100+ FACES: Every photo taken at the 2024 Lights on the Hill Trucking Memorial at Gatton, Qld
See all the photos taken at the 2024 Lights on the Hill Trucking Memorial at Gatton, where Queensland’s trucking community united to pay their respects to the men and women who put their bodies and minds on the line upholding the backbone of the nation’s economy.
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Queensland’s trucking community descended upon the Lockyer Valley to pay their respects to the men and women in the industry who put their bodies and minds on the line on the roads while upholding the backbone of Australia’s economy.
The 2024 Lights on The Hill Truck and Coach Memorial marked its 20th anniversary at the weekend with hundreds of trucks and heavy vehicles lining the Warrego Highway from Brisbane to Toowoomba, before assembling at the Gatton Showgrounds on Saturday morning.
One of the many special trucks at the event, donned in a memorial banner for former Lockyer Valley truck driver Russell Coighty Kinsey, proudly advocated for men’s mental health.
Since the much-loved Gatton father and husband, affectingly known by “Rusty,” lost a battle with mental health in late 2022, his best friend and fellow driver has been determined to support others through their darkest times.
Shane Morton, who has been in the industry for almost three decades, said he had lost a lot of mates over the years, however more were losing their lives due to mental health rather than the road.
“Days like today hit hard,” he said.
“I’ve lost six friends and one cousin just within the last five years to mental health.
“I’ve only lost two drivers through accidents.”
The father said he struggled with his own mental health after witnessing firsthand a horrific double fatality on the job 10 years ago.
“I was first on the scene for a double fatality and diagnosed with PTSD from that…I had to pull a burning body out of a car,” he said.
“There’s just not enough help for us drivers.
“Police, fireys, and ambos get counselling and all the rest. I had to get counselling but I had to pay for that.”
He said sometimes it was hard to pick up on if someone was struggling, noting he had been organising a barbecue with his best mate Rusty hours before the 38-year-old’s life was cut short.
The 48-year-old said despite the longstanding stigma surrounding mental health, especially in male-dominated industries, more people were finding the courage to speak up.
His rig’s plates state it’s not weak to speak, and a mural of Crocodile Dundee has the following quote.
“The only time you look down on your mates is when you’re helping them get back up.”
The truck has been on the road for less than a year, but Mr Morton said he had been inundated with positive feedback and often found posts about his truck on social media.
“It’s just to raise awareness, and it has been getting people taking,” he said.
“I had an escalator driver, he was bawling his eyes out when he saw it, two days beforehand he’d lost his best mate.”
Cattle truck driver and Toowoomba family man Arron Girdler debuted his newly designed truck, winning a trophy for the best custom wrap, which was designed and organised by mental health advocates TradeMutt.
The eye-catching, colourful, and geometric design proudly displayed TIACS branding - This is a Conversation Starter.
Mr Girdler, whose been on the road for 17 years, said he didn’t think twice about supporting the important cause.
“It’s a really important cause that affects more people than we realise,” he said.
Following a day of remembrance and celebration at the Gatton Showgrounds, the trucking community ended the 2024 Lights on The Hill event on a sombre Sunday morning at the Lake Annand Park memorial where more fallen drivers were added to the honour roll.
All the photos taken at the Gatton Showgrounds on Saturday, October 5, for the 2024 Lights on the Hill Trucking Memorial:
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