By KATH GANNAWAY
EMMA Hall has a lot of memories tied up in the HG Holden Premier that she has transformed into her own little piece of Wolf Creek in Woori Yallock.
It’s not all about the Australian drama/horror film either.
The 40-year-old Woori Yallock mother of five has fond memories of driving around in her dad’s old XR Ford, nights out at the drive-ins with her brother and her in pyjamas in the back seat, and those shiny vinyl seats that you could fry an egg on on a hot day.
“You’d get branded by the seatbelt buckle and have to peel yourself off the seat if you didn’t position your beach towel exactly right,” she said with great affection for the breed.
Keith – named after Keith Richards, another old classic who just keeps going, is her ‘for me’ project.
In fact, over time, it’s become a family project with Emma’s three sons and two daughters, although a little embarrassed to be seen in Keith at first, sharing a lot of quality time in the workshop.
Emma purchased the car as a backyard find, for very little money, but with huge potential.
It was never her intention to restore Keith – how could you?
“I wanted to create an old workhorse, outback theme which would invoke a lot of memories – the sort of thing you would see if you were travelling in the middle of the outback,” she said.
It had 800,000ks on the clock and was a mess when she took it on.
“The first thing I did was rip out the old carpet and clean it up, which took about three months.
“I had no idea if the motor was even going to run but with clean fuel and a service, it kicked over on the first turn of the key.”
That was a sweet moment.
Turning Keith into a replica of the infamous Wolf Creek car required imagination, a handy paint product that gives the rust effect that most people want to get rid of, and a lot of hard work in the workshop.
Car parts in the dishwasher and panels in the bathtub are nothing unusual in the Hall household.
The props, including barbed wire around the number plates and the odd body part hanging from the window, and blood and a bit of hair in the grille, are all part of the macabre illusion.
Although she was reluctant at first to take Keith along to car shows, she discovered that grunge was as popular as shiny chrome with car enthusiasts.
“I was absolutely floored by the response,” Emma said.
“There is never a moment when someone is not prodding it, remarking on it and wanting to know more about the car and how it has come together.
“I hope it’s inspiring others who don’t have a lot of money to spend on a car to go down the road of just capturing the car at its stage in life, admit it’s an old car and it’s not perfect,” she said.
She calls it ‘imperfect perfection’.
Was it a mid-life crisis fix?
“No … that would be buying a V8,” she says, laughing.
But, it was definitely a stage of life project.
“Obviously raising five kids, you’re always busy but you find as they are getting older and more independent their needs and wants are a lot less and you have time to do something for yourself.”
Keith has become part of a much bigger picture for Emma, who is also part of a movie car group which stages runs and shows to raise money for various causes and also featured in a 10th anniversary Wolf Creek promotion at a picture theatre.
Emma has a message for any ‘girls’ out there who are thinking about joining what used to be a male domain – car restoration and transformation.
“Don’t let anything stop you,” she says.
“This is not a male-oriented thing any more and anyone can do it.
“Give it a go and you will be amazed at what you can come up with, and just how much fun it can be.”
You can meet Emma and Keith at the Mountain District Car and Bike Show at Healesville on Sunday, 10 April.
