Mixed emotions as burnt-out bus scrapped

Photo by Ben Guild
Photo by Ben Guild

Colin Hitchcox, of Oamaru, had mixed emotions yesterday morning as a crane lifted his fire-ravaged 1966 Bedford bus from his mother's France St property.

The bus, which Mr Hitchcox had slowly modified and normally slept in, was engulfed in flames at about 3am on October 3.

Mr Hitchcox, who has inclusion body myositis - an inflammatory muscle disease characterised by progressive weakness and wasting of muscles - was both happy and sad to see the bus taken away.

"It's a bit of a shame," he said. "I loved that bus. It was my home."

Some good had come out of the ordeal.

The incident had led to Mr Hitchcox discovering two older people in Oamaru had the same rare disease, and he planned to meet them.

His mother, Honey Wilson, was grateful for the generosity of local people who gave money and supplies to the former mechanical engineer.

A replacement bus has been found through a friend of Mrs Wilson and purchased for a very reasonable price, and Mr Hitchcox is looking forward to the challenge of adapting it.

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