Roughly 10 years ago, at Mood Food, north of Kempton, we first met Barry Clarke, from Oatlands, when he rolled in with a load barley on his way to the Cascade brewery at South Hobart.
He was driving Richard Ward’s Stirling at the time, and over a cuppa and a bite to eat, a good and lasting friendship was then formed.
So, it was a great pleasure to catch up with him and his off-sider Catherine Anderson, when they were delivering a load of firewood in Collinsvale the other day.
Barry was driving his 2007 Isuzu F55 550 4×4 which he has had now for six years, and which is pretty well ideal for the work he does cutting good quality firewood out in the bush, often in icy/snowy and boggy conditions, then delivering it to customers both in the country, and also in the city.
He told us: “I have had a number of trucks in my day, but this one definitely suits the work I do as well as handling the changeable weather and conditions.”
Over a cuppa Barry shared some reminiscences about his lifetime experiences in and around trucks and cutting wood.
“I started doing wood out in the forests when I was just three years old, tagging along with Dad, so you might say it is now well and truly in my blood,” said Barry.
“I remember once when I was only a little tacker Dad got bogged about 15 miles away from home, so we started walking, but then he had to carry me.
“But as luck would have it, we came across two cows on the track, miles from nowhere. Whilst I was a brave little fellow, I was for some reason scared of cows! Without wasting a second, he put me up on his shoulders and piggy backed me until I was quite sure the cows had gone.”
Later, at school, after lessons had finished, Barry would take a billy cart up Oatlands Hill and bring it home with sticks and bark and bits of firewood and whatever else he could pick up that Mum could use or Dad could add to his load.
On leaving school Barry bought his first truck, a Toyota Dyna for $4500 and started cutting and delivering his own wood up in the Midlands.
“I got my semi licence at 20 and decided to expand my horizons and went off to the mainland doing Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane-Adelaide, doing general and anything that came up, for about three years.
“A great experience but I was always a bit homesick for Tassie and in particular the forests.”
On coming home Barry did a wide variety of truck driving, helping his Dad out with the wood in between jobs.
“Then, when he hung up his boots, I took over the business, but I also seasonally went carting grain for Richard Ward, which I have been doing now for 23 years, and with no long service leave!”
Barry also did bit of work with woodchips into Triabunna, and carried a wide range of general from wool to logs and vintage army vehicles.
It’s an ongoing interest, and Barry is proud of a collection at home.
“On the personal side I have been married twice, and have five great [now all grown up] children, Barry Junior, Lisa, Sarah, Alice and Suzanne. Barry is a top mechanic working for the army, but he comes out every now and then and gives me a very welcome hand in the forest.”
About 15 years ago Barry had to go into hospital, and during that time he happily met Catherine, a relief nurse from New Zealand, who was over here on a working holiday.
“We hit it off together right from the start. So much so in fact, that before long, she gave up nursing and has been off siding with me ever since.”
Barry adds that the bush is great, and it has been kind to him over the years, an environment he has always enjoyed, and a fair outdoors lifestyle plus heaps of job satisfaction.
“Cutting wood is hard work, but outdoors with nature, and an honest way to make a living, and it certainly has its rewards. I am certainly settled here now with Catherine by my side! I guess I am looking forward to keeping going for as long as I am able.”
Barry says life out on the road has changed a hell of a lot since he first got into it.
“But I reckon it is still a good occupation for a young fellow, or girl, though getting a start is still maybe the hardest part, and getting harder all the time.
“Sadly, now days there are a lot of regulations and book work to keep up, But I can’t think of another job that would offer the same amount of job satisfaction, and it certainly offers quite a good living wage as well now days.
“So, as you can see, Catherine and I are both happy and we are in no hurry to hang up our boots.”