BEFORE CONTINUING THIS STORY, I MUST POINT OUT THAT WE used Mk2 and our other Jaguars for many holidays. There were at least two long trips every year, one to wherever the National Rally was being staged, and the other to the Snowies. Most were uneventful and they all served us very well. I would hate to create an image of us being South Australia's 'Griswald’s in a Jaguar', and that whenever we went somewhere a disaster came with us!
Also, I have selected the most memorable incidents and have attached some humour to them; of course, it’s easy to see the humorous aspect now, when at the time it was sometimes hard to see anything funny happening. I’m sure that can apply to many of us even now. ... and so, the epic saga continues.
After returning home from our honeymoon the next task was to find the Mk2 which had not arrived back in Adelaide from Cooma. That took many frantic telephone calls over several days - until it was found in a freight depot in Sydney when it was meant to have been sent to Melbourne.
Eventually, it was returned to us in Adelaide, but minus its radio and bonnet leaper. It had also acquired some additional holes through the sills courtesy of a forklift slightly missing its mark. Never mind, we had our girl back and, looking on the bright side, I was able to use the forklift holes to check for rust in the sills!
I will never forget the look on Val’s face when we went into Bryson Industries to order some minor things such as six pistons and con rods, twelve valves, main, big end, and camshaft bearings along with the gasket sets.
The recent vows of “for better or for worse” were beginning to have a meaning to Val, especially if you had also taken on a Jaguar as part of the marriage package.
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