Daphne Salt has brought history to life with a beautiful model of a 1918 truck owned by the Hollis family.
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The retired nurse used a photograph of the original vehicle as her pattern. She was asked to make the model by Judy Ferrett, nee Hollis who saw some of her other creations at a Wauchope District Historical Society stall outside the IGA.
The Hollis truck is made from the timbers that it carried, namely cedar, rosewood and blackbutt, and it is carrying a load of timber gathered from a former Hollis farm at Hollisdale.
Daphne has put together a history of the Hollis family in the Hastings and progress photographs of the truck’s construction.
“This was one of the first two trucks in the Hastings Valley. They were solid rubber-tyred Republic trucks for carrying timber from the forest to the Cameron Street wharf in Wauchope and were owned by Billy Pead and George Hollis and bought at the same time.
“This one was a 1918 Republic truck, a model A, with a two-ton chassis and a fifth-wheel coupling for the single-axle log jinker. The Republic truck body was customised for George with the fifth wheel coupling and jinker/trailer by Hammond and Wheatley, Bellingen NSW,” said Daphne.
In the old photo, 19-year-old Cecil Kelly is the bullocky with 18-year-old George Hollis standing in front of Cecil. George Hollis Senior is on the truck.
The 1918 model Republic truck was identified by headlights beside the radiator, handbrake inside the cabin and steering tie-rod in front of the axle.
The replica made for the Hollis family has a crank handle and operative headlights fashioned from gum nuts with LED inserts.
Judy Ferrett, nee Hollis was delighted with Daphne’s work.
“It’s fantastic, and such a special model. I can’t thank Daphne enough,” she said.
Daphne is much in demand for her creations. She also has a sulky and dray awaiting collection and a few bullock jinkers as well. Proceeds from all her commissions are donated to the Wauchope District Historical Society.