Old photos!!

This photo was taken in 1952-53. The Scammel was owned by Keith Argus from Cobram on the Murray River in Northern Victoria. He used it to do interstate. The little bloke on the mudguard is me, aged about 4 yrs.

These three photos are of two Commer semis that were part of a fleet operated by my uncle, Cyril Weygood, out of Yarrawonga in N/East Victoria. The photo was taken in about 1962. The young bloke on top of the crate in the second photo was a school friend from Melbourne. The one in the lower photo is yours truly.
A point of interest with the Commers is that they were petrol powered, I think with a six cylinder Rootes Group engine.

top photos there and your part of the history

thanks for sharing

Paul

I forgot to mention two points from the photos. The Scammell had a mirror (small) on the left hand side of the cab whereas the Commers had no left hand mirrors and were from a period 10 years on. The other thing is the "turn" signal on the Commer, a hinged "hand" to show either stop or turning right!!!
Hard to imagine the effort required to reverse up to the loading ramp at the saleyard or the stockyards out on the farm!
I can remember going for a ride in the Scammell with Keith and his mother, it must have been a hot day as the old truck boiled.
I spent many, many happy hours doing trips in the Commers during my primary school days. I have lots of happy memories travelling Central and North-Eastern Victoria and Southern New South Wales. Probably has something to do with my life-long love of everything trucks and me ending up driving them!

Great pics, full of atmosphere. Just as well the country is pretty flat down there as those Humber car engines would be struggling to pull a big load like that up a grade.

There is some thing about old photo's of the time you were a kid, to brings back memories, would you have some more if not thanks for theses

Colin

Those Commers look really tidy for stock transport trucks.
I note the West Coast mirror made use of the original Commer hinge mirror bracket.
They really were rubbish, close the door and the arm would fall on the road, which is probably what happened to the one on the left side.

The old man made these brackets and fitted bigger mirrors, West Coast were big money in those days.

A keen eye will see the bumper bar has suffered damage in the period between those 2-shots. Driver jack-knifed her into a pole right out the front of the school when I was in about grade 6.
Exciting stuff, had permission to go home and drive the tractor back (no rego) then pulled her out straight. Cab never sat too well after that incident.

Jeffo, I noticed that indicators appear to have been fitted to the truck also. How times have changed, blokes wouldn't do what your old Dad did. Something needed fixing, so do it yourself!!!
I have a photo of my uncle, his son Ray and two of the drivers building a stock crate in the yard in Yarrawonga. I will post it if you are interested.
From my ageing memory, none of the uncle's trucks had left hand mirrors at that time.

...thanks for the pics and stories Birt and Jeffo .. i'll always have a soft spot for the old R/C/QX Commers...they were a bit like a boy being asked to do a mans job

Jeffo, I noticed that indicators appear to have been fitted to the truck also. How times have changed, blokes wouldn't do what your old Dad did. Something needed fixing, so do it yourself!!!
I have a photo of my uncle, his son Ray and two of the drivers building a stock crate in the yard in Yarrawonga. I will post it if you are interested.
From my ageing memory, none of the uncle's trucks had left hand mirrors at that time.

Birt yes please on the photo's

It amazes me today people get in a car and have got have the mirrors adjusted I seem to remember when cars had no left or right mirror and a lot didnt have one inside my how times have
when I was an apprentice my tradesman ripped the inside mirror off and told me "ya gotta learn how to drive right no need for a mirror turn your bloody head!!!!" and I have ever since

Paul

Brilliant Birt, thanks so much for posting! Not wrong the amount of effort that must've gone into driving them, physical and mental both... Imagine how far ahead you had to be thinking not having any passenger side mirror or left turn signal.. Would have to be thinking of lane changes and turns way ahead so as not to end up with a car under your front wheels. Mind you there wasn't much other traffic back then I guess..