‘Over and above’ — 38 of 40 Burekup tractors sell to buyers including New York and England collectors

A collection of vintage tractors in the shed of a South West farm has captured the attention of the world as collectors across the globe went head to head to snap up the machines at auction on Saturday. After 40 years collecting and restoring old tractors, Burekup’s Greg Baker said goodbye to all but two of them at the weekend as bidders from overseas and around WA snapped them up. One will soon be shipped to New York and another to England, after buyers phoned in — at 1am England time — to get their hands on the rare models. Local competition was fierce too, with farmers travelling from as far as Esperance and Geraldton to throw their hat in the ring for one — or two — of the 40 tractors. The local Burekup Cricket Club was in charge of the barbecue, selling 90 bacon and egg rolls to punters. Come lunch time, they even sold out of snags. They almost sold out of tractors too, with 38 out of 40 sold by Elders. Mr Baker was pleased with the turnout and hoped they would give other collectors as much joy as they had given him over the years. “It went over and above what I expected,” he said. “I’m happy all-round.” The impressive collection included Australian-made and international models, including Chamberlains, John Deeres, Caterpillars, Fordsons and Bulldogs. Most of the machines have left Burekup, with about 10 left to be picked up, while the tandem Chamberlain will be headed to New York and the Fordson half track is headed to England. As for what comes next, Mr Baker has his sights set on a different kind of machine. “It’s time to buy the muscle car and buy a cup of coffee and relax for a change,” he laughed. And the last two left — a 1968 Chamberlain 6G and 1954 Fordson Power Major — will likely take up residence on his son-in-law’s Donnybrook farm for him to restore with his son.