By Eleanor Wilson
For army veteran and Beaconsfield resident Paul Dekmetzian, the army cargo truck he keeps in a specially built shed in Garfield is a labour of love.
Mr Dekmetzian purchased and restored the 2.5 ton international 4×4 cargo truck in 2014, from the family of previous owner and war veteran William Baird OAM.
The unique history of ‘Cargo’, as the truck is fondly named, prompted Mr Dekmetzian to create a series of children’s books to share the truck’s life story and surrounding themes, in a bid to inspire some passion into future generations .
The first in a projected 12 book series, The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck – ‘Cargo gets a new job’- details the truck’s transition from humble beginnings in a Dandenong factory, to loyal community service vehicle .
Under Mr Baird’s care, Cargo spent 15 years servicing the isolated New South Wales communities of Hay and Ivanhoe- its powerful frame and large tires perfect for tackling the unsealed, often bogged dirt roads of the rural townscape.
Before that, between 1963 and the early 1980s, it was used throughout Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam Conflict.
After Mr Baird’s passing, the truck took a stretch of, shall we say, ‘long service leave’ in the Baird family’s shed, before Mr Dekmetzian came along and gave Cargo a new lease on life.
Part of the Victorian Military Vehicle Corp (VMVC), Mr Dekmetzian said Cargo frequently catches the attention of young ones when it is displayed at VMVC shows.
“The kids go crazy,” he said.
“When we show them we drop the tailgate and roll up the canvas and there’s seats in the back. The little ones go right to the back and they don’t want to come out.”
Mr Dekmetzian, who is also on the committee of the Akoonah Park Men’s Shed, said he wanted to create a fun and lighthearted book to share an important part of Australia’s military history.
“The way I’m writing the books is so it’s as interesting for the reader reading it, as it is for the children listening to it,” he said.
“Once my generation passes eventually, unless the kids are interested in [military vehicles] and excited by them, there won’t be much interest in them, say after 20 to 30 years,” he said.
“The books are meant to maintain that interest and enjoyment, and hopefully some young people start buying these and driving them around in the future. Who knows?!”
Mr Dekmetzian’s passion for army vehicles goes back to the 1970s, when he entered the Australian Army as a school cadet aged 17.
After finishing high school, he became part of the Monash University regiment.
“I was in the driving platoon and I used to drive similar vehicles all over the place,” he said.
Cargo is the second army truck in his collection
In 1981 he left the Army to pursue a career in banking, but maintains the experience impacted him “in a very positive way.”
“From 1973 to 1981, eight years of my young life, I was involved in the army…and it’s taught me a great deal,” he said.
“The Army has a specific way of training people. You’ll learn to keep things clean, how to keep things maintained, how to be disciplined and how to get on with the job.”
Mr Dekmetzian, along with Cargo the Army Truck, will be present at the Garfield and Bunyip services on ANZAC Day.
“ANZAC Day is a huge thing for me because my family originally came from Athens in Greece and as many people would know, Athens was occupied by the German Army in the early 40s right through to the end of the war,” he said.
“My family suffered terribly during that time and Australian soldiers were sent to Athens during that time.”
“So there’s a lot of history combined there, between Australia and Greece and all the rest of it.”
The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck is available on Amazon.
