Susanna Freymark
Bob Trevan has been collecting and buying cars since he came out of school.
At 87, he is blind, and no longer has a driver’s license. His passion for cars has not waned though.
“My family has been in the car business since 1910,” Bob said.
Trevan Ford car sales were well known in Lismore, Casino, Kyogle, Murwillumbah, Ballina and Nimbin.
Bob’s eyesight started failing in 2021 from macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Yet he doesn’t need to see the 1909 IHC motor buggy he wants to rehome. He knows every inch of it.
His son Stuart Trevan cranks the handle to start the engine – it chugs away its 115 years like it is brand new.
“See how big the wheels are?” Bob said.
He explains that the motor buggy was built with big wheels so it could be driven across wheat fields around the world, sitting up high so that it wouldn’t damage the wheat heads.
It’s come a long way from the wheatfields. The motor buggy survived the 2022 floods and now Bob wants to see it returned to Casino where it travelled the countryside for years when it was owned by the Fogwell Brothers.
“The brothers would take the motor buggy to Coraki and charge a sixpence for a ride,” Bob said.
The money raised went to the war effort.
The brothers used to do their shopping in Casino and they drove it to Evans Head too.
When the Fogwell brothers died, the motor buggy was up for sale.
It ended up at Pearce Motors in Lismore.
“I was fascinated by this bloody thing,” Bob said.
The motor buggy was sold to Green’s Motorcade Museum in Leppington.
The museum opened in 1974 and showcased more than 100 vintage and veteran cars collected by wool broker George Green. After Green’s death in 1982, the museum closed, and its collection was auctioned on-site.
“I heard the museum was closing down and they were selling all the cars,” Bob said.
“I went to the auction with the intention of buying the vehicle and bringing it back to the district.
Unfortunately, Bob was outbid and the motor buggy was sold to importers of international motor vehicles in Victoria.
“I went to the bloke bidding on it and said if you ever get sick of it, can you contact me?” Bob said.
“I put it out of my mind.”
Years later Bob got a phone call. The motor buggy was for sale again.
The motor buggy was transported to Lismore into Bob’s waiting hands.
Bob drove the buggy to many car displays and once took it to Bundaberg for an old car rally where some days it was doing 100km a day for a week.
“It has beautiful springs,” Bob said.
“It’s a very easy car to drive and will tour easily at 56kmh.”
The motor buggy runs on petrol or kerosene.
Bob has a collection of repaired vintage cars in his warehouse.
“I’m a historian and collector,” he said.
“The motor buggy is an important part of Casino’s history.
“I want it back to where it belongs.”
Bob is open to selling the motor buggy to the right buyer or making a contract with a museum at Coraki or Casino about displaying and using it.
The motor buggy used to be in the Beef Week parade, Bob said.
He is keen to see it based in Casino because of its history and he’d love to see it lead a street parade again.
And he wants more people to be able to see it and fall in love with the 1909 motor buggy just as he has.
If you are interested in Bob’s proposal call 0416 214 902.