The Disabled Persons Beach Wheelchair that the THPA paid for some 20 years ago at a cost of $3,500 has now been rendered unusable because the two rear tyres cannot be inflated. The Beach Wheelchair has been entrusted for many years to the custody of the Tuross Beach Holiday Park and has been made available gratis for any disabled persons visiting Tuross to use, as long as it is used on the beachfront in the immediate vicinity of the Tuross Beach Holiday Park and returned immediately after its use for safe custody by the Park Caretakers.
John Tilbrook, Secretary of the Tuross Head Progress Association told the Beagle "There appears to have been a design flaw with the tyres. The Tuross Head Service Station (Phil Morton) has spent many hours trying to extract the valve stems on the two rear tyres, but alas, no success. He has researched the marketplace and specialist tyre manufacturers, only to find that the firm who manufactured this brand and design of Beach Wheelchair has closed down."
Above: The THPA owned Disabled Persons Beach Wheelchair to be repaired gratis by Phil Morton at the Tuross Service Station.
John continues "Phil Morton has now tracked down a Beach Wheelchair sales agent in Queensland who is familiar with the design of the THPA owned wheelchair, as by coincidence this agent previously worked for the former company that made the THPA owned wheelchair. It transpires that this agent has in stock the last remaining three beach wheelchair wheels (rims fitted with tubes and tyres) that will fit our THPA wheelchair without modification."
"The rough end of the pineapple is that each wheel rim & tyre set costs $250 each plus freight costs. The THPA Executive has agreed to the expenditure of up to $550 to purchase the two new beach wheelchair wheel rims and tyres so that the Tuross Head Service Station can repair the THPA Beach Wheelchair and get it back into service before November 2018."
