Hey Phil Matthews, one for your collection

Thanks Chris, I don't have that one. I found a few other good ones in the Mercury archives in Wollongong library when I was there last year, but haven't seen that one.

Harry Clegg was the first VW dealer in Wollongong. His first dealership opened in the late 1950s. It was little more than a service station, located at the corner of Crown St and Harbour St, opposite what is today WIN stadium. He moved out in the early 1960s, and at some stage later the site was bulldozed and rebuilt. Today it is the Chickos chicken burger shop.

Cleggs moved in 1961 to a new larger site on the corner of Flinders and Campbell St, in what was the 'auto alley' of Wollongong. There was apparently quite a festive opening, with bunting and balloons, and one of those 'wire frame body' display VWs that used to be seen at motor shows. Directors from LNC Industries came down for the opeing, including then boss Doug Donaldson. I found the article on the opening in the Mercury.

The following year Cleggs were taken over by LNC Industries and their VW dealer subsidiary, Lanock Motors. Cleggs Motors was renamed to Lanock Motors (South Coast) Pty Ltd. Lanock Motors also opened a second premises in Wollongong, a service worksihop on Auburn St. Lanock Motors occupied both sites all through the 1960s and 1970s. The Auburn St site remained longer, closing in the late 1980s. It was later bulldozed and today is an industrial unit block.

The former Cleggs / Lanock sales outlet on Flinders & Campbell St closed in the early 1980s. The original site buildings still exist today, and is a Video Ezy store. The frame of the large 'EZY GONG' sign is also original, and used to say LANOCK MOTORS. There was a large internally lit 'lollypop' VW sign on the corner, about where the 'VET' sign is, but the road has been widened over the years and the frontage area is smaller today.

Back in the days before car enthusiasts became nasty antisocial hoons the local papers south coast times and the mercury used to have a motorist pages. Wollongong sporting car club, the speedway club (we had a track at kembla grange) and a whole host of other clubs had articles in there every week. This ad came from a WSCC clipping. This is the only in tact ad I have seen. There are heaps of Lanocks ads but the are all chopped off. They are mostly used car ads, nothing really with new VW sales.

Do you have any pics of the wollongong dealerships? When did Lanocks pull out of Wollonong? I stop at the video ezy roundabout every day.

This is what Cleggs looked like when they first moved into what is now Video Ezy.

And like this after they became Lanock Motors. Scanned from a newspaper - sorry about the shite quality.

I bought my first car from Lanock in 1966. A used 1962 beetle with a black flash kit and heaps of rust! I remember it well just like it is in the last photo.

rehards

Old Hutcho

Heaps of rust and it was only 4 years old ??