First drive

As I recall my first drive was when I was about 12 or 13. Years ago ( mid 60's) the local councils used to put big bins in the streets for unburnable rubbish collections. My uncle used to collect scrap metal on the side and I would go with him of a night time scrounging all the scrap out of the bins. One night we had worked our way along a few streets for a couple of miles and he said to me "I hope you can remember where the truck is" I said that I did so he said "well go and get it then". So I trotted off up all the streets we had covered and jumped into his late 40's Chev and managed to drive it to where he was. After that there was no stopping me. I would drive down the road as he threw all the scrap on the tray and during the school holidays I would drive his F600 around the brick yard that he carted out of.
When I finally got my drivers licence I had to get it upgraded to Heavy Vehicle immediately, as it was needed so I could drive the trucks I was working on as an apprentice mechanic (Streets Ice Cream). At the time the minimum age for an HR licence was 21 and the workshop manager had to apply to the Chief Commissioner of Police for permission to allow me to go for it. This was granted and I turned up at the local Police station in an old F500 Ford with a fridge body for the test and the first thing the copper said was "what have you got for us". I said that there was some boxes of ice-cream in the fridge so he said lets go. I drove around the block, reversed around a corner then he said "we better hurry back before they melt". We went inside with the boxes and a couple of minutes later I walked out with my endorsed licence. Not so easy these days.

Swishy and Slasha,

As I mentioned above, Ron Hartridge was a good bloke who more than most operators I met tried to do the right thing by his subbies and more particularly stood by his word.

On only my second trip, and still soaking wet behind the ears, to Sydney from Melbourne I joined on the way home one of Hartridges AEC Mandators and a company driver. We stopped for breakfast near Benalla and this old hand suggested we swap trucks for a while. I thought this was a good idea as I had never driven an AEC and this "old" 45 year old fellow had years of experience and would not hurt my truck.

Upshot was he had heard some fellows talking about the Winton weigh bridge being open down the road. You guessed it, he was 4 tons overweight (from a private top load he had picked up in Sydney) and I lost more than my entire income from the return Sydney trip. He thought it was a great joke.

I told Ron Hartridge the story and he not only paid my fine but sacked this bloke on the spot.

We lived opposite the local sargents house for years, I'd move Dad's trucks around and back the jinker into the yard every chance I got.
When I turned 17 Mum took me to the police station (around the corner) in the car to get a licence.
When asked by the burley Sgt. what I wanted, I stuttered, A d d d drivers licence p-p-please. I nearly fell over when he said, "I suppose you want a truck and semi licence too??"
I walked outa there with my bit of cardboard and the biggest of smiles on my face.

Lang,
Great story,
Always wondered what ever happened to the Inter R 190s' or were they 200s' with V653s' in them, Hartridge had in the early 70s'.

Dad Subbied for Hartridge with a 1418 benz before selling it to John Whettenhall (the first 1418 they had) and going into the workshop at Hartridges.

Cheers

Slasha

Slasha,

I was long gone by the 70's so can't help with the 190 question.

I can only recall one 1418 in the Hartridge family - think it was maroon or red. Bloke kept it really neat and was always very tidy himself (unlike me who always looked like a bag of s..t tied in the middle with string after loading on a hot day). Was this your dad?

Lang

Lang my old boss had similar school holidays, in the late 50's
They'd get their pushies taken across to Fraser by the fishermen, push them across the Island's sand tracks to the beach then ride up to the lighthouse, has to be a 60k ride on sand.
Lived off the beach, fish and pippies.
Parents would get locked up by the do-gooders these days.
Had a photo of them all around a WW2 shipping mine that washed up on the beach.
Army made an exercise out of blowing it up.

That were the only photo you had ?

G'Day Lang

Here is a photo of our 1418 benz when Dad was a subbie for Ron Hartidge in the early 1970's



Cheers

Slasha

Slasha,

It must have come after I took up a new life on from trucking. The only one I remember was a red one (that would have been around 66).

The name rings a bell though, was he involved prior to getting his own truck?

Lang