Len Parker's Bedford truck is featured in one of the public art mosaics in Were Street, Montmorency. The little girl is Grace de Visser's sister. Mr Parker by Grace de Visser (EDHS Newsletter No. 249, December 2019) Len Parker was a regular sight around the district for almost 40 years, selling fruit and veggies from the back of his truck to his regular customers between 1939 and 1978, first in a 1927 Chevy then a 1949 Bedford truck. Len’s connection to the Eltham district started long before he was born. His father Fred first came through the district in the early 1900s. With horse and cart buying and selling what was available at the markets using his mothers’ home in North Melbourne as his base. Fred settled and developed a market garden in the rich soil along the creek at Watsons Creek, Christmas Hills in 1903. Ada Watson was almost five years old and one of eight siblings aged two to sixteen, when her Grandfather and Father both named Christopher Watson brought the Eltham Hotel and they moved from Richmond. Ada’s mother was formerly Emily Silk whose parents Martha and John Silk had been farming in Eltham around 1858 and much later a dairy farmer in Fitzroy. In 1917 at St Margaret’s Church Eltham, Fred aged 44 married Ada aged 35 who was still living and working at the Eltham Hotel. Six years later Ada died from cancer leaving Fred with two small children, Rose five and Len three. Len as a young boy, like his father before him worked the land with horses, growing vegetables, mainly potatoes, cabbages, pumpkins, beans, and tomatoes, selling the excess at the market. Len took over from his ageing father Fred, who had established similar rounds selling door to door with a horse and cart. Len preferred mechanical horsepower to the real kind! In 1939 at the age of eighteen Len brought an old 1927 Chevy Truck. He was taught how to drive it and two weeks later got his driver’s Licence. The Chevy truck had an old wagon on the back with no doors, only hessian bags to keep the wind out! Len had paid 75 pounds for it, kept it for ten years and sold it for the same price! Len’s blue 1949 Bedford was brought new in 1950 for 900 pounds with only a tray back on it. Straight away Len had a wooden frame covered with canvas added, with a roll up front and back. In later years, more solid sides replaced the canvas. Benches were added to hold the boxes of fruit and vegetables, with room to move in the middle, a fruit shop on wheels. Len had large scales attached to a box for weighing the fruit and veggies and many a district baby was also weighed on them. Len would stop at customer’s homes, take their orders and with his big cane basket on his arm deliver their order to their door. On his rounds he always wore a big soft back leather apron and a black or navy beret. If it was cold, he wore a ‘bluey’ jacket on his tall slender frame. Len would go to the markets early Thursday morning, only buying what was not grown at home or brought from his brother in law’s orchard. On his way home Len would start his ‘rounds’ in Lower Plenty and then Montmorency and parts of Eltham. Friday’s regulars were in Research, Kangaroo Ground and Panton Hill. Saturdays were Panton Hill and Christmas Hills. When Len retired in 1978, due to changing social times, women were working more and supermarkets starting to take over; his ageing truck was retired too. In 1999 his son Jim had the Bedford restored, Len was very happy to see ‘Beddy’ all shiny and new once again with just a tray back, like when it was new. Jim still drives the ‘Beddy’ to Heritage Truck shows twenty years on. Len married, had five children and lived most of his life, (except during World War 2 when he served in New Guinea), at Watsons Creek, Christmas Hills dying there in 2006 and is buried at the Kangaroo Ground cemetery with his wife of 64 years, Stella nee Tosch 1917 - 2007. Grace de Visser, the author of this article, is the daughter of Len Parker and a descendant of the two former owners of the Eltham Hotel, both named Christopher Watson. bedford truck, len parker

Set of 7 manuals, documents, instructions regarding truck, bus, motors produced by Volvo. .1 - Volvo Truck facts – 88-89 - approx. 70 pages with diagrams, card covers. .2 - Volvo bus data sheet set - 9 foolscap sheets with data on chassis, servicing and general specifications. .3 - Lubrication recommendations for Volvo buses – post 1950 - Foolscap - approx. 40 sheets. .4 - Volvo Service bulletin – service intervals for oil and filter - single A4 sheet. .5 - Volvo service bulletin – Lubricating oil and recommendations - single foolscap sheet, .6 - Volvo turbo diesel and its Bosch injection system - manila folder containing about a 30 pages document titled "The Volvo TD100A Engine". .7 - Letter to MMTB 1977 re oils from Volvo Australia - correspondence - 10 sheets - dated 3/6/1977, with a note saying it does not answer the question.trams, tramways, volvo, buses, instructions, manual, equipment, maintenance

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

The cost of providing equivalent levels of services to the more rural areas of the Shire with respect to those in the more urban areas of Eltham, Montmorency and Briar Hill was relatively expensive. Road maintenance of rural unsealed gravel roads is one of those areas of higher costs particulary as a result of water erosion. The same applies for Nillumbik Shire Council today. Here we see Council operations grading a road and laying new gravel, followed by a gravel water truck to help bed the surface down. Unfortunately there is no information with these prints as to where this particular location is.graders, infrastructure, road maintenance, roads, shire of eltham, rural road, unidentified

Drawing of Melbourne Electric Supply Co. Ltd (MESCo) Geelong tramways - "Combination Car Mounted Brill E1B Special Radiax Truck" - trams 16 to 23, built by Pengelley & Co in Adelaide 1924-25. Details the tramcar elevation with dimensions, and shows the towbars. Drawing dated Jan 1985, prepared for the TMSV. Scale 1/4"=1' Second drawing is titled "Elevations of body Pengelley tram Nos. 20-23" - based on MESCo drawing GE-T9-8358. Drawing dated Jan 1985, prepared for the TMSV. Scale 1/4"=1' Yields information about the Pengelley built tramcars for Geelong.Set of Drawings printed on light brown paper with brown ink - Drawing GE-T9-8350 and GE-T9-8358trams, tramways, geelong, drawings, pengelley

Len's Bedford truk is featured in one of the Montmorency Were Street shopping precinct mosaics. Mr Parker by Grace de Visser (EDHS Newsletter No. 249, December 2019) Len Parker was a regular sight around the district for almost 40 years, selling fruit and veggies from the back of his truck to his regular customers between 1939 and 1978, first in a 1927 Chevy then a 1949 Bedford truck. Len’s connection to the Eltham district started long before he was born. His father Fred first came through the district in the early 1900s. With horse and cart buying and selling what was available at the markets using his mothers’ home in North Melbourne as his base. Fred settled and developed a market garden in the rich soil along the creek at Watsons Creek, Christmas Hills in 1903. Ada Watson was almost five years old and one of eight siblings aged two to sixteen, when her Grandfather and Father both named Christopher Watson brought the Eltham Hotel and they moved from Richmond. Ada’s mother was formerly Emily Silk whose parents Martha and John Silk had been farming in Eltham around 1858 and much later a dairy farmer in Fitzroy. In 1917 at St Margaret’s Church Eltham, Fred aged 44 married Ada aged 35 who was still living and working at the Eltham Hotel. Six years later Ada died from cancer leaving Fred with two small children, Rose five and Len three. Len as a young boy, like his father before him worked the land with horses, growing vegetables, mainly potatoes, cabbages, pumpkins, beans, and tomatoes, selling the excess at the market. Len took over from his ageing father Fred, who had established similar rounds selling door to door with a horse and cart. Len preferred mechanical horsepower to the real kind! In 1939 at the age of eighteen Len brought an old 1927 Chevy Truck. He was taught how to drive it and two weeks later got his driver’s Licence. The Chevy truck had an old wagon on the back with no doors, only hessian bags to keep the wind out! Len had paid 75 pounds for it, kept it for ten years and sold it for the same price! Len’s blue 1949 Bedford was brought new in 1950 for 900 pounds with only a tray back on it. Straight away Len had a wooden frame covered with canvas added, with a roll up front and back. In later years, more solid sides replaced the canvas. Benches were added to hold the boxes of fruit and vegetables, with room to move in the middle, a fruit shop on wheels. Len had large scales attached to a box for weighing the fruit and veggies and many a district baby was also weighed on them. Len would stop at customer’s homes, take their orders and with his big cane basket on his arm deliver their order to their door. On his rounds he always wore a big soft back leather apron and a black or navy beret. If it was cold, he wore a ‘bluey’ jacket on his tall slender frame. Len would go to the markets early Thursday morning, only buying what was not grown at home or brought from his brother in law’s orchard. On his way home Len would start his ‘rounds’ in Lower Plenty and then Montmorency and parts of Eltham. Friday’s regulars were in Research, Kangaroo Ground and Panton Hill. Saturdays were Panton Hill and Christmas Hills. When Len retired in 1978, due to changing social times, women were working more and supermarkets starting to take over; his ageing truck was retired too. In 1999 his son Jim had the Bedford restored, Len was very happy to see ‘Beddy’ all shiny and new once again with just a tray back, like when it was new. Jim still drives the ‘Beddy’ to Heritage Truck shows twenty years on. Len married, had five children and lived most of his life, (except during World War 2 when he served in New Guinea), at Watsons Creek, Christmas Hills dying there in 2006 and is buried at the Kangaroo Ground cemetery with his wife of 64 years, Stella nee Tosch 1917 - 2007. Grace de Visser, the author of this article, is the daughter of Len Parker and a descendant of the two former owners of the Eltham Hotel, both named Christopher Watson. bedford truck, len parker

Set of two personal papers hand written on approx. A5 sheets, ,1 - "Principle Dimensions of Tram Body Work" - lists various dimension including ceiling clearance height, door sizes, step for Z class trams, 1041 and the W7. .2 - "ASEA Truck" - 8 sheets stapled in the top left hand corner, describing the various dimensions, systems, mass, braking, motor, gear boxes, wheels, suspension systems, motor alternators, trolley pole head, foot controllers and the ASEA Tramiac unit.trams, tramways, z class, new trams, w7 class, 1041, prototype tramcar, bogies, trucks, asea, brakes, tram 1, tram 1041

Mounted colour Photograph of a truck with diggers on board towing an Artillery piece through a field43 on back of truckphotograph, field artillery

A gree plastic manual with gold writing on the front. Also the Australian Army Insignia on the cover. The word "Restricted" in top of the page. There are two screws holding the manual together and a punch hole above these.australia - armed forces - service manuals, handbook, international truck cargo f1

A user booklet from the Australian Army australia - armed forces - service manuals, booklet

Borough Councillors J. Baulch, S. Watson, F. Hughes & J. Reardon on Jack McLaren’s TruckBlack & white photograph of Borough Councillors standing on the tray of Mr mcLaren’s truckpeople, councillors, local business, f.hughes, j.reardon, j.baulch, borough council, truck

Demonstrates the typical vehicle of the time of the picture. Demonstrated the mode of transport for agricultual goods.Shows the means of transport for agricultural goods in the period.Black and white rectangular picture. Featuring a early truck with tray. The truck is stacked with wool bales and is tide with thick rope. There is a dog curled up on top of the cabin of the truck. A male is leaning against the door with his thumb in his pants, smiling. On the bonnet of the truck the letter "P" can be seen.On back "Ron with the truck & a load of wool on" written in grey lead.

A truck, fully loaded with cauliflower travelling along McKinnon Road towards Tucker Road. The road is unsealed and recent rains have left large puddles along the sides. Open paddocks appear on either side of the road.Black and white image of a truck fully loaded with cauliflowers travelling along an unsealed boggy road, to market.Black ink printed on a white circular sticker: 32 Handwritten in red ink: 70%vegetables, cauliflower, market, truck, transport

Sid Field's truck outside Halls Gap General Store on his trip to pick up stores for the road workers.The photo shows a small truck with a man standing beside it. In the background is the Halls Gap Store with a car parked in front of it."Sid Field's truck, which carried stores for the road workers, outside Halls Gap General store. Courtesy I. Field, Mirranatwa." Typed on a sheet of paper and attached so that it shows beneath the photo.buildings, shops, transport, trucks

Set of 5 instructions prepared for use at Malvern Depot c2000, regarding use of trams - printed on A4 sheets. .1 - "Emergency Braking Procedures for Tramcars - Two motor Single Truck Trams" - 1 page .2 - "Emergency Braking Procedure for Tramcars - Four motor Bogie Cars (L & W Class trams) .3 - "Tramcar Braking - The Air system" .4 - "Brake Valve with Sanding Feature" - (Birney 217) .5 - "Malvern Depot Training" - Z1 - Z2 - Z3 class - 4 pages. .6 - "Fault Finding" - covers Z and W class trams. .7 - "Tram driver fault finding & Braking assessment B and Z class" - assessment sheet and pages 1 to 9 of 13 original sheets, four missing, dated 9-4-1999 - added 17/6/2019.trams, tramways, swanston trams, brakes, emergency, safety, drivers, malvern depot, z class, w class, x class, b class

1930 AA Ford 1.5 tonne (30cwt) truck. Originally owned by Blakiston & Company, Geelong. Built in 1930, this truck carried wool and general goods in Geelong and the Western District until the early 1940s. It was restored in 1989-1990 by David Malkit Automotive, Belmont, Geelong East Technical School. Specifications: 4 cyclinder side valve engine 201 cu.in. capacity 24 hp (R.A.C.) rating 40 bhp @2200rpm Optional 4 speed non-synchronised gearbox Heavy duty rear axle with torque rod Transverse front springs Cantilever back springs Coach built cab and tray bodyDark green truck with painted lettering on door and tray. The cabin has a black bench seat, and body has a wooden tray.printed: NATIONAL WOOL MUSEUM / GEELONG / BLAKISTON & Co. / Pty. Ltd. / CARRIERS / GEELONG / No 1 Licence plate: WOOL - 30ford, truck, transport, 1930s, vehicles

Guntruck escort vehicle and stores truck next to paddy field. Crew appear to be buying refreshments from local villagers. Stores truck is a POL (petrol, oil and lubricants) truck towing a fuel trailer. A wrecked jeep is on the side of the field. Junk dog truck has four machine guns mounted to protect the stores truck.Gun truck bears the name JunkDog. White US stars on the POL truckalso says USA.junk dog, gun truck, diorama

Set of three newspaper clippings pasted onto a single sheet of paper with two Punch holes on the left hand side. First clipping from The Courier, Ballarat, 2/4/1971 with photo of tram 28 after is collision the previous day with a semi-trailer at the intersection of Princes and Victoria Streets. Gives names of the vehicle drivers and cost of the damage. Photo is of the tram returning to the depot under its own power. Tram passenger named as Margaret Foley, tram driven by James Mason and the truck driven by Gerald Winter of Gordon. See Reg Item 672.1 for a print of the Courier Photograph. Second is from The Courier, Ballarat, 15/4/1971 of the Brown Hill Progress Association chartering a tram to create interest in the project for the retention of Ballarat's trams. The tram was to leave Drummond and Sturt St. intersection the following Sunday at 1245. Item mentions the election of an interim executive and expression of interest of people outside the city. Third is from The Sun, Melbourne, 31/5/1971 about Ballarat 'tram-lovers' deciding to have a working tramway museum. Quotes Mr. Paul Nicholson, a member of the Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society. Notes that Museum will have eight trams using two miles of existing track around Lake Wendouree. Also notes that the SEC had received 88 applications for the 44 trams in both Ballarat and Bendigo.Image of the 3rd item added 28/3/2011 - see i1 and for the actual cutting i4. Original of newspaper of item 1 - also has items about the future of the railway workshops following a cost review and a story of page 1 of a submission to the Victorian Land Transport enquiry.In red ink on first cutting in top left hand corner "2/4/71" and in blue ink in top right hand corner on second cutting "15/4/71".trams, tramways, accidents, closure, charters, museum establishment

Jack Hirst owned a property on Paternoster Road, Emerald, where this photograph was taken. He was a general carrier of goods for the district. One of the boys in the photograph is his son. The girl is a member of the Nobelius family.The photograph is a record of prominent families in the Emerald district.B/W photograph of three children standing beside a truck belonging to Jack Hirst at a rural property.FRONT: Truck registration plate VIC FU 947 REAR: Jack Hirst's truck (Jack obscured). John Richardson, Alan Hirst and Elaine Nobelius. 1937 Truck soursed [sic] from Canada. Kodak Print 1215nobelius family, emerald football club, hirst

Black and white photograph the ASEA Truck at Preston Workshops. These trucks were used on the Z class trams. Shows the completed bogie with ASEA nameplate on the motor and SKF on the bearings. Photo taken with the truck on one of the traverser.Has in pencil on the top of the photograph "ASEA -truck-Preston-MMTB" and "ASJ" in the top right hand corner.trams, tramways, bogies, asea, skf bearings, preston workshops, trucks, z class

Probably on French IslandPhotocopy of a small sepia photo of two trucks loaded with sacks of chicory. Man standing in front of one truck.De La Haye trucks loaded with dry chicory. 107 & 98 bags respectively. 1943 Rurric ( snr) in foregroundchicory growing, photographs, de la haye family, transport