Truckies seeking to formalise group

Parking up in Ashburton during a social classic truck run are David Diamond of Pleasant Point (left), Peter Butterick, of Wakanui, John Stewart, of Rakaia, and Bruce Anderson, of Timaru. Photo / Toni Williams

A group of mates in big rigs - many of them vintage beauties - took to the highway recently for a social classic truck run road trip.

It was a prelude event before meeting to consider setting up a more formally structured club, especially with numbers on their mailing list steadily growing.

Bruce Anderson, one of the organisers, was travelling with his wife Kim, and said the group to date had been informal and got together for social events on an ad hoc basis.

He was driving a beautifully restored 1969 International DCF400, which the Andersons had owned for the past six months and already taken to the recent Wheels in Wanaka event.

The 1969 rig was restored by RG (Bob) Woolston.

The Andersons started the run from Timaru and by the time they had arrived in Ashburton for a cuppa, truck numbers had grown to 10.

They included Mid Canterbury's Peter Butterick, of Wakanui, in his Mount Cook Lines 1980 TM Bedford which he has owned for more than 10 years, and Mid Canterbury Vintage Machinery Club president John Stewart, of Rakaia, in his 1982 TM Bedford with two stroke Detroit motor. He has owned it for eight years.

Pleasant Point's David Diamond who was driving a 1999 Western Star was also at the truck stop.

Anderson said by the time they reached their Leeston destination, he expected about 20 trucks would have joined the informal convoy.

The group planned a tour of a private Leeston collector's yard of old trucks, tractors and cars before heading into Christchurch for an overnight stay at the Racecourse Hotel and hold a meeting looking to formalise their group.