Twists of fate...

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

The first Jeep I remember seeing for real was in 1977, maroon in colour, wide wheels and right hand drive. It belonged to the local crane operator near school, and while doing photography I was able to get a rather poor snap of Ken in the Jeep, and then did an even poorer job of developing it. I was, at that stage trying to decide if I should get a Ferret or a Jeep first, hard decision for a 13 year old.

36 years later I was asked to help restore an Austin Champ for a Jeep owner about 45 minutes away, which proved to be a lot of fun, even though we had to fight our way around the remains of two project jeeps and miscellaneous parts. With the Champ finished it was onto the "Bush Jeep" which had been bought in 1990, roughly restored and driven on many adventures in the Victorian Alps. It was now in pieces waiting for a more comprehensive resto.
It was only at the end of the project that the colour of many of the old parts stockpile, finally triggered a memory and I thought to question it's history. Yes, in 1990 it had been maroon, RH drive with wide wheels and belonged to Ken the crane owner....

It turned out to be one of those rather pleasing circles of life things, I guess they happen to all of us sooner or later.

The postscript to this little tale is that after having only two owners for 50 years or so the trusty Jeep is doing it's best to outlast us all and is on the market, so keep an eye out for it at Corowa. I would buy it myself, but still have not made my mind up about a Ferret...yet.
Rich.

[Mike Cecil]

Well, knowing the owner (and you), I'll bet its a first class restoration with no expense spared! Whoever 'lands' it will be doing well, whatever the asking price.

Mike

[Mike Kelly]

When I was at high school in 1970 ( Highett High ) , I spotted a WW2 Jeep driving down Bluff road in Highett, a S.E. suburb of Melbourne . It wasn't until many years later after I had joined the VMVC , I discovered it was Bill Wheeler's Jeep I had spotted , he lived at the the end of Bluff road .