"So, why aren’t I sitting in a chair, blanket across my knees and sipping tea like most other Grandmothers?" asks Judith Azzopardi.

"Not for me, I’m a Humpy Fan through and through and it has become a family affair!"

Judith, a Club Member since 1997 and a Committee Member for 10 years, has had an interest in 48's and FJ’s since childhood. Her parents owned an FJ Sedan and it had served for years as family transport. When her father passed away, the FJ was given to her now husband John and it then became their first family car.

Years later when husband John retired, he was finally able to indulge himself with an interest that had fascinated him all his life and that was the restoration of classic cars.

He purchased an FJ Sedan as his first project and of course, years of memories came back to Judith and she was hooked as well. "Well what could I do? I was right behind John throughout the rebuilding of the FJ and couldn’t wait for it to be back on the road" said Judith.

Vince, the Azzopardi’s son, started to develop an interest in Humpies, having spent many hours assisting his Dad in the garage, often late into the night.

Around this time, Judith and John decided that they really needed to belong to a club, and their association with the 48 & FJ Holden Owners Club of NSW began.

"We really needed to belong to a club where members could impart the information we needed when rebuilding the FJ, and the 48ers really filled that need" Judith said. "It was a club that catered solely to unmodified cars as closely as possible, and the knowledge held by some of the older members was invaluable. With their help and assistance the FJ was back on the road much quicker than would otherwise have been the case"

Judith loved the club runs and the companionship of the members and their families. She was a keen passenger on those runs, as was son Vince, and John even let her drive occasionally on some of the weekends away. "The FJ really became part of my life" she enthused.

The chance to actually own a car of her own came quite unexpectedly in 1999. "John and I were in South Australia attending the Bay to Birdwood Rally when we heard that a club member was about to sell his 48-215" Judith explained. Vince was despatched to cast an eye over the car and report back. "He liked the car and suggested we return as soon as possible to look over it ourselves. The then owner didn’t want to accept a deposit, being only too glad to see the car possibly stay in the club." Judith and John made a hasty return to Sydney to have a look for themselves, and of course the story is now history.

It’s funny how Humpies take on a life of their own. The previous owner had nicknamed the car "Speedy", which didn’t really suit Judith, so "Speedy" became "Matilda" or "Tilly" for short. "A much more sedate name in keeping with the new owner" Judith laughed.

And so John began another restoration with an even more enthusiastic Judith urging him on. Tilly was stripped back to bare metal and a complete rebuild ensued. She was, after all, feeling a little sad with many thousands of miles beneath her wheels. John’s rebuild brought Tilly back to better than new.

"I was absolutely thrilled to get Tilly back on the road and she has performed faultlessly over the years," remarked Judith, "and it holds the road really well and can keep up with modern city traffic without any trouble at all."

Judith applied to have Tilly registered under the Club’s Historic Plate Scheme and she proudly held the number plate 006. With the later upgrade of the Historic Plate Scheme she was registered under a new plate.

"I have driven Tilly all over the east coast of Australia since she has been back on the road and she is still quite comfortable on the longer trips."

In 2006 the club undertook another trip to South Australia for the Bay to Birdwood Rally and Tilly went along. This was a nice touch, since Judith’s opportunity to own Tilly came to pass on a similar trip years before.

So what is the attraction to these cars for Judith?

"I guess it’s the nostalgia of driving a great Australian car, Holden’s first car. It’s the step back in time, the sound of the "grey" six in line motor and the column gear change and the overall simplicity of the car in general. Modern cars, no matter how wonderful they are just don’t have that feel"

Judith is a dedicated Committee Member of the 48 & FJ Holden Owners Club NSW and currently is the Club’s Magazine Editor. She and John live in Sydney’s Western Suburbs.