After working at the Mensal Bluestone Quarry in Hamilton (early 60's) for several weeks, I upgraded my position and went to work with the Yugoslavian painters. We lived in caravans and we shifted from place to place. I was being paid £16 a week pus food and board. We worked 6 days a week from sun up til sun down.
I saved £300 and I went and bought myself a car. I had never sat behind a steering wheel before that. I bought a car from Riley Motors in Hamilton.
The car was a Humber Snipe and I paid £300 for it. I also gave him £20 to insure the car. At that time we were painting in Casterton and the people that I bought the car from drove the car out of Hamilton for me so that I could drive home 40 miles away.
It took me many hours to get there. The car was boiling all the time. I ran out of petrol 2 hours to Colerain. I was very happy to finally arrive home in Casterton. When I arrived home, the owner of the house asked me if I bought a car, which I said yes to and that the car was no good. I explained all the troubles that I had had coming home in the car.
He then asked me to take him for a drive to show him how I was diving, which I did. When we got onto the open road, he started laughing. When I asked him why, he said that the car had 5 gears and that I was only driving in first gear, I didn’t know how to change the gears!
in Casterton, Victoria, Australia
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