Lisa Dennis
The Mount Alexander Vintage Engine Club is celebrating Australia’s mechanical past at the club’s 26th annual Vintage Engine Rally this coming weekend.
This year’s featured engine is the ‘Villiers’ and the featured tractor is the Australian-made ‘Chamberlain’.
MAVEC secretary Graham Mason said exhibitors were coming from across the state and beyond and the weekend would also feature memorabilia displays, working demonstrations, activities for the kids, a major raffle and more.
“One of our key attractions will be a special project we have been working on – a Chamberlain tractor – which is a hybrid of two different models that was built by local farmer Morrie Oxley,” Graham said.
The MAVEC members salvaged the tractor in two pieces back in November 2020 and have been working behind the scenes to painstakingly piece it back together.
The Express caught up with MAVEC members and the tractor’s creator, Morrie Oxley, at the club’s Muckleford headquarters late last week and the 87-year-old was thrilled to see the machine back in one piece.
“It’s fantastic. They are doing a great job,” Morrie said.
Lancefield farmer and Chamberlain enthusiast, Robert Green, has been leading project.
“I’ve worked on a few over the years and I am proud to be part of this restoration. It’s been a real team effort,” Robert said.
“The last two working bees have really seen some progress made. It’s now back in one piece, all sandblasted and repainted by Tony Knight and the team from Sandhurst Steel Processing, and we are working at getting the second engine attached.”
Once complete, the tractor, which also includes a custom-made cab, will weigh in at almost 10 tonne.
Morrie said he originally had one Massey tractor supported by 10 horses and later put two Masseys together before upgrading to the two Chamberlains to create a real workhorse for the family cropping farm at Raywood.
The unique tractor was constructed in the early 1980s from a 1952 60DA Chamberlain, of which only 190 were made, and a 1956 70DA, of which 1010 were made. They had a 3.71GM motor and were about 66 horsepower.
The hybrid tractor reportedly had quite a unique gait, which saw it dubbed ‘The Lizard’ by locals at the time.
“The two tractors combined would have been extremely powerful – worth two and a half if not three tractors – and really effective for the work Morrie and his family were undertaking on their farm,” Robert said.
“It’s a unique piece of history, something he is quite proud of and we are happy to be working to bring it back to life. The tractor will be among the exhibits on display this weekend and we hope to have it fully operational by the MAVEC’s tractor pull in October.”
Be sure to get along to MAVEC’s headquarters the Dave Bennett Reserve located at the corner of Muckleford-Walmer Road and Muckleford-Castlemaine Road next to the Muckleford Railway Station this weekend to see Morrie’s masterpiece and a host of other amazing machinery from our agricultural and engineering past.
The event runs 10am to 5pm Saturday April 15 and 10am to 2pm Sunday April 16. Entry is just $5 adults, kids under 15 free.
