy Christmas from all of us at WW2 Jeeps NSW,

to all of you, Sgt. Tirman, Cam Finlay and family and

to all who supply great material for us to use.

jeep news - vmvc.org.au news/jeep news... · xmas gift buying guide - continued as an example all...

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