Major format changes added up to a great couple of days for the 2016 Lights On The Hill Memorial Convoy.
There was little hesitation when K.S. Easter received an invitation to lead the westbound section of the Lights On The Hill convoy on Saturday, October 1. However, it didn’t have as far to travel as previous convoys. In a major change, the starting points of the twin convoys were moved closer to Gatton in a bid to keep the trucks grouped together.
The eastbound convoy began from the new industrial area at Roches Road, Withcott, while the westbound convoy originated from Citiswich Industrial Park, Bundamba.
The other major changes were moving the date from February to October – evading the oppressive Queensland summer heat – and transforming it into a two-day event.
As per 2015, this year’s Lights On The Hill was held at the Gatton Racecourse.
A Lockyer Valley Regional Council-owned Mack tipper, bearing a tribute to the late mayor Steve Jones, led the eastbound convoy, arriving at the Gatton Racecourse well before the K.S. Easter-led westbound convoy. Steve Jones passed away in February this year at the age of 54.
Scotty Christoff had the honour of driving the lead truck from Bundamba; a Kenworth T409SAR, one of 13 K.S. Easter trucks in the convoy and the showpiece of the fleet.
“The 409 is a personal favourite, and Matty Easter loves it,” Scotty says.
“They’ve only got five of the SARs, but this is the best looking one. It’s got a lot more bling on it than some of the others.”
As well as Kenworths, Easter’s fleet had a number of Western Stars and, of course, it’s show-stealing FH Volvo with eye-catching flaming stallion artwork. Scotty however remains unimpressed with the Volvo’s flashy credentials. “It’s got flashy paint … it’s just on a Volvo,” he grins.
Lights On The Hill committee president Kerry Wilkins was pleased with the turnout, and while he couldn’t put a finger on truck numbers, the participation proved to be a big thumbs up for the event’s new format.
“It’s been a huge turnout,” Kerry says. “We’ve got a helluva lot of people here, our camping ground is chock-a-block, there’s not a cloud in the sky, great music, great atmosphere and a great mob of drivers.
“There’s not much more we could ask for.”
The Saturday convoy was followed by top-line country music entertainers, a Sunday memorial at the Lights On The Hill wall at Gatton’s Lake Apex Park, before a return to the track for more music plus the NRL Grand Final shown live on the huge screen, supplied by Big Screens Australia.
For more on this year’s Lights On The Hill Memorial Convoy, see the November 2016 edition of Owner//Driver.
Photography: Greg Bush