This story really starts about 18 years ago, about the same time I started my business I joined a local business group. We met each week of a Wednesday morning and for the 9 years I was a member there were between 20 and 30 other business owners in the room each Wednesday. The group of business owners were predominately men, this wasn’t an issue it just meant the services that I generally had the most in common and could refer easiest were mostly owned by women. For example a beautician and make up artist were great business’ to partner with as I regularly sat down with Brides and Women wanting their hair and makeup done for their photoshoots so therefore they were easy business’ to refer too.

A business that we worked hard to get into the room was a Florist and this is how I met my beautiful friend Annette who owns East Maitland Florist. Although at the time we were at different stages in our personal lives we clicked.

Over the years a few beauticians came and went from the group but eventually another beautiful friend to be, joined the business group and filled the spot of Beautician and Make up extraordinaire, Heidi.

Together Annette, Heidi and I formed a bit of an easy referral group we trusted each other with our clients, knowing that they would always be looked after but more than this we formed an amazing friendship. The group held social events over the years where we would bring along our partners and depending on the function our children. This is how I met Annette’s Darryl and Heidi’s Rob.

Annette, Heidi and I decided one day to do a promotional wedding themed shoot so that we could all showcase what we could offer to our wedding couples. We also used these shoots to try new things and create images to use in our marketing material while also advertising for each other, it worked so well. When doing the planning for this particular shoot in 2013, I said to Annette I think I want to use an old truck for this shoot do you know of anyone who might have an old truck that we could use? She just laughed at me and said “I have a whole paddock of Old trucks, Darryl has a yard full of projects. We will do the shoot out at my place and Darryl will tidy up one of the trucks and you can use it”.

So this is what we did, we did the shoot out at her property and Darryl had the truck out ready for me. I think it was on this day that I also fell in love with using old trucks in my photos. I have popped my favorite photo from that shoot below!!

Over the years Annette, Heidi and I have stayed very good friends even though we have moved on from the business group and our business’ may have changed we still make time to catch up for dinner on the regular and we each know that the other is just a phone call away. As a photographer I have gotten to photograph some major milestones in both of my good friends lives I photographed Annette’s daughter getting married in 2011 and the birth of Heidi’s beautiful baby boy Jack in 2016.

My Daughter Larni worked for Heidi for a short time before she shut her business in 2016, Larni then went and worked for Annette for a short time helping out on a Saturday to gain some experience. This is when Larni met Darryl, Darryl had a soft spot for Larni and they would both joke around and pick on Annette. Larni would joke around with Darryl commenting on his collection of vibrant Hawaiian shirts, which he wore everyday even doing deliveries for Annette’s shop, that was just Darryl and it made people smile.

A few years later Darryl became sick, he tried valiantly to fight it but in July of 2021 he lost his fight and I received the heartbreaking call from my beautiful friend to tell me he had passed away. Over the last two years I have watched my amazing friend battle with her grief but also become stronger at the same time taking things one day at a time.

Sitting down at Dinner a few months ago, Annette and I were talking about what was happening in our business and catching up. I was heavily into the planning of my Christmas sessions and I mentioned I was on the look out for an old truck to use in my photos. Unbeknown to me Annette went home and spoke to Darryl’s Son and her Son and said that she would like me to have one of Darryl’s trucks to use up at the Glasshouse set. They were all in agreeance and they decided on the two trucks that I could choose between. Annette called a few days later and told me what her and the boys had decided and asked me to come out and choose the one I would like.

Brendan and I went out one afternoon after work to look at the trucks, we wandered down the paddock to where the two trucks were living. I immediately fell in love with the smaller of the two trucks and honestly it was an easy decision to make, this one was the exact picture that I had in my head. Brendan went back to grab his tape measure from the car to see if it would fit on the car trailer.

While he was gone we stood chatting, enjoying the beautiful end of day sunlight and watching the little wrens (birds) jump around the truck. One of the little blue wrens jumped up onto the bonnet and just sat looking at us. I turned to Annette and she had tears running down her cheeks, she then explained that Darryl had loved wrens and in his memory she had a tattoo done of a wren wearing an Akubra hat (which he wore everyday) over her heart. Both in tears by now she said that this was the first thing that she was parting with of Darryl’s and the wren was telling her that she was doing the right thing and that Darryl would have wanted me to have it. The wren turned away but then appeared to look back nod his little head and fly off.

While standing looking at the truck I also felt that this truck was familiar in some way and I said to Net “I think that this is the truck we used in our shoot all those years ago”. We had a bit of a laugh but without an answer we just let it go I took a few photos and after drying our tears and walking back up the yard, plans were made.

For safety reasons we decided that we would have to book a tow truck to do the transfer. I had to catch up with Heidi the following week and I was filling her in about the truck and the Christmas set etc. Heidi told me that I needed to use Kyle from Hallinan’s Auto Electrics to do the tow as they had moved some equipment for her that required care and consideration.

A couple of days later I sat at my computer and while searching through a hard drive for some other images I came across a couple of images of the shoot that we did all the way back in 2013 including the image above. I made the image as big as I could on my screen and put my phone beside it with the image I had taken the day we went out to choose which truck. I called Brendan in to help me decide if the two trucks were one and the same. His answer was yep it sure is he then went about pointing out all of the things that were the same. All of my images have a date and time attached to the file and when I looked at the date and time on the photo from the shoot in 2013 it was the 15th of September 2013 at 5:09pm. I then looked at my phone and discovered that the photo I had taken on the afternoon that I had gone out to choose the truck was the 15th of September 2023 at 5:09pm. Cue the Goosebumps again :0, 10 years difference to the day and time!

With all of the quirky little things that happened in the planning and coincidences of dates and times I truly think that Darryl is giving his blessing from above for his truck to find it’s new home up at the glasshouse farm.

Moving day arrived and standing watching the truck being loaded with Annette, we were a bit emotional but I said to Annette I need a name for the truck did Darryl have a middle name or a nic name? After counting out his middle name she said we should call him ‘Dazza’ and that’s how Dazza the truck got his name and came to live up on my Glasshouse farm!