Gippsland timber girl’s calls to Labor: ‘Save my dad’s job’

Heyfield Primary School student Indiana Lockett has written a heartfelt letter to Labor, to try and save her dad’s timber job.

10-year-old Indiana Lockett's letter asking Labor MP Harriet Shing to save her father's job.

Indiana Lockett, 10, is trying to save her father’s timber job.

The grade-four Heyfield Primary School student is appealing to Gippsland Labor MP Harriet Shing to stop the closure of the native forest timber industry, which has come to a standstill across most of the state.

“Our parents work in the forests and they are very worried that they won’t have any more jobs,” Indiana says in her letter.

“We are scared we will have to move away from our house and our friends at school.”

Indiana said her mum, Hannah, told her Premier Daniel Andrews “wants to do it to keep the Greens happy”.

Speaking to The Weekly Times last night Indiana said she would travel in her father Adam’s truck to a rally with timber workers in Morwell tomorrow morning, stopping at Ms Shing’s office to hand over the letter.

“I’ve made my own banner ‘Save my dad’s job’, with a drawing of me and dad’s truck,” Indiana said.

“My dad enjoys his job. I see the joy on his face and I don’t want that smile to go off his face.”

Mr Lockett (Adam) said he had introduced his five children to the forest that sustained them and regularly took them out on trips to explore local landmarks, with his oldest son, Connor, now working as a timber harvester.

Indiana Lockett, with her dad Adam.

Ultimately the Heyfield truck driver said he could take his rig and family to find work elsewhere, “but I’ve grown up with native hardwood logging and always worked on hauling”.

“While I can move away the town can’t,” Mr Lockett said.

Indiana is horrified at the idea of moving and wants to continue seeing her dad drive his truck past school.

“It’s so good, when dad comes past the back of the school in his green truck, I run to the fence and give him the honk signal. I get so happy to see him.”

Trucks and other vehicles will rally in Warragul and Rosedale from 9am tomorrow morning, before driving their trucks down the Princes Freeway in what organisers have called a funeral procession to ANC Forestry Group’s Morwell timber yard.

Forest and Wood Communities Australia managing director Justin Law said the procession of trucks would carry a coffin marked “Timber towns” to where wreathes would be laid in memory of the Andrews Government’s failure to protect the industry from green lawfare.

Indiana Lockett, with younger brother Angus, on their dad's logging truck at Heyfield.