One for the Road
A Young Boy’s Mechanical Passion
Milton Price was born in Nyngan, NSW, in January 1921. Doctors didn’t expect Milton or his two brothers, George and Stanley—all underweight and two months premature— to see the next day dawn. Miraculously, the triplets survived and Milton had the opportunity to thrive.
Milton spent his formative years on the family’s property at Trangie; riding in the sidecar of his father Norman’s Indian motorbike was one of his favourite pastimes. The outback was an exciting place for a young boy, and his love of bikes and engines was sparked at an early age, his tricycle — pictured here — kindled a lifelong passion.
With valuable blacksmithing skills up his sleeve, Norman earned extra money cutting down cars and turning them into utes. Milton stayed by his side, often pulling on the bellows and watching his father beat the cherry-red iron into shape.
Milton’s curiosity was further piqued when he met a wool presser on his grandfather’s property, Carragan. Rolf had worked for Bosch in Germany and taught Milton about magnetos and petrol engines while making mechanical repairs for farmers in the area.
In late 1929, his grandfather sold Carragan and hit the road with his uncle Bill, in search of property. The pair stayed overnight at the Imperial Hotel in Wee Waa, enquiring about land while they were there. The Depression had hit farmers in the area hard, and they bought at least three properties on that trip.
Within weeks Milton and his family had relocated and settled into their new home on Alma Street, Wee Waa, just in time for him to witness the flourishing of petrol bowsers and widespread use of automobiles.
