Page 86 - Demo

Top: Loading up cattle at Orange Creek for the 34- hour trip to the works
Above left: e view from Martin’s Kenworth as he tracks colleague Donny Childs in South Australia
Above right: Martin (left) and roadtrain legend Donny Childs
Left: e rest of Martin’s “ eet” back in NZ
We pull over to check the stock at Port Pirie and I find my big steer down again and stretched out.
I decide to lighten off his pen and give him more room, so I put one steer forward and another back. As I’m doing it, he gets up...so all’s well.
Driving through Adelaide is no fun. After that it’s a steep climb up the Adelaide Hills and then a cruise on down to Murray Bridge meatworks, where we offload without a hitch.
These cattle have been in my care for 34 hours, so I feel a pang of sorrow to see them standing in
the yards waiting for their inevitable end. After that, it’s a quick run to the nearest
roadhouse for a nice shower and a meal.
The Kenworth C509 is equipped with a very
comfortable sleeper so, after a long phone conversation with the wife, it’s the land of nod for me – before I head back to Orange Creek for my next assignment.
The Alice Springs winter cattle sale is looming, which means another 10,000 to 12,000 head to shift...but that’s another story. T&D
78 | Truck & Driver