Terry Brennan

GUEST SPEAKER - Terry Brennan

1929 Oldesmobile & Numurkah History

  • History of the restored 1929 Oldesmobile
  • The Gordon Family were from Drumanure
  • Robbie Gordon was an ex-Shire President, also owned the Post Office
  • A member of the rifle range
  • A Scottish man (pretty rough around the edges)
  • Owned and raced a trotter
  • Robbie was also an avid bowler for Wunghnu and the other bowlers on the team learnt how to hotwire the Oldesmobile and use to take it for joy rides and then return without Robbie's knowledge
  • Robbie's sister worked with him in the post office
  • When Robbie died in 1968 his sister lived on in Campbell St Numurkah
  • When both siblings died neither had a will or any children/family, so their estate was left to the Numurkah towns trustees
  • Don Graham purchased the family property on Gordon's rd from the Trustees
  • The car was donated to the Numurkah High School to restore
  • However, the school didn't have the money or the skill to do the project
  • the kids started to clean up the car and found a loaded pistol under the seat
  • The Trustees then sold the car by tender in 1975
  • Terry bough the car for $716
  • he started restoring the wheels first (120 hrs) wooden spokes and made new hub caps by hand
  • The whole car was restored by Terry's hand except the upholstery which was done by an upholsterer from Melbourne
  • The car then sat on the front verandah for 10 years after Terry bought a new business in 1981
  • Work then recommenced when Terry's daughter was getting married
  • Terry hand made all the bumpers, door handles, gears and mechanisms as parts were unable to be sourced
  • All chrome plating was sent to Melbourne to be completed
  • The vehicle was then registered under the Club Permit Scheme
  • The car took over 3,500 hours to complete
  • The car was originally bought from Heard Brothers second hand in 1934 by Robbie Gordon
  • The time spent restoring the car was early mornings before work and evening s after work, between bowls and rifle shooting (and a family)
  • The reason for Terry purchasing and restoring the car was to keep a part of Numurkah history
  • Terry drove his pride and joy into the club to show off!