Brumbles...very little distance

Well while we are on a story tellin mission..
I can remember back in 1969, Greenie and I were sitting out the back of the Patchewollok Pub in northern Victoria... basically we were celebrating the arrival of his new White Road Boss..
When I say his new Road Boss..Brambles was actually making the payments.
We had loaded a bit of oversized framework etc for delivery to a silo complex they were building west of Wheelabarraback and were just kicking back enjoying a few fizzie drinks following the 3 day run we had just completed.
Michelle, the owner and barmaid was a great host and along with her culinary and hospitality skills, she had also steered a few lorries and wasn't short of adding to the list of yarns that were entertaining the locals as they wandered in from a days toil.
Being fairly enterprising blokes, we were always looking for a bit of stray freight that could perhaps top up the wallet on a normally empty run home. Of course this action was only ever entertained by subbies, the company drivers towing a straight line at all times.
We settled in quite comfortably for a big night with the locals and it wasn't long before the BBQ was fired up and some of the local produce was thrown on to the rather sizable plate. It became very apparent that this was not, a one off occasion.
The story takes a twist when Greenie gets wind of a rather profitable yet unusual truckin job somewhat north of here...He was all over it like a dog with a tennis ball. Chocs have I got us a nice little number to tie us over for a few days or what!...
Hmmm...at this point I was proceeding with caution...
Chocs mate, we can't lose..I've worked it out... I was hoping this was only about three gallons of fizz talking but, he was making a degree of sense, even after his moderate consumption of some of Carlton's finest...
It starts ... Ya see chocs all we gotta do is meet Braggie at Menopause North at 8 o'clock Mundy and we're in.... "2 more pots thanks 'chelle"....
This was really starting to look, well, perhaps, maybe just a little sketchy..and the beer and the BBQ and the beer and the bullshit continued well into Sunday morning...
Lunchtime came and went and we saddled up for our quick, 1500 mile jaunt for our couldn't go wrong special backload..What an afternoon, as we made our way north, running into a few known highway associates every hour or so.
As the bitumen gave way to gravel and returned again, we approached Kikkatinalong right on dusk and awoke the sleepy town with the 692 first in on the jake.
Which i might add was about as effective as wavin ya hat out the window!

to be Continued...

Con't...
I wheeled in behind Greenie and let the V12 Gardiner settle back to a quite idle, before shutting the old Fargo down.
I wandered up alongside 'The Boss' and Greenie already had the HF radio cranked up and i could hear Ol Braggy on the other end, amongst the static..
He didn't seem to be makin a whole lot of sense, and Greenie was starting to run the thermostat up a bit, trying to get the point across...
"Don't worry, its under control Greenie" was one phrase i had heard several times...
By this time, the ears were really ringin....Not from the ol Gardiner, but the alarm bells, that were getting louder by the minute...

The conversation finished and Greenie assured me.."Jobs right Chocs" the look on his face was less than convincing....This had all the makings of a disaster....i could feel it in me water.
We decided a shower and a feed might be in order and so we grabbed a bit of gear and made our way over toward the Golden Fleece Restaurant.
She had been a pritty run down ol joint for quite a while but these days she was shinin like a new pin..
Ol Gilly the new owner had wasted no time or cash gettin the place right up to scratch..if it didnt move it was painted and if it did, it was polished....
After a bit of a dash round the rainroom, we threw our gear down on the pebble garden and kicked back in one of the many outdoor chairs and tables that had been strategically placed amongst the shade trees..
Wasn't long before Ol Gilly appeared with a couple of coldies, and took up a chair himself..
Within seconds, he was interrupted by a deafening blast of a siren, alerting him of an incoming call on the landline..
A big bloke with a Big Grin from ear to ear wandered out and said " any of you blokes Greenie? Bloke name Baggy on the horn lookin for ya"
Greenie up and followed Grinnin Big back into the office......Whoa....he didn't need a phone, he was givin ol mate a real tune up this time....I got the feelin i should have gone home empty.
He soon returned, red faced and wiping the blood pressure from his brow, shakin his head like he had an ear full of water... I must admit, his look did NOT instil any confidence what so ever..

"Chocs, ol son...you are not going to believe this, you are just not.."
"Would you believe....Ya won't...Would you believe, can you even begin to imagine what sort of a load YOUR mate Braggy has organised us????, So can ya?"
Ay hang on, this is your deal, i'm only the ' I'll come along for the ride' bloke remember...
C'mon....whats the story.....a coupla DC3's, Southern Cross Woolshed, Ayers Rock, buggered if i know...
Nuthin would surprise me at this point in time!

"Goannas" Ol Greenie muttered through his pipe smoke..
Whats that?
"Goannas"
Goannas what?
"Goanna Goannas, thats what we're bringin back....Thats the pot of gold Chocs, Goannas"
Me immediately conjuring up visions of great big welded up or concreted in Goannas, sorta like for a Tourist Park or somethin..?

Greenie still shakin his head, "Braggy's organised us a load of bloody Goannas! "

to be continued..

cont..
At this point, i knew ol mate was takin the piss and the conversation quickly turned to GM Dodges and K200 Kenworths.. Every now and then, a "Bloody Goannas" could be heard from across the table as Greenie knocked back yet another 'king brown'
Ol Gilly stood up, stretched the back, flicked the brown leather cover off his watch...."Hes got fourteen minutes, he won't wanna be late today!
Whos that Gilly? "Bloody Jimbo,.... in the Kwikasair"....
"Hes gotta be in by 8 or everthins gunna be ruined! "
"Of all nights! if hes late tonite, i tell ya, heads are gunna roll....Grinnin's done a Pork Roast tonite and bloody Jimbos got the apple sauce on board!"
'I've expressed it up from Bustidarse, specially for the Sunday Night Roast"
I couldn't contain meself and Greenie spat the better part of his mouthful of beer across the table...
Fair bit of stress goin on over some bloody apple sauce, i was thinkin..
Next minute, an almighty racquet broke the silence from the south, half the Main Street erupted in dust like a midsummer willy willy... " He's here " said Gilly, just as an Italian Racing Silver VW Kombie appeared out of the dust storm, screeching to a halt almost cleaning up the bowsers in the process!
Straight out the window, a jar of SPC Apple Sauce!

to be continued...







I might add at this point, that so far, this could be, a true story..
Based on some fictitious characters and placenames..
Or it just could be a story based on very little fact?
From here on in it could be based on something that was told by someone somewhere and credit to them of course....
Who would know?

....keep it all coming Chocs ;...this is shaping up to be a bloody good Main Street melodrama .....

Well Chocs ,Ifn that Greenie is involved , it's gotta be a true story Just hope the mists of time and fizz don't blurr the details .

There would no bull$hit with that Braggy fella either
And reckon that Gilly fella would sat through I was set up a few times so I would be careful of truth and dare there
Anyway we need to know

Bloody hell! So THAT'S what caused THIS to happen???

Sorry Chocs , been held up getting stockcrates organized to load the livestock into...Will ring you when the next 14 foot of crate is finished....Will ring you .
Regards Braggy...........

cont...
"Whats for tea Gilly?, I kept my end of the bargain..$hit its hot in here, i gotta get out!"
Young Jimbo almost forcing Ol Gilly back out of the way, covering his freshly pressed Golden Fleece shirt with dust in the process... " What a ride! This thing has got legs now! I got Grumpy to fit a backwards Commer 6 speed box on behind the 10 over...I was goin that hard in spots , me eyes were watering with the windows up!"
The heat from inside the Kombie was immediately noticeable with the door now open, it was like a blast furnace in there! The ol 871 Screamer wasn't doin' Jimbo any favours in the comfort division either, thats for sure.
Just as a point of interest, this wasn't the normal everyday garden variety Kombie that had just roared in. (no $hit sherlock!)
This was actually a prototype the boys at KW were working on, hoping to take a slice of the Overnite Express Freight market back over on the east coast. But it was proving a difficult task, as Thames and BMC had some fast carts out there, which were really taking some catching....
The Kombi had gone through many changes of which the latest consisted of running a tandem drive setup up front with a tri steer at the rear, a bit reminiscent of a steroidal forklift?

A voice came from the background and heard above the crackling sound of the cooling exhausts ..
"Ay cobba..you loadin the express goannas are ya..hahahahhahahahha"
The look on Jimbo's face and the subsequent "how many has he had?" Was enough to raise a grin from the Ol Gilly too.
"Get onto Braggsy fella...he will sort ya a load" Greenie again yelled from the back stalls.
"Whats the Brumbles trucks doin here Gilly? Passed them yesterday out near Pistunbroke, where they headed?, unusual seein' em this far north on this track, they got a big shift on ?"

"Ya might say that Jim, bigger than they can ever imagine i think.." Finalised Ol Gilly as he made his way back toward the now lighted building..

to be continued...

cont...

I couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow had in store..This was sure shaping up to be a larger than life adventure.
"C'mon you jokers" was the command from the kitchen window, the cook had spoken!
A dig in the ribs and Greenie was firin on all four again.. "Get out of it ya bludga, i'm comin"
She was all flash in here now, place was like brand new, even the dirt floor had lino on it!
The ol restaurant had never looked this good, not in the few times i'd been here anyhow..
"Bloody roast pork for tea..Ya wouldn't be dead fa quids chocs ay"
No mate, home away from home here Greenie....This Pork tastes a bit like Goanna ? Ya reckon?
"Don't start on the bloody goannas mate, just don't start, i reckon ol Braggy has put one over us this time chocs" No he's put one over you! Then, you, put one over me! I could have been half way to home by now....And we havent even started yet!
"Shut up and eat ya bloody chicken" Its pork isn't it? " I'm not sure, just shut up and bloody eat it"

"Righto, i'm off interrupted Jimbo as he got up and brushed a few crumbs off onto Gilly's clean lino floor...
Where to now Jim?...."got a set of rings and bearings to drop off at O'Keefes Creek next, Ron Horse has dropped the guts out of the KB half way up the jump up west of Dingosdonga"
You'll be busy for an hour or two then!
"Yer, then i got a bonnet for Chappo's Cabover to drop at Whinginwife, then arrr, 3 ham and pineapple pizzas to Slospeed's place at Pinionseal on the way through"
Pizzas! What the story there?
"Been doin a bit of subbyin for Dominoes on the side, bit of extra kanga, keep it quiet though mate, thats why i been runnin a bit late, i left down there 2 days ago with 65 pizzas...No trouble keepin em hot in the Kombie though Ha Ha"

"14 bottles of Coke and 3 packets of Bex thanks Gilly, Put it on the tab mate"
"Ay, where ya goin, you haven't got a tab here"
"I have now! laughed Jimbo as he bolted through the flystrips!

to be continued...