Further to my post above about the Lifeboat deliveries to Castellamare di Stabia.
We were stuck there over the weekend and decided to make the most of the location and went to Pompeii for the day. I remember taking lots of fotos but sadly I dont have them personally. One of the others might.
We sat outside the Pizzeria just off the peage timing the Prozzy on the duration of her customers. Not much else to do there.
Evening all,
Like most drivers on here we have probably shared a boat or cabin, or just a chat on a docks or a border somewhere over the years. I remember many a crossing from Souhampton/Portsmouth with STS wagons, my 1st European job was driving a Removal wagon for Luker Bros.Oxford. I was wondering if anyone on here had driven the Black Globetrotter “The Joker”, as she is shown in a couple of photos on here (eg. the life boats). I rmember being in the services somewhere in France in about 82/83? & she pulled in next to me on the pumps, I remember the bloke driving said it was her 1st run! have seen her over the years in plain black with the cards on the sleeper sides, then with blue stripes, then with red stripes! I just wondered who actually owned her over those years? Some wagons just grab your imagination & that one has always fascinated me.
adr
Gazzer on the post above you here is resposible for both owning and driving the Joker for many years when he was a lot younger.I have heard that he has now completely retired and is looked after by his wife Shirley somewhere in Southern Spain.Im sure he will give you a little more info if Shirley can give him his injection earlier than usual.Sometimes his response his a little garbled so do please forgive him it is such a shame how some of remembered collegues have ended up. 
My commendation to you ADR for having such an impressive memory.
traniht is quite correct in my ability to accurately pinpoint events in my previous existences, whether they were with Bob Edwards (the original but short lived owner of The Joker), AS Rawlings, STS, Louis Bull, ROBA, Chingfords/South London Storage, Kingswood to name but a few who made up my tapestry of life abroad as an owner driver.
I too remember faces and trucks of the Luker fleet, ■■■■■■ is one word i could use…Nigel? is that one offending item?
Look up the above threads and The Joker appears here and there.
traniht is somewhat selective in his 'telligibility as to my persona. I do indeed produce speech to some that is difficult to comprehend but that is usually I am speaking either “technically” (Mechanic speak) or in Adaluz, a dialect of Spanish that somewaht defeats the best of Castillion speakers. A similarity as Geordie is to the english or the scots!
We always encourage the production of fotos from the past, no matter how embarrasing, so if you have any ADR, publish them in the appropriate forum. If you do have any stories to relate then that applies too.
Un saludo!
Hi gazzer,
Good to speak to you, hope you are enjoying your retirement (although I was jelous of you for years cos I wanted your wagon!) You are bang on with your observation of Lukers, if you couldnt drink then you didnt last long on there, it didnt matter how strong you were or how good you were at stacking a van, if you couldnt do it after a skinfull & 3 hours sleep then forget it. Bloody good blokes though & a great crack, work hard & play hard seems to be a thing of the past now, no more characters coming into the game now! Nigel, yes well you obviously new him, he was about as popular as rabies in a guide dogs home when he had a few,even got a good kicking off one of our own blokes on the boat one night, took 3 of us to pull Kevin off him, nearly got Lukers banned! I have managed to post some photos on a couple of sites, just figured out how to do it & now “The Dark Side” has changed summat on the computer so she will have to show me how to work it again, easier to work a twin-splitter than this keyboard!
oh never a truer word said than those adr give me a twin spiltter anyday than a keyboard they have a mind of there own
With the close tie up between STS and AS Rawlings, a get together over August Bank Holiday has been suggested. Venue location is open to finalising. Your input on the ASR thread would be helpful if you would like to meet up.
gerbil sb152:
nice pic’s tony i drove the scania for horace for 5 years after john from reading left, lovelly motor good job john shaw was about used to get a few problem’s but he alway’s sorted it except when gearbox went coming round versailles won saturday on way home only time she never got home under her own steam
ref john from reading was it johnny herbert general custers double
