ROBBIE THE GOOSEROOTER

Geraldine-born and bred, Robbie Shefford is driven to get people sharing and talking about their mental health, he also likes helping communities work together. Standing at a towering six foot four, his personality is just as immense. He laughs that one of the worst bits of advice he ever received growing up was, ‘Eat your veggies; you will grow up big and strong’. His reply to that was, “I grew up big and fat. So not useful advice.”

Robbie has quite the social media following for his Truck This and Truck That channel, which saw his down-to-earth personality connect with a diverse audience. His original Truck This and Truck That Facebook page was hacked, so he launched Gooserooter at Truck This and Truck That. Robbie relates to all demographics, calling a spade a spade. While that doesn’t necessarily please everyone, or make him well-liked, that’s who he is.

His refusal to pander to popular opinion and his straight-forward attitude to most problems in life have seen his appeal spread with tens of thousands of online followers and becoming an increasingly well-recognised face (and voice) at rural events around the country.

Widely known as Gooserooter, his nickname came about after an incident involving a brokendown Kenworth A gooseneck trailer and several jammed fingers, back when he was working as the onsite engineer and mechanic for Rural Transport in Ashburton. Having shared videos and photos of his various truck and tractor projects on social media for numerous years, Robbie has always been prone to having a yarn with his audiences and frequently sidetracks off on a tangent. His sense of humour is always to the fore, but he never likes to shy away from honest conversations or sharing his flaws and emotions.

One experience in particular, while working for the fire service, had a major impact on his life and started him talking openly about mental health and depression.

Robbie quickly discovered that his conversations struck a chord with many. So, he kept talking and kept sharing.

His goal is to spread the word and some positivity around love, life and mental health.

“There are some great services out there for people, and it’s important to keep getting the message out there, particularly to some of these small towns that can sometimes get forgotten about. I think it’s important to front up and speak

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