A NSW woman has told how a kind truckie saved the day after her dad suffered a tyre blowout, and has restored her faith in “true Aussie spirit”.
Karley Jackson, whose father Doug Jackson is also a truck driver, said Doug blew a tyre on his drive axle between Bathurst and Lithgow.
She shared that her dad has been struggling since the family lost her mum to cancer, and after the setback on the road, he pulled in to the Ampol servo at Yetholme to take a breather.
“He went inside for a coffee and to try to gather his thoughts, whilst it was raining,” she said.
“When the rain cleared, he came out to find a guy and his son had pulled up and changed not just one tyre but one on his trailer as well.
“They were just putting the rims back in the wheel carrier [when he saw them].”
She said the generous truckie refused any reward or payment, simply saying “it will be right mate”.
Doug was so “overwhelmed” by the man’s kindness that he forgot to ask for his name, but remembered that his shirt had a nametag that read “Shrek” – so Karley decided to use social media to try to track him down and express her gratitude.
She shared her dad’s story in the On the Pads group on Facebook, and quickly identified the Good Samaritan thanks to some truck drivers in the know.
She told Big Rigs: “Turns out I actually knew him, as I was a customer of his, buying firewood from him over the years.
“However, he didn’t know my dad or his truck.”
Karley said that Shrek, as he’s usually called by those who know him, is not a fan of the spotlight and would prefer not to have his full name shared in this article – but he was happy he was able to lend a hand to a fellow truckie.
“I spoke with him and he said he is an old truckie himself and has had many tough days.
“He said he wasn’t looking for any praise or reward at all, he just thought it was best to ‘help some poor bloke out if he could’ and he would like to see others ‘pay it forward’ if they ever get the chance.”
She described Shrek as a “true Aussie and a gentleman”.
“It’s great to know that the Aussie spirt is still out there,” she added.