Attcall Civil Contractors has unveiled a new 100 Year Mack Super-Liner truck and dog dedicated to an employee who passed away, in a bid to help promote awareness about men’s mental health.
The paint scheme features a sepia toned Australian flag in keeping with the monochrome theme of the truck; and an image of Charles “Huddy” Simons.
“He passed away in 2020, he was a tough guy and all that sort of stuff, but he died because he was too proud to ask for some help,” said Clinton McKinnon, owner and managing director of Attcall Civil Contractors, which is based in Smeaton Grange, NSW.
“All he needed to do was make a phone call and ask for a bit of help and we would have taken him to the doctor. If he had’ve done that he’d probably still be alive today.
“From that day forward we recognised the need to engage with our employees a bit more, to recognise the signs for when people are struggling a little bit.
“So we thought it fitting to put his image on the door and dedicate the truck to him as well as use the Black Dog institute to support the cause.”
The new 100 Year Mack Super-Liner was revealed in Sydney to launch a partnership between Attcall Civil Contractors and The Black Dog Institute, a men’s mental health initiative for the construction industry.
“Mental health is a concern in our industry,” said McKinnon. “We thought we needed to make a bit more of an effort and get a bit more behind raising awareness about mental health.
“Our way of looking at it is that our trucks are moving billboards so we just got behind them any way we could.
“Our business has been going well and It’s about time to give something back, we actually want to lend a hand.
“And this truck is to say that Black Dog is there for you.”
Kat Holeyman, corporate partnerships manager for Black Dog Institute, is enthusiastic about the potential the partnership has for spreading awareness around men’s mental health.
“Partnerships like this are so important for us at the Black Dog Institute. We are building awareness. Having a moving billboard going around Sydney, going out to construction sites and just driving along the road means people are seeing what we do and are talking about what Black Dog Institute is and what resources we have. We may just get someone to reach out.
Holeyman continued, “We have come a long way, 10 years ago we wouldn’t have been having this conversation and we certainly wouldn’t be putting something on the side of a truck.
“We still have a long way to go, and that is why stuff like this is so important to the Black Dog Institute, because we need more people talking about mental health and we need more men opening up about their mental health.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. Visit the Black Dog Institute website and click on the ‘Get help now’ tab.