From the Land of the Long White Cloud, Tim York has been living across the ditch for 15 years and loves his job driving an Isuzu NPR in his job as a plasterer.
Based at Townsville, York works for KMW and, whilst a lot of his jobs are around the North Queensland capital, he does get away at times.
“I do get to Charters Towers out west, north to Ingham and south to the Burdekin,” he said.
York even gets to work on Magnetic island, which is a Townsville suburb about eight nautical miles across Cleveland Bay.
He gets to travel across the high seas with the Isuzu on a barge which lands at Nelly Bay.
Big Rigs saw York having lunch at Townsville’s Bellevue Hotel which is a popular haunt for truckies.
“The Isuzu is an amazing truck and really suits the job. It never misses a beat,” he said. Even though York was born in New Zealand he rates himself an Aussie.
“I had to work on my accent but have it good now,” he said.
I asked York about his favourite NRL team and being a Kiwi expected he would barrack for the Auckland Warriors.
“No, I live here and go for the Cowboys,” he said.
His good mate Kevin Wright, who is well known in the road transport industry, described York as one of the friendliest blokes you would meet.
“He is just such a happy and nice person and is good to yam to,” Wright said.
I can echo those sentiments as York was delighted to have his pic taken for Big Rigs paper.