Hearses

181010W Melbourne Herald Sun - bikie funerals, first five.

Roderick.

Five more.
Roderick.

Final two
Roderick.

Bit of class on the Rebels hearse. Couple of $3 Bunnings ratchet straps and a For Hire advertising sign.

Could not figure out why they all seem to be traveling backwards.

Working Funerals - Why Foot First
This is an oddly common question, and one I had not really looked into or thought much about until others asked me. The foot first method has a strong symbolism to it, but it also has a very practical reason.

We walk with our feet, as obvious as that might be, so we see the feet as the mode and direction of traveling. Our feet point the way we go and not only take our body but lead it there. The feet first of the coffin or stretcher is designed to mimic this natural movement. The body will have its feet point towards the front of the car, as that is the direction the car is going and the direction the body should be going.

Feet first is also symbolic of life, the transition from "this" life into death or the "next" life depending on beliefs. It is symbolic of the transition from life to death, our passage through life to its end. So feet first holds a lot of symbolism and iconography to it, from simply mimicking the way a person would naturally travel to the passage of life itself.

But it also has a very practical side, and this might have been the origin for creating this practice. Many things within the industry are wrapped in romantic ideals and symbolism, but actually have very practical reasons. This is no different for the feet first procedure.

An important practicality of feet first is identification, especially on a transfer for a number of reasons. The head end of the stretcher is where the zipper starts, and body bags also have the zipper start at the head end. Which means one need only unzip a small portion to see the face, much nicer and easier than unzipping the whole thing. Also when in a fridge or in a car the body will be feet first, making it easy to see the face and reach the wrist tage for identifying the body.

It is also much easier to lift the foot end as the torso is what has most of the weight. Which means the foot end is rather light, making it easier and safer to lift when needed. Once the foot end is lifted into place getting the heavier head end in is much easier. For example, on the transfer the crew can lift the foot end into the car, then push the head end the rest of the way. They can focus on just pushing the head end the rest of the way and not worrying about also lifting it as the foot is resting on the car.

This is the same with the coffin on the funeral, when going up or down stairs it is much easier and safer to go feet first. The ligher feet can be used to essentially pull the heavy head end into place. It is also easier to direct the coffin with the light foot end, to guide it into place and have the head follow.

You can experiment with this yourself, simply go to the shops and place a bag of potatoes in the trolley. Placing it at the front wil make the trolley harder to control and takes more effort to push than placing it at the back. This is why shopping trollies are deliberately designed to have more stuff at the back than the front. The design means weight will naturally move towards the back of the trolley and make it easier to control without realising.

So there you have it, the body moves feet first because of symbolism and out of practicality.


Lang

Roderick.

Sentimental journey to restoration for Summernats' van icon 2 January 2019.
Talking points:
•The purple, luridly-decorated Holden FJ hearse, a Summernats icon, disappeared from view years ago, its fate unknown and uncertain.
•Proving street machiners can be fiercely sentimental folk, the ailing old van was tracked down in storage and plans hatched for restoration.
•Canberra's automotive apprentices at CIT have taken on the restoration as a special project for 2019.
To choose an FJ Holden hearse as your street machine project requires a bizarre sense of humour but to those who knew Pat Fay, the car was an exact match to his larger-than-life personality.
Pat Fay with his customised FJ hearse, back in the mid-1970s.Credit:Street Machine
Pat's so-called Humpy Mekka - "humpy" being an affectionate nickname for the earliest Holdens because of their abundance of body curves - had been part of the Summernats line-up from the event's earliest years in Canberra.
Adorned with lurid, vampire-themed 1970s-style and slightly risque murals and often seen with a coffin either in the back or on the roof for added funereal effect, Humpy Mekka was as much a part of the early Summernats scene as burnouts and mullets.
Bought from a grocer-cum-funeral director at the country town of Kyogle in Queensland for $450 in 1974, the deep purple Holden van was completely rebuilt and modified by its owner over a series of years using a curious mish-mash of parts from Mercedes, Simca, Chevrolet for the engine and Jaguar for the rear suspension.
With his wild, woolly hair and booming voice which could carry across a crowded carpark, Pat was a drag racer, larrikin and street machine innovator who used his show car to successfully promote his spare parts business.
Customised Holden FJ hearse owned by Pat Fay.
In its heyday, the immaculate van garnered hundreds of awards and Pat would truck it all around the national hot rod and custom car shows, always eager to have a yarn about modified cars and his particular automotive passion, panel vans.
After long ill health culminating in Pat's death five years ago at 73, the van disappeared from view and its future was unknown and uncertain.
But to prove that street machiners can be fiercely sentimental folk, the ailing, slowly rusting old van was tracked down at what was expected to be its final resting place and elaborate plans then hatched to fully restore it to its former glory.
Pat Fay was a larger than life character, and a Summernats regularCredit:Street Machine
Canberra-based multi-grand champion winner and Summernats regular Peter Fitzpatrick has helped get the project off the ground.
The automotive skills faculty at the Canberra Institute of Technology in Fyshwick have climbed on board and apprentices from a range of trades, including spray painters, panel beaters, mechanics and automotive electricians, will be working on the van as a special project throughout 2019.
"This is just one of those projects where people who know or have seen the van previously - and thousands of people have - want to know more about what's happening with it and want to get involved," Mr Fitzpatrick said.
"Apart from a few bits and pieces, we've tracked down just about everything needed to bring it back to its prime condition but from this point on there's quite a bit of elbow grease and technical expertise now required to make it all happen."
The Humpy Mekka will be shown at Summernats in its unrestored state on the PPG stand before it heads back to Canberra Institute of Technology for its restoration. Dedicated Facebook and GoFundMe pages have been created for people keen to track the Canberra-based restoration.
Should the restoration proceed at a reasonable clip, the intention is to have it on display in its pristine state at Summernats in 2020.
< www.canberratimes.com.au/national/act/se...20181226-p50o9z.html >

190119Sa Melbourne 'Age' - Salford (UK): horse hearse.

Roderick