Tail End Charlie leaves Northam and Wundowie

This is the 60-year-anniversary re-enactment of the 1957 Round Australia Rally that team member Ron Bywaters was part of at 22-years-old.

The original journey took 19 days and covered 18,000km/h in a 1955 Chamberlain Champion.

The tractor had modified gearing, allowing it to reach 100km/h. 

Tail-end Charlie's legacy has continued with the 1962 tractor model that was involved in the 50-year-anniversary in 2007, thanks to the dedication of Gnowangerup owners Dick and Barbara Garnett.

Ron said Dick had the tractor “beautifully restored”. 

This year’s event will cover 15,000km/h and take 57 days, due to the 50km/h maximum speed restrictions for tractors on roads. 

Ron said the Chamberlain tractor, made in Welshpool, was one of the most popular tractors Australia wide following WW2. 

“They were and still are brilliant tractors,” said Ron. 

The 82-year-old has a 40-acre sheep and llama farm between Wundowie and Wooroloo and said most of the crew have farming backgrounds. 

Ron said the team love meeting farmers and changed the route this year to go through Wongan Hills, Paynes Find, Newman and Marble Bar.

“We understand their problems,” he said. 

“The tractor attracts them and having farming in our blood, we like to talk about their crop and stick,” he said.

In 2009, Dick and members of the Chamberlain 9G Tractor Club of WA put his tractor and five others on a shipping container to america to travel across the country. 

“We travelled 7000 miles from Baltimore to Los Angeles,” said Dick. 

“That was the experience of my life.”

“Rural people are wonderful people – it’s the same as anywhere in the world.

“For some reason they have got their feet on the ground.

“Some of them thought we were crazy but they opened their hearts to us.”

The 2007 ride around Australia took 38 days and raised $22,000 for the Breast Cancer Association of WA and Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, which are also the chosen charities this year. 

Ron said the crew hopes to beat the fundraising target set in 2007. 

“We didn’t have social media or a website then, so we are hoping to collect a little more this year!” he said. 

“We decided to not only celebrate the historical part but to also do something for communities right ‘round Australia.”

Ron said most of the crew have immediate family affected by cancer. 

“When we travel around, we will be meeting lots of people and want to make sure they take responsibility for their health and have a regular medical check up,” he said.

“Early detection means early treatment and you have a far better chance of that treatment being successful.”

He said the crew pay their own expenses and every dollar donated will go directly to prostate and breast cancer research. 

Crew members Steve and Barbara Hill flew in from England for the trip and left with the team on Friday along with Dandaragan farmer Jeff Fordham and Bullsbrook resident Derek Henderson. 

Steve and Debbie Day will fly in from New Zealand to meet the crew along the way and George Baldwin will hop aboard in Smoky Bay, South Australia. 

“We have international crew and local crew – it adds a bit of flavour to the whole trip,” said Ron. 

If all goes to plan, the tractor will roll into the Dowerin Field Days in August to end the journey. 

It will also be at the Northam National Ballooning Championships in September along with other tractors showcased by the Chamberlain 9G Tractor Club of WA.

The original Tail-end Charlie is now retired and is on display at Whiteman Park, in the Swan Valley.

To donate or for more information visit www.tailendcharliethetractor.org.