The recipient of this month‘s Good On Ya Mate award generated plenty of comments on Facebook that indicated Dave Paris was the type of guy who would always do what he could to help another driver.

Nikau Shortland was heading south on the Te Kuiti/Taumarunui road on 11 May. He says it‘s not a route he‘s overly familiar with, although he‘s slowly getting used to it.

It was raining, Nikau‘s windscreen wipers had died, and he was trying to work out his next move.

“ There was a Blue Ice Freighty with a B-train behind it, and he pulled into the rest area as I didn‘t know where to stop. The guy ‘s name was Dave, and he‘s a legend, a good bugger. It was raining but he got out of his truck to come and help me fix mine and then off we went. He also pointed out corners and parts of that road that are dangerous in the winter – he gave me guidance and shared some of his knowledge with me all the way to Ohakune.”

Nikau says he kept as close to Dave‘s truck as the wet conditions allowed.

“Although I‘m fairly new to driving he went at a pace where I could keep up. Every time I lost sight of him he slowed down until he could see me before carrying on. I‘m grateful for his guidance and humbled that he shared his knowledge, but what gotmewashehadaboattocatchyethetookthetimetodo this. This trucker is a legend. I have so much respect for this guy for taking the time to help me out, he‘s a top bloke.” Dave Paris was a bit embarrassed at all the publicity his actions generated, saying that helping guys on the road was part and parcel of how the industry should be. “ We all got a helping hand at the start and you should pass that on.”

Well done that man!