MY first car, costing £635, was an Almond Green Morris 1000 Traveller, registration 480 WTN. It was bought brand spanking new in 1962 from Buist's garage off the Coast Road at Longbenton.

I was aged 19 years and had not yet learned to drive.

My father had died when I was almost 15 and his estate paid for the car. It was called a Morris 1000, but it was really 1100cc. It was the first model to be upgraded.

The Northern Echo: Malcolm Rolling for a my first car feature. Picture: TOM BANKS (31571000)
Malcolm Rolling

I quickly learned to drive as I had lessons with uncles. I had one professional lesson in my Morris and the tutor said that I would pass no problems and I did. I took my driving test in Durham at 9am. The city was gridlocked even in those days at rush hour, but I just bided my time, waited and passed first time.

I attended technical college at Newcastle four times a week and the car was a Godsend. I did most of my courting in this car; taught my future wife to drive and went on honeymoon to Bamburgh in it. Then it was full of kids and my gundog, shooting mates and rugby mates. I loved my Morris and had it for 11 years and it did 65,000 miles before I scrapped it after two MOT failures - the nasty winter of 1962-63 taking it's toll on the captive box sections. I used to do my own welding and was quite good at 'dressmaking in steel'.

I gave a rugby mate a lift home in it when it was quite old and he said it reminded him of a barge holiday on the Norfolk Broads with the smell of varnish, petrol and a bit of wood rot! My wife and I even had his and hers Morris 1000's later on. We had four in all.