Our focus is now on preparing for our open day on ANZAC Day, Thursday, 25 April. As usual we will bring out all our vehicles and tractors, and will have a display of running engines and machinery. All members of the public are invited, and remember, entry to the Fagan Park museums is free. We are grateful for any donations as an expression of appreciation for our efforts. We will have light refreshments at modest cost, including a good supply of traditional home made ANZAC biscuits.
The 1918 International truck restoration project continues. We have utilised outside resources to restore badly worn drive shafts, and have submitted the radiator for expert assessment. It requires a new core, and we have decided to focus on ensuring we have a viable engine before committing to the cost. So we will concentrate on this in the near term. We have also acquired new bearings for the gearbox, so it can be completed soon. Isn’t it amazing that the very same bearings used originally over 100 years ago are still available!
I made mention of our Bave-U orchard sprayer recently. Whilst giving the engine a run, it came to a very abrupt stop with a big bang resulting in a pile of small pieces on the floor! Ah well, a bit of a setback. Lucky we had obtained a second one for spares.
We have received the donation of a little 3-wheel motorised “Pyramid” trolley, used in the 1950’s delivering poultry feed to the chooks at a Berrilee property. The photo shows its arrival at Fagan Park with plenty of onlookers. We will restore it in due course.
The Fagan Park museums and Netherby Homestead are open every Tuesday, our volunteering day, and we open the museums on the second Sunday each month during the afternoon. All visitors are welcome.
We would especially like to encourage people to join our group, and ladies are most welcome. Contact me at the park on a Tuesday or phone anytime.
Ian Browning, Honorary Curator, 0419 435 475.
