Why We Need Truck Shows

In-depth

1 Dec

Jeff Leech’s superb W Model, ‘Touch of Class’

For 32 years Castlemaine has staged a truck show in November. Organised by the Rotary Club and aided and abetted by everyone from the Lions to the CFA to the local Police, the town has pulled together to make this event the biggest fundraiser of the year.

Every year over 250 gleaming rigs roll into the showground at Campbell’s Creek, a couple of kilometres out of town, for the two day extravaganza. Some would roll up on the Friday to make the most of the weekend. The Cornwill brothers - Troy, Wayne and Rick from Geelong - have been to every show since its inception. Every year they camp in the same spot, setting up Grandpa’s 80 year old canvas tent. Every year they bring their entire team along for a weekend of R&R. And just about every year they go home with an award or two for one of their superbly presented trucks.

One of Keith Thompson’s trailers is always set up on the oval for the bands to play on, the auction to be held and the presentation of awards. Around the ground are the various tents selling food and drink. Others are displaying Pearl Craft’s superb steering wheels or Brian Marsden’s Zephyr brand of cleaning products, which, from personal experience are bloody brilliant. Like many others Brian must have been doing it tough this year.

**You can get Brian’s products via zephyrproaustralia.com.au They’re bloody good!**

There’s major sponsor, Adtrans, known these days as Usedtrucks.com.au who have supported the show seemingly forever, pulled up in their bright red rig and trailer, passing out caps and offering drinks to all and sundry.

**Usedtrucks.com’s Mick Anic with son, Cooper. Major show sponsor since like forever**

For a number of years Castlemaine hosted Truckin’ Life’s Rig of the Year, an event this writer was proud to have orchestrated. ROTY saw the likes of Jon Kelly’s HHA bring multiple trucks from the other end of the country, simply because, “We just love the atmosphere here.” Winning ROTY more than once (for the first time in the history of the award) may have helped as well.

**L-R: ‘Untouchable’ ‘Lone Ranger’ and ‘Johnny Cash’. Three of John Kelly’s finest.**

Rain, hail or shine, it didn’t matter. The crowds and the trucks always kept turning up. Shows like Castlemaine – aside from greatly aiding charity – are an opportunity for like-minded folk to mix and match, to admire each other’s pride and joy, to relax and have a drink and to bask in the public’s adulation.

And it is this last point that is so important. This is a weekend where the public come and admire the best the industry has to offer. It’s a chance to get up close and personal, for their kids to clamber in and over the trucks on display. There’s the opportunity to talk with drivers and owners and learn something of the trials and tribulations of the business. It’s a chance for the public to realise that the men and women of trucking are just like them – human. It’s an opportunity to take the fear out of trucks.

The general public’s perception of trucks and truckies – thanks in no small part to populist press and TV – is pretty much akin to their perception of The Hells Angels. They regard the industry as full of cowboys who’d run them off the road in the blink of an eye. The trucks are huge and terrifying to most and to the rest it’s a sport where they have to fill the hole in front of the rig or tear out of a side street, cutting it off to get in front because who wants an extra minute added to their travel plans.

**Keith Thompson (Centre) holds court in 2018**

At Castlemaine on the Sunday morning of the truck show, the rigs will all gather at the northern end of town and convoy through the main street. The run back to Campbell’s Creek would be around 7 kilometres and there wouldn’t be a more than a yard without a spectator cheering on the passing parade. From babes in arms to the elderly in wheelchairs, they are all out in force. The littlies are inciting the drivers to blast their horns, the mums and dads in awe of the effort put into these Kings of the Road.

But it’s not just an appreciation of the metal works of art passing by. It’s also pride in what their town can and does do for both the truckies who attend and the charities such an event helps.

The same applies of course to every other truck show in every other town, from Koroit to Casino to Tooradin.

2020 has been hard on everyone for all the obvious reasons. Between health worries, work or lack of it, the separation anxiety many have suffered; there’s not been much to get excited about.

Castlemaine Rotary decided that if they couldn’t have all the bells and whistles they could at least have a bit of a parade. They tied this in with various on-line events running through the week.

Excitement enveloped me at the thought of more than one truck in the same place at the same time. I headed down on the Saturday afternoon to be greeted by…the local cricket team and half a dozen spectators who all left shortly after. I’d hoped a few trucks may have turned up the night before, giving me camaraderie and some much needed stories but alas.

I bunkered down in the back of the Territory overnight, waking to the sound of movement outside the club rooms. Rotary had arrived and were firing up the BBQ for the egg and bacon rolls. Lots of Rotary members – nary a truck. I started to despair of all their hard work going to nought on what had turned out to be a cold and windy morning (unlike the sultry heat of the day before), when in rolled Burdett’s brand new Mack tipper, replete with facsimiles of Dustin Martin’s tattoos down each flank of the cab. For those two of you who don’t know, Dusty Martin is the Richmond Footy Club champ. His signature push away from players when in possession of the ball has long been described as ‘Don’t Argue’, reflected in the Burdett’s number plate. The truck was done up before Richmond won this year’s Grand Final. Luckily for the business the club (and Dusty who won his third Norm Smith Medal for BOG) came to the party.

Others rolled in. Well known Castlemaine trucking family, the Leech’s brought along a few trucks, including Owen Leech’s recently restored 1966 Inter R200 which won Truck of the Convoy.

**Rotary President, Christine Baarkla with Owen Leech and the Daimler Trucks Trophy**

Past committee member, Doug Parsons brought along three of his five tow trucks, including his tri-axle Freightliner Coronado which had been out on a job late the night before. Grandson, Josh Parsons worked away with the spit and polish, as he had been doing since dawn. With granddad a judge of the trucks present, he had reason to grumble that his rig couldn’t win – but he didn’t. He just kept cleaning to present the truck in the best possible light.

As the 40 odd trucks present – a miniscule number compared to any other year – prepared to depart for the run through the suburbs and up the main street, I jumped in the car to take up a pozzie for videoing the parade.

And that’s when it was brought home to me just how important this event is to the town. Just like any other year, every yard of the roadside had an onlooker waiting to cheer the truckies on. That there were 40 rather than 250 mattered not. They were just as enthusiastic with their waving, cheering and good will. This is what a truck show does for a town and this is what a town does for a truckie.

All things being equal, Castlemaine in all its glory will be back in full swing in 2021, along with all the other great shows we’ve missed. I’m sure I’ll enjoy them all as much as the next person but you know something? I’m really, really glad I made the trip to Castlemaine to see the effort and hours of cleaning and polishing that those 40 truckies went to in order to throw some sunshine into a community that has suffered like all others. That convoy was one of the great 5 or 6 minutes of my life.

……….

Here’s some more pics of the show. I’m starting with tradition in that for 15 years I have always included a picture of the Cornwill’s with every article I’ve written for Truckin Life and Big Rigs. No longer with those publications, I refuse to let tradition die. So here you go boys. Catch ya next year.