It's rare that workhorses like this
1951 Bedford truck are given any recognition. They are normally put
out to pasture literally left in a paddock to rust in peace.
But `Gertie', as she is affectionately known by the Maurer family, is
no ordinary truck.
She was more than a workhorse and fulfilled roles
that left an indelible mark on the family over three generations.
That she has a nickname gives some indication of the esteem in which
the old girl is revered and how she became part of the family's very
fabric of day-to day life for more than 50 years.
In the beginning Gertie was used as
both a private and work vehicle for both the Maurer families, said
Ken Maurer. With many an outing with family and friends enjoying a
ride in the back of the truck. Gertie has also been used in many a
parade and help shift a lot of furniture.
The 30cwt truck was owned by builders,
the Maurer Brothers Ken and Herb who purchased the vehicle
from Motors Pty. Ltd. Eagers Toowoomba on March 19, 1952. They paid
about $1800 for the cab/chassis with the brothers adding the wooden
tray later on. Jack Sparks, a blacksmith, hand crafted all the iron
work, hinges etc on the tray to make it a workable vehicle.
During it's life the Bedford travelled
widely throughout Queensland in the far west to St George and north
to Rockhampton as well as extensively in the local region around
Toowoomba. When the builders retired, Gertie went into
semi-retirement. The odometer shows around 300,000 miles (500,000
kilometres). She has always been a working vehicle and never been
de-registered and no sick days had, said Ken Maurer.
With retirement Ken Maurer's attention
turned to the truck that had served his company and family so well
for more than five decades. She had become part of the family.
Restoration started in January 2005 and took eight months about
800 hours `labour of love.' The restoration of Gertie was done by
three generations of Ken Maurer's family Ken himself, son David
and grandson Kenneth and family at David's home in Meringandan,
between Toowoomba and Crows Nest, west of Brisbane. We found the
truck on display at a classic car show at Goombungee, north west of
Toowoomba.
The restoration started with the family
removing layer after layer of house paint that had been applied
during Gertie's working life to reveal the bare metal. She was
re-wired, re-upholstered, the tray shortened and a new floor added.
For just the second time in her life she was painted with car paint.
New tyres were finally found in Moree, NSW, after a 12-month search.
The family says the restoration could not have been accomplished
without the assistance of Ken's good mate and problem solver
mechanic, Ron Weber.
Gertie is powered by a Bedford six
cylinder engine hooked up to a four speed gearbox. Bedford Vehicles
were a subsidiary of British company Vauxhall Motors, the British
subsidiary of General Motors. The Bedford company was started in 1930
as a builder of commercial vehicles and became a leading world-wide
exporter of trucks, vans and buses. Prior to 1925 GM manufactured
trucks in Canada which were assembled in Brazil. They were then
imported to Britain using Imperial Preference as Canada was part
of the Empire and as such received lower import duties. These
vehicles were marketed as British Chevrolet.
After GM took over Vauxhall in 1925
production was transferred from Hendon to Luton in Bedfordshire and
between 1929 and 1931 vehicles were badged Chevrolet Bedford.
Eventually the Chevrolet name was dropped and the first `Bedford'
rolled off the production line in 1931. At the core of the Bedford
vehicles was the six cylinder overhead valve Chevrolet engine. This
is best known as the Chevrolet Stove-Bolt 6 and formed the basis of
Vauxhall and Bedford petrol engines for several decades. It was
introduced in 1929 replacing the in-line four cylinder engine -
and continued to be manufactured in various sizes starting at 3.2
litres in 1929 up to 3.9 litres decades later.
Bedford became a major player in the
lead-up to and during WW2 with their trucks, vans and vehicles taking
on a myriad of roles for the British military as well as truck and
tank exports to Russia. The K Series truck like this were first
introduced in June 1939 but civilian production was put on hold
between 1940-45. After the war the K Series was re-introduced and
production continued until March 1953, by which time the Bedford S
Series was being manufactured. The K series is identified by the
single rear wheels.
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