Saying goodbye to thousands of objects collected over a lifetime is bittersweet for octogenarian Ray Jones and his wife Gaye.
The couple are selling their Brookfield home of 30 years and downsizing to a new home in Ballan close to medical facilities.
But in order to sell the property, they must first dispose of a vast collection of car parts, tools, farm equipment, swap cards and other collectibles.
A highlight of the online auction, to be held on 30 November from 10am, will be a 1954 Ford Crestline Tourer and a 1975 Holden Kingswood wagon.
Ray, 84, bought the “top of the range convertible” Crestline two years ago. Originally imported from America, the car was Ford’s most luxurious model from 1952 to 1954.
Ray’s love of cars was driven by his father and uncle who both loved “tinkering” with old vehicles.
“I had an interest from 14 or 15 years old. I used to kill one car a year. We drove hard put it that way,” said Ray, whose first car was a ’39 Chevrolet ‘Sloper’ sedan he acquired in 1965.
He said the Sloper “had a lot of style, but was expensive to run.”
In the 1970s Ray started buying FX and FJ Holdens. He and Gaye are still involved with the FX/FJ Holden Club of Australia.
“I just love Holdens. There is a lot of nostalgia with them. They’ve got style and heart,” Ray said.
His interest in tools started when he was an apprentice scale mechanic, fixing all manner of scales from weighbridges to scales used by butchers and chemists.
Among Ray’s tool collection is 50 different shifting spanners, some handmade.
Ray said he and Gaye used to scour swap meets and clearing sales for items to add to their collection but “stopped going 15 years ago because we were running out of space”.
It took a team of people from ME Auctions numerous days to organise and catalogue the thousands of items ready for sale.
For Ray it “tugs at the heart” to part with so many beloved items, but he encourages interested buyers to snap up a piece of history for their own collections.
“If you have an interest in tools or memorabilia or car related things it’s a must to have a look.”
Hanging on the back fence of their new, much smaller home the Jones have a lasting reminder of their passion for cars and collecting – metal cutouts of their old Holden ute and sedan.
To view the items for sale go to meauctions.com.au
Catalogues and details from Martin 0418 509 134.
