Ossory Show, 2016

Trucks and Truckers

The Ossory Show 2016 was a different event for me – here are some photos of the Truck Show section.

I’d never seen a ‘Truck Show’ before and I didn’t know what to expect.  It was really interesting as I stood on top of one of the garden beds and watched a bunch of trucks come up the road blowing their horns like as if they were all excited to have finally found the show.  I did hear at one point that a few of the trucks were off in Mountrath because they were lost, didn’t know where the show grounds were, and it was the arrival of this bunch of trucks that I am talking about. Unfortunately, I can’t show the excitement, what it felt like to watch them all arrive, photographing them as they drove in.

For me though, the nicest bit was when I ‘bumped’ in to Johnnie and Holly.  I didn’t know who they were, they were just two gorgeous children playing together or around the trucks.  The three of us sat and chatted and we talked about how children should not talk to adults and that even though I was taking their photo for them I couldn’t put that photo on the internet.  I told them that I’d get a copy of my photo to them.

Maybe I should make the title of this page – “Johnnie” :)

I kept photographing as I do, and then I saw this wee little truck, a ‘baby’ truck, parked between two grown up trucks and I thought ‘wow’.  Then, I learned that the little truck actually works, I think it has a wheelchair engine AND that it belongs to Johnnie.  Later, Seamus asked me if I would photograph the truckers receiving their cups and I said “No, problem” and ok, they had a professional photographer but that didn’t bother me because I was just taking photos.  I’d get a shot of the people who came first and second but not the person who came third because the professional would get all three people to stand with their backs to the crowd.  So, I took photos of the trophy recipients as they came off the stage.  These are all off the cuff photos and some of them are not that perfect.

As I was watching & photographing the ceremony I realised that Johnnie and his mother were standing beside me.  I told him Mam (Sandra) that I had photographed Johnnie and Holly and I gave her the name of my website and asked her to email me so that I could send her copies of those photos.

THEN, next thing, Johnnie was called up to the stage – his dad went with him and he was told he was being given an award BUT that the group did not have a trophy for him right now, they would get one to him.  I took photos.

I’m only getting the photos online now BUT the other night, Sandra emailed me and told me that Johnnie had received his trophy.  I asked her if I could have a copy of a photo of him with his trophy and she said that she would get  a photo of Johnnie, his truck and his trophy.

I have put the photo of Johnnie, his truck, his trophy and his Dad as my header photo here now.   To me, that photo speaks a million words. I hope any truckers who read this page, come to see these photos will agree with me.

It was a pleasure to photograph the trucks and truckers, it was a bigger pleasure to have met Johnnie and see his truck.  Shouldn’t say this, showed my son the lead photo of Johnnie, Truck, Trophy & Dad  tonight and he said “That’s the luckiest boy in the world”