Collection of a lifetime to go under the hammer

HUNDREDS of pieces of machinery, tractors, vehicles, and parts collected over a lifetime will go on the market at a clearing sale at Southbrook on Saturday.

UNDER THE HAMMER: Helping Laurel Cornford get everything ready for Saturday’s clearing sale was son-in-law Trent Twidale, pictured here with a Fiat 80R tractor.

HUNDREDS of pieces of machinery, tractors, vehicles, and parts collected over a lifetime will go on the market at a clearing sale at Southbrook on Saturday.

The items are part of Ian and Laurel Cornford's collection, sourced over several decades they spent as farmers at Southbrook.

Mrs Cornford has decided to put some of the collection up for sale, following Ian's passing in March 2019.

"I've offered it up for sale basically … because it's of no further use to me and if other people can buy it, take it home, and it brings them happiness … then that's what I'd like," she said.

A clearing sale will be held at Laurel Cornford's this weekend.

Among the bits and pieces are a rare, working Fiat 80R tractor, which "runs well", a Sift TD4 tractor, and a Hanomag diesel tractor, all running.

She said while she was keeping the items that were most special to her and Ian, there would still be plenty on offer on Saturday.

Mrs Cornford said her husband's love of machinery grew from spending time at the Downs Speedway back when races were held at the Toowoomba Showgrounds.

"He became hooked," she said.

Along came their children and Ian took a step back from the speedway, but the love of machinery remained and he always managed to come back from a trip to the dump with more than what he'd dropped off.

Then when their friend Kerry Dwyer died in 1993, a lot of Mr Dwyer's machinery collection ended up "one mile down the road" on their property.

A clearing sale will be held at Laurel Cornford's this weekend.

Once their children had grown up, the couple got more serious about collecting tractors and enjoyed travelling all over to tractor treks.

There will be nearly 400 lots on offer at Saturday's clearing sale, and the auction will be held simultaneously on site and online through NASCO, giving people who are unable to travel across borders due to COVID-19 restrictions the opportunity to take part.

The sale will start from 9am at 479 Cornford Rd, Southbrook, with the main auction to begin at 11am.

Ray White Rural Pittsworth's Matt Cleary encouraged people to pre-register with his office by 4pm on Friday as there was a 500 person limit due to COVID-19 restrictions.

For more information, head to https://raywhitepittsworth.com.au/current-clearing-sales/about. Items are available for inspection from 10am to 2pm on Friday.

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