Some EX Kwikasair / Comet 8 wheelers

Have been watching, on my way to work and in the distance on a property, for a while now.. an 8 wheeler slim cab KW with a water tank on the back. (Semi-retired perhaps?) It looks like 1970s vintage and when I get a chance, I will try and see if I can get permission to have a look and get a photo and number etc.
Regards Dave.

G-Day Daveo,
Good spotting there, you just never know till you have a bo-peep.

Lets hope you succeed.
............Billy...............

I was in but not sneaking anywhere. Neither in nor out!

I live about 1klm from Abbotsleigh and every time I drive or walk past I laugh to myself.

BUT...did you have a smile on your face at the time..........
................Billy...................

Why do you think I have a laugh when I pass there.

My wife (not the girl involved) doesn't get it.

It was in 1969!

My wife (not the girl involved) doesn't get it.

They Never Do............. :

Found another pic of 845................
I took this at the Zacuba yard....later a rear mount crane & full length body was fitted...
(the best crane set up for brick delivery)
That is Norm Lumby at the crane controls. (Norm drove the first Ex Kwikasair KW to come
to Zacuba ....(namely 815).





Norm came over from Jack Seaton Transport & previously had driven paper trucks
for (I think) Mandoons ....whose drivers were endearingly called Mandoons Maniacs.
They were told never to go past a town police station without droppin of some papers.
Two other drivers came over from Seatons....Ronny Shultz & keith Macguire. who
drove 2 up together in one of Seatons Cat powered KWs. They didn't really see eye
to eye, havin a dig at one another when ever possible. Little tricks like the one in the
sleeper sneakin his claw out & movin the splitter knob across on the 8125U spicer.
Now any body who has driven an 8125U will know that this generally leads to a
whole heap of embarrassing attempted gear shifts at the next change.............

Here is a little story from when I was in 838............
I delivered a load of bricks to south Cambletown (on the way to Appin) ,,pulling
up in front of the house I walks up the gravel driveway noticeing a Mini on
the lawn next to said driveway.
Knocks on the front door & this BIG german lady answers .....so I says to her
I have a delivery of bricks for you,.... ah ha... you haff my bricks she says,
(with the B sounding more like a P)
Yes lady ...I have your Bricks for you.
.........vell , come viss me she says. &....shows where
they are wanted around the back of the house.
Do you vant me to move my Mini.....
No that's ok I can get past ...
Vell she says....if you scratch my Mini...I vill SNAP your arms off OK..
Right.........found out later she was a matron at the local hospital.
Anyway I'm unloading around the back when I hear her voice..........
Do you mind if vee votch you unload...
Turning around I see her & her young daughter at the back window.
All I could see of the daughter was her head......but mumma was wearing a bra
with a whopping pear of melons resting on the window sill.
So I agreed that it vood be goot if she stayed there.
As I was leaving she reminded me about her Mimi & my arms.
The torture we have to go through on a daily basis...........
........................Billy..........................

A bit more about 844.....................
The other day I found a bit more of the 844 history.......
I left Alltrans in 1995 and left old 844 behind......roughly a year later it
spun the main bearings in the block, seizing the donk, At this stage TNT
was nearing the end, so, 844 was parked with no dollars to be spent on
any repairs. It was auctioned off without the brick body(where that
went no body knows) but still with the crane on board.
Later a bloke fronts to Zacuba (now PGH ) & says I have just bought
an ex brick truck & I would like to know some history about it.
Apparently he owned a couple of fishing trawlers & bought 844 to unload
the boats & transport the fish to where ever..
But it stayed in his house yard in the Moorebank area for about 10 years
with grass growing over it...........what a shame , because other than
the stuffed donk it was a top little unit.
Then one day it vanished.....the bloke had apparently moved down the
south coast some where, now whether it went with him or was sold
again we have no idea..........So...........maybe it could have
survived ..........who knows.............
.......................Billy.........................

Something I forgot to put up.............
Considering my old profession........
here is something that I spotted recently.....
Maybe this bloke was in the same business..........





And now doing what he likes best............
........................Billy.......................

These are great stories BillyP. Thanks for the memories about your "good old - bad old" days....keep 'em comin' ol' mate

.
.
...Well..........
It looks as if old 819 has been put to rest.......
The other day I spoke to the chief of Alltrans Spares &
he confirmed that 819 did in fact end up in their yard,
was stripped of anything good, then the rest went to the
scrap man along with a yard clean up.
So unless some one put the jigsaw pieces back together,
that's it.
....................Billy.....................