Truckies' Reunion grips Alice Springs

Truckies in their hundreds converged on the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs recently for the 19th annual Truckies' Reunion

Alice Springs came alive over the weekend with an influx of truckies from every Australian state.

Eight hundred truck owners, drivers and their families packed into the new 'big hall' at the National Road Transport Hall of Fame (NRTHoF) to cheer on this year's 98 inductees to the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame.

Selected individuals who have made a contribution to the transport industry are inducted each year.

Liz Martin OAM, Chief Executive Officer of the NRTHoF, said she was surprised at the number of attendees at this year's Truckies' Reunion, which included the induction ceremony.

"We were expecting smaller numbers this year with our big 20th Reunion happening next year, but with more than a thousand people coming through the gate it's kept us running," she said.

The Hall of Fame is the transport industry's premium museum and holds historic trucks, documents and paraphernalia from all over Australia.

The centre is run entirely with volunteer help and many of these people travel from all states to help run the Truckies' Reunion weekend.

For many of the helpers the annual event is the highlight of their year.

The reunion kicked off on Thursday evening with a meet-and-greet barbecue dinner – the start of a huge logistic feat in feeding the masses over the next three days.

A special event this year was the Buntine reunion on Friday, where drivers and owners of Road Trains of Australia gathered together to talk about old times.

Buntine Roadways was started by Northern Territory transport operator, the late Noel Buntine, more than 50 years ago. Mr Buntine built the livestock operation working closely with Haulmark Trailers to bring many of the efficiencies seen in road train livestock haulage today.

Under the later ownership of Jim Cooper, the Gulf RTA Group became the largest road train fleet in the world.

In an emotional evening, Noel Buntine's widow, Mrs Patty Buntine, recalled the early days, while Jim Cooper humbly spoke of building the company and his reliance on the loyalty of drivers.

For the driver's perspective, 2014 Wall of Fame inductee Peter ‘Lizard' Williams regaled the audience with recollections of an earlier age when road trains often had to make their own roads.

The following morning, transport identity and Queensland road train operator, Bill Baskett, summed up the proceedings of the previous evening. "Never seen so many cattle shifted, jump ups run and flooded creeks crossed as last night," he said.

On Saturday morning the crowds swelled for the induction ceremony, when the industry pays recognition to those who have devoted their life to road transport.

The presentations were made by CEO Liz Martin and representatives from Viva Energy, the recently appointed Australian distributor for Shell fuels and lubricants.

A gala dinner and dance on a cold desert night saw the trucking industry let its hair down.

On Sunday Alice Springs locals lined the Stuart Highway to watch the 30 trucks of the annual convoy roll through town.

These gleaming trucks showed the pride that many operators take in their equipment.

Working trucks covering more than a half century took part in the procession, from tired old workers through to the latest in truck technology from Cat Trucks, Kenworth and Mack.

Cat Trucks sponsored breakfast and lunch on Convoy day.

Stojan Ostijic's beautifully restored 25-year-old Mack Super-Liner won the All Truck Parts ‘best presented truck of the convoy' award, the title presented by Glen Sharman, Business and Brand Development Manager for Navistar Australia/Pacific.

Truckies' Reunion grips Alice Springs

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