Photo Story- Driving with Elvis

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Elvis!

In 1959 (?) while were still living in Temora, New South Wales, my father Jack (John William) Hingerty bought a car.

It was an old Ford Prefect ute with a plywood cover over the tray.

We called it Elvis because it would 'Shake, Rattle and Roll'.

Dad taught himself to drive and then drove down to the police station to apply for his driving licence. He was given his licence on the spot and then, to celebrate, drove the policeman to the pub for a beer (all the while being careful to only make left hand turns as he hadn't worked out how to make a right hand turn- in Australia we drive on the left). 

And so my father was let loose on the public road!

Not long after, we had the 'big move' from rural Temora to the 'big city', Sydney.

All our belongings had been packed and taken to the city in the moving van. Mum, Dad, my two sisters Janet (11), Jennifer (2) and I (5) were to travel to our new home in Elvis.

Dad had never driven such a long distance.... it took us many hours just to get from Temora to Yass a distance of 146 kms. Google maps says that today it would take 1 hour 44 minutes to cover the distance.

I'm not sure when we headed off, but it was getting dark and rain was falling when we arrived at Motel 303 in Yass. We were very excited to be staying at a motel- a first for all of us.

I was happy to get out of the back of the ute. We three girls were travelling in the back on a mattress surrounded by suitcases and the bird cage holding our two budgerigars Gordy Boy and Peter Boy (named for the boyfriends of two of our maternal cousins).

From time to time our younger sister Jennifer would cry and be allowed to join Mum and Dad in the front of the car- I was very jealous!

The next day we drove from Yass to Sydney (280 kms). Dad had a hard time coming to grips with traffic lights, right hand turns and busy intersections! 

Elvis hung around as our car for many years. 

We didn't go out very often, we were not a family to head out on drives for pleasure. I do remember at least one long drive back to the country- I think that is when the photo of Elvis was taken. The trip started out inauspiciously with Dad taking a corner under a railway bridge at Picton too sharply resulting in us mounting the gutter and needing the NRMA road service to get us back on the road and the radiator fixed so we could continue. I don't remember staying overnight anywhere on that trip, although we did stop from time to time for Dad to have a rest.

I don't know what happened to Elvis. Was he sold? or scrapped? I often wonder if he is still out that shaking, rattling and rolling???? 

If you have a Hingerty photo and memories to share:

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