Tassie truckie Mick Hansson has kept this vibrant yellow 1986 Mack R Model in immaculate condition, and it’s continuing to turn heads when it’s out on the road.
We caught up with him recently when he was passing by Mood Food in Kempton, from Alonnah on Bruny Island.
He was driving his 1986 Mack R Model Econodyne, and he was towing a two-deck stock crate loaded with sheep from Bruny Island up to the Oatlands saleyards for the next day’s sales.
He told us that he was hoping to get unloaded and back to Kettering in time to catch the Bruny ferry home, wash out and clean the truck and then knock off for the day.
“I’ve also got a V8 Superliner and a couple of other old Macks at home and they are all still in working order,” he told us.
“We mainly carry excavators and earth moving machinery, as well as a few logs here and there, some sheep and cattle and bits and pieces of whatever comes along. I’m a sheet metal worker by trade, but I have been doing this for the last 27 years and I enjoy it much more, frankly.
“Everyone knows times are tough just now, so we all just have to tighten our belts and work smart to keep the show on the road and make ends meet. But all in all I reckon it’s all good, or as good as you make it, and I am happy with life just now. And early rains mean a great season on the island, and Bruny is certainly looking good right now, and the ferry service seems to be handling the traffic for the time being.”
We asked him about time off, and he gave us a smile, and said he has a hobby farm on Bruny that’s just for something to do after the maintenance and bookwork, etc. “So there’s not a lot of time off, you might say.”