His Car Needs An Anchor

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31919, 21 February 1969, Page 9

His Car Needs An Anchor

An Australia chemist, Mr R. Radford, always “makes a splash” when he does his delivery round. His customers live in quiet resorts which dot the shores of Brisbane Water, on the central coast of New South Wales. It is usually more convenient to travel by water than by land when making deliveries, so Mr Radford uses an amphibious German car—the Amphicar, powered by a Triumph four-cylinder engine—which lets him travel either by land or sea, as he wishes. “I get some astonished looks from the holidaymakers when I drive into the

water and cruise off among the boats,” he said. Mr Radford, aged 48, drives to work and back across a quarter of a mile of water each day. His home is at Wagstaff Point, on one side of Brisbane Water, and his shop is at Ettalong, on the other side. There is no bridge or ferry and it is 28 miles round by road. “I can drive a quarter of a mile across the water and be at work in five minutes,” he said. “By road it would take me 50 minutes. “I use the car basically for business, such as delivering prescriptions. I don’t go out fishing in it, or anything like that.

“Many of my customers are retired people who are not very mobile. Others are just here for a few weeks to fish, swim, and go boating. “1 take their orders by telephone and deliver in the car. I can call at all the towns round Brisbane Water without difficulty. It would be a long job by road but it’s quick by water.

“The car also comes in handy if I get an urgent call at home to make up a prescription at night or at the week-end. I can hop in the car and be at the shop in a few minutes."

The car travels as well on water as on land. It has an ordinary four-speed gearbox for the road and twin propellers for the water. It has a maximum speed of 7.5 m.p.h. in water and about 75 m.p.h. on land. Once he has driven into the water, Mr Radford brings the propellers into action simply by flicking a lever. Another flick of the lever and he can go astern.

He sprays the car with a special substance to protect it from rust, and carries an anchor in the back seat in case the car breaks down.

“It has bilge pumps in case of leaks,” he said. “I had to use them once when I went into the water without closing the doors properly.

“Another time I ran out of petrol and could not find the switch for the reserve tank. I had to throw out the anchor and wait for help. My daughter came out in a rowing boat and pulled me ashore.” The photograph shows Mr Radford crossing Brisbane Water in his Amphicar.