Graham ‘Kermie’ Harsant

I grew up in a Victorian country town where the main street reverberated to the constant stream of Timber Jinkers rolling through. My career though, took me down the path of mainstream advertising sales and marketing, working for numerous media – television, radio and magazines.

Fifteen years ago, just one week after joining Truckin’ Life in an Ad sales capacity, I was asked to cover a truck show and present The Rig of the Year award. This led to the odd trucking story being submitted. Three years later I ‘fell’ into full-time writing of Truckies and Trucking for that publication. Ten years back I was ‘head hunted’ by Big Rigs and have happily fulfilled my love of relating stories about the industry ever since.

There’s the trucks – both old and new. There’s industry events. But most of all there have been the people behind the wheel that have so willingly imparted their personal stories to me so that I may share their road with the wider world.

In conjunction with these features, I have written a regular column, Life with Kermie,which has, by and large, been my personal story over those ten years.

Early on I decided that the column would diverge away from transport related issues,as the paper was obviously full of them. But what to write about? My wife, Rita suggested that I should talk about the daily events that occurred in my own personal space. “You’ve never had a problem yakking. Put it down on paper.”

Like many, I thought my life pretty boring. Sure I got up to a bit when I was younger,but those days have long passed me by. I’m just an ordinary bloke leading an ordinary existence.

With no other ideas coming forth I followed her advice, and so it has continued for the past ten years. The Life with Kermie columns have talked about my family,friends, holidays, good times and bad, happiness and sadness - sprinkled with truck related stories.

I’ve been told by many that they relate to my meanderings in their own way. Working to a deadline has forced me to look at my life through a microscope. At times I sit in front of the keyboard, totally bereft of any ideas - some fortnights are pretty bloody boring! There have been times when half a bottle of Scotch has been well and truly behind my creative efforts. At other times someone can say a single word or sentence and it will strike a chord, expanding into my column in the space of an hour.

Look closely at your life and you will quickly realise that no-one is boring. Ourexistence is made up of so many daily occurrences that we forget most of them.

Now, with the demise of Big Rigs, there is a new stretch of Blacktop to travel. This time on-line with Truckin with Kermie. I trust you will come along for the ride.

Cheers…Kermie