By Eleanor Wilson
For Akoonah Park Men’s Shed committee member Paul Dekmetzian, the biggest challenge in writing a series of 12 children’s books is “making the next book as good as the last”.
Mr Dekmetzian is working on the fourth installment of The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck, after finishing off books two and three in recent months.
The books follow the true story of Cargo, a 2.5 ton 4 x 4 cargo truck with a rich history of local service in the Australian Army from the mid ’60s to the mid ’80s.
But Cargo’s work during its retirement days has been equally significant.
Purchased by William Baird OAM in 1984, the truck spent 15 years servicing the remote New South Wales communities of Hay and Ivanhoe, where standard cars and trucks struggled to traverse the unsealed, muddy roads.
Together, Mr Baird and Cargo carried food, mail and essential supplies to the isolated communities, who would otherwise be stuck without service for weeks at a time, according to Mr Dekmetzian.
An Army Reserve Veteran and Victorian Military Vehicle Corp (VMVC) member, Mr Dekmetzian purchased and restored the truck in 2014, and still drives it to this day.
“When I bought the truck from Hay it had been on the market for several months and there was some controversy in the community as to what they should do with it because it was a historical truck for the community,” he said.
“I’m mindful that the people of Hay will read these books and it will resonate with them as well, so I’m trying to meet my duty to convey the story to the little ones.”
The second installment of The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck, named The Long and Muddy Road, is “a little bit dark”, he said.
“There are darker colours involved and that is to demonstrate the difficulties of servicing remote communities,” he said.
“I’m keen for [the readers] to think about it, as to what happens in remote communities, who goes out to these frontiers and who services them, how the doctors work.”
“I’m interested in igniting a little bit of understanding and thinking in the kids on concepts… to start them off on a new critical thinking path.”
Book three of the 12-piece series, called Cargo is Ready To Go, marks Cargo’s breakout story, where the truck “starts being himself”.
“You’ve got images of girls and boys playing footy, of a dad fishing and people at the beach,” Mr Dekmetzian said.
“I’m hoping there’s an interaction between the reader and the child and the child comes back and says… I don’t know what this means. Can you check it?”
The Beaconsfield resident said he hopes the children’s books can serve as a boost of happiness for kids.
“It’s a story I’ve come across that has grabbed me more than anything you could imagine and I’ve gotten a great deal out of it,” he said.
“These days I think that people are struggling a little bit, we’re all getting over Covid, we’ve all had our difficulties.
“I think people need some inspirational things to think about to bring happiness. And that’s why I decided to go with children’s books.”
The Adventures of Cargo the Army Truck series is available for purchase on Amazon at bit.ly/3UoZv2I
