Nigel Bill Vccatas

Nigel Bills was an enthusiastic motoring advocate before and after the second war.
This involvement
subsequently lead to him being one of the inaugral proponents in the formation of the
Veteran Car Club ofAustralia (Tasmania).
His father-in-law E.H.Thompson was the owner of the 1922 Itala,
(which is still resident in Tasmania), and was purchased new when Thompson was the manager of Henry Jones IXL in Hobart. This vehicle was subsequently banished to rural farm work on the family property at Swansea until it's recovery in the early 1970's.
On Nigel's demise in the mid 1990's, his wife passed on the photo album to the current owner of the Itala. The photographs listed form a wide and varied collection of vehicles, with many of the photos taken in South Australia, and at the Rob Roy hill climbs in the early 1950's.
The veteran era vehicle photos appear to be Tasmanian origin.
The captions allocated are as written under the photos in the album, or on the rear of the photo where applicable. Educated guesses are made where nothing appears.
Some photos of note are:
1. "Blue Lake' Vauxhall - was rescued from a watery grave at Mt. Gambier,
and restored and is still going.
2. 1901 Oldsmobile - Most likely to be the Ash Bester vehicle from Hobart,
which was used in the VCCA
(Tas) for many years by R.Cuthbertson. Still in the Hobart area.
3. 1913 Siddeley-Deasy - then owned by Gordon Fysh, now by his grandson
Andrew McDougall. (VCCA Tas.)
4. 1913 Renault - then owned by George Brown of Launceston, and painted red.
Now owned by Geoff Hunt
of Mackay, Qld.and painted white. Was an entrant in the
2010 National Veteran Rally held in Tasmania.
5. The type 40 Bugatti, was owned and driven by Nigel Bills in Tasmania for several years.
6. The only motorcycle photos in the collection are of Geoff Duke's factory Gilera. Not known where the
photo was taken.
7. Hupmobile - 1910 Model 20
8. Maybach - As the photo is dated 1947, it would have to be Maybach 1 (One of the photos shows 6 Amal
carburettors, while the other only has twin carburettors. The radiator height has altered also, along with the installation of a firewall.)
9. Minerva/Austin/Standard - VCCA (Tas) run? 1905 Minerva ,
E.J.Walkem, 1914 Austin owned by Ernie
Sims, and Standard possibly J.W.Taylor.
10. Plumbing on Kleinig's Hudson. - at the second Bathurst race meeting,
Easter weekend 1939,
Frank Kleinig in his Kleinig Hudson started near the rear of the field and about
three quarters of the way through
the 150 mile (241.4 km) race had passed all but one car, which he was catching fast, when a piston collapsed. The connecting rod then punched a big hole in the side of the block. Thereafter, the straight was known as Con-Rod Straight.
11. Porche & De Dion. - Photo taken in Moonah, Tasmania
12. SS1 - Photo taken while Nigel Bills in service in England.
13. Vauxhall 30-98 OE142 - Vehicle now in England.
14. Tractor is a Caterpillar 30 Petrol unit