It was Steve’s mate Raymond Bradshaw, another great-natured vocational trucker, who had been talking to Jumbo Te Huia … dare I say it, an awesome bloke from a generational trucking background with few peers in the lovely people stakes. Anyhow, the subject was the location of Doc’s original truck The Flying Doctor. According to Jumbo, it was sitting at a farm on the Hauraki Plains.

“We hadn’t thought too much about a restoration, but if that was it, why not at least ask?”

As luck would have it, the owner was more than happy for the truck to return home, though it wasn’t for sale as such. “He said ‘A Kenworth is always owned by the person who owned it first, so if Doc wants his truck back, let’s talk,’” says Steve. “So that was great.”

That’s how The Flying Doctor found its way back home. It’s been a couple of years since then, and it’s now nearing the end of its journey back to full glory. It’s back in Doc’s original livery of white base with red and silver striping, with D & L Livingston on the door. There’s been work done on the engine to tidy it up, some chassis work, and the cab’s been given a good birthday.

“So many people have had a hand in it,” says Sharon. “Matt [Steve and Sharon’s son] has done heaps on it, as well as Gavin and Ryan [Gavin and Stephanie’s son]; it’s been great in that regard.”

“Bloody handy having a range of skills in the family,” says Steve with a big grin.

Of course, Doc hasn’t been far from the action all along. “I took him to Willie’s [Malcolm], and he didn’t realise we were getting it painted back into his colours,” says Steve. “He went up to it and said ‘look at this one’ – it was his. Evan Ireland did a magic job on the stripes and signage, and when we backed it out of the shed at home all painted and striped, Dad and Mum were really emotional. It was a cool moment and we caught it on video.

“We took it to the New Zealand Forest Products reunion last year, and Dad drove it to the venue. That was cool.

“There’s a complete new cab upholstery interior to go in it, we’re just waiting for it to arrive; just the finishing cosmetics now really.”

The K124CR was a transition model in some regards. It had the K124 grille but the big high-rise wrap dash to come in the 124’s successor, the K100E. It’s an impressive machine.

“I’ve got an old three-axle longs trailer plus another donor trailer for some axles sitting out the back. We’re going to set that up and then sit it up on the back of the truck. It’ll look the part, but more importantly, make the ride a little easier,” Steve says, laughing. “Yep, she’s not far away now. We’ve registered it for the Classics Around the Coast classic truck run in January next year, so that’s the goal. We all want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved. It’s been a really neat journey.”