As Benny Scott (and his dog Frankie) get set to complete a 3900km walk from Sydney to Darwin this weekend, he shares a heartfelt thank you to a veteran truckie who has helped keep him fuelled along the way, Big Rigs reports.
Scott started a charity called Walk2Recovery, which raises awareness for addiction and mental health issues. His goal is to set up a pet-friendly Recovery Centre on NSW’s mid north coast.
“Charities can be quite hard to get off the ground, so as part of my own recovery as well, I thought what better way to do it than to take a long walk with the dog,” Scott said.
The walk started on December 29. As they’ve been travelling on foot, they embarked on their journey with minimal supplies.
“Frankie is living his best life, a little the same as it is for me – it’s awesome but it’s also hard work and quite hot. I have two prams I push, one carries water, and the other carries Frankie when he’s tired,” Scott explained.
However it was recently that they met a kind-hearted truckie named Barry Flanagan, 75, who pulled up beside them in the Mack Titan he drives for Ostojic Transport.
The Mt Isa based veteran truckie, who has spent the past 50 years behind the wheel, runs between Mt Isa and Tennant Creek four times a week.
They crossed paths while Scott and Frankie were walking from Queensland to the Northern Territory, on an isolated route.
“On the first day a local truck driver named Barry saw Frankie and I walking along this deserted highway and stopped to ask if we needed anything. I politely declined but after he insisted, I said some extra dog food would be amazing,” said Scott.
“He proceeded to go beyond that by keeping us well fed for the next week and a half. The days he was not on the road and passing us, he’d radio through to his colleagues to stop and drop off breakfast, lunch and dinner for not only Frankie but myself as well.”
From Powerades and steak and salad rolls, to toasties, muffins, fruit and even baby wipes, Flanagan’s generosity was incredible.
“He would even go to the length of heating up our rolls and toasties in his truck before handing them to me on his way past.
“He also paid in advance prior to my arrival at Three Ways Roadhouse for a T-bone steak dinner, big English breakfast and a room for the night,” Scott said.
FULL STORY
Veteran truckie gets behind 3900km charity walk (Big Rigs)
Walk2Recovery (Facebook)
