Graham ‘Spence’ Spencer Clint Marchant

KEEN golfer Graham Spencer pulled up outside the Calcium Puma Roadhouse and walked in to purchase a piece of fish and a cold soft drink.

The 51-year-old was driving a Western Star 4964 powered by a 600hp Cat motor and with an 18 speed Road Ranger gearbox.

Most people refer to him by his nickname Spence.

Friendly Spence works for Charters Towers based BRT and generally drives triple road trains to Mount Isa.

“I transport scrap steel between Townsville and Mount Isa,” he said.

That is a 900km trip along the Flinders and Barkly Highways. Spence likes stopping at the Lights on the Hill Roadhouse just outside Hughenden.

He rates the worst roads he travels along as between Rollingstone on the coast and Injune.

“I have been driving trucks since I was 19 and used to do it in the Kimberley region of WA,” he said.

I asked Spence if he had a good rest area in which to have a break along the way.

“There is one 130km east of Mount Isa at Cloncurry which is very good,” he said.

His hobbies include cooking and playing golf at the Charters Towers Club.

“I am not very good at golf and my handicap is 27 and my best foods to cook are fish and pasta,” he said.

30 years IN BUSINESS

A SMALL Leyland Mini Minor car was being towed on a trailer behind an Isuzu 200 Series light rig when Big Rigs saw it along Picton Road in NSW.

I had followed it for some kilometres and saw it pull up at a rest area so I asked the driver Clint Marchant if I could talk to him and snap some pics.

He was delighted to and said he was travelling from Wollongong to Newcastle.

“I am moving to Newcastle and have the company Isuzu to move some of my stuff,” he said.

Marchant works for CMA Hydraulic and said the Isuzu was great for moving.

“I was towing some other gear and got caught yesterday in a traffic jam on the M1 Highway into Sydney after a crash on the Hawkesbury River Bridge,” he said.

Marchant added that the Isuzu was easy to drive.

He walked over to his Scania cabin and I thought he was going to give me a company business card.

Instead he handed me a container of 50+ sunscreen and wouldn’t take any money.

It was a great kind act which I totally had not expected.

I asked him about the unregistered Mini. “It is a project and I intend to restore it,” he said.

It sure turned the heads of passing motorists along busy Picton Road.

With him was his brother Ben Marchant who proved to be a great assistant as they checked the Mini at the popular rest area.

A bit later on I saw them travelling on the Hume Highway on the way to Newcastle.

RIDE & TRACTION

• Increased traction

• Increased Stability

• Marked improvement in steering

• Enables air suspension to go as far as Hendrickson Walker beams

• Better braking, especially in the wet

• Reduced axle breakage

• Reduced tyre, brake and drum wear

• Get up to 12 inches of axle travel

Ph: 02 6056 2399

Wodonga Vic 3690 thehairetruckandbusrepairs.com.au