For long distance truck drivers, the silence can be deafening.
Long, isolated hours away at work allows the loneliness to creep in.
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It’s a feeling Daniel Eyers knows too well, and one that inspired him to turn pain into purpose with the creation of Mental Health Awareness Day.
“For me personally it hits home,” he says. “I suffered from mental health back in the early 2000s for quite a number of years.”
“I’ve been a long distance truck driver all my life. The loneliness and isolation truckies suffer with when they’re out on the road is something a lot of people are unaware of.
“I’m very passionate about this day, and also about people not putting others down. I want to help people out wherever I can.”
And the help doesn’t have to be a monetary thing Daniel says. It can be a quick call to see how someone is or offering a bit of praise for something they’re doing.
So, when a friend of Daniel’s (and owner of Rudd’s Pub) approached him and a group of others to put on a Mental Health Awareness Day at the pub, there was no hesitation.
“We put pen to paper, got the ball rolling and the first one happened that November,” Daniel says. “We just had the second one under Long Roads Events this October.”
“Last year we had 191 people through the doors. This year, 340.
“We’ve built momentum and added more to it. We’ve incorporated a truck and car show and shine, speedway cars and even old tractors. We had all sorts of shapes and sizes on display which was great.”
Raising awareness and starting important conversations around mental health within transport, rural, and civil industries is the main goal, and the connection between these sectors, runs deep.
“They all go together. One doesn’t function without the other,” he says.
“You can’t move your truck without a truckie; you can’t dig a hole without an excavator and a truckie. It’s all linked together.”
Among the 45 machines on show this year were gleaming 1980s Kenworths, old school B model Macks from the 60s, a few proud Internationals and Dodges that carry decades of stories, right through to current models.
But it wasn’t the trucks that pulled at the heartstrings. It was the stories and messages shared.
“My favourite moment of the day was when the guest speakers started talking,” Daniel says.
“We had six guests deliver their speeches, that really hit home for me.
“They spoke about A. how to detect that you do have a problem. B. how to help fix that problem and C. how to maintain good mental health once you’ve sorted everything else out.”
The small rural town of Nobby in Queensland has rallied around the event, with local businesses and communities coming together.
“Everyone interacts with everyone,” Daniel says. “We’ve got music, tug-of-war contests, live entertainment and a tarp tying competition.”
“We had an auction which sparked a lot of interest and a lot of overzealous spending. But it was all for charity, so it makes it worth it.”
A whopping $23,150 was donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) to help them continue their work in remote and rural area in Australia.
But Daniel and his team aren’t stopping there. With plans for a new event already up and coming.
The Sunset and Boots Music Festival is coming to Toowoomba next March, with money raised set to go toward getting your prostate checked.
Another three festivals are in the making for next year as well.
For Daniel, it all comes down to one thing, making sure no one feels alone on the road, and keeping that mental load, as light as possible.
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