What was the outcome?

Nothing to do with who legally owns it but the Gatton men's shed operation meets all the requirements.

-The truck is saved.
-A lot of blokes not only are doing something useful in their retirement but are learning new skills.
-When completed it will be on display at one of Australia's better regional truck museums with large numbers of daily visitors.


Just had a thought. Maybe Alice Springs could get something out of the mess by allocating an area for a Men's Shed on their grounds. This would have nothing to do with the museum management, and would operate on their own fund raising and grants, other than having a vehicle or bits of interesting equipment belonging to the museum as their projects.

Could be a back-door way of getting restorations done for free, encourage blokes in the community (who did not want to be involved in the politics of a straight museum volunteer)to be involved and get more finished displays on the floor more quickly than regular museum funding allows. Great PR and advertising for the museum who could get great acclaim for "putting back in to the community" through their support of the Men's Shed program.

Might even encourage more donations of interesting vehicles to replace the Gatton Ghost?

Lang

Farming a few of the vehicles in outside storage at the RTHOF to several men's sheds around the place would be a good way of sharing the love too. Transport would be a bugger but there's bound to be those willing to help.

Actually, real pie in the sky stuff here (I'm day dreaming about rainbows and unicorns again), perhaps selected men's sheds around the country could be given a truck and a timeframe of five years to get it done. Trucks are delivered to the men's shed as reunion attendees leave the RTHOF in 2015 and the restored projects are returned in 2020 by those with load space who are attending the reunion. Finish the truck early? It goes on display or attends local shows waving the flag for both the shed and the RTHOF ... or ... it is driven back to Alice raising money for the respective men's shed and the RTHOF on the way.

Just throwing it out there and not wanting to preach to the converted (hard working board members like Cunning). Just popped into my head so wanted to get it out before it disappeared into the depths.

If you need a project manager/administrator...

Andy,

I think that is a great idea but you would have some barriers. Men's Shed is a community based project and it is more than just keeping a bunch of old farts occupied. All their projects have a worthwhile aim and not just teaching blokes to use a wood lathe to make toothpicks out of telegraph poles as some people think.

As worthy as the Alice Springs museum is, I think there would be limited enthusiasm to work for five years on a project to have it sent half a world away for the benefit of another community.

Options could be for the first finished vehicle to still belong to the Hall of Fame but be on loan to the community (museum, town Information Centre, Council Chambers foyer etc). "1911 Rolls Canardly. Restored by the members of the Gulgong Men's Shed for the Road Transport Hall of Fame Alice Springs"

Of course lots of brochures and info on the Hall of Fame available near the vehicle. The vehicle could be sent to Alice Springs when it was replaced by the next completed job. This second job would more than likely be given to them by a local contributor who would not consider giving something directly to a museum in the middle of Australia but liked the idea of local participation.

A good way for the RTHOF to get restorations completed, new stock (from the finished second, third etc projects) and have eye catching on-loan advertising displays in towns across the country.

RTHOF has rows of trucks sitting in the open which realistically will NEVER be restored. It is debatable whether just "having" is really "saving".

The Men's Shed partnership idea could mean significant but unglamorous trucks like the farm Chevs, Bedfords, Fords and Commers could be restored in local communities where everyone related to them and leave the prima donna Macks, Kenworths and seriously historic individual vehicles to be restored with limited RTHOF funding, manpower and resources.

Lang

A bit off topic guys.
How often do they have the big run to RTHOF?
When is the next one?

Clarkie,

I think it is right on topic. The first post was about argy bargy between RTHOF and Men's Shed and nothing I can see posted has strayed from that subject.

Lang

You're not really off-topic, Clarkie, as we referred to the big run above. The big run is every five years. Next one is 2015 (August?).

Some very good points there, Lang, and hitting the nail on the head with what I was getting at. Get trucks restored to the benefit of the RTHOF and the men's shed. Regional displays with plenty of signage would certainly work.

i think you'll find Clarkie was saying HE was a bit off topic....not anyone else....

...to be fair to the RTHOF, they were there at the start and have nurtured their local movement and agenda along nicely and full credit for the outstanding success it is....niggling issues aside...

...the east coast of Australia is screaming out for a similar showcase, which now has its embryonic beginnings at Tarcutta ...

...it's time for a helping hand from the people who have done the hard yards and have shown the way, and it would be very statesmen like of them to offer that glad hand to those over on the east coast (also the west, for that matter) and maybe put those few occasional minor differences aside, to see a the whole movement forging ahead in the same direction....

Nuthing against THoF or Tarcutta

But we gone round full circle back 2 this

WotSayU

www.hcvc.com.au/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1283336201

me aloud 2 dreem aint eye?
LOL

...swishy .. i 'spose it still doesn't hurt too much to give it another kick in the guts...i guess we can still chip away at the issue ....but this time with the RTHOF helping by being the shining light...

....i read all the posts from 2010 and ..yeah..it's history repeating

i think you'll find Clarkie was saying HE was a bit off topic....not anyone else....

Yes i was meaning me off topic no one else.
Just my poor west coast expressing.