It costs nothing to be kind.
Andrew and Sandy Lattin know this saying to be true, more so following the experience of their then 16-year-old son who was being bullied at school.
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As the bullying got worse, it came to the Lattins’ attention that their son had been contemplating suicide.
Eventually both of their children had to be taken out of school because of this mistreatment.
“We put a call out on Channel 40 to see if there was anyone in Bendigo that would allow our son to take photos and climb all over their trucks, because he is truck mad – he’s got Kenworths everywhere in his bedroom,” Andrew says.
“We had 18 trucks say yes, they were willing. A guy mentioned we should do a truck show in Bendigo, and I said, ‘Done’!”
“Five months later, in November last year, we held the first ever Truckies Against Bullying convoy truck show to run through the streets of Bendigo.”
This family transformed pain into purpose, and from that simple plea, emerged a vibrant community event willing to advocate for an important cause.
The show kicked off for its second year in October, with a convoy of 30 trucks parading through the heart of Bendigo, each horn blaring a message of support.
Andrew expressed his gratitude to those who got behind the event.
“It was really touching,” he says. “We had Velocity Truck Centres as a major sponsor, providing us with merchandise within six weeks from hearing about our show.
“They even had one of their smaller trucks in the convoy with us on display, it was just amazing.
“Headspace got behind us, as well as the Victorian Brotherhood because we’re also about men’s mental health, it’s just as important.”
Andrew says the moment that stuck out most for him was seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces.
“Seeing the kids smile as we drove through town, seeing them run out of their driveways to give all the boys a big arm pump and getting the participants in our convoy to toot their horns as they stood there with their mums and dads, that was the biggest highlight.”
This year, despite unpredictable weather that threatened to put a damper on the festivities, the turnout was great, with around 200-300 attendees filling up the venue.
Among the roaring engines there were tippers and little rigids, but a standout was the stunning black 909 Kenworth known as “Karma,” dedicated to a cancer survivor, featuring a grim reaper flipping someone off.
“Every truck at our show, it doesn’t matter whether it’s clean, dirty, blinged up or not – we don’t care, it’s just as important as the truck before it, and the one after it,” Andrew says.
“The drivers of those trucks are important because they support us and the cause.
“It’s a way to show those that are bullied that they have friends, and that’s us truckies.”
Peter Sadler Transport was chosen as lead truck for the convoy.
“If your truck is registered by a certain date, your name will go into a hat to be drawn for lead truck,” Andrew explains.
“The owner’s kids were just in tears when I announced the news.
“They were so excited that they were almost crying, and so was he! That’s the sort of thing that we like doing.”
In addition to the truck displays, the event featured a range of activities from face painting for kids to performances by local comedians and musicians.
But organising this event was a whirlwind of emotions for Andrew, particularly after losing his brother-in-law to cancer just weeks prior.
“My son sat in the passenger seat in the convoy, holding a photo of him – we got to take him for his last ride,” he says.
“The day was so meaningful. The trucking industry was built on camaraderie and mateship and people say that’s all falling apart now, but through the convoy, I get to see that come together one day of the year and that means the world to me.
“I’ve been in this industry a long time. I know what it used to be like, and to see what it’s like now is heartbreaking, but seeing it back to what it was all those years ago, even for one day, makes it all worthwhile.”
Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, with many expressing a desire for Truckies Against Bullying to become a staple event in Bendigo.
A stranger commented on a post Sandy put up on Facebook about the show, writing that she had been bullied and this is the kind of event the council needs to get behind to help it grow.
“When I read comments like that from people in the community, it honestly means the world – that this is what the community wants, they’re behind us. That definitely pulled on the heart strings.”
Andrew and Sandy’s commitment to the cause is unwavering. They’re already planning for next year’s event, scheduled for the first weekend in October 2025 – with hopes to expand the convoy and engage even more local businesses.
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