Of necessity and nostalgia

Some of the most ingenious ideas and innovations happen by accident. And while it might seem straightforward at first glance, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to Geoff Hooler’s water tanker restoration project.

Like many Australians feeling the effects of the drought, Geoff began to notice the toll it was taking on his hobby farm in Berrima, NSW. Looking for a way to keep the grass green and his cattle and alpacas fed, he came up with the idea of repurposing an old fire brigade water tanker to irrigate his paddocks.

Drawing on the time he spent driving a Bedford water tanker at Revesby Fire Station in the early 1980s, the idea to purchase a water tanker and fit it with a spreader was born.

After some searching, he located a 1981 Bedford for sale, one of only seven built, in Coffs Harbour, NSW and organised to purchase it.

Having joined the credit union in 1977, Geoff phoned Firefighters Mutual Bank to see what loan options were available. “They said, ‘Let us look into it’. After making a few phone calls they came back to me very quickly. The process was easy, and it was quick as well.

“The drive back from Coffs Harbour was a challenge. After only an hour or so, the batteries packed it in, so we couldn’t stop the truck. I had to drive continually from nine in the morning and didn’t get home to Berrima until quarter to twelve that night. My mate who drove with me didn’t have a truck licence, so he just talked to keep me wake.”

Geoff has also been contacting fellow retired firefighters to look for parts. He said, “People are coming out of the woodwork to help, saying, ‘I’ve got a pump; I’ve got this; I’ve got a hose.’

“The bloke from headquarters, who taught me to drive a fire engine back in 1977, contacted me the other day, and said he has a stack of parts to send me. So that was a blast from the past.”

Geoff has traced the serial number on his truck back to one of only two Bedford trucks in service 30 years ago, and there is every chance that this is the same truck he drove at Revesby.

He hopes to have the restoration completed and the truck working on his property by mid 2019, but there is one vital piece to this amazing puzzle still missing—the original water tank. If he can locate it, not only will the tanker be more functional but, he says, it will complete the look. He’s currently trying to track down either an original from the era or find a place where he can have one made.

Geoff says that the support he received from his fellow firies who sourced original parts, along with help from Firefighters Mutual Bank to arrange the finance to purchase it, has been instrumental in the restoration.

We’re looking forward to following Geoff’s journey and providing an update on his project once it’s finished next year.