John Wilson’s wooden Mack Super-Liner is meticulously crafted, from its wheels on steel axles to the aluminium bulldog on the hood.
It’s involved hundreds of hours of work and the skills of a lifetime.
John is a Woonona local, an SES volunteer and a retired industrial technology teacher. In his youth he worked as a truck driver and a mechanic.
“My dad was a carpenter. He died just before I turned five, but I just seemed to have that in my blood, working with wood. I was top of my class in woodwork at school and just went from there. Just always loved working with wood.”
Made mostly from silky oak, as well as storm-felled trees and discarded timber, the Super-Liner is almost 2m long and weighs 29kg.
John started the project in 1993. “There were years when I did nothing on it, but I got stuck into it mid last year and finished in November.
“It’s definitely an artwork. A serviceable piece of art, because the trailer opens up. It could be converted into a display cabinet, have little Matchbox models in there, or it could be used for a spirits cabinet. The lid and the one wall fold down to create a little desk. So you could use it as a writing desk, for that matter.”
It’s too big to keep, so John has decided to sell the truck via an online auction, with some proceeds going to Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds Foundation, a mental health initiative.
Years ago, John drove 12-tonne trucks in New Zealand and he has family in WA who drove long-haul road trains. He understands the pressures truckies face, from tight deadlines and fatigue to loneliness and depression.
“Then there’s the stress of being on the road amongst people who don’t respect trucks and how long it takes them to stop, the amount of space they take up. Truck drivers have to be hyper vigilant.”
The starting price for his Super-Liner is $4500.
“I’m hoping for $20,000. It’s worth at least that. I estimate probably 450 to 500 hours I’ve spent on it. I could see it sitting in a boardroom or a trucking company’s office. Or a truck enthusiast’s den.”
Make a bid! Go to www.myminiauction.com/fine-wood-creations#item-87705
Or email questions to thewilsonic@gmail.com
