My Dad's Austin Dealership - a brief history

Here's a brief history of my dad's Austin dealership in Ipswich.

Our Dad, (I have a brother, Graham), was born in Ipswich in 1908. In the 1920`s, and I am not sure when, he started his apprenticeship with Cribb & Foote, who were the Ford Dealers for the Ipswich area. In 1936, in partnership with another 3 men, they formed Modern Motors, and they acquired the Ford Dealership.

In 1938, Dad in partnership with Colin Pilgrilm went out on their own, and formed Paramount Motors. In 1938 or 1939, they got the Austin vehicle and Case tractor dealership, from the then Queensland Distributors, Macintosh Motors, based in Brisbane.

I am not able to accurately give the date of the above photo, but I believe it was taken in 1939, at the Ipswich show, which is held in May of each year, except during the second world war.  My time line thinking is that the three vehicles on the left of the picture, are the end of the models produced in the 1930`s, and the dark coloured vehicle is the later model with the front lift up bonnet, which I believe was first sold in 1939.  Even though I was only 4 years old at that time, I still have a vision of a red, white & blue ribbon (one piece), being attached near the top of the windscreen, and anchored around the bonnet opening lever, and I still have that ribbon.

In 1941 Dad volunteered into the Army, and the partnership was dissolved, and lost the Austin and Case dealership. After Dad`s time in the Army, he spent some time maintaining the fire brigade fleet in Ipswich. After that, he formed Keidge Motors, in his own right and regained the Austin Dealership from UK Motors, the new Queensland Distributors, which later became UK & Dominion Motors, with the addition of Oliver tractors and Britstand Earth moving equipment.