Empire Disposals Auction

[Andrew Rowe]

Hi, just wondering if any local guys in Aus are attending this Auction, PM me ,Thanks Andrew.

[Dave Mills]

Hello John, Here are the items purchased for you today I was bidder 350. Tim is aware of them and I have stored the barrel nets in his back shed; just make contact with Tim about transport.

It was great to help you out and return the favour for hosting Kathy and I in Canada last year.

By the way the Cent ARV sold for $102,000 + 10% GST. Tim started it and it roared to life on the 1st piston up a fantastic piece of Armoured history.

So much to look at and apart from a couple of items the rest was well priced; to much to get a good handle on and it was only a small part of Tim's stock.

Richard Couttes-smith and I managed to pick up a couple of very hard to get Humber parts in amongst the mountains of crates and stock.

Cheers,

Dave.

[jdmcm]

Thanks Again Dave

without your help that auction would have been completely out of reach, once again good friends and MLU has shrunk the world to a friendly size! Many, many thanks to you and Kathy!

Best Regards
John

[Mike Cecil]

I understand that the ARV has gone to a good home and will be joining other Centurion 'stablemates'.

Sounds like the auction went well - anyone else on MLU participate and care to share what 'goodies' you were able to buy?

Mike

[jdmcm]

Do tell Mike

where is the ARV going? I was wondering if it was off to the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum...Rob is sure putting together one of the best collections in the world...must take a trip down to see it one day

John

[Mike Cecil]

Hi John,

No, not to Cairns, but a little further south in the same state of Queensland. The winning bidder was Tim Wood who runs Tank Ride:

(http://tankride.com.au/).

The ARV will join a couple of tanks, a dozer, DTV and a bridgelayer - quite a stable of Centurions.

How is your Cent progressing? Must make the trip north & west and visit one of these days.

Regards

Mike

[Rod Salter]

I picked up most of the radios and all the telephones along with a number of telephone cable reels (some with wire) and then some valves also a heavy power supply for the AR8/AT5 base stations and other bits and bobs.
I let a WS38 radio go, missed a box of little acorn valves in the excitement.
Maybe the winner would let me buy a few?

I let the two AR8 sets go (I have a few) for more than $50 to someone who I hope will contact me on how they went when he got them home. We were amazed someone had fitted a 3 pin power plug to one (Shudder)
The one with the alternate dial was unmolested.
The other had capacitors hanging loose

We both need the aerial tuning unit to complete our sets

In a hind site, I should have bid on some other items, tarps, boxes
(except the Nissan was full and dragging its backend as it was)

I would have liked only about 4 of the tank helmets so did not bid on the crate fulls.

I had a very enjoyable Monday morning with Tim looking in a container and purchased some bits for the 38 AFV set and my 19's

We had a great time with the man and his mate who purchased the tank (will have to pop down and see him sometime) along with many other persons we met.

Everyone here thinks I am crazy to travel so far for a particular radio.

On the way down, the Nissan threw a hissy fit out of Coonabarabran, overheating 3 times in a few kilometres (130 degrees or more, smoking hot) then got over it and purred along for the rest of the journey. I really flogged it the last 60ks to home and could not get a temp rise at all!

I had bought a gen set from Bunnings before I realised the deep cycle battery in the van had dropped a cell, then had to replace that (all unexpected expenses)

My wife and I did a little detour on the way home through Corowa, Cootamundra, Canberra (3 days here), Coma, Bega, Tathra (paddled in the sea) Bermagui (fish and chips for lunch) Kioloa (another paddle) Nowra, up the Kangaroo Vally escarpment (amazing road) Mittagong, Sydney (2 days here and had to replace the front brake pads after the lining completely wore off in a panic stop) through the Putty road (why anyone thought to build this road as a good idea to get freight out of Sydney escapes me) Tamworth (raining and so cold in our pop up canvas sided caravan) and then flatout home in a day.

So much dry bare country, I feel for all the farmers feeding their livestock.

After 2953 km My travel bug is cured for a little while, maybe head north where it is warm? or where is the next sale?

Now out to the shed to thoroughly examine my treasurers

Cheers, rod