The Sands Through The Hour Glass

I saw this car when I, and Buddy, were waiting for Sam to shop at woolies.

This is a previous issue number plate. It means that it has been in continual use since it was issued, or this driver has had it reissued as a personalised numberplate because his name is Hayden Andrew Oliver and he was born 8th March 1980. Number plates have never been reissued in Victoria, except for very recently when the black and white plates, starting with AAA000 were offered as a standard issue alternative to our complicated new standard issue, blue and white 1AA1AA. The AAA000 was issued initially starting around 1978.

HAO 383, would have been issued as standard issue plates in Victoria in around 1959. This means that this plate has certainly been on another car, possibly as far back as 1959.

So, it would have been on a 1959 Holden.

But, I see it on a, 1959 Vanguard, something just a fraction more unusual for the times.

The people over the road from us had one of these (so, it was 10 years old, I was a kid) there's was pink and grey and I used to think how unusual it was. How stylish, with its two toned paint work and its lashings of chrome. Apparently, my first words were, "Same model, different colour." I kid you not.

Say, in 1959, parked in the outer suburb of Aspendale drive way of our young married couple, electrician Gerry and his teacher wife Barbara. They'd made do with Barbara's 1950's Prefect, Barbara hoofing it out to her Glen Waverley school every day without any problems. That was up until they had the kids, Robert and Jane. They'd done alright, Barbara was a good little saver, so they could afford to up date, get something bigger. And it would be ideal for their Xmas beach holidays with their cousins. 

Gerry drives his work issue panel van to work every day. Barbara drives the new Vanguard to work, dropping their two children off at primary school on her way. The primary school is just at the end of their street, so the children walk home in the afternoon and are home for a few hours on their own, until Barabara returns from work around 5pm. Gerry is home around 6pm when they eat their tea around the TV.

Gerry buys the business for which he has worked for ten years, when the original owner retires, with encouragement from Barbara and Barbara's diligent savings. The business flourishes. They move to Hawthorn. Barbara grew up in Kew, all of her friends live near by. Gerry grew up in Box Hill but his only brother and his mother live near by the house they are leaving. Gerry says that Barbara has always wanted to get back to Kew, but Barbara always claimed it was because of the children's private schools. Robert becomes a scientist, Jane becomes an accountant. They have 2 children each, a boy and a girl for both. The Vanguard has long since been traded in. Gerry drives a Volvo, as does Barbara.

Now, the number plate belongs to a 30 something Fitzroy gay man, Jeff and his Asian boyfriend, Tommy and their Pug Eugene... as observed by this gay man and his bulldog, Buddy.