'Tabitha' Taxi in Australia - The Last Farewell - 10.7.1995.

 'Tabitha' wasn't getting out very much these days, she hardly came out of the Garage.

We had four children by now and seat belts were compulsory.  I had an 8 seater car, David had a van and we had an old Sydney Albion Double Decker Bus which had been fitted out as a caravan with 8 beds upstairs, kitchen down stairs with seating room around a table...  and a Loo under the stairs.

The Children were becoming beautiful young things in their 20's and didn't really want any more holidays in the Big Green Bus* with Mum and Dad, they themselves were heading overseas just as we did ... so the 'very hard' decision to sell 'Tabitha' was made...  David now had plenty of cash to totally renovate the Double Decker Bus back to it's original state.

This was a sad sad sad day...  we bought 'Tabitha' #4 in London on the 22.11.1969, David's 27th Birthday.  'Tabitha' was 11 years old and fresh out of 'Service'.   David and I took her on a 2 month Holiday in Europe, well it was hard work for her really but there was a lot less stopping and starting in heavy smelly London traffic.

'Tabitha' then enjoyed, (until she got to the Western Australian coastline anyway) a 6 week cruise to Sydney where she lived for most of her life, she enjoyed a very happy 26 years being beautifully looked after, she'd been restored, she'd been much admired with many people giving her a happy wave as she drove by, she'd been well loved by us all.

 'Tabitha' was 37 when she left us to travel to a private museum in Queensland where we hope she is being just  as loved as we'd loved her.  'Tabitha' will be 64 years old this year. (2012)

*  Holidays in a Double Decker Bus... now that's a good idea for another Blog  :-)

Today that same Albion Bus is still owned by us, along with a Leyland TD4, both are in excellent condition and living with a lot of their buddies at the Sydney Bus Museum in Leichardt, Sydney.

Actually the Museum owns an old Austin London Taxi similar to ours, it's a Petrol Cab, not a Diesel like 'Tabitha'.  I hope the Museum get her done up one day soon.