Hip, hip… Hippo!
AN OLD LEYLAND HAS STOLEN THE PREMIUM honours at the Gore Truck Show….for the second time!
e restored 1964 Leyland Hippo, owned by Balclutha’s McLellan Freight, took the prestigious King Rig title at the annual show – repeating a win in 2004.
e Leyland had not long been bought by McLellan Freight when it won 13 years ago.
is year’s win, says McLellan Freight MD Alex McLellan, followed six months of work restoring the Hippo to “show quality.”
McLellan said he was humble but proud to have won the King Rig title once again with the same vehicle – pointing out that the competition was of a very high standard and paying tribute to other entrants.
e June 3 show was held at Transport Repairs’ yard in Gore, with more than 60 vehicles entered, from all over the South. As usual, it made for a busy time in Gore, as the town also hosted the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards over Queens Birthday Weekend.
e 12 judges for the truck show took four hours judging the trucks – according to show committee secretary Rhonda Wilson, evaluating them on their presentation and how each truck has been “looked after by the driver.”
After judging, the trucks paraded through the central business district of Gore, watched by a large crowd of spectators, who showed their appreciation of the working vehicles that are central to the prosperity of the rural South.
At the conclusion of the parade the trucks were parked-up, so the public could inspect them. e prizegiving was held at 4pm at the Tra ers Tavern, with Bruce Robertson – Road Transport Logistics eet manager and president of the Otago/Southland branch of the NZ Road Transport Association – o ciating.
A keen supporter of the show, Robertson termed it a “great event with a fantastic amount of sponsorship from local and nationwide businesses.”
It is, he added, “a great opportunity to promote the pro le of the transport industry.”
is was the 30th anniversary of the show: Although a predecessor event was actually run in 1978 by the Gold Guitar organisers, it was dropped until ’88, when trucking enthusiasts formed a committee and launched the show that has run annually ever since.
T&D