*1949 A LUCKY ESCAPE = GUARDIAN ANGEL ON OVERTIME!

1927 DODGE TOURING CAR

Bear with me a little longer while I'm on this automotive theme.

My best schoolmate in Primary School was Brien Dryden who lived directly opposite our house on the other (Eastern) side of  Second Avenue. Our families knew one another very well, but never did things together as many neighbours do these days. Each of  our parents would speak to us about the other's parents using "Mr." and "Mrs" so , when we operated our little scam to get parental approval of something we wanted to do the dialogue went like this :

Me :  "Mum, if Mrs Dryden says its O.K., can we go to the Pictures to-day?  "

Mum : "Well, if Mrs. Dryden says its O.K. - Yes".

Dash across the street...

Brien: "Mum, can we go to the Pictures to-day? Mrs. Dixon says its O.K."

Mrs Dryden : "Well, as long as Mrs.Dixon says its O.K.. "

DONE DEAL! It could start on either side of the street, and worked very smoothly! should add that none of the projects proposed ever had any inherent risk, until one day... but even then it could not be known.

Mrs. Dryden had a sister named Isobel who had been married, but was divorced  - an extraordinary thing in my experience. But now she had a "boyfriend" - they were both in their late thirties/ forties and his name was "Brian". He was a big fellow tall solid in build, very pleasant without being "outgoing" AND he drove a 1927 Dodge Tourer. That was a big car, especially in comparison with the English cars that had come to dominate our roads in more recent years,when U.S. currency imports were strictly controlled. Brian offered to take Brien, me and I think Isobel's little son, for a drive to the City where he had some business to do. Parental approvals were secured by the usual means and all was ready.

Brian got out the crank handle,gave it a couple of turns and the engine started easily. I was seated on the back seat RH side. It was a magnificent position high and with firm leather seats, I felt great looking down on the world passing by. All went along well once we got used to the rather heavy noise from the gear box common in cars of that vintage, and the driver's busy footwork "" double de-clutching" whenever he changed gears - no synchro-mesh when this old lady was built. However, as we went down the back way towards Pyrmont and crossed Glebe Point Road we entered on the sharp downward slope and curve to the left. Brian was energetically hauling on the HANDBRAKE! "What's up??" We asked.

"Oh! the footbrake doesn't work -  so I have to change down gears and use the Handbrake !"( The brakes on a car of this Vintage were mechanical and not hydraulically assisted in any case) I may have been only  9  years old, but I knew that  was alarming. My feeling of mastery of the Universe in my high seated position vanished. As it happened,the journey, including the return leg was completely incident free.

We pulled up outside Brien's home and big Brian got out of the car and immediately crashed to the ground in an epileptic convulsion. In  a few seconds we got adult help from the house , and in due course the seizure passed and he recovered and rested. We went our separate ways rather badly shaken...what if....only 30 seconds earlier? Mum was horrified at what might have been , and that someone knowing he was epileptic would drive, let alone take a group of children along when he did! The story of the brakes only compounded  the problems. It was obvious I owed my Guardian Angel a huge debt!

But it was a grand car!