WHEN Stars ALIGN

Often, with my long-winded stories, I tend to focus on a single protagonist and, nine times out of 10, it’s the owner of the featured truck, or the driver, or the owner-driver. For this story, though, it really feels like I’m writing one of those big budget Marvel ensemble movies as there are so many main characters.

The lead character is Justin Wenham, owner of Mahnew Transport, which is based in Lenswood, South Australia, although I’m sure he thinks he’d look good in tights and a cape.

However, this isn’t a superhero movie; it is unequivocally a family story with a bucketload of ‘Star’ power (sorry, couldn’t resist that pun). In fact, Wenham really shares top billing with the other cast members, notably his number one driver and unofficial little sister, Mel Ware, his extremely tolerant wife, Bronwyn, and their capable and friendly kids, Heidi, Sam and Nick.

Mahnew Transport is a family company, built by the family, run by the family, operated by family members and supported by family members. Not all of those involved were born into the family, as you will learn, but once you are accepted in, you are family.

I was lucky enough to be invited into the Wenham family home in Lenswood recently to enjoy some lunch and a chat. I spent a couple of hours learning how a Victorian farm boy with a fondness for tinkering with machinery ended up becoming a qualified plumber before running an orchard and, eventually, a successful two-truck owner-operator business.

I learnt