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A Tribute to a Great Guy

 

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Sgt, Brian (Spider) Webb    (Retd.)

Spider leading the parade of the 1st Armoured Regiment at Tongala

The flag was presented to Spider on his retirement of over 30 years with the 1st Armoured Regiment

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Enjoying the dinner at Tongala

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Some that shared the dinner with Spider.

L to R: Don Weedon - John Clifford - Ian Laurie - Col Filtness - Brian (Spider) Webb

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Spider's Gun

This gun has been for many years displayed at the local sports ground, and on Anzac Day Spider would place a small charge in it and then fill it with sweets and lollies and fire it into the air.

This was always appreciated by the crowd and especially the children.

This year the gun has been removed and restored, repainted and all the brass work repolished.

Last week Spider with his Centurion crowbar (what else?) was breaking up the concrete base to have a new one poured when he suffered a stroke.

He managed to get to his car and drive home, where he rang his doctor, who ordered him straight to Mansfield, then to Benalla and finally to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where he was examined last Friday and had an operation on Sunday for a blocked artery in his neck.

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Here he is four days later looking as good as ever -- a tough old bird!

Spider joined the 1st Armoured Regiment three years before me around 1952, served on just about every Centurion in the Regiment and most of the other vehicles as well.

He served in Vietnam and on returned stayed with the Regiment till he retired, a great record. On his retirement he was presented with the Regiment Flag which he carried on Anzac Day

I asked him what he would do now as he was not allowed to carry the flag anymore due to his health and the flag weight. He replied he would have a mate carry it.

So I presented him with a 1st Armoured Regiment Swagger stick that I make, and on this one I had the Vietnam medal ribbons as he was a Vietnam Veteran.

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It went straight up onto the display

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Spiders Vincent Black Shadow that he owned when in the Regiment.

The Vincent was an elite bike and the top of the range in the early 1950's

at 1000 cc's it was one of the biggest available the other was the Ariel Square 4

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Here is a better picture of the Black Shadow

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Paratus Heights at Bonnie Doone - note the Tac signs

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The driveway looks a lot like M113 track pads!

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Spiders Roofline and this does not show all of them - you may guess that he is into amateur radio transmission.

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Yep and they all work - how the hell he knows what is connected to what I do not know.

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Another one of Spiders pride and joys

The house is bursting with memorabilia

As well as his stroke, while in hospital and having tests done they found an aneurism behind his left knee that will have him back in hospital for another operation in about 4 weeks. They also found this right knee is in a bad way as are both his feet. I asked what was wrong with his feet and he said, "A bloody Centurion drove over them". Yep he had been standing between two cents when one started, he could not tell which one but soon found out a sit took off, doing considerable damage to Spiders feet. That will also mean another trip into hospital. I am quite sure the only way this tough old guy will die is from old age.

Anyway old mate, get well soon.

 

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