John Green loves giving people the opportunity to see old machines that were once part of farm life, but are less common these days.
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The Osterley man received a NSW Heritage Volunteers Award recently that recognised the benefit his passion for restoring vintage tractors had on promoting the value of heritage in the community.
“It was quite a surprise,” Mr Green said.
“It’s nice particularly when you travel all over the countryside to promote heritage and keep junior members of the community interested.”
Mr Green has restored vintage tractors for the past 15 years and specialises in Massey Fergusons.
His father used Massey Ferguson tractors for work on the family farm when Mr Green was a young boy 50 years ago.
Mr Green’s machines have been displayed at events across the Hunter, including Maitland Toyota Steamfest and Dungog’s Tractor Trek.
He said the greatest reward came from seeing the happiness on young children’s faces when they saw the old machines up close.
“They get so excited because you just don’t see them [Massey Ferguson tractors] around as much as you used to.
“They’ve gone by the wayside and that’s why it’s important to preserve them or they will be gone forever.”
It takes Mr Green about three months to restore a tractor to full working condition if he has the parts he needs.
The NSW government introduced the Heritage Volunteer Awards program in 2002 to acknowledge community-based people and initiatives that promoted heritage value.
This year’s recipients were selected by the NSW Heritage Council and the winners were named last week.
