Very well put Gaddy!
I had my ute for less than 3 yrs, but I have a lot of great memories from the relatively short time I owned it. My fiance at the time (now my wife), and I drove it all over NSW. Never had a problem with it, I reckon the air conditioning was the best accessory I fitted to it, given the amount of dirt road's we travelled on. You could drive them anywhere then, and we did.
I tend to forget sometime's the great fun we had on our trip's, because life's drama's happen. I traded it late in 81, and in doing so was a step toward's where we are today, just like many other's have done.