No stopping 60-year logging industry veteran

In HT 032 by FIEALeave a Comment

One of nine brothers who, along with their father, were all involved in the log transport industry, Dave Siddle, 76, knows the roads that lead to the APM Mill at Maryvale, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, like the back of his hand. After all, he’s been going there ever since he was 17.

These days you’ll find him behind the wheel of a 2019 Kenworth T909 he drives for ANC Forestry Group, which runs a fleet of 37 log trucks in Victoria’s high country, from its base in Morwell. The truck has 400,000km on the clock now and Siddle says it’s a joy to drive. Dave ‘Daisy’ Siddle, with his wife Kath, during a special celebration ANC Forestry Group recently held to celebrate his 60-year milestone.

“When I first started on the log trucks I didn’t have a licence because I was only 17, so I had to have a licenced driver go out with me. I’ve been flat out ever since. We had 6ft billets when I started and we had to load ourselves back then. It was hard yakka. Now you go out to the bush and there are machines and excavators. It’s a lot easier now or else I wouldn’t be still doing it at my age. I’m 76 but I don’t feel it, I’m pretty fit and still have a bit in me now,” said Siddle.

“My brothers had trucks and I ended up having three of my own in the 1980s too (an Acco and two Dodges) but there was a bloke who wanted to buy them, so I sold them. I was with Aus Timber for 15 years before ANC bought their trucks.”Managing director at ANC Forestry Daryl Hutton says he’s proud to have Siddle on his team, “He’s been with ANC for about eight years and has done all sorts of different runs with us over that time. He used to do Victoria-wide but in the last few years stays more local, carting plantation pine,” he said.

More >>

Photo: The 2019 Kenworth T909 Siddle drives for ANC Forestry Group

Source: bigrigs.com

0 0 votes
Article Rating

Share this Post

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments