Farmers in NSW and Queensland are calling it the worst drought in living memory. A week ago the NSW government said “100 per cent” of the state is now in drought with a quarter of the state in intense drought.

In response, 22 hay-loaded road trains headed east on Monday morning. They’re travelling towards Ceduna through to Port Augusta before stopping in Condoblin NSW. The hay was purchased through charitable donations from Australia and around the world.

Centurion’s Executive General Manager Operations West, Gary Nurick says the company was glad to be able to support the initiative.

“We were amazed by the relief operation organised by the Rapid Relief Team [RRT] in less than a week. A few of our drivers were quick to volunteer their time and they’ve done a fantastic job of supporting the effort to help out the farmers who are going through a tough time at the moment.”

Drivers Barrie Chilton and Peter Jewell both have a link to the farming community. “I’ve been involved with agriculture before and I know how hard it can be” said Peter. “Barrie also used to be a farmer so he knows first-hand what it’s like so we both were happy to volunteer.”

Barrie has been blown away by the support they’ve received along the journey.

“Everyone’s on the radio saying good job, people are waving and flashing their lights,” he said.

“We’re thankful to everyone along the way who’s helped us out and fed us. The RRT has run it really well, it’s been a great effort by everyone involved,” added Barrie.

The convoy is due to arrive on Friday. It will be distributed to farmers in Condoblin, Tullamore, Tottenham, Nymagee, and Lake Cargelligo and used to feed approximately 1000 cows or 20,000 sheep for 20 weeks.

The trucks are currently in Port Augusta.

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Working with its large retail supermarket customers and Bhagwan Marine, Centurion commissioned a barge and redirected road freight through the ports of Dampier and Broome to ensure the much needed food and supplies reached the local community.

Centurion loaded seven refrigerated trailers of produce on to a barge at Dampier port to arrive in Broome two days later and then used its local fleet to distribute the goods to the local supermarkets.

This process was repeated at the end of February when Broome took another drenching with main roads totally impassable again.

The produce was used to stock shelves of the retailers which were running low following the damaging floods.

As part of its strategies to ensure its supply routes to the Kimberley remained open, Centurion also begun redirected road freight bound for Kununurra through Port Augusta and Katherine South.

Redirecting freight via this route is 2,095 kilometres and 24 hours longer.

Centurion CEO Justin Cardaci said the company did all it could to support the local community.

“As a Western Australian company with a strong connection to the regions we looked at a number of options to ensure vital food supplies got through to the local communities.”

“The damage to road infrastructure was significant and we anticipated that the roads would be impassable in the region for some time.

“Our main concern was ensuring we get food to the area and with the road network impassable, the sea was the only other viable option to move large quantities of produce.

“We worked with our major supermarket customers to look at the best solutions to move their freight to the Kimberley.”

Record rains swamped Broome, dumping twice the annual rainfall on the popular tourist spot in less than two months.

Tropical Cyclones Joyce and Kelvin, combined with a severe storm, drenched the Kimberley isolating people in  towns including Broome, Derby and Halls Creek from the south of the state.

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Brandon Rose and Travis Rose, who are part of Centurion’s Youth and Indigenous Program, were the driving force behind a number of fundraising initiatives that included a head shave, a quiz night, raffle and BBQ to raise money for a new 4WD vehicle for the Telethon Kids Kimberley team based in Broome.

The cousins, who are now based in Perth but grew up in Derby, helped raise close to $15,000 dollars from fellow staff members. Centurion then generously matched this amount with its parent company, CFC Group also making a significant donation to the vehicle.

Brandon Rose, who auctioned off the privilege to shave off his hair to his work colleagues, said he was proud to support research in the region he calls home.

“It’s great to see Telethon Kids active in the Kimberley region. I know first-hand some of the difficulties faced by communities up here and this vehicle will help improve the lives of kids in the region in the long run.”

Telethon Kids Kimberley Coordinator and Bunyiol Bard man John Jacky said the vehicle was a much needed asset.

“This vehicle will help support research into a range of child health areas including ear, skin and lung infections and the serious lifelong conditions that can result from these infections such as kidney disease, rheumatic heart disease, permanent hearing loss and premature death,” Mr Jacky said.

“We are very grateful to Centurion for giving us the wheels to drive research to all corners of the Kimberley,” Mr Jacky said.

“The tracks, whether on pindan or blacktop, will always lead to strong evidence based research that is aimed at the continuous improvement of healthy Kimberley communities.”

Centurion CEO Justin Cardaci said the support for Telethon Kids Kimberley had been right through the business.

“We’re a company that has been built on servicing regional Western Australia and I’m proud to see our employees get behind this cause and make a donation that’s going to make a tangible difference in the community.

“It’s also great to see two respected members of our workforce develop and take on challenges that ultimately support their local community,” Mr Cardaci said.

Centurion CEO Justin Cardaci hands over the keys to the new 4WD to Glenn Pearson, Head of Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing at Telethon

Centurion employee and fundraiser Brandon Rose along with Telethon Kids Kimberley’s John Jacky and Centurion Branch Manager Chris Watson

Telethon Kids Kimberley coordinator John Jacky on the road with the new Toyota Landcruiser 70 series

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Billion Opportunities partnership builds capacity in the Pilbara

25 August 2016: A partnership between Fortescue Metals Group (Fortescue) and Western Australian-owned and operated transport, freight and logistics company, Centurion, has created a significant opportunity for an Aboriginal-owned business in the Pilbara.

The award of a sub-contract to Red Dirt Transport Services by Centurion for fuel delivery to Fortescue’s Pilbara-based operational sites is part of Fortescue’s Billion Opportunities program and the result of the companies’ shared vision and commitment to building sustainable opportunities for Aboriginal people. Click here for the full media release

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Centurion operates approximately one in four road trains on some key strategic routes from Perth to the north and north-west of the State.

Feedback from Centurion’s network of drivers in the past has been that while many motorists and caravaners know the correct procedures to pass there are always some less experienced who don’t.

And with many road trains longer than 50 meters, passing them, or being passed, when towing a caravan or even just in a car, can be a challenge and the consequences of not driving safely can be catastrophic.

According to Justin Cardaci Executive General Manager of Centurion Transport, safety is the number one priority for his drivers.

“We understand that cars, caravans and road trains all have to share the roads and we want everyone to arrive at their destination safely,” Mr Cardaci said.

“Passing a road train can be an intimidating experience for motorists and caravaners, but it can also be nerve-wracking for the truck driver.

“The key is for everyone to be on the same wavelength. That way the risk of an incident and injury can be averted.”

Here are Centurion’s top 5 tips to help motorists and caravaners when passing a road train.

Overtaking a road train:

Lights: keep your lights on so your car / caravan can be clearly seen especially if it’s dusty or overcast conditions.

Patience: Passing a 50 meter road train can take as much as 60 seconds so be patient and pick the right time. Make sure that there’s nothing coming in the other direction and you have maximum visibility of the road ahead.

Positioning: If you are going to overtake a road train you’ll need to give yourself plenty of space. Position your vehicle so you can see any oncoming traffic and so the road train driver can see you. If you’re too close you won’t be able to see oncoming traffic.

Indicate: If you want to pass, keep your right hand blinker on to let the truckie know.

Communicate: If you have a UHF radio then radio through on Channel 40. Identify the truck and the direction they are heading and general location – e.g. Caravan calling Centurion truck northbound on Great Northern Highway north of Newman, and ask if it is clear to pass.

Pass: When everything is clear accelerate at a safe and consistent speed and pass. And remember it’s always good to acknowledge when people do the right things with a wave and a smile.

Centurions Top 3 Tips for motorists / caravaners being over taken by a road train:

Speed: If you are about to be overtaken by a road train maintain a consistent speed, don’t break or slowdown, and definitely don’t speed up. The driver will time their pass based on your speed so keeping it steady will ensure they can pass safely.

Signal: Remember road trains can be longer than 50 meters making it difficult for them to judge when they are clear of your vehicle after overtaking. Let the road train know when they can pull in after the manoeuvre with a flash of your headlights. It’s a simple courtesy and will help everyone get along on their long journey

“It’s about everyone doing the right thing on our roads. By understanding what to do, being patient and being courteous we’ll all arrive at our destination safely,” said Mr Cardaci.

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