SAFE IN THE MUSEUM

Invercargill pensioner John Tait and his late wife Ann enjoyed many trips in their Ford Anglia Deluxe over the years. It was also their daily transport. Coincidently, John’s car was purchased from Riverton, not far from where Winston’s Ford Anglia now resides in Thornbury.

“I bought the car off a chap in Riverton on 1 March 1997, and I think I am the seventh owner of it. It was first registered in Blenheim on 1 March 1967 to a Geoffrey Marfell,” John explains.

A truck driver for many years, John spent 13 years driving for Southern Transport, which was started by Southland truck collector Bill Richardson, whose collection now forms the basis of Bill Richardson Transport World.

The recorded mileage of John’s Anglia is thought to be somewhere over 160,000km, but the speedometer seems to have developed a life of its own at some stage — which seems fitting for a car the personalized plate ‘THLMA’.

“It must be one of the last New Zealand–assembled Anglias and was probably coming down the assembly line alongside the new Ford Escort when they were building up stocks to sell,” John muses.

In the past few years since he retired, John has driven trucks part time. He has also been a volunteer at

Transport World for some years.

“I was having a bit of trouble with the car, and they told me to bring it in and they would see what was wrong with it. It was mainly the driver’s door, and there was a bit of rust here and there,” he says.

THLMA returned with not only the door fixed but also a new paint job and the rust removed! Split seat material sections had been repaired and the car had been generally tidied, much to John’s surprise.

The little car was regularly used on outings such as the British Car Club’s run every second Sunday of the month. In 2005, John and Ann took it on the Anglia New Zealand Owners Club run from Picton, travelling down the

West Coast and through to Milford.

“We’ve been three times around the South Island in it. I still haven’t had to touch the engine. It’s only 997cc, and it did get one of those New Zealand–made heaters fitted to it,” says John.

At the time of the official opening of Bill Richardson Transport World’s new museum building a couple of years ago, collections manager Graeme Williams suggested to John that he loan THLMA to be displayed at the opening. “Unfortunately, I had to tell Graeme that THLMA’S clutch had failed, so they arrived with a salvage trailer and picked it up and later brought it back with the clutch and the brakes done!”

Ann has since passed away, and with John’s failing sight THLMA now remains full-time on display at Transport World.

John celebrated his 80th birthday on 20 January 2019, and his four sons arranged a special treat to celebrate the occasion with friends and other members of the family. “One of the boys picked up THLMA and then drove me to the birthday celebration at the Marist Rugby Football Club rooms. It was great riding in her again,” John says.