lowfat Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 But there in Australia... And you have to be Australian... And not a commercial venture... And they have no engines..... http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/tanks-to-scare-neighbours/story-e6frf7kx-1111114422073 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Check the date to that news item, 2007. None of them went to collectors, they were distributed around the country to ex-servicemen's clubs (RSL) and now on show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little ray Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Hi Richard, the story is not that simple, what happened turned into a political bum fight, and OH&S night mare also and insurance problem for any of the RSL's that have taken them, would you like the story as I was in it up to my neck on the block... Ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 They also filled them with concrete and welded them shut. It was a shame. This one is at the Keswick Barracks in Adelaide. Cheers, Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 They also filled them with concrete and welded them shut. It was a shame. [ATTACH=CONFIG]97178[/ATTACH] This one is at the Keswick Barracks in Adelaide. Cheers, Terry FILLED WITH CONCRETE !?!?!?!?!?!??!?! WELDED UP ?!?!?!?!?! I have to ask what manner of evil minded sick person would so such a thing to a lovely tank?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little ray Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Bob, If they have the cement in them then that is on the spot decision as it would go with the insurance problems as they had no motors, no transmissions, no breach blocks, the hatches welded shut in some cases before or after delivery to stop the mugs getting in as we had the vehicles to be supplied not welded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little ray Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 There were 35 given to the RSL's and many turned them down due to insurance reasons so they were re donated to other RSL's who in most cases have put high fences around them, this branch is brave as it takes one idiot kid to fall off and the law suits will follow. They all should have been put into long term storage as a strategic reserve and that was to happen but then they came out as we took the yank tanks to replace then, lots of problems here but when our pollies kiss the yank pollies butts that what you get. there were 105 of them give or take a few and 3 I am told were destroyed the they were made redundant. Half of them where really past the use by date but In to storage and then the Lib government got this bright idea, lets give 55 away with no motors or gear boxs and maybe 35 to RSL's and the rest to public collections or museums. Now here is were it goes banana shape as there were 2000 plus tenders for them and the cull started. We went through 4 culls and it was cut down to 50 of us for 30 odd tanks, now up comes the election and the labor won and no more was said. After a few weeks we all started to ask whats going on and the reply from the defence department was read the last section of the tender document. The last clause was that the gifting would only take place if the libs had won so no tanks. Now the fun starts as the RSL's start jumping up and down for there promised vehicles and they kept it up for a long time till the government gave in but the wait was to long for some and insurance killed others. Now we have all these new rebuilds coming and a paddock full of unwanted tanks in Victoria so the brains in Canberra said lets sell them to the islands army's of the Pacific and a sales team went out with a ticket price of $600k each. now what can you do living on a coral island and will this 64ton tank fall through so no sale and if any one wants to pay $60K to have one decommission and there was no takers so what do we do now, a new bright idea came out!!! lets strip the wrecks and non goers for parts and store the bits, the good ones let send to Darwin to the tank unit and whats left tow out onto the range an shoot at them, the big excuse was that the German government had the last say on who got them and had sad no private sales or gifts as reported by a labor minster. so that were it should end but it gets more of a joke. Now with the RSL's calling foul and political backing they got theirs. Now all these nice new rebuilds turn up in Melbourne and after unloading they were to be taken to Darwin, just put them on transports and go,"WRONG" again after checking the rail tracks over the bridges to get there could not hold the weight so lets send them up be truck, "WRONG" again the roads and road bridges can not hold them so they had to load them back on to a navy ship and sail them up to be with the remaining Leopards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 A proper sad tale for sure ..... This whole 'liability insurance' scam is ridiculous though it's gotta be said ..... in any sane world, if somebody climbed up on one of those tanks and fell of it?.... then by any amount of common sense it should be their own damn fault but...as we sadly know things don't go like that these days What a rotten end for some lovely tanks though ......the welding up I could live with cos given enough time and a plasma cutter and / or a disc cutter you could get them open again .........but the concrete ? ..oh no ....that is a wicked thing to do to them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Hi Richard, the story is not that simple, what happened turned into a political bum fight, and OH&S night mare also and insurance problem for any of the RSL's that have taken them, would you like the story as I was in it up to my neck on the block... Ray Thanks Ray, I kept my post very brief as I was at work and using a phone, but it summed up where some now are. Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowfat Posted September 25, 2014 Author Share Posted September 25, 2014 Well that went well... Sorry I thought it was this year. I shall go and stand on the naughty step... But what a total cock up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 the exact details are not on hand but the story in Canada kind of went like this. Canada is getting out of the tank bussines, get rid of the Leopards. Remove the turrets and cuts a slab out of in front of the driver and sell them running through Crown Assets disposal. First 14 go up for disposal and the end user agreement and blessing from Germans were obtained. They sold for around $17,000 if memory serves me right. Suddenly the need for tanks in Afghanistan was realised and on a dime the policy changed and all were put into a refurb / upgrade program. Our turrets even ended going down to Australia but that is another story. End result is that are about 14 of them that came out running and one is occasionaly seen near Toronto owned by a tow truck operator. Just a side bar to a sad story R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little ray Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 You want turrets, well here is a bed time story that I do not have a ending too but I do have a area location so lets make you cry some more. After the Vietnam conflict there were a few thousand SLR's put into storage and a heap of other war left overs on a Army base with large warehouses and a rail track into it for mass loads and storage. Now some one in the Defence department came up with a bright idea in the 1980's/90's, lets get rid of them and dont tell any one but we will get a civilian contractor to do the job. They just forgot to tell the contractors not to tell any one, well they dug a few big hole on the base near the store area and with cut off saws lets cut the rifles into 3 pieces then dumped them in the hole but some one kept a souvenir and while sitting in his work shop with him telling the story I saw these gun parts on the shelf so when I laided them out I had half a SLR. At this point I now knew his story is real but now her comes another spitfire in boxes type story, now as they cleared out the stores sheds they came across around 90 very large packing crates on pallets of the same size in a shed adjacent to the rail line so the broke some open and in side was bare centurion turrets as that what was marked on the boxes so his story goes. In another spot on the base close by there was another great hole dug and they were packed into it and covered so now we have a very interesting question, are they really there and were was the spot for the hole. Well I have found a area were the metal detector is going off its brain and the land now is owned by the state government or a private company with big signs to keep out so were do I go from here and whats your views on this. bed time or should we dig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian169045 Posted September 26, 2014 Share Posted September 26, 2014 OK lets get things correct about the oz leo at rsl they did NOT take packs out and fill with concrete . they drained all fluids and ran engine till they locked up . they punched holes into block to prevent engine rebuild breach was NOT cut off . they were welded shut . barrels were welded to breach and plug welded into muzzle . hole cut in barrel the size of a coke can near the mantlet . hydraulic tank was filled with expander foam . everything was left in turret except laser rangefinder and radios all asbestos taken out all hatches were welded shut all acc bins welded shut my mate was involved in the decom i was lucky enough to get inside and take pics before they welded her shut . all rsl leos are on loan from the army .if they are not kept in good nick they will repo the tank without notice . out of the 104 we had only 8 or so are runners and they live at the RAAC museum cheers Adrian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little ray Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Hi Adrian, there were 45 parked at Bandiana with tarp covers on them and the two I inspected that were on offer had the engines and transmissions removed as well as the air conditioners. The officer in charge told us they were removing the same from the others for spares and welding the hatch's but the clean out would cost $60k each, the turrets were still movable. here is the photo of one that was going to Victor Harbor in SAas far as I could see by the paper work as the RSL that it was given to rejected it on insurance ground and the there is no holes in the barrels and it had no power pack and the turret could still be moved but I did not go inside. I was there the day it was loaded and on its way. I could be on my way to Melbourne very soon so I will drop in to the tank museum and look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian169045 Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 So the one in the pic has not pack ? or does it have concrete ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian169045 Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 The info might be both correct . The info I have is from the ones that were decom from pucka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian169045 Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Also they never had ac . But did have NBC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian169045 Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 vid of on site decom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian169045 Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 so I will drop in to the tank museum and look. sorry mate you will not be allowed onto the base .the raac museum is shut to civs due to oz raising their security level .there wa a event I was going to and it all got shut down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Your NOT going to cancel the Barbie are you? :shocked: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little ray Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 I hope my pass is still good, as I use it at the RAME barracks in Sydney ever so often. I will head to the base with the dumped stuff next week if I can not use my pass and do some metal detecting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpacaandy Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 Robins bang on about Canadian ones, but also when they were first sold thru crown assets, the middle east situation went nasty. My friend had bought 2 runners, minus turret. After he paid and took possession, the government wanted them back to use in middle east. Needless to say he had them upto a few years ago. the exact details are not on hand but the story in Canada kind of went like this. Canada is getting out of the tank bussines, get rid of the Leopards. Remove the turrets and cuts a slab out of in front of the driver and sell them running through Crown Assets disposal. First 14 go up for disposal and the end user agreement and blessing from Germans were obtained. They sold for around $17,000 if memory serves me right. Suddenly the need for tanks in Afghanistan was realised and on a dime the policy changed and all were put into a refurb / upgrade program. Our turrets even ended going down to Australia but that is another story. End result is that are about 14 of them that came out running and one is occasionaly seen near Toronto owned by a tow truck operator. Just a side bar to a sad story R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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