Collecting is a lifetime’s work.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
One Riverina man spent decades looking for Furphy tanks to add to his growing collection.
James Edward Crocker, fondly known as Jim, passed away on July 31, 2018, and soon his prized possessions will be auctioned off in a new show – Road to Riches.
Son Jeremy Crocker and his father started to collect in the late 1970s.
“I think he had a love for the old style of life,” he said.
“His parents and grandfather had an old sawmill and they had old steam engines.
“He always liked that sort of thing and that's where it all came from.”
So, what are Furphys?
Furphy water tanks have become Australian icons and are much sought after by collectors.
The Furphy Foundry was established in 1864 by John Furphy and produced tanks for carrying water on farms.
During World War I, the tanks were taken to the front line where it’s said soldiers gathered around them to swap stories. This gave birth to the unique Australianism – where to tell an untruth, is a ‘Furphy’.
The show, to be hosted by former Aussie Picker Lucas Callaghan, seeks to uncover the hidden treasures in people's homes and flip them for cash.
“It's an antique program with a difference because rather than picking items for my own profit, I find the right restorers, specialists and auctioneers to maximise the value of the items and return all the profits directly to owners,” he said.
Jeremy said his father’s jewel in the crown was an old Furphy gate.
”Over the time he has had Furphy bells and ends that is quite hard to find, I think they were most definitely his favourite pieces,” he said.
“I am probably the closest to dad because I like collecting rabbit traps and Coolamon bits and bobs.”
While he is sad to see the collection go, Jeremy hopes it will find a place in new homes that will appreciate it and preserve the memory of times gone by.
“There are a lot of people who are really passionate and look to restore and keep these things going,” he said.
“There are a lot of common items. but there are a lot of rare pieces and I hope they find their way to a home that will appreciate them.”
Jeremy has clear memories of hunting for pieces to join the Furphy collection alongside his father and brothers.
“We like to call them war stories,” he said. “There are five of us brothers and we’ve all got our own stories about the wild things he used to do.
“I can remember one Furphy was an old 1880s and we found it on a farm north of Coolamon here and when we to pick it up we went looking around because it had a square collar for the lid and we ended up finding some indigenous artifacts. Normally they have a round lid, so we kicked around the grass looking for it but we never found it.”
Jeremy said the tanks were heavy, but all they used to transport them to the car was an old steel trolley.
“Dad wasn’t a fan of doing things the easy way and he was a tough old bastard,” he said.
“He was born with cerebral palsy so only had one good arm and one good foot, but he was able to do a lot of things even most able-bodied men can’t do.”
“If we lose it now then it would just be gone because they are never making more of any of these,” he said.
“They are a part of engineering from days gone by and they would be too expensive to make. They tell an important story of war times and agricultural history.”
Auctions of this size are starting to crop up more, said Lucas Callaghan.
”Unfortunately, the generation of people like Jim are passing away,” he said.
”A lot of kids don’t understand how important the Furphy is and they don’t know the value of it.
“Luckily his kids do and it is going to generate a massive outcome for Cheryl.”
Mr Callaghan said he has a personal connection to Jim and hopes through the auction will be able to set up the Crocker family for some time to come.
“At least now all his hard work will be enjoyed by all the kids and grandkids,” he said.
“I know it will get a great turnout and it’s a great way to bring some visitors to regional NSW.”
Mr Callaghan said it is rare to find a collection of this calibre.
“This is a life’s worth of items,” he said.
“Jim spent hours and hours of searching and going to auctions and bringing these home.”
Values of Furphys vary depending on the content, rarity and condition.
“The gate he has, that is going to be huge money because there is very few around and it is useful,” he said.
“Some of the tanks go for $5000 to $6000 and some of the faces for $1500.”
Mr Callaghan said for the first season of Road to Riches, he tried to pick stories that had some personal meaning to him.
“When I do know someone is going through a bit of a rough time and they are stuck with hundreds of thousands of units to sell,” he said.
“We then bring our team on board. It’s all about looking after each other and that is the premise of the show.”
Mr Callaghan said he is trying to change the face of auction shows.
“In the past, it was about trying to pinch people’s stuff for as little as possible even though we knew were going to get pretty good money for it,” he said.
“It’s a lot more Australian to go around helping people than it is robbing people. I think we need to see some good out there.”
The auction will be conducted by Bruce Holden from Miller and James Real Estate on February 9 at the Coolamon Showgrounds.