Big Red Truck
By Reuben Whitehouse
23 Dec 2008
BIG RED TRUCK
When Ben - my brother - and I were growing up, we had a huge collection of toy cars and trucks and tractors. We'd play with them all the time and add to the collection at any chance. The ones we always loved most were the American trucks - mini Ford F150's, Dodge Rams, etc; they'd have huge tyres with chunky grips and white writing on them; we always promised each other that when we were grown up we'd definitely have a brilliant truck like that and everyone would marvel at it.
So it was with heart-palpitating anticipation when, 2 weeks ago, I accompanied Ben to pick up a Big Red late-seventies Ford F150 Ambulance Truck that he'd just purchased from an old farmer just outside Geelong, Victoria.
It was a day's trip to get the truck and make it back home so we took the day off work and set forth on a sunny Monday morning. We took the train from Melbourne to Geelong and then hopped onto a bus to Drysdale - our farmer's local township. We had an hour to kill in Drysdale and so we put our hands to the most seemingly appropriate task two young men should in such a situation: ordering a platter of thick white toasted sandwiches, hot chips and some frosty Carlton Draughts.
Mick The Farmer picked us up and we took to the dusty road that led to his farm in his old Falcon Ute. We talked emphatically of old Fords, Jewish names, Family trees and the best pub in Drysdale, to such an extent that before I knew it we were pulling into the farmyard and setting our eyes on our new vehicle.
And there she was: the biggest red truck we could ever hope to own. Against the blue sky and the green backdrop she looked awesome. As Mick The Farmer showed Ben through the various (and numerable) nuances of the big beast, I wondered around snapping photos, climbing through doors, gawking at the oversize engine bay, and smiling from ear-to-ear.
An hour later, we pulled out of the farm and onto the road. We rumbled into Drysdale to fill up the two massive LPG tanks that sit in front of each rear wheel. It takes about 10 minutes to fully fill this beast up! We pulled out of Drysdale and set off for Melbourne.
We made our way through Geelong mostly cruising but occasionally remembering we were sitting behind a big 5.7 litre engine and thus doing what any self-respecting Hoon would do at the time: guzzling her up to speed and zooming past Big Rigs and boy-racer Sedans in a flash of red and a zoo-like noise of big engine grunting and idiot hooting from the passengers.
Back in Melbourne, we squeezed down a busy Acland St, into St Kilda where we parked-up to sit on the back and drink cold beers in the afternoon sun - the perfect activity for a happy Big Truck owner on a sunny evening.
