UNIQUE CHANCE TO BUY YOUR OWN JET FIGHTER (WE’RE NOT JOKING ...)
THE ultimate in man cave decorations, including a former RAAF Vampire fighter jet, are being sold at a former war museum near Mareeba.
A life’s passion of Syd Beck was once on display to the public at the The Beck Collection museum and is now up for grabs.
The centrepiece of the collection is a former RAAF British-designed De Havilland Vampire. Powered by a single Goblin 3 centrifugal turbojet and manufactured in Australia, the plane is static display and expected to sell for $33,000.
Syd’s son Norman Beck believed the unique aircraft would generate strong interest from collectors.
“It’s definitely a little bit left field. I think it’s going to be at the top of the tree as far as man cave decorations go. Not many people have got their own jet fighter,” he said.
Mr Beck said his father’s interest in military collectables sprang from growing up on a farm in the Townsville area during the war.
“World War II was under way and Australian soldiers were camped just near the farm in Townsville. They would come over to get fruit from the farm and dad being a little boy would go for a ride in the trucks,” he said.
“The soldiers would look after him a bit because their kids were home and he became a tag along. And his school was also right opposite a fighter strip. So he had army and air force pretty much on his door step and his interest sprang from that.”
Syd Beck died in 2012 bestowing the collection of valuable war memorabilia to his two sons Norman and Peter.
The collection also includes a WWII-era Stuart tank in working order, a Sycamore helicopter with wooden rotor blades and a fold up motorcycle called a Corgi.