Photos from the Vault 2009

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26 June

Written By Graham 'Kermie' Harsant

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This week we go back to Castlemaine, Victoria and their terrific truck show, run at the end of November each year. Hopefully Covid 19 will have abated to the point where the 2020 show can go ahead. I’m sure many of you are suffering ‘Truck Show Deprivation’.

These photos date back to 2009 when I was still with Truckin’ Life. A couple of years before I had talked the powers that be into having the Rig of the Year at Castlemaine. It worked for the magazine and the Rotary Club of Castlemaine, who run the show were happy to have us on board. It was a win/win. Michelin was the sponsor this year, as they had been for the past couple. Winner of the Rig of the year was Mel and Tammy Blanch from Sailors Falls, with their superb Kenworth T908.

This is what I wrote at the time:

“One had to wonder if R.O.T.Y. stood for Rain-Of-The-Year rather than Rig of the Year at Castlemaine (Vic) on November 21 and 22. The town has been on stage 4 water restrictions for a long time now, but ‘Huey’, who sometimes seems to have a twisted sense of humour, let the rain belt down for a goodly part of the Truck Show weekend. Whilst the locals would have been grateful for the water, it made for a slightly wet-under-foot show.

No Matter. The numbers may have been slightly down compared to past years but that didn’t stop a wonderful exhibition of some of the best trucks on Australian roads from turning up to wow the crowds who attended.

Castlemaine Rotary has been staging the truck show for 21 years now and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes. Central to their efforts has been Russell Timmins who, on the Saturday evening sponsors dinner, was presented with a special award for services rendered to Rotary and the show, as well as a small financial helping hand for his forthcoming Queensland trip. Truckin’Life has certainly been appreciative of Russell’s efforts in helping us stage the Rig of the Year at Castlemaine.

Talking of stages, Keith Thompson of Thompson’s Transport again provided his ‘Truckin’ Life’ curtained B-Double as a stage for the entertainment. Local group Sweet Rock gave, as always, a polished performance of good ole rock n roll off the back of the A trailer. By the time The Prairie Oysters were due to play however, ‘Huey’ was doing his thing so the evening’s entertainment moved indoors. The ‘Oysters’ country rocked the audience away and had so much fun doing it that they played for two hours past their booked time. Bass player, Tony Bonnici’s jibes were loved by the audience who queued up to be the focus of his humorous barbs (and gave back as good as they got). “We love it when we have this sort of interaction with the crowd,” he said. “The trucking fraternity are such a great audience to play to.”

Sunday - the main show day - dawned with heavy rain. This didn’t stop 80 or so rigs lining up for the annual procession down the main street and on to Campbell’s Creek showgrounds. It didn’t stop mums, dads and their kids lining the streets to cheer them on either. It’s a great sight from a truck to see little kids egging you on to pull the horn, and the drivers didn’t disappoint.

Given the lousy weather – and it didn’t ease up until midday – there were 88 trucks entered for the various weekend awards. Best rig under two years was won by Leon and Lee Thorpe of Thorpe Custom Trucks with their amazing Kenworth T908, going by the name of ‘Life’s a Circus’. Taking 18 months to build this is one incredible machine! Powered by a Cummins Signature EGR pumping out 620 hp through an 18 speed 22 series box, the 908 is not just a showpiece but a daily working truck. It commenced its daily Melbourne-Sydney run just after the show so some of you loyal readers will probably have seen it out on the Hume by now. Truckin ’Life will bring you more pictures of ‘Life’s a Circus’ in a future issue.

Tow Recovery vehicles were well represented with Ashley Reeve from Associated Towing winning the category with his T908. Ash made a passing comment about not seeing any tow vehicles in Rig of the Month. Maybe it’s time to put in an entry form Ash.

Kenworth were the dominant brand as winners of most categories. So much so that it’s worth mentioning that Best Rigid was won by Benny Williams of Dromana Fruits with his Volvo FM9 and Best Rig 2-7 years was won by Dave Maloney of Maloney transport with his Western Star 4900.

Best Classic Truck was won by Ian Lee with his Diamond T. A common sight at Victorian truck shows, Ian’s pride and joy is even more noticeable with the mural of Princess Diana on either side of the cab. The job Ian has done with this rig is remarkable with both side of the cab sliding out to give an interior that would put some small caravans to shame. On one side is a single bed and on the other, TV, microwave and toilet with stowage all around. Entry to the sleeper is made easy with a door fitted to the rear of the prime mover.

As always, the last presentation of the day was the Truckin’ Life Rig of the Year Trophy and $10,000 worth of tyres from our ROTY sponsor, Michelin. As regular readers will already know, the recipient this year was Malcolm and Tammy Blanch of Sailors Falls (Vic) who won with their Kenworth T908.

This is Mal’s second time around as ROTY winner having won back in 2000 with a KW K100G 2.9 metre Cab Over. Mal still keeps that copy of Truckin ’Life in pristine condition. “To make Rig of the Month is something special,” says Mal. “to win Rig of the Year, not once but twice, is nothing short of amazing.’

As an owner-driver and like many others at Castlemaine, Mal sees his two trucks as an advertisement for the business. “If you go for a job in a pressed suit you’re going to have more chance of getting it than if you turn up in daggy jeans. It’s no different with our rigs. We also like to think that by keeping the trucks in showroom condition we present the truck industry in a better light to the general public.”

The Castlemaine Truck Show is one of the great events on the trucking calendar. Always well run by the hard working Rotary mob, the whole town welcomes not only the truckies, but also those who attend to see some of the best that the industry has to put on show. Power to you all.

Now will someone – maybe Russ Timmins, have a word with ‘Huey’ about the weather for next year!

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