He’s gotta be an original! Our lead driver for the Heart of Australia clinic-on-wheels – Mr Alan Creevey.

A former Australian Army man who has tales to tell about his time as an Army apprentice carpenter/joiner and his encounters with “rock hard” native Aussie timbers.

He’s also a Goondiwindi original. In fact, he and his Mum were evacuated from Gundy just hours after his birth in the local hospital, his mum needing extra medical attention – in the middle of almost-legendary floods in 1956.

He joined Heart of Australia just over two years ago and concentrates on our Northern clinic runs, manoeuvring our 18-wheeler into places like Emerald, Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, Charters Towers and Moranbah.

Alan is a perpetual “smiler” who’s always ready to swap tales of life.

He likes to tell of an encounter that gives him pride in being part of Heart of Australia. He asked an indigenous man in Charleville what our program meant to him and the man replied that because he’d been “saved” on our truck by a heart disease diagnosis, the man was “still here and able to look after his kids and grand-kids”.

But wait, there’s more! We’ve just discovered a poet in Alan … so read on …

Up early on Thursday, we hit the ground running.
The night air is cool, but the sunrise is stunning.
We take off for Emerald, still not quite alive,
Preparing ourselves for that long country drive.

We drive to the showgrounds, the truck is there waiting.
Straight into clinic, there’s no hesitating.
The patients are queuing at the steps of the trailer.
Another day in the life of the Heart of Australia.

It’s Friday already, we get underway.
We’re going through “Barky” to Longreach today.
We park up, then set up, it seems quite a chore,
But we make it look easy, we’ve done it before!

Hughenden beckons, we wave Winton farewell.
We pass on through Corfield and Stamford as well.
Down a track straight and narrow, uneven and rough,
Methinks the poor doctor is doing it tough.

It’s Sunday already, we’re up with the dawning.
Clinic as usual, then Charters this morning.
Can’t help but notice the change in the change in the scenery,
Vast spaces near Winton, to the tropical greenery.

We’re setting the truck up, make sure it’s not leaning,
Preparing the dinners, getting on with the cleaning.
Inspecting the truck, looking over the trailer.
Another day in the life of the Heart of Australia.

Moranbah’s next, and it’s time we got started.
The road is horrendous, not for the faint-hearted.
Six hours of driving, but we’ll get there alright.
Wash the truck first, then set up in the night

The doctors fly in, we start clinic once more,
Helping the patients that pass through the door.
Giving our all, always doing our best.
Improving the lives of the folk from out west.

Dalby’s next on the schedule, twelve hours away,
Finish the clinic, leave early today.
We strike off down south, with no time for failures,
Another day in the life of the Heart of Australia.

Now the drivers change over, and so too the team.
A big day in Dalby, then to Stanthorpe it seems.
Through Gundy, St. George, and to Charleville.
Got to keep the ball rolling, no time to stand still.

And now it’s to Roma, we’ll stay here two nights,
And then up to Emerald, they’ve booked us our flights.
We’re driven to find all the things that might ail ya’
Another day in the life of the Heart of Australia