Feral Cheryl, 1968 5 door Station Wagon
Here is the famous Feral Cheryl, unrestored and fairly original apart from the Holden 186 powerplant. This maid of all work belongs to my neighbour Steve. She has a Fairey overdrive and easily tops 70mph, after which commonsense prevails. The no-nonsense bumper bar is part of a Mack Truck bull bar I took off the Series III because I did not need 500 pounds of scrap iron wearing out the springs. It is very useful for nudging lesser vehicles out of sodden horse paddocks.
The radiator grille was originally the all-horizontal bar type believed to be peculiar to 1968 Australian assembled Land Rovers. Steve liked the all-mesh traditional barbecue grille type better. I swiped the all-horizontal one for Mustang Sally. The original colour was peeling yellow (not a Landrover colour) so Steve invested 2 gallons of chemical stripper and a weekend into taking her back to bare alloy.
The new spray job is hammered finish epoxy machinery paint which is a great choice for the older Rover as it hides a multitude of nicks, dents and wrinkles.( I should apply some to myself.) This hard working old girl plays too important a part in the household economy to take a years leave of absence for a full rebuild. She gets what she needs to keep her safe and roadworthy and gets on with the job. In short, a perfect example of the Land Rover Legend in daily use.
Why "Feral Cheryl"?
Named by Steves one-time business partner Ross who was less than impressed when Steve turned up with a mildewed, tatty old Land Rover and announced that it was his new car. "Agricultural' was the kindest adjective Ross used and the name "Feral Cheryl" stuck.
I'm not sure whether overseas visitors to these pages have "Ferals" in their home countries but here in Australia the word describes residents of the Rainbow Region of northern New South Wales who keep alive the 1960's alternative society tradition. Secure in their rain- forest communes, they grow alternative pharmaceutical products, practice hippy arts, crafts and music and generally behave as if the cynical seventies, selfish eighties and uncertain nineties never happened.
"Feral Cheryl" the Land Rover is also a product of the 1960's era and she is still doing what she was doing thirty years ago so her name seems very appropriate to me.
Feral Cheryl is also an Australian-made alternative doll you can buy by mail order on the 'Net. Visit the Feral Cheryl home page and you can see this child of nature in her home territory. You don't have to buy any accessories to go with her as she believes in simplicity and has no need of possessions.
This page last updated on Friday, 26 November 1999 22:58
