:: Sandstone Heritage Trust - World Record Attempts ::

The three tractors are now on board the vessel "MSC Peggy" Let's get a picture of this ship off the website or from the shipping agency and do a little news story which revitalises interest in the tractor event and which says that three tractors would have completed a 30,000 kms round trip by the time they back and all those good things. Please also make the point that if they arrive in Durban on time they will proceed directly to the Nottingham Road Show where they will be put through their paces for the weekend. The words for the article would be as follows:-

"Three Sandstone Tractors Return from Australia"

The Emerson Brantingham Big4-20, the John Deere Hi-Crop 60 and the GO tractor , all of which left in February 2004 to make their long journey to Australia are now on their way back. The three tractors were containerised and shipped to Brisbane where they were road-hauled through the kind efforts of Allan Harris and his family to Cootamundra where they participated in a major event "Plough and be Counted" on 11 April 2004. Getting the tractors back proved to be much more difficult and eventually it was decided that they should go to Sydney to be embarked for South Africa. Unhappily there were documentation problems, etc., but they are now on their way. It is planned to take them directly to "Vintage & Steam" at Nottingham Road on the weekend of 2 - 3 October 2004. This gives the South African public the opportunity to see the same tractors that caused considerable interest in Australia. Once these tractors have enjoyed yet another moment or two of adulation, they will be returned to the Sandstone Heritage Trust in the Eastern Free State.

The concept of exporting items from one country to another so that they can be displayed for a different and wider audience is gaining popularity around the world. Vic Muscat, the organiser of the Australian event took a special interest in the fact that tractors had come from so far and journalists in particular found it an agreeable subject to cover in the numerous newspaper and magazine articles that covered the event.

The 1909 Emerson Brantingham is rapidly approaching its 100th birthday and yet it went to Australia and back. I wonder what Mr Emerson and Mr Brantingham would have thought about that?"