The roaring rumble and tooting horns of over 300 trucks in Dunedin streets has brought three decades of joy to special needs children and the production crew from Channel 39 – Southern Television were out capturing the excitement.
The Special Rigs for Special Kids event celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, with 324 trucks taking over 350 special needs children out for a ride in a truck.
The convoy departed the Edgar Centre followed a route that took them along Victoria Road, Kaikorai Valley, Three Mile Hill Rd, out to Mosgiel, and back through St Clair via Green Island.
To add to the excitement, none of the children knew which truck they were allocated until they hopped in the seat.
Organiser Greg Inch had expected the event would only last six or seven years, but to get to 30 was a huge achievement by the trucking community.
He said the drivers and children developed strong friendships over the years which brought families together.
"This is a day for a child to get to know the driver. To experience what we experience every day and to go for a ride in a truck.
Dunedin has still got a community spirit where things like this can happen and it just grows from strength to strength," Mr Inch said.
