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The
Morris Eight Tourer Club
The Electricity Trust of South Australia was established by South Australia's longest serving Premier Sir Thomas Playford in September 1946.
Fifty years later "The 'Trust" was in full swing to celebrate those past fifty years.
The word was spread that to commemorate those years, there was to be a special bottling of Port, and a special book "The Story of Electricity in South Australia."
The challenge was laid down, "If any one can suggest other special memorabilia to suit the occasion, get in touch with your area manager."
I was at the time, storeman with ETSA's Fleet Services section and a keen collector of Morris model cars.
Why not? I thought have a model done in ETSA livery, and logo. Not expecting great things of my manager, I jumped the queue and went straight to the top with my idea.
Left it with his secretary, (men at the top can't be reached by we mere mortals.)
A day or two later my man came by, "You've been on the phone to Sandy I hear." He said. "He likes your idea, the phone's yours, locate a vendor."
'nuff said and soon I was dialling, dialling, dialling.
Pretty soon I'd rung every state in Australia 'cept Tassie, and located our man in Queen's Land.
Passed on the info to madam secretary, and the order was placed for 1,000 model Morris Z Vans.
My cogs were still on a roll.
"What about the real thing?" I asked madam secretary. "I know of a friend who has the real thing for sale.
Soon another manager was calling on me. "I'm off to Port Augusta tomorrow, to look at this Morris Van of yours.
Yep they bought it, painted it, and it looks grand.
The day of the launch of the book, and opening of ETSA's museum, there they were, the model Z Van, and "the real thing." Spriggsey's Z sporting a new coat of paint. Gone was the nice maroon and black, and now replaced by the grey and black of Etsa's old fleet colours.
I was just a face in the crowd at the launch, and some probably wondered how a storeman got an invite to such a grandiose occasion.
I knew, and the pride that I'd played a large part in what was on display there that day, made it all worth while.
The Z is still on display in their museum, is seen quite regularly at car shows, and draws quite a few comments..