A HISTORIC ambulance that served the Bathurst community for 15 years is set to return to its old home.
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The Morgan family, which owns Abercrombie House, has donated a rare 1952 Austin A125 Sheerline Ambulance to Vivability, with the disability support organisation to have it restored to its former glory.
The ambulance is not only rare, but is significant to Bathurst, having been used by the Bathurst Ambulance Station between 1952 and 1967 before the vehicle was retired.
Christopher Morgan's father, Rex, purchased the vehicle in the 1970s and it has remained in the family's collection at Abercrombie House for around 50 years.
The vehicle is in poor condition, but has the potential to be beautiful once more.
With Vivability now the lessee of the former ambulance station, with plans to redevelop it into it new head office and as a coffee shop and cocktail bar, Christopher Morgan decided to donate the historic vehicle.
The intention is for the old ambulance to be restored and then stored on property in William Street, where it can be appreciated by the Bathurst community.
Mr Morgan said the ambulance is the last of its kind.
"My father became a self-proclaimed Sheerline enthusiast after buying his first one in 1959," he said.
"He collected several of them and shared parts with owners all over the country. Of the approximately 700 imported into Australia between 1947 and 1954, fewer than 100 remain, and only nine were ever built as ambulances.
"This one is the only known survivor with 1952 bodywork by A H Peters of Marrickville, making it the last of its kind in the world."
He is delighted that Vivability has accepted the donation and is in full support of the restoration plans.
"My family is just really delighted to be able to do this, because we're great fans of what Vivability is doing," Mr Morgan said.
Vivability chief executive officer Nick Packham thanked Mr Morgan for the donation and said the restoration project is about reuniting an important piece of Bathurst's past with the site it came from.
"In the same way that we want to take the community along for the whole journey with the restoration of the station, this vehicle, which is an original Bathurst ambulance, will be another exciting project that we believe we will be able to develop partnerships with local community groups to see the restoration of the ambulance," Mr Packham said.
A second vehicle has also been donated to Vivability as a "parts car" to assist in the restoration of the old ambulance.
