There’s much more than a love of the trucking life behind Steve Dunn’s Berrigan ‘truck gate’.
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The gate was in part a tribute to Steve’s partner Narelle Joy Eggins.
He finished it not long before Narelle lost her battle with cancer last Wednesday.
The 52 year-old had a long battle with lung cancer and then secondary bone metastasis, before being diagnosed with a benign tumour in the brain.
Steve, who grew up in Berrigan, returned to his home town with Narelle in February, 24 years after moving away.
‘‘I was born and bred in Berrigan and have always called it home,’’ he said.
‘‘Whenever someone would ask where I was from, whether I was living in Shepparton or elsewhere at the time I’d always answer with Berrigan.
‘‘I always had a passion for the town so me and Narelle decided to move here.’’
Steve and Narelle bought their house in Berrigan in September, but it was not until they relocated in February they realised they would need to fix the front gate.
Narelle was Steve’s inspiration for the gate, with the couple sharing a love and passion for trucking.
‘‘The gate that was there originally wasn’t wide enough to fit a stretcher through,’’ he said.
‘‘If Narelle had an attack or any other emergency for her health, then the paramedics wouldn’t be able to come through. We had to fix it.
‘‘Her health was getting worse so we had to do something about the gate right away.
‘‘We were sitting on the verandah one day and I said to her ‘I think it (the gate) would look better with an exhaust and grill, what do you think?’, and Narelle agreed.’’
From that point on Steve made it his goal to complete the gate for Narelle to see the finished product.
He turned to friends and family to help him out with completing the gate, particularly one friend who owns a truck wreckers.
‘‘Narelle was admitted to hospital about eight weeks ago and I just wanted to make sure she could see it before she passed,’’ Steve said.
‘‘It was hard to get matching pieces because when a truck tips it will fall on one side and damage the exhaust.
‘‘I managed to find two exhausts, so I cut them down and made sure they were level.
‘‘We found the grill but needed a frame for it so I got my cousin, who is a boilermaker, to make the frame.
‘‘We finished it and put it up two weeks ago. Narelle’s health was getting worse but we were able to bring her home to see the gate.
‘‘We also got to have her home to see the litter of puppies that our dog had. I’m just so glad she was able to do this.’’
Steve, 45, has had a long-time passion for trucks, having driven trucks professionally for 21 years.
Unfortunately he was forced into retirement after a truck crash. He was the front seat passenger and put his hand on the dash to brace himself, and the airbag deployed smashing his hand through the windscreen.
Steve fondly looks back on his driving days, and said Narelle would often join him. So too would Steve’s dog, ‘Dennis’.
‘‘I grew up around trucks and always wanted to get in the industry when I got older,’’ he said.
‘‘I already loved my job, but enjoyed it more when Narelle came along for my trips.
‘‘She used to come for every trip, which was something Dennis had to get used to. There was always a fight over the front seat between them.
‘‘I still remember one day when I was driving and Narelle was sitting in the front of the truck. I was thirsty so she went to the back of the cabin to get me a drink out of the fridge and Dennis jumped straight in the seat.
‘‘She tried to get back in the seat but Dennis growled at her and I told her she would just have to stay in the bed.
‘‘We had a lot of great memories of our trips in the truck. I love and miss her so much already.’’
Steve’s truck gate has already gained plenty of traction, with photos of it being shared on social media and the former truckie receiving a few calls from trucking magazines.
The gate has gone viral, being shared on multiple Facebook pages tens of thousands of times all over the world.
‘‘I haven’t really been able to enjoy the attention at the moment but I know it’s something that Narelle would’ve loved,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve had calls from magazines that have focused on the gate and the impact the industry has had on me but the real reason for making the gate will always be Narelle.
‘‘I’ve seen plenty of cars stop by to get a photo and I think it’s great that I’ve been able to give something back to the community of Berrigan.
‘‘Hopefully it can get tourists to come here just to see it and help the community.
‘‘I also hope that the story behind the gate can help raise awareness for cancer, because I’d love to think that Narelle’s legacy can help other people.’’