The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) has marked its 40th anniversary.
The milestone was celebrated at a gala evening and awards night at Canberra Rex Hotel on Saturday 5 April with over 300 people in attendance.
Several industry representatives were acknowledged with awards at the event.
The ALRTA’s Rural Transport Rising Star Award was a tie between two finalists, Isaac Davis from Southfork Transport in Tasmania and Kyle Nicholas from Edmonds Transport in South Australia.
“Both young men impressed the judges with their maturity and passion for the industry,” said ALRTA Executive Director, Anthony Boyle.
“Both demonstrated a clear desire to better their industry knowledge through training and personal development. So, with the support of our sponsor, BP Australia, the ALRTA awarded both finalists the award jointly.
“Isaac and Kyle were thrilled to share the award as they had built up a great new friendship throughout the lead-up to the announcement and only verified the decision by delivering two fantastic speeches.”
The ALRTA and Kenworth honoured Craig Congram from Finley, New South Wales, as the Icon of the Road for 2025.
Congram was blown away to receive the award.
“I simply loves carting livestock, and I love driving trucks,” he said.
The Bruce McIver Award was presented posthumously in honour of Jack Mitchell from Western Australia.
Mitchell was the founding Vice President of the ALRTA in 1985 and was a huge advocate for the livestock and rural transport industry in the association’s formative years.
He passed away in 1989 at the age of 57.
The award was received by Jack’s son, John, who acknowledged his father’s hard work and his strong friendship with Bruce McIver.
The night culminated with a fireside chat with the founding members of the ALRTA.
Boyle hosted a 40-minute reflection on the creation and journey of the ALRTA and its involvement in the industry, including its role in establishing the Australian Trucking Association (ATA).
Also in attendance were transport industry stalwarts Ross Fraser OAM, Gordan Martin, Peter Berwick, Gavan O’Sullivan, Joe Sepos and the ALRTA’s first Executive Director, Robert Gunning.
The panel described the journey and challenges they overcame to build the association into the respected organisation it is now.
In other news, Bulk Transport Equipment has announced a new partnership with JOST.
