Workshops, Fire Fighting and Flintstone Car.
The end of the war and it’s time for Bill to return to civilian life.
Years working in Toowoomba as a mechanic and various trips on the motorbike, Bill eventually meet his first wife, marries then has two girls Sharyn and Lynell.
Bill on the Big Bike.
Eventually that marriage ends and Bill moves to Thangool where he shares the joy of raising his two daughters with his mother in law while running the local mechanical garage. Bill is busy repairing and maintaining primarily farm machinery like tractors, pumps and milking machines around the district in what was once this thriving country town, when cropping was king.
Initially these were the days where Thangool didn’t have power and Bill takes us back to a time where the electricity is connected for the first time and the differences that power makes to life, especially if you want to run welders, compressors and petrol bowsers.
It’s during these years that he meets and eventually marries his new love Judy who in time delivers another daughter Michele into the family.
Biloela Fire
Bill was heavily involved in the community playing tennis, cricket and chief of the local Thangool fire brigade during which time he tells the story and the excitement of his part in a major fire in the main street of Biloela.
Now 88 and retired, Bill is still one of those individuals known in Biloela today, having made his mark owning the local BP garage and being one of the characters who everyone recognises, particularly for his good will to all and humour that included his antics with his Big Bikes and a Fred Flintstone Car built for the local festivals around the district.
The story about building and driving the Fred Flintstone Car is well worth the listen.
Flintstone Car : Note "foot" brakes
Content
- 1:20 Buying a Norton and going home.
- 4:30 Working in Toowoomba.
- 5:30 Under the semi-trailer.
- 8:30 Drinking and smoking.
- 9:50 Taking Doug to town.
- 12:20 Family duty.
- 13:10 Daphny.
- 15:40 Raising the girls.
- 18:10 Moving to Biloela.
- 18:40 Thangool workshop.
- 20:15 Thangool township.
- 21:50 BP workshop.
- 27:30 Meeting Judy.
- 30:20 No electricity.
- 35:10 Fire Captain.
- 44:00 Cricket and tennis.
- 48:20 Fred Flintstone Car.
- 57:40 Big bikes.
- 1:00:30 Electricity in Biloela.
- 1:03:20 Biloela.
- 1:04:50 Missing money.
- 1:06:10 Bad days for Judy.
- 1:08:50 Travelling around Australia.
- 1:12:30 Wrapping up.
To download this audio go to Archive.org.
