24/09/2026
Today people might look at this photo and see only an old truck carrying a tank. But hidden is a story of a young teenager helping build wartime infrastructure, a family of 11 kids learning the value of hard work, a house cow that helped daily life, and a country making do during some of the most challenging years in history. A time where nearly everything was built by hand, and earned through effort.
This photo was taken during world war II in Sale. It’s a tank for aircraft fuel for the RAAF base in Sale when it opened. The tank is black because it was covered in tar to stop it from rusting. The driver pictured is Charlie Dyer – Graeme’s eldest brother and the second eldest of the 11 Dyer kids. Charlie was only 15 or 16 at the time and because he was so tall he could easily pass as an 18 year old on the roads. The truck was a Morris. It was allowed to cart 10 tonne if it had a semi trailer behind it. The semi trailer had no brakes of its own, and the trucks brakes weren’t that great either. In Graeme’s words “you were stuffed if you had to stop!” The semi trailer itself was homemade and built of timber. ‘It’s amazing really’ says Graeme. Cranes weren’t a thing back then, so moving tanks like this took skill and a lot of courage. The tank would be rolled up with a board of wood while a couple of trucks pulled it up with a couple of ropes. The trick was not pulling too quickly though as it would roll straight off and over the other side!
A different kind of wartime story..
The paddock visible across the road in the photo held another important piece of Dyer family history. For those that are local, this is Fitzroy St in Sale which is now the centre of town and full of houses. Graeme’s parents and their 11 kids rented this land for about 5 pounds a year to keep a house cow. 5 pounds is roughly equivalent to $500 in today’s money. Graeme had the job of milking the cow, 2 times a day – before and after school. At first Graeme helped his mum by learning how to milk the cow to help make it easier for her, to lighten her load as she already had 11 kids to look after. When his mother passed away, Graeme was left with this responsibility.
Food rationing during wartime meant everyday items were restricted. Families were issued ration tickets that controlled how much they could purchase each week. But thanks to the house cow, the Dyer family always had fresh milk, cream and butter. Making butter was no easy task. The cream had to be separated from the milk and then worked and churned until it finally turned into butter. It was a labour intensive task that was just normal life back then. The Dyer family often traded milk cream and butter with others. Graeme remembers his dad being an excellent veggie grower and an incredibly hard worker. They lived surprisingly well compared with other families struggling through the shortages of the war years.
There wasn’t enough sugar to go round back then, but Graeme’e Dad used to have 6 teaspoons of sugar in his tea. ‘He lived to 90 so that’s the other side of the story!’ says Graeme.
The RAAF base in East Sale officially opened in April 1943 as a training base during World War II. A few interesting local facts:
- The Commonwealth selected the East Sale site in 1942, with construction occurring between 1942 and 1944.
- The aerodrome was deliberately designed with a “village scheme” appearance to help camouflage its military purpose during the war.
- More than 3,000 aircrew were trained there during World War II.
- The base remains one of the RAAF’s primary training establishments today and is home to the Roulettes aerobatic display team, the Officer’s Training School, Central Flying School, and several other training units.
