GEOFF ‘STICKMAN’ WATERS
> JUNEE, NSW
WITH Summernats’ 30th anniversary fast approaching, there are only a handful of folks who can lay claim to having attended every year, and even fewer who have taken the same car for the majority of that time. Geoff ‘Stickman’ Waters is one such stalwart; most of his adult life has included the annual pilgrimage to our nation’s capital.
01:GEOFF kicked off his tough-car career with this Chamois-painted HJ ute, which he bought near-new as an 18-year-old. The 202-powered Belmont was soon on the receiving end of a number of mods, including GTS guards, a Premier nosecone and wagon rear bar, while a 350 Chev and Saginaw four-speed were slotted in for good measure. An Offenhauser tunnel ram and bug catcher were eventually added along with a Top Loader and nine-inch. Dragway five-spokes and a bubble rear window lock down the era. “I took the ute to the first three Summernats, and this pic at Lake Burley Griffin was taken in 1989,” Geoff remembers. “It was the Sunday arvo before we headed home, and that’s Bruce Parker’s moon-disked HK parked alongside. I learnt a lot building that ute, and many of the people who helped have become life-long mates.” The HJ was sold in ’97 to fund a Harley, which Geoff still owns today.
02:GEOFF had been looking for a ’57 Chev when a mate spotted this Aussie-assembled ’55 sedan on a property in Grogan, NSW, in 1983. “The Blue Flame six had been replaced with a 307 and three-speed Saginaw and it was being used as a paddock-basher – seriously – by a bunch of kids. I bought it for $1800 and started tinkering with it. Yep, this is where it all started!” Geoff laughs.
03:THE All American Day held at Castle Hill in Sydney was a regular road trip for Geoff and his mates (from left) Bruce Parker, Wayne Hayes, Fess Parker, Adam Rourke and Scott Thompson. “This was 1986 and I’d fitted the Dragways off the ute this time ’round,” he says. “It was always a great event and it was nothing for us to attend two or three shows a month. Our fashion sense hasn’t changed much, but the hair is long gone.”
04:GEOFF’S ’55 scored the first of many makeovers for its debut at the 1990 Summernats. This black combo running orange scallops was the start of many crazy paintjobs dreamt up in the workshop of Geoff’s mate, Freddie Bont, and was set off nicely with baby moons and dark tinted windows. A 350 Chev, Powerglide and nine-inch made for easy cruising and ample power.
05:BY 1992, Geoff’s ’55 had graduated to a flip-front, mini-tubs and Auto Drags, however the most obvious change was dozens of spots painted over a fresh lick of black. “It was all about doing something different to everyone else,” he explains. “I regretted it though when I had to sand them out for the next paintjob!” It was in this guise that Geoff’s ’55, along with friends Freddie in his Major Splash FB pano, Mark Cannon in his Agent Orange HR sedan
(SM, Oct-nov 1991), and Matt Abood in his 454-powered one-tonner, were the subjects of an ABC documentary titled Vinny & The
Revheads. “We were joined at Summernats by a camera crew from A Big Country to see what people were doing with cars. It was a lot of fun but I don’t think they were quite prepared for what they experienced,” he laughs.
06:THE Chev looks far more sedate nowadays in plain black and is back to a standard-opening bonnet. “There’s a lot of history in this car,” Geoff says. “The last time we painted it we sanded back through all of its guises, which was pretty surreal. It’ll be driven again to Canberra for Summernats this year; the Nats is a great meeting spot that holds lots of fond memories. I catch up with mates from all over Australia.”
07:THIS great shot is of Summernats burnout legend Matt Abood after winning the burnout comp in 1999 with his teal-coloured big-block ’57 sedan. “Matt and I have been great mates for years and started out riding trailbikes together. Man, he knew how to wheel that Chev around and I remember him throwing 360s down the old burnout straight with just centimetres to spare!”
08:GEOFF’S son, 19-year-old Matt, is a chip off the old block and clocking up plenty of hours for his learner’s behind the wheel of the Chev. “It’s a proud moment to have Matt driving my pride and joy,” Geoff says. “Cars have long been a father-son bonding thing for us and it’s great that we both share the same passion. I hope his time and experiences with cars are as enjoyable as mine.”
09:MATT’S VH Commodore is a tidy jigger that will be kept as a grandpa-spec daily driver while he completes his mechanical apprenticeship. “I’ll be entering my first Summernats as Dad enters his 30th, which I think is awesome,” Matt enthuses. “I can’t wait to drive our cars down together.” The VH is a similar age now as Geoff’s ’55 was when he bought it back in the 80s, so it’ll be interesting to see how this car evolves in the years to come. “My main project is a Holden panel van called The Mullet – you know, business in the front and party out the back – that I’m building in the full 70s/80s style,” Matt says. “Vanrat, Motorvator and Disturbia are my three favourite vans, so mine will have all the right gear like bubble windows, murals, crushed velvet interior and jellybean mags. It’ll run a 383 Chev backed with a Turbo 400 and nine-inch. I even have the tramp rods off Dad’s old ute!”