Awards celebrate innovation... and oldfashioned values
Theld during the Road Transport Forum Conference in Dunedin, “turned into a celebration of old-fashioned community values and innovation in the road transport industry,” says RTF chief executive Ken Shirley.
“The winners of the
and the are prime examples of the community spirit and caring nature that still exists in the road transport sector here in NZ,” says Shirley.
The evening’s headline award, the
was deservedly won by Dunedin’s Greg Inch, the founder of
The owner of Greg Inch Earthmoving started Special Rigs in 1992, to give special needs c hildren an opportunity to ride in a truck and get upclose and personal with the machinery.
Run in late August every year, the event now attracts up to 200 trucks and is entirely run by Greg and volunteers – with help from sponsors, the Police and St John Ambulance. It’s not unheard of for the convoy of trucks to stretch up to 12 kilometres as it snakes its way through Dunedin and out to Taieri.
Greg and have also supported other causes such as Koru Club, Southland Hospital and the Roxburgh Health Camp.
Says Shirley: “What Greg does puts a smile on the face of so many young people and their families.
really is a fantastic event and it was important that the industry acknowledged all Greg’s hard work with this award.”
It was also fantastic to have Greg’s two teenage daughters there at the awards dinner to celebrate with him.
The for 2018, which recognises a driver who has significantly contributed to the safety of others, was appropriately won by Fonterra driver Phil Newton.
“As previously reported in Phil exhibited extraordinary calmness and composure i n assisting a woman who was at serious risk of jumping off the Arapuni Dam in the Waikato.
“As Phil was driving over the dam he noticed a car parked in a strange spot…then saw the woman sitting close to a cliff edge.
“He stopped his truck and went back, found a hole in the safety fencing and went to the woman. It was obvious that she’d been having a pretty hard time of it and was extremely upset. So, Phil sat next to her and kept her chatting until the Police arrived.”
Adds Shirley: “Phil’s intuition and calm approach saved the young woman’s life and, while he may not wish to admit it, Phil was a real hero that day.