There are plenty of truck events around NZ, but few can match the noise, colour, and sheer goodwill of Dunedin’s annual Special Rigs for Special Kids
Held on Sunday, 30 August, this year’s event once again brought together the transport industry and hundreds of children for a day where trucks took centre stage – not for hauling freight or shifting earth, but for creating memories.
The basic idea remains wonderfully simple and the brainchild of longtime contractor Greg Inch, who with the help of a volunteer committee and helpers puts the event together.
Children climb aboard some seriously impressive big rigs and head out on a convoy through Dunedin and the surrounding countryside, accompanied by drivers who have volunteered their time and trucks for the occasion. Horns sound, people line the streets, and for a few hours the city takes on the unmistakable atmosphere of a major truck show on the move.
But this is about much more than polished chrome, big horsepower and impressive machinery. The event, which has been running for more than three decades, is firmly centred on giving children and their families a memorable day out, while allowing the local transport industry to give something back to its community.
Photographer Kathryn Dawe was there to capture some of the trucks, drivers and, most importantly, the smiles that made this year’s Special Rigs for Special Kids another Dunedin highlight.
Images by Kathryn Dawe
