Chips and Val Fearon are reunited with their beloved Beetle, Reggie, after the journey around Tasmania.
MARNOO - We got a bit busy after getting back home in November and I had to collect the necessary bits to fix Reggie.
I then sent them over to my mate Tony's workshop before I flew over to Hobart and out to his place to repair Reggie yet again.
This all happened at the end of November and after the repair job it was back on the boat for the return on December 4.
I have learnt another lesson when travelling on the Spirit of Tasmania. Don't be a cheapskate and travel on the deck chairs at night. The worst time I have ever had in my seven crossings on the boat.
Because Val was not with me I thought I could handle those chairs but no way, it's not a good way to go. I had very little sleep and by the time we docked I was a bit weary for the drive home so I ended up having a wee nap on the road.
This was the longest time Val and I had been apart in the past 34 year and was I glad to walk in the back door. She is my soul mate and I missed her heaps!
The bits and pieces in the car took us a couple of hours to unload so I think that might have caused Reggie to battle a bit with the hills.
I thought the generator was over charging because I found battery acid on the back floor. I pulled it out and cleaned it and found that the new battery had a small leak. So I disconnected the battery and drove into Phil Scott's workshop on the generator power.
The battery was sent back and repaired by the manufacturer. Phil said I should not have driven in on just the generator because it could burn it out, but it was working when we went home.
We went to the Car Club's Christmas break up at the Joel Hall in the Beetle and you wouldn't believe it, but that darn generator stopped charging on the way home. My fault caused by my last trip to Stawell.
I had a spare rebuilt by Phil at home so out it came again and in with the new. That makes five times I have had the generator out.
Back to Stawell again to have the charge rate checked and home again, no problems!
On Wednesday, February 9, we drove to Kiata and left Reggie, for the next six months in the capable care of Rod Warrick at his car museum 'Inverness Motors' as he is one of my sponsors.
We collected the last tin and counted the money. The total of the Beetle for Cancer Campaign is $5003.30 which I am very happy with. (The 2011 Nude Nut campaign raised $7200.65) and I wish to thank all those who donated and sponsored me in the last two years.
My Australian Cancer Research Foundation 2013 campaign is well under way and in the planning stage getting the necessary permits.
Please watch out for the flyers and such in the next couple of months.
- Chips