Last week’s Whitsunday Coast Guardian reached the newsstands against all odds after flames engulfed the delivery truck turning 3,000 copies to nothing but smouldering ash.
North Queensland News (NQN) Group Production Manager Peter Bull was the first to receive the bad news with a 1am wakeup call notifying him of the roadside disaster near Giru.
“Luckily the driver was fine; the air brakes apparently had locked on and the heat exploded the hydraulic oil lines. The truck (was) a write-off and so were all the goods – our precious newspapers!” Mr Bull said.
Mr Bull and his stalwart crew at the Townsville Bulletin’s printing press decided to reprint on the spot, finishing the job at 3.30am.
“The truck drove out at 3.45 am. In fact, the truck driver was the same driver who was earlier driving the burnt out wreck. He really stood out with his soot-stained high visibility shirt and the not so sweet fragrance of burnt ash! This guy deserves a medal,” Mr Bull said.
NQN General Manager Michael Wilkins said it was no small task to re-plate the press and start again.
“This sort of commitment does not just happen. It is the result of years of dedication by many people who take immense pride in what they do and are determined to serve our readers each day.
“I want to thank Shane Brodie (press), Stacey Anderson (publishing) and their crews for their efforts – plus of course the QN driver. It’s a wonderful testament to them and to NQN,” Mr Wilkins said.
No comments:
Post a Comment