Just my take on the deal. To cover the urban risks, HV needed a "P" appliance, so I guess the nearest suitable was Clarendon. In a "you scratch mine..." deal, have swapped HV34 for CL24P while HV Pumper is offline. HV are then using region spare 34 for rural jobs (old Sellicks 34). Wouldn't have thought Clarendon would have been too keen to hand over their twin cab 24P for an old clunker 34, just to satisfy HV's needs.
Probably figured that the 34 probably wouldn't get a lot of use this time of year...only to be followed by a spate of 4 or 5 grassies in as many days.