Thread: Matchbox Toy Garage completed ready for Christmas Fund Raiser

Matchbox Toy Garage completed ready for Christmas Fund Raiser



With our Lockdown Stay At Home Orders now into our 13th week and Christmas only 13 weeks away it was time to start making some Christmas Present Fund raiser’s for the local Boys & Girls Club which has been closed this whole time.


I chose an old Australian Iconic Service Station brand of days gone by, GOLDEN FLEECE; here is some of its history.


Golden Fleece was an Australian brand of petroleum products and service stations operated by H. C. Sleigh and Company. A partnership was founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1893 by shipowner and merchant Harold Crofton Sleigh (1867–1933) and manufacturer and shipowner John McIlwraith (1828–1902). In 1913 the company took delivery of its first consignment of motor spirit from the United States and marketed it in Australia as “Golden Fleece”.
Initially, motor spirit was sold in drums only—the first Golden Fleece pump being installed in 1920. Golden Fleece was a pioneer of single-branded service stations (as opposed to the more common multi-brand offerings of the era), and its distinctive “golden merino” trademark was soon a common sight for Australian motorists.
The post-war era saw a massive expansion of Australia’s motor industry and car ownership soared. The company was made public in 1947. These were boom times for Golden Fleece and expansion and acquisitions were the trend throughout the 1950s and 1960s. H.C. Sleigh Limited acquired the fledgling “Kangaroo” and “Phillips 66” brands in 1962 and 1967 respectively. During these years, many (if not most) Golden Fleece service stations became roadhouse-style outlets with restaurants and bold signage.
Some time during the 1960s or 1970s[clarification needed] Golden Fleece gained a major contract by the, then small, major trucking company Linfox, that is still held by Caltex Australia today, due to a friendship between Regional Manager for Victoria Max Collins and Lindsay Fox.
The company never had its own oil refinery and depended on Caltex to facilitate the importation and refining of crude oils at Kurnell Refinery in Sydney on its behalf. In the late 1970s the industry started to mature and rationalise due to soaring crude oil prices, and Federal Government oversight of petrol and diesel prices which was a subtle form of price control. Inevitably Golden Fleece was itself acquired by Caltex in 1981 and no longer trades under that name, though its unique livery can still be seen on some older roadhouses in rural Australia. A particular treasure for collectors are the globes (in the shape of the Golden Fleece ram) that sat atop the company’s pumps until the 1970s, when the pumps were standardised.
Purr Pull was a brand marketed by Independent Oil Industries of Sydney. They also sold Purr Star and Resis Oil. The company was bought out by Smith Wylie (Aust) Pty Ltd in Queensland who ran the company as Purr Pull Industries and then in June 1954, H.C. Sleigh merged with Purr Pull Industries, with the Purr Pull and Star brands dropped and all operations rebranded as Golden Fleece.



The plan is my own design which I’ve made something like 30 times.

The base is 1/2” ply 27.5” [700mm] by 24” [610mm]

The shop with the ramp is 1/2” ply on 7/8” board 18” [450mm] 16” [400].

The colours are as true to the company colours as I could get painted in water based paints with a topping of clear gloss lacquer.

The Golden Fleece decals are just paper prints off the internet.

I’ve found that the movie “CARS” is still popular with children so I’ve added a good number of stickers from the movie.

Plus of course I’ve added some FORD Logo’s, a Peterbilt Logo, a Peter’s Ice Cream Logo and a Goodyear Tyre Logo [to honour my dad who worked for Goodyear for 30yrs].


If you look closely you’ll see that Papa Smurf and Handy had a disagreement on the positioning of the Petrol Pumps so I did one set each way [now they are both upset with me].


I did a blog on the build here


Hot Rod FORDS #14: The Lockdown continues BUT Christmas isn’t too far away so it’s Fund Raising gift donations time. - by crowie @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community

If anyone wants a copy of my plan, please “pm” me with an email address so I can forward it on to you.



Cheers Crowie

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