Henrietta's history.

[Allan]

I recently unearthed more of the history of my barn find 1925 T cut down tourer buckboard.
With the help of staff at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood, I went looking for the original registrants of Henrietta. In a monthly magazine published by the state motoring organisation during the 20's, new car registration numbers, the registered owner's name, their place of living and the make of car registered, were all listed in the back pages of the magazine. Armed with Henrietta's registration number 55 206 we discovered that the first registered owner was W G Webb of Halbury and his new car was a Ford, registered in early 1926.

I purchased Henrietta from his grand daugher in 2017, and phoned her to tell her of my discovery. The story became much more interesting from there.
William Webb, her grandfather passed away in 1928, leaving the tourer to his then pregnant wife Henrietta. Their 9th child, Ken, was born in 1929.

When I purchased the car, in the paperwork I was given were the 1956 registration certificate in Henrietta Webb's name, the 1956 waterslide windscreen registration sticker which had never been applied, and a letter from the local stock agency informing Mrs Webb that the registration fee had been paid out of the farm account.

When Ken retired from the farm some 25 years ago he took the car to the city, presumably to work on/restore it. He never got started, and it was put in storage when he went into a care facility. My real regret is that I did not get her operational before he passed away, but his daughter was delighted to hear of the history I had unearthed and was most appreciative of the work I have done to preserve the car. She assured me here Dad would be very pleased too.

I will probably never know when the back half of the tourer body was removed and the new flat top buckboard was built on it. The change was not recorded on the registration papers, although the authorities must have been aware of it because it carries half fee concessional registration afforded to working farm vehicles. These also qualified for fuel concessions during the war, so the buckboard may have been added at this time. I do know that the running board toolbox, fashioned from a 4 gallon oil drum, was fitted post 1945, as that is the date stamped in the end of the drum!

William and Henrietta were the first registered owners of the car. I am the second. There can't be too many who can make that claim!

Allan from down under.

[Dallas Landers]

Great story Allan. Its wonderful to hear this type of stories.

[Retro54]

I share your enthusiasm! It is stories such as these that make the hobby fun.

[Alan Long]

Another great piece in the Jigsaw Puzzle Allan
Your Christmas Card arrived last week, thanks
Alan in Western Australia

[Wayne Sheldon]

Thank you Allan B for sharing this with us here! That is such a fantastic piece of history, and the way you have preserved it to be used as well as representative of its place in history is wonderful.

[Allan]

I look upon my role as respecting the work of those who went before us. That Henrietta was widowed, heading into the great depression with 9 children, 7 of whom survived childhood, is something of which I am in awe. The Webb farm of those days was little bigger than one of the 12 sections t that make up our present farm. That it could support a family of 8 is testament to their resolve, resilience and hard work, and no doubt the support of their rural community.

Allan from down under.