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The storyteller
I’m going to show you around my home, the General Store.
I was chosen as the General Store’s mascot because I’m bright, friendly and orange — just like the team uniforms.
But I’m more than a colour. I’m a little piece of the Hills: the orchards, farms, hobby farms and country properties that have helped make Upper Beaconsfield what it is.
I’m not just a tractor. I’m a little piece of the Hills.
Chug is an early-1940s tractor — the same era when the General Store’s life at its current home was gathering pace.
The store had moved to Beaconsfield–Emerald Road in 1929, and the Loveridge chapter began in 1938. By the time Chug was built, this was a working country store serving the people of the Hills.
That makes Chug a natural storyteller: he connects the store we enjoy today with the growers, settlers, workers and families who came before us.
Under the orange paint, Chug is an Allis-Chalmers Model B — a practical farm tractor built for everyday work.
Model B tractors were made in different configurations over the years, but they all shared the same useful, no-nonsense spirit.
I’m here to help you look a little closer. Follow the orange trail, find a station and I’ll tell you a short Tractor Tale about the objects, people and moments that shaped this place.