BPSWA (INC)
  • Home
    • About BPSWA
    • Major Sponsors
    • Grants & Awards
    • Website Disclaimer
    • Interesting Links
  • Collection
  • Events
  • Bus Services
  • Workshop News
  • Rattler
  • Membership
    • Join The Fun
    • Fleet Inventory & Assessments
    • Meetings
    • BPSWA Constitution
  • Contact Us
    • Rattler Request
  • Home
    • About BPSWA
    • Major Sponsors
    • Grants & Awards
    • Website Disclaimer
    • Interesting Links
  • Collection
  • Events
  • Bus Services
  • Workshop News
  • Rattler
  • Membership
    • Join The Fun
    • Fleet Inventory & Assessments
    • Meetings
    • BPSWA Constitution
  • Contact Us
    • Rattler Request

1967 BMC Austin School Bus

History

This small 23 seater school bus was one of several hundred school buses of various makes and carrying capacity which, in combination, covered thousands of kilometres daily carrying  students between their homes/farms and their nearest school. The Western Australia Department of Education started closing small one and two teacher country ‘village’ schools in the late 1940’s, opting instead to transport students to combined central schools in larger towns. Isolation for children in country WA ‘villages’ was a serious problem at that time. Introduction of the school bus runs to bigger towns changed attitudes, widened opportunities for childrens’ learning and development, and enhanced social contacts and interaction. 
This Austin bus, was placed in regular service around the beginning of the 1968 ‘academic year’ and used to transport children from districts around Toodyay to and from schools in that town. After 23 years in service, the Austin was retired to make way for the introduction of larger capacity, modern buses. This bus was delicensed and stored in a shed after being used for family trips to the Eastern States, until it was donated to BPSWA in 2007 by the owner and former operator, Paul Somers. Thanks to the care taken by Mr Somers in storing the Austin bus, it retains its original seats and internal fittings which have been carefully refurbished. The engine and transmission were extensively serviced by BPSWA mechanics, while the bodywork was stripped to its bare frame, repaired, reassembled and repainted. This restoration took about 4 years to accomplish. Very few purpose built school buses from the 1960’s have survived intact and, to date, this is the only example in the BPSWA collection. 
Historically, the Austin is representative of the type of small, forward control, school buses that served a great many communities in rural parts of Western Australia from the 1960s into the 1980s. Like this bus the majority even continued in service for several years alongside the subsequent generation of fully imported ‘mini-buses’ which often supplanted them. These imports came to Australia almost entirely from Japan, starting with the renowned Toyota Coaster from 1970 on, joined by the Mazda Parkway (1972), and Nissan Civilian (1973). 

Chassis

  • Manufacturer: British Motor Corporation (Aus) Joynton Avenue, Zetland NSW
  • Model Type: Austin 2.4F
  • Engine: Front engine forward control Austin overhead valve 6 cylinder petrol, vertically mounted engine
  • ​Transmission: Four speed manual, syncromesh on 2nd, 3rd & 4th ratios, rear-wheel drive
  • Brakes: Drum type, hydraulic
  • Suspension: Leaf springs

Body Detail

  • Manufacturer: Howard Porter, Fremantle WA
  • Construction: Zinc-anneal steel frame with fibreglass panelling
  • Seating: 23 seats

Dimensions

  • Length: 21 ft 7 3/4 ins (6.60m)
  • Width: 8 ft 0 ins (2.44m)
  • Wheelbase: 12 ft 1 in (3.68m)
  • Height: 8 ft 7 ins (2.61m)
  • Unladen weight: 2.85 tonnes

Photo Gallery

Back to the Collection Gallery

workshop volunteer Hours:  

Each Tuesday 08:00 to 13:00 at the Whiteman Park workshop.

Second Saturday of each month from 08:00 to noon.

TO request A VISIT
​(by arrangement):

To tour the bus collection or see the BPSWA workshops in action any on Tuesday, click the "Contact Us" button below.  Visitors and new volunteers are welcome.

contact us  

CONTACT US via WEBSITE
Telephone:

0411 519 891    

How Secure is this site?

A test of this site provided by Trendmicro on 14th October, 2017, indicated that "this URL contains no malicious software and shows no signs of phishing." (Test for yourself, visit Trendmicro for an update?)
Picture
Picture
Any gift made to BPSWA of $2 or more, is tax deductible (within Australia).