Stitch buses

[charles sitch]

Hi my father and grandfather operated Sitch bus services in the western suburbs of melbourne for 60 years until 1987. I drive for dad for many years. I am trying to locate any old photos of the buses in the Sitch livery. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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[Bedford-29]

I got one picture if you are interested.Picture Andrew Potts collection

[charles sitch]

Many thanks andrew really appreciate it. That bus was numbered either 21 or 42


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[funbus]

Some of what have been on the forum before! I like the old Blue Ribbon bus 2 buses back in the first photo too, oh and the orange V line in the background!

[charles sitch]

Many many thanks. Brings back a lot if memories


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[stajourneyman]

What's funny here is that almost everybody living in the Melbourne western suburbs referred to them as 'Stitch' buses.

On this occasion a family member has inadvertently done the same!

[LocoLes]

Hi Charles,
I have some B & W photos of Sitch buses taken with my Brownie camera in January 1961 of the then fleet which consisted mainly of Bedford 7SB CAC buses [ built between 1957-1960]. The most recent bus was number 12 and was almost brand new. It was photographed in the depot. I was intrigued at the time by the fact that the passenger door was removed from all the Sitch buses from new and would not be very pleasant sitting in the first row of seats behind the entrance door on rainy days! I was a lad of 16 years when I asked the local manager [one of your relatives?] if I would be permitted to take some photos of the fleet and was treated very kindly indeed [it seems the old days were the friendly days] as I even got a cup of tea. Other photos were taken in Footscray.
I will scan them for you and post them this weekend.
Kind regards, Les.

[LocoLes]

Charles, Here are my Sitch Bus Services [Footscray-Sunshine] photos including one of Graingers' similar Bedford 7SB. The buses in the depot yard included #12 which was only a few months old when photographed in Jan. 1961. Other buses where active in Paisley Street. Footscray. Hope you like them, regards Les.
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-13532
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-13533
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-13538
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-13539
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-13540
http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-13541

[Quigosgirl]

Hi Charles. Just saw your article requesting pictures of buses from your families company . My father was a great friend of Charlie Sitch & drove for the company as a coach driver in the seventies. He died very young at the age of 50 & at the time the company had ordered a brand new coach but unfortunately dad didnt get to drive it but as a tribute to him they had the name Quigo painted on the side of the bus. Charlie Sitch was a fantastic man & continued to be there for us long after my dad passed away. He even helped my brothers organise my dads funeral. They had a long friendship & I will never forget the kindness that Charlie Sitch showed myself, my mum & my four brothers. I might add that 3 of my brothers also worked for the company. I have very fond memories of going to the depot with dad then having a swim at Sunshine Pool just over the fence. I hope you get to read this because its my way of paying tribute to him. Kindest regards Teresa

[charles sitch]

Teresa.
How wonderful to read your note. I remember "Quig" so well and the coach they named after him. Your Dad taught me how to drive a bus-with norm mcarthur. I was depot starter with your dad in 1977 when I was 18 and really wet behind then ears. All this depot starters were my heroes, Frank Harrison, Arthur Gatty, Junior, Charlie and Slippery. They bought me my first beer at the Braybrook and with their incredible sense of humour taught me so much. I also remember when my Dad got heard that your Dad was terminally ill. He just sobbed. Completely and utterly devasted. BTW I was able to catch up with Tom Styles last year- took him to the grand final. Another great busman. Thanks again Teresa.
Cant tell you how much I appreciate it.
Charles

[charles sitch]

Many thanks Les - I haven't been on this site for a few years - really appreciate the photos!! fabulous and thanks too stajourney man- your right Ive spent my whole life taking the extra out of my surname- shouldnt have made that mistake. thanks again.

[Quigosgirl]

Haha. Yes I remember all of dads co-workers. Great bunch of genuine blokes. Such great memories of dad driving for Sitch. He was so proud to work for your dad & loved every minute of it. I really appreciate your kind words. I guess we both have great memories of our wonderful dads. Thanks again Charles.

[stajourneyman]

G'day Charles

I remember your dad, and Tom Styles, very well.

I still remember riding my pushbike to the Sunshine depot on Melbourne Cup Day in 1970.

I was just a boy, 12 years of age at the time.

I had only become interested in buses a year or so earlier.

When I turned up there, they took me around the depot and showed me all the buses in the yard.

Then, joy of joys, they loaded me up with all the old Truck and Bus magazines and Bus and Coach News Sheets they could find.

In fact those very same Bus and Coach News Sheets, I still have sitting behind me in a filing cabinet to this day!

This was actually the day that I officially became fanatically interested in buses!

I could barely carry them all home on my bike.

Of course, upon returning home, I forensically disected every bit of information contained within their covers.

I was a regular visitor there, and was always made to feel welcome by them.

After a while, and knowing that I knew a lot of what was going on at the rival Frank Bono operation, they would often pick my brains for information on what was currently going on at that location.

Mate, I sung like a canary !!

They were fun times!

From memory, Charlie's home was a large spread half way up the Avondale Heights hill on the left hand side.

He also drove a big white current model Mercedes Benz car in the 70s..

I've never thought of it before, but it must have been slightly irksome having Frank Bono's buses on route 406 going past his front door day and night seven days a week!

Another highlight for me was when they invited me to go (free of charge) to the 1972 Bus-a-thon held at Pakenham Racecourse.

This was an annual event where most Melbourne bus operators would take pensioners on a day outing each year.

It was also an opportunity for the operators to show off their latest vehicles (to each other).

That day, I learned that you didn't need to die to go to 'bus heaven' !!

Some minor Sitch events included the long awaited (by me, anyway) delivery of their very smart Comair VAM70s to Sunshine (after having put up with the annoying Comair SBs for so long!!).

The phasing in of the coach colour scheme as the bus livery was another moment, as well as fleet no. 34 LEY.880 as the first automatic Bedford in the fleet, and possibly the first auto Bedford in Australia ??

From memory, there are more photos of the Sitch fleet elsewhere on this board showing photos of the Comair VAMs.

Could somebody please provide the link?

[system improver]

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=37596&p=438204&hilit=sitch#p438204

[stajourneyman]

viewtopic.php?f=43&t=78960&p=984508&hilit=sitch#p984508

Some Sitch discussion and photos throughout this page.

[charles sitch]

StajourneymAm. Thank you so much for your wonderful post. Wonderful. I drove the vam 70's for five years on 410. Swinging into Ballarat Rd from duke st and turning right I felt like a king at age 20. They were indeed a beautiful bus. We had two in the route and I saw one of them being used as a camping vehicle just a couple of years ago. Many many thanks. Charles sitch


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[funbus]

Just curious to know what the location of their bus depot was

[MAN 16.242]

Just curious to know what the location of their bus depot was

Which one? The old Sunshine one was at 2 Service Rd and the buildings are still there today.

[charles sitch]

Yep service st sunshine . Next to the sunshine pool.


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[Hursty]

The Ex SITCH bus 1958 SB Curved Screen Bedford, GWY-626 has been saved and is currently being restored to a motorhome.

Pictured when located in 2016



Pictured early 2017

[charles sitch]

Many thanks hursty. Charles sitch


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[StephenS]

For me, as an Avondale lad who went to school in Maribyrnong and hung out in Sunshine, Sitch buses were always part of the background colour growing up. I don't have any pictures but know there is a nice scene in the 1980's TV show Henderson Kids II where the kids hop on a Sitch Bus outside their school in Williamstown.

[charles sitch]

Locoles. Would it be possible for me to get copies of these photos? Many thanks. Charles


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