I'm not as old as you geezers but when i think of Bush champions i think of Adavale Hornet. No world beater but a fantastic story . If you look at old Phil Pursers site you'll find an interesting story on the Toowoomba champ.
Bought for $1 and won over half a million. Trained by a little Aussie battler who used to float the horse from track to track who sometimes slept in an adjacent stable in his swag. Won a stack of Country cups and won in town on a few occasions.
These stories and the Joe Janiak tales is what keeps us dreaming