Terry
always wanted a Model A Tourer and he got an original one from a local
car dealer for the princely sum of 35 pounds. I can still see the smile
on his face.
After driving the car for a couple of weeks, Terry decided
he wanted more power, which meant V8 power.
He
bought a (now rare) 1942 Mercury Well-side Ute from Danny Ferguson
for 50 pounds and drove it home. Before you knew it, the body was off
the A, the chassis re-built and Terry and friend Noel Cullum were fitting
the Mercury V8 running gear into it. When we asked him what colour
it was going to be, he said “You’ll see”.
Well,
It hit the road painted bright purple with yellow fenders & he
called it “Tonka Toy” !.
Around that time, he met and married Val Sycamore and started
a family. They went to every rod run they could in the Tonka Toy.
A ’34 Ford followed, painted appliance white, then a
blue’36 sedan and a silver F100 for his lino-laying business.
He & Val and children, moved to Whangarei and I didn’t see
so much of them, although we kept in touch. His last acquisition was
a 302 powered Model A sedan painted bright red and aptly named “Saint” to
acknowledge his discovery of Christianity. He even had on the spare
wheel cover, the slogan, “Drive for life, Live for Christ”.
In his last few years, Terry re-kindled his rodding interests
and contacted many of his old mates. He lived a full and happy life,
even though he had under-gone seven open-heart operations, which finally
took their toll on Monday 7 th April 2003, at the age of 55.
To
Terry, every crisis was just another problem to overcome, and the way
he handled each of them was a great inspiration to both his friends & family.
He
left behind his family and many rodding friends who fare-welled him
in Whangarei and his coffin painted Hot Rod style, in black with red & yellow flames was taken to the chapel, from his home, on
the back of a Model A pickup followed by a convoy of Hot Rods & Street
Machines. Painted on his coffin was the name of his car “Saint” along
with the slogan from his spare wheel cover.
He
is survived by his family, Val, son Arron & his wife,
Shona, daughters Liz, and Natalie & her husband, Justin Berghur
and was grandfather of Jamie.. - Graeme Ardern |
