More than 180 trucks and other vehicles line up to raise $9,000 for the truckers’ memorial
to be built in Queensland, Australia.
Here in the United States, we mourn the loss of truckers killed in accidents every year. But in the Australian Outback, where residents of farflung towns in a vast land of harsh environmental extremes rely on trucks to bring their necessary supplies, trucking is equally important and equally dangerous.
Inspired by the losses of friends and family, an Australian woman with close ties to her country’s trucking industry decided it was time to erect a memorial to the drivers who die every year driving normal 18-wheelers or hauling up to six trailers in “road trains” through the huge Australian wilderness.
Kathy White, a native of Gatton in the state of Queensland, Australia., organized a convoy in May to raise money for the project. More than 180 truckers participated as well as cars, motorcycles, buses and vintage cars and trucks. Spectators lined the highway.
“The atmosphere was very emotional and very close. Everyone loved the day as it was a day for truck drivers to remember their mates,” White says. “Most trucks had banners on them remembering their departed fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, grandparents and mates. It was very moving.”
Located in the Lockyer Valley in southeast Queensland, Gatton is one of Queensland’s earliest settlements, known for its scenic backdrop of the Great Dividing Range. It encompasses some of the richest farming land in Australia, making it a busy trucking route.
White’s husband Garry, a 31-year veteran trucker, drives a double fuel tanker on the New South Wales-Queensland route.
