I still remember the exact place I was standing and the exact moment as a young child that I first heard the name of an adventurous-sounding machine called, “Land Rover”, visualizing the scenes as I heard tales of traversing difficult terrain in deepest Africa where few vehicles could go and few sojourners would venture.
It was not in a Tintin story, nor even a Richard Scarry book, though those connections would come in time, as would the slideshows documenting the journeys of daily life far across the sea in years gone by, bringing the first-hand accounts to life. My grandparents had a series 2a 109″ very similar to Poppy in the early 60s. Theirs was equipped with a pickup cab, tropical roof, and canvas back.
In that era and in that area Land Rovers were necessary to travel most times of the year. In the dry season my grandparents would leave the farm and live out of the back of the rover for several weeks each year, driving out to visit remote villages with supplies. Having grandparents on all sides with farming roots the agricultural workhorse or tractor-like nature of the old rovers is also very familiar––and fitting.
