Mystery solved!

“Then & Now” about Philippolis in go! #137 caught my eye. The 1939 Chrysler parked in front of Hattinghs’ Garage has “Film Crash Squad Kavanagh” on the back. Reg (or Rex) Kavanagh – and his fleet of battered vehicles – was part of a well-known stunt group that toured the country. In 1956 I was in Standard 3 and living in the school hostel in Queenstown. I can remember being mesmerised by the old vehicles driving around the showground on two wheels, or ramping over each other. I don’t think the two men pictured were residents of Philippolis. The man in the suit might be Kavanagh himself and the man in the dust coat could be his driver. They must have stopped there for fuel or repairs. JOHAN FERREIRA, Pretoria

I write in reference to the story about Philippolis in go! # 137. The Chrysler is a 1937 or 1938 model – Chrysler might have been the sponsor of Kavanagh’s Crash Squad. According to sources on the Internet, Reg Kavanagh (probably the man with his foot on the doorsill) was a fighter pilot in both world wars. In the intervening years, he was the leader of a group of daredevils who did stunts with aeroplanes and vehicles and filmed them. They performed in South Africa, the US, England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. Due to the dangerous nature of their performances, members of Kavanagh’s crew were required to stay single. Reg himself left the group in 1940 after falling in love with a Swiss ice-skater whom he met in Australia. Their wedding was postponed when he re-joined the Royal Air Force. I can only wonder who the guy in the dressing gown is… JACOB LE ROUX, Kleinmond