AN OLD BUGGY

Northern Advocate, 5 February 1926, Page 5

AN OLD BUGGY

ABANDONED IN SECTION. Anyone crossing the vacant section at the corner of Walton and Bank Streets will have noticed an old and decrepit buggy, and perhaps have 'wondered how it got there. With broken shaft, the upholstering of the seat strewn about and a general air of delapidation beyond all hope of repair, the vehicle has a most woebegone and abandoned appearance. Although apparently belonging to no one now, the buggy was formerly owned by a farmer of Maungatapere. One day it was brought into town for repairs, but was pronounced to bo beyond all help fhat the skill of the coachbuilder could render it, and was accordingly consigned to that mortuary of disabled vehicles—the yard. The buggy was, however, destined to have one hour of fame before it passed into oblivion. About two years ago a procession was held in Whangarei for the purpose of raising funds for the Plunket Society, and the ancient fourwheeler was requisitioned for the occasion. It was represented as the coach of the “Hayseed” family. The ludicrous appearance of Mum and Dad and the broken-down buggy, fitted iwith a worn tyre as “spare parts,” was enhanced by the sight of a small horse and a draught horse placed in the shafts to draw the carriage. ,At the knees and ears •of the animals were placed oil cans, which were filled from time to time with the lubricating liquid. The “turn-out” created a good deal of merriment, and at the.conclusion of the procession the buggy once more retired from public life. Eventually it was put in the section where it has stood ever since, at the mercy of wind and rain which assist in its gradual decomposition.