Owner//Driver caught up with Gympie-based truckie heroes Graeme Spillman and Adam Waterhouse, and they have an important message for the public.
The 12th of February is a day that both Adam and Graeme will never forget, and one that haunts them still.
The two men are responsible for saving a boy’s life, after two young boys, aged eight and nine, became stranded at a Tin Can Bay beach after losing contact with their inflatable toy.
Adam swam out to rescue the two boys, when the second truckie, Graeme, spotted the ordeal from his nearby yacht and came to offer aid with his tinny.
The nine-year-old boy tragically drowned and Adam and the 8-year-old boy were taken to hospital in critical condition. Both Adam and the younger boy are recovering.
An overwhelming message the two truckies wanted to share is that instead of helping, the majority of people on that beach took out their phones to film.
“Everybody else stood around with their mobiles taking pictures and Adam’s fiancé had to run around the beach to get people to help her,” Graeme told Owner//Driver.
“They had their phones out, taking videos instead of doing anything to help us.
“That really, really frustrated me, it isn’t right.”
The truckies both agreed that drivers cop a bad name from the media and the general public, despite putting their lives on the line every singly day they go to work.
The two men hope their response on the day will help the public see truckies for what they really are – brave men and women risking their lives to keep Australia running.
“It isn’t even something you think about, you just get in and help,” Graeme said.
Adam backed Graeme, saying he thinks truckies are the kind of people who put others first.
“I reckon any truckie would have done what we did,” Adam said.
“We get the worst wrap out there, but these are a bunch of guys who put it all on the line.”
Photography: Cobey Bartels | Video: Cobey Bartels