A truck with an inspirational and eye-catching design was awarded the Truck of the Year trophy at Saturday’s Deniliquin Truck Show & Industry Expo.
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It was entered by Clinton McKinnon from AttCall Civil Contractors in Western Sydney.
His 2006 T904 Kenworth Anzac themed truck ‘Remembrance’ with its finely detailed and beautiful exterior caught the eye of the judges.
It also caught the attention of many at the truck show and also in Deniliquin on Friday night outside the Deni RSL for the Deniliquin & District Transport Wall of Fame dinner.
Mr McKinnon said the reason behind the design of the truck is one that is often misunderstood.
“Everybody looks at it as a dedication to war, which it isn’t.
“It’s a dedication to the people who served within the war to protect us.
“It's about the people who were dedicated enough to put their lives on the line to look after us all.”
The Anzac truck features several prominent portrait, landscape and historical scenes on the cab and trailer from Anzac history, some of which held a particularly special connection for Mr McKinnon.
“The guy on the front is Thomas Flynn, who is my wife’s grandfather and fought in Darwin in World War II.
“There are other characters within the war, who we got some information about, and there are a few pictures of scenes to indicate the different people who helped us through those times.
“It’s about being the combined nations between the Anzacs, a time when people really knew what Australia was all about and the Australian community.
“It's a time you’ve got to remember.
“We don’t want to repeat history; to not repeat history you need to remember the past and this is about our past.
“We need people who are coming now into Australia, to create a new Australia, and to remember the people who allowed it to happen.”
Furthermore, he said the truck’s design is also dedicated to his wife’s grandfather, Thomas Flynn.
“In 2006, it was a new build; back then I thought that Australia was losing its identity a little bit, so I dedicated it to a a simple man, a selfless guy,” Mr McKinnon said.
“It was that sort of era of people they just didn’t whinge, they worked, they came back for more and worked again and just got on with the job.
“I really appreciated that person and fell in love with that man, he’s a great man.”
Mr McKinnon was chuffed with the Truck Show n Shine win and said he hopes to continue to take it around the country, with the thought-provoking design it embodies.
“It’s great, it’s fantastic.”
“What I love about this truck is it allows people to think for a minute and that’s what it’s about, it’s about jogging people’s memories and to win today was bloody amazing.”
“We retired this truck about four years ago, when it was in Sydney it worked from 2006 to 2021 as a vehicle on every major infrastructure project within the NSW region.
“It goes along the line of that hardworking person and truck.
“In the future, I want to take it to shows as I said to get a minute's worth of people’s thinking, drive along the road and make people think about who we are, what we are and why.”
Other show ‘n’ shine award winners were as follows:
Best Truck 0-3 Years - Andrew James, 2023 Mack Superliner.
Best Truck 4-9 Years - Adam Myers, 2020 K200 Kenworth.
Best Truck 10-25 Years - Daniel Christoli, 2011 T403 Kenworth.
Best Truck 26-39 Years - Dicko’s Restorations, 1993 T900 Kenworth.
Best Truck 40+ Years - Tony Kent, 1975 White 4000.
Best Local Truck - John Ward, 2020 C509 Kenworth (Armytage’s).
Best Fleet (3 or more) - AttCall Civil Contractors.
Best Rigid - Andrew Hemley, 2018 Western Star 4800.
The Muscles Gray Memorial Award - Anthony Janner.
Best Non-American Truck - Lyn Rose, Commer.