IT has been a lifelong love affair with machinery for Vintage Tractor and Machinery Association of WA (Tracmach) member John Smith, Mukinbudin.
Mr Smith is well known in machinery circles for his ability to tinker and also his collection of vintage tractors and cars.
Originally from England, he and his wife Lesley, arrived in Western Australia in 1967.
They made the journey halfway across the globe after hearing that land was selling cheap in the Esperance area at the time and it was difficult for anyone wanting to own a farm in England to be able to purchase one.
Upon arrival they bought a caravan and toured the countryside looking for the right spot to put down their roots and settled on a farm west of Mukinbudin on Wren Road.
Mr Smith began collecting vintage tractors in 1961 so when they made the decision to move countries they had to sell them and start again.
He began collecting Fordson tractors and restoring them and has eight working tractors from 1918 through to 1948 built in the United States, Ireland and England.
They are all under cover and in good condition.
His 1918 tractor sits in its own shed and has a plaque on the back stating it was manufactured by 'Henry Ford & Son'.
Mr Smith said the history of the tractor was interesting with Mr Ford wanting to mass produce the tractors but the Ford Motor Co was not keen at the time.
That's when Henry Ford started his own company, Fordson.
It was the first small size, lightweight and mass produced tractor that the average farmer could afford.
The first Fordson tractors to be exported from the United States went to the United Kingdom in 1917 to help the British agricultural industry feed the population during the war.
It was later also manufactured in Cork, Ireland, up until 1933 and at Dagenham, Essex, England until 1964.
By 1920 however, the two Ford companies had merged and the name Fordson was dropped.
Mr Smith said that history was summarised on the plaque.
He had also attached a battery to the tractor to help start it up as it was getting harder for him to start.
Mr Smith recalls taking apart his first engine with his father when he was 'knee high to a grasshopper' and asking his father what the names of the parts were.
He began driving the family tractor - a 1945 Fordson - when he was eight years old - even passing a police constable one time who didn't say a peep - knowing that labour after the war was in such short supply.
"I was just left to it all day long," Mr Smith said.
In the 1970s when 4WD tractors first came out, he, along with six others in the Mukinbudin district built their own versions because they were either too expensive or hard to get.
Mr Smith's home built 4WD tractor now sits on display behind a cage at Mukinbudin.
He said when he was building it he had no idea that others were doing the same.
"If I had known that I would have contacted them to swap notes," Mr Smith said.
The tractor worked the farm for a good 10 years before it was retired.
The display is a good reminder of the ingenuity of local farmers in those days and the change occurring in the agricultural machinery industry.
While all of his vintage tractors are in working order the one that gets used the most is a 1940s International W4 McCormick-Deering, which he uses to cut and collect wood for the fire.
It's painted red with yellow writing and is supposed to be Lesley's, but she finds it uncomfortable to drive.
Because it is getting harder to turn the engines over on the old tractors, Mr Smith has started to sell them.
He said for a reasonable price he would be happy to see them go to a good home but so far people had offered much less than what they were worth - considering the time and effort he had put into restoring the tractors.
Mr Smith said he was happy to field calls from anyone interested in buying one.
Besides the tractors, the Smiths also have a collection of Ford Model T cars ranging from 1911-1926, including picking up a black 1914 Model T Ford from Victoria.
Mr Smith's latest project has just begun after sourcing a Model T chassis from a farm near Mukinbudin.
It will take him a few years to restore to original working order but he already has some of the most important parts - like wheels and an engine.
After having had a disappointing result from contracting out the upholstery work, he plans to make from scratch the seats and upholstery - which he has already done for a number of his other cars.
"I like the authentic look," Mr Smith said.
"How they were made originally, without too many changes."
Despite that he has had to update the lights from the old oil lamps to bulbs - although it doesn't have a high beam option.
Being the tinkerer that he is, he purpose built the wire wheels for his 1914 Model T - which has 60 spokes per rim.
He said vehicles with older timber wheels were not allowed to be shown in events if they had cracks in them -which encouraged him to build his own to avoid any issues when travelling interstate.
What they enjoy most about the cars is the ability to travel and catch up with friends and like minded car enthusiasts.
And they do despite the weather.
Now that their children have taken over the farming duties they have time on their hands to enjoy their hobby, even if that means getting wet through on the drive.
The Smiths have a ute with an extended flat deck which can carry one of the cars.
They drive that with a caravan attached across the Nullarbor when they can, as well as attending WA events like Lights on the Hill at Brunswick and the Dowerin GWN7 Machinery Field Days.
Last year because of COVID-19, travel restrictions they were unable to attend an event, but in 2019 they went all the way to Bundaberg, Queensland, for a vintage car rally.
They plan to visit Swan Hill, Victoria, in coming months for a similar rally.
Mr Smith has also built other things for the farm including silos, fuel tanks, grain sheds and even their large machinery sheds which are still in use.
There was a number of vintage parts and even an old vintage truck in the shed waiting for a facelift or to be part of a future project.
Some of the parts he gives away when people are looking for bits for their restoration jobs, as they would otherwise remain in the shed unused.
