NON- STOP NAVARA

WHILE FORD RANGER AND TOYOTA HILUX TOURERS ABOUND, IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOU SEE A NISSAN NAVARA SET UP AS WELL AS THIS ONE FOR OFF-ROAD ADVENTURES

- DEAN MELLOR

BRENDAN Rogers is not new to four-wheel drive touring. The height-safety worker from Victoria grew up with 4x4s in his blood, having completed his first full lap of Australia in his old man’s Pajero when he was just two years old. Brendan’s dad, who passed away when Brendan was just 11 years old, had moved on from that Pajero to a Hilux Surf, and that vehicle would eventually become Brendan’s own pride and joy.

“My dad bought a Hilux Surf he had imported from Japan, and then I ended up buying that off mum,” Brendan explains. “I drove that Surf for a few years and I ended up doing it up a fair bit; I put it on 33s and did lots of other stuff to it. I really grew up with four-wheel driving and camping always in my life; it’s in the blood.”

Brendan’s 4x4s since the Surf included a couple of GU Patrols, a TB48 and TD42, both of which Brendan labelled with names. “I name all my cars,” Brendan says. “I had the GU before, which was Nancy, and I had another GU before that, which was Patsy.”

So, what is the name of the D23 Navara you see here? “She’s called Nellie, which was my Nana’s middle name. She was 100 years old when she passed away, so I named the Navara after her,” Brendan laughs.

WHY NELLIE THE NAVARA?

BRENDAN bought his brand-new Navara in June last year, smack-bang in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, although he didn’t plan it like that.