<<Rewind 2019: Men of Maffra

In-depth

8 Sep

Prologue: It’s a long way from MooTown to Maffra in Victoria’s Gippsland – around a five and a half hours drive. Add to this the fact that the East Gippsland Heritage Truck Display has always coincided with the Castlemaine Truck Show - which I’ve been attending since before Keith Richards picked up a guitar - and I’ve always had reason not to attend.

**Marg and Terry Whelan had been pestering me for years to get to Maffra**

This year though, the Maffra boys moved their gig forward a week and I really had no excuse not to go. This is the sixth annual East Gippsland Heritage Truck Display - the brainchild of Steve Bragg and John Burley.

. . . . .

The ATHS sanctioned event featured logging trucks and the paddock was littered with newish, old and older vehicles that have spent their lives in the bush. I’m amazed at how well these trucks clean up for shows such as this – a testament to the care given them by their owners.

Before I got to the timber jinkers though, I met Norm Johnston from Longford, and the 1989 Scania which has been his for the past eight years. Norm is a bit of a tractor nut, owning 54 of them. With an 11 litre turbo motor putting out 360 horses, Norm uses the truck to cart his tractors from show to show and finds the Scania very economical. “It keeps up with the latest Kenworths,” he reckons.

**Norm with his tractor carting Scania**

Norm grew up and worked on tractors all his life. He was the Case - IH dealer in the area for a number of years and has owned workshops doing farm tractor repairs, which has migrated into tractor restoration these days.

Does your wife love you? “Well, she knows I’m not down at the pub as I’m always in the shed. I made a mistake collecting tractors. If I’d collected matchbox toys I wouldn’t have needed big sheds and I wouldn’t have needed big trucks.”

Norm can fit three tractors on his trailer – leaving the other 51 lonely at home.

Next in line was Kial Vandam with a neat 1979 W model Kenworth with one of the first Big Cam 400 Cummins. The accompanying Jinker was one of the first tri-axle Jinkers that Gary Kennedy from Bairnsdale built. Gary has done well in the area given 90% of the timber jinkers on display were built by him.

The truck has been in the family for some 32 years. “My grandfather bought it before I was born. It had been doing road train work before then.”

Until six years ago it spent its working life in the East Gippsland forests up around Omeo. Logging has been in the family a long time with Kial being the fourth generation working in the industry. At age 20 Kyle is driving around on P plates, having obtained his license this year.

The family has eight trucks - four Mack Super liners, a Western Star 4900 and two Kenworths - a 658 and a T909. The family cuts Alpine ash, which is a high-quality and sought-after log.

It takes about 40 minutes to load a B-double with logs from the Coop. There is a mechanical harvester which is built for felling the trees, then a skidder drags the wood up the bush, barks it and cuts it to length and then an excavator stacks it. The logs are graded between A and D which is Kial’s current responsibility.

The W Model was last painted some 15 years ago and looks in terrific condition given the working life it has had. The truck is 120 ton rated and sports double chassis rails. “She’s a tough old girl that’s for sure. Everything in the truck works – the dials, the lot.”

One of Des Walker’s trucks bears thee moniker ‘Julie Anne’ to keep her happy because, “she is the minister of finance,” says Des.

“That’s right and the bank is closed at the moment. No more applications will be taken.”

Does he get a petrol allowance? “A very small one. That way he can’t jump in and run away from me.”

**Julie, the Minister of Finance, and Des, the Spender**

As well as Julie’s truck, Des also has a sweet 1958 Diamond T that once carted Allen’s Sweets to Sydney and Brisbane. Subbing for TNT, the company demanded it be in their colours and so both the rig and the McGrath trailer (also circa 1958) retain the TNT livery. Des got an OBE a fortnight ago. “Over Bloody Eighty.”

Kevin Siddle has a new toy in the shape of a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 1425. “I bought it out of Bundaberg. It was a bit dull when I first got it so I re-sprayed it, stripped the cab and so forth. I’m happy with the result.”

Unlike the rest of the truck, the motor – with only 720,000km on the clock -was in terrific condition and Kevin hasn’t touched it.

**Kevin Siddle with son Paul and his 1425.**

Why a Mercedes? “My dad and uncle drove those years ago and I just like them. I love the sound and the shape of them.” Kevin has owned the truck for two years. He currently drives a tanker for Evans Petroleum, but “I just wanted something to have a bit of fun with and to show it off. Like every other Truckie in the World.”

ANC Forestry trucks Workshop Manager is Jack Elfring. He is the man who makes sure the trucks are reliable. “The trucks get pulled up and if something wrong it’s my head that is on the chopping block. We take a lot of pride in the fleet. We try to be industry leaders.”

**ANC's workshop manager, Jack Elfring.**

The three trucks and trailers they bought along certainly reflect that commitment - a T909, K200 and a 659 twin steer (which gives an extra 3 ton in payload). There are around 40 trucks all up in the fleet and owner, Darrell Hutton, is committed to around three new trucks per year. All work on the trucks is done in-house, including paint, panels and stainless additions.

Brad Weller’s kids and their mates lined up for a pic in front of his Cummins powered T909. His is a one truck business. “I do a bit of work for ANC as well as other things for myself. I’m trying to put the media stuff behind me,” referring to the government’s plans to close down logging in the area in 10 years’ time.

**L-R. Rydah, Ethan, Braxton, Landon, Gracie and Eddison with Brad Weller's T909 logger.**

The 2015 909 has been Brad’s for 18months. “It was a dream to have one of these. I just had to do it. I bought a new set of trailers for it just a month ago.” (Kennedy Trailers should be shouting the bar at this show, such is their dominance.)

Brad has been driving 15 years - the last 10 in the bush. “The bloke I bought this off retired, and I bought it with a job and a good contract so everything fell into place. The truck is worth more than my house.”

**Kyle Lay with one of Blair Campbell's 909's.**

Kyle Lay is also driving a T909 which seems to be the truck of choice for the logging industry down this way. He works for Blair Campbell out of Bruthen near Bairnsdale. Before driving he was a plumber by trade, worked in a mill for a bit and drove stock crates. “Working in the bush was something I’d always thought about doing. You can make a reasonable living doing it which was a big drawcard.”

If Koroit Truck Show (Australia Day weekend) has the West of Victoria covered, then Maffra has the East. It is well worth the effort to get on down there.