“Amphicar” to drive into Brisbane water with Rod Radford . - TopicsExpress



          

“Amphicar” to drive into Brisbane water with Rod Radford . Central Coast NSW Story from the Peninsula News: Rod Radford first came to Wagstaffe in 1930 as a 10-year-old boy after his mother purchased a holiday home on the shores of Brisbane Water. The family subsequently moved from Sydney to Wagstaffe to live, increased their land and property holdings and established what became known as the San Toy Estate. The boy, who holidayed at Wagstaffe with his family, in time became a young married pharmacist still living on the family estate. Wanting to also work in the district, he opened his own pharmacy at Ettalong in 1946, just across that short stretch of water from his home at Wagstaffe. In so doing, he created for himself an ongoing dilemma. Many would perhaps find this a delightful dilemma and clearly not insuperable. Nevertheless, in order to understand what we will assume was a somewhat welcome conundrum, consider the geography of the Central Coast, that complex land and water mosaic that sometimes rendered a journey less straightforward than at first glance. So that for Rod to drive to work at Ettalong from Wagstaffe in 1946 entailed a round trip of some 80km via Gosford appropriating up to an hour of his day. Yet there was his pharmacy in view just a few hundred metres from his home across a narrow section of Brisbane Water. This situation was to prevail until the opening of the Rip Bridge in 1974 linking the Woy Woy and Bouddi Peninsulas. For many years, Rods solution took advantage of the shortest, most direct and most pleasant route. At first, he would row back and forth across the water to Ettalong. Later he made the crossing even faster by motorboat. While these were enjoyable means of commuting to work, they were never completely satisfactory. The vagaries of the weather and water conditions, security of the boats at Ettalong and lack of a vehicle in Ettalong were among the drawbacks. The ultimate and most creative solution to Rods delightful dilemma was the extraordinary Amphicar. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald prompted his interest in the groundbreaking amphibious car. He immediately recognized its potential as an interesting and better alternative to the conventional watercraft he had been employing. Furthermore, it offered other advantages for his professional practice. First Rod needed to do some research. Thus local mechanic Joe Gidsburg indicated he would be able to repair and maintain the vehicle. On the debit side, the local agent for Amphicar had concerns about the possible corrosive effects of salt water. This led to a delay of two years in obtaining a warranty. Despite this, in 1965, Rod went ahead and purchased the first Amphicar sold in Australia. The challenge of embracing new-fangled technology was not going to hold him back. Indeed, he may have been attracted to the idea of pioneering a new form of transport in Australia. The bright red Radford Amphicar was made in Berlin, West Germany. Having arrived in Adelaide by sea, it was driven to Sydney where, following inspection and registration, it was ready to motor to its final destination at Ettalong. Its arrival there was featured on television. With many overland miles already on the odometer, it was driven into the water for the first time at Ettalong with Rod at the wheel and the rest of the Radford family on board. Sometime later it appeared on the Bob Dyer television program. It also made an appearance in Sydney, against the Harbour Bridge and the slowly growing Opera House. The time came for the vehicle to be put to work. Passage of the vehicle from the water on arrival at Ettalongs sandy beach initially proved a little tricky. It stalled on the first two attempts before the optimum exit speed was found. The drive across the beach and up steep Cable Rd to the nearby pharmacy was then negotiated without further difficulty. This daily debarkation was later improved by laying sleepers at the Ettalong exit. Rod also set to work on the Bouddi side of the channel. He built a ramp and a track from their property to Wagstaffe Ave thus better connecting them to the local roads on that side. Having solved the problem of travel to and from work, Rod turned his attention to improving customer service with the Amphicar. It was put to further use in the practice, delivering supplies by land and water as far as Empire Bay. Although a private vehicle, in a rare instance, it was used for a medical evacuation. Unfortunately, the patient died. Authorities in parts of Europe employed the Amphicar as a First Aid and rescue vehicle. Not surprisingly, the Radford Amphicar attracted popular interest. The novelty of this car-come-boat resulted in small crowds gathering at Ettalong to view its arrival and departure. Rod said: I get some astonished looks from holiday makers when I drive into the water and cruise off among the boats. A July 1968 article in the Australian Womens Weekly noted that, it is especially popular with the children who come long for rides and during the summer school holidays Mr Radford frequently has a carload of young passengers when he delivers prescriptions. Driving the vehicle ultimately became a family affair with all members of the family taking their turn at the wheel Rod owned and operated two of these vehicles over a period of some 10 years, each having a life span of about five years. Spares for the second vehicle were obtained by stripping the first. Replacement of suspension and brake linings was required due to saltwater corrosion. As a watercraft the Amphicar behaved well in most weather conditions including rough water. Rod once said: On one occasion I did not realise just how choppy the water was until I switched the headlights on. The second vehicle owned by Rod was sold for 10 pounds to a Mr Rowan Hatfield of Indoorapilly, QLD. He had been restoring the vehicle over a three-year period and hoped to exhibit it here for a short period when the restoration had been completed. The only other Amphicar on the Central Coast known to Rod was situated at Toowoon Bay. youtu.be/wvJ_odqhCa0 Noel Sadler Skip Film Productions Sydney Australia Mobile: 0488 201 882 Email: skipfilms@bigpond Web: skipfilms.au YouTube: youtube/user/SkipFilmProductions Facebook: facebook/#!/profile.php?id=100000821795635 LinkedIn : linkedin/pub/dir/… Vimeo: https://vimeo/user7762079 Twitter https://twitter/CruiseNewsTV
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 21:39:35 +0000

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