Sydney Antique & Classic Truck Show
 

This is my first thread post so I might be a bit creaky on this but here goes. Today Sydney's inaugural Antique & Classic Truck show was held at the Museum of Fire in Penrith. It was a spectacular day and a great event. Militarily (or ex-militarily) there was the Museum's C60L Bushfire Brigade Blitz - marvelously turned out in its Heathcote Fire Brigade incarnation, an ex-BFB Studebaker driven down from Oberon, a wartime 6x4 Mack (NM? I'm rusty) loaded with an antique caterpillar tracked crawler and tractor, Andy McFarland's '40 Chev panel van and a C30 Blitz I've seen on this site, but didn't get the chance to speak to the owner... There were other great trucks - ranging from veterans Tilling Stevens etc through to Thermodynes, Diamond Reos etc...all in all a terrific event - I'll be taking the Blitz next year.

A few more...
 

A few more... :salute:

Hi Warren,

The C60L is a beauty, in its red coat. Post up a few more photos please :)

regards, Richard

Looks like a great day
 

Superb Warren,

Thanks for sharing these..... :thup:

Thanks Richard. Believe it or not, I have a colour slide my Dad took of this truck in a parade in 1969 when it was still in service with the Heathcote Bushfire Brigade - our BFB, at Loftus a couple of suburbs along from Heathcote - had a monkeyface, later replaced by a Studebaker. I remember the monkeyface once it had ceased service perishing alongside the fire brigade hall. Dad's brother who was an army truck driver during WWII, from memory, referred to monkeyfaces as 'Sand-grabbers' - ever heard of this? Cheers Warren...

It was great Tony - and congratulations to the organisers - they went gangbusters. One of the most enjoyable classic car shows I've been to.

Hi Warren,

Envy you there, sounds like it was a great day out. The museum in itself is brilliant.

Never heard the term "sand grabbers" before, but guess it meant they would go anywhere !

But, for me, the most intruiging was this - the bare bones of (what I think is) a Dennis 'Big Four' - I didn't have the opportunity to hang around - more's the pity - but it was very interesting...

Here's a few more of the old Dennis - don't know if it was a fire engine originally - I know Dennis made trucks during WWI (have a look at the HMVF site restoration in the UK - thanks Richard!!!!!) and WWII, but did Dennis make military trucks in the inter-war period?

Warren,

I don't think Dennis did produce any ( or possible the odd one) lorries for the British military in the inter-war period, apart from any vehicles carried over after WW1 still in use. They were back supplying the HM Governement during WW2 though.

I have a Dennis service manual, possibly dated early 1920's which came out of an army workshop library over here in the 1970's. Often wondered how it got there as the establishment only dated from 1939. It is for 2 1/2, 3, 4, and 6 ton models.