Australian International K5

[Matt Austin]

Not long ago, I spoke with the family who passed the truck on to me. I filled them in on what I'd learned, what little I've done since receiving the truck, and plans for its restoration, particularly in light of visiting Corowa. I was invited to come and have a chat about it all. Turns out that the family are delighted that something is being done with the truck. They had an idea that they'd like to have restored it, but time was an issue. So they're delighted that I'm restoring it, even if it is to the condition that it was in before it was bought by the family.

When I was there, I was given a copy of the book pictured. The memoirs of Arch Hillyer are a fascinating read. Born in the UK in 1917, he came to Australia during the Depression. He served throughout WW2, enlisting in the RAAF weeks after the outbreak of war. An airframe fitter, he ended up in the islands with No 5 Squadron, on Boomerangs. After the war, he moved to Junee, 'learning how to be a farmer'. He passed away in 2008.

The following extract from around 1946 is of particular relevance;

"One morning, a contract shearer arrived at the shed, driving a 1942 International truck, one that he had purchased at a recent Army surplus disposal sale. There were lots of these going on around the country. Some people got real bargains. At a sale in Alice Springs, a man bought a covered-in truck cheaply and when he later pulled back the covers, it was full of new motorbikes... Well, back to the Inter truck. My boss liked the look of it, and by nightfall he was the owner. He gave ₤200 and his old truck for it.

New cars and trucks, even tractors, were unattainable after the war, and it was some years before these became available to the general public, so we were elated that we had a larger and newer vehicle. The International was fitted with large balloon-type tyres used mainly to travel over sand. I remember taking it to Illabo railway siding with a three-tier load of wool, and it seemed very unstable. I thought that at every corner, it was going to tip over on its side. Also, the tray was much higher than usual. With harvest coming up...we had to make some adjustments. We removed the big tyres and replaced them with duals on the rear wheels, and this lowered the tray. With a new mechanical kicker fitted, the truck was ready for the harvest, but the gears were not quite right, and it didn't like hills nd it was painful to drive to Junee silos, which I did often."

There are other stories of the truck, and a couple of photos, including the attached pic of Arch and his mother Alice, with the Inter as a backdrop. It's really very interesting, as it gives a human element to what is otherwise just a machine. I've spoken with the family, and they're happy for me to restore it to its military state, but they're delighted that I've asked if I could make a display board, telling the story of Arch and his truck.

It fascinates me, that's for sure.

Cheers,
Matt