Owner/Driver #339

started to lose his sight, and lose it quickly.” He
stops for a moment. “With so much going on, I
probably wasn’t paying as much attention [to his
father’s condition] as I should have.
“That still troubles me a bit but you live and
learn, aye.”
The Dark Days
It’s a warm, humid Thursday afternoon in mid-
February. Phillip is sitting quietly in a corner of the
shed, surrounded by the three stunningly restored
White Mustangs and the two small dozers that
define so much of his pride and passion for White
trucks and Cat machinery.
The video crew, which has been here most of
the day to record the interview of a blind man’s
dedication to the immaculate restoration of such
classic trucks, has packed up and gone, and now he
rests, his hands on the long white stick that helps
guide him around obstacles.
Sitting in one of the old trucks, I stupidly shut my
eyes and try to imagine what it’s like to see nothing
but a curtain of pitch black. Ridiculous! I can open
my eyes and see. He can’t.
The latest of the old Whites is a 1955 WC28 model,
the biggest and arguably most intricately restored
of all three, bought as little more than scrap metal
from a wrecker’s yard in the NSW Hunter Valley.
Like the petrol-powered 1961 WC22 model and
the 4200 model from 1964, with its even bigger
bore petrol engine, the WC28 with its Cummins
NH220 diesel engine was fully restored by the
skilled tradesmen of prominent south coast family
company, Cleary Bros.
The original Cleary brothers – Denis and his
late siblings John and Brian –have been close
friends for many decades and Phillip is quick to
give credit to the company and its tradesmen for
the unquestioning commitment to the remarkable
rebirth of his trucks. In the next breath: “Other
than my father, I learnt more from John Cleary
than anyone. He was a very smart man and a great
friend.” It’s high praise from a man who most times
keeps his inner thoughts well contained.
Even so, it’s one thing to know every detail of
each truck’s specification, but how does a blind
man maintain a passion for wonderfully restored
machines and critically, be assured of the high
standards of the workmanship? His answer is
spontaneous and without the slightest hint of
doubt.
“I can picture it and I can feel it. I can picture
what they are and what they need to be.
“I’ve been around trucks all my life, and trucks
like these were part of my life as a kid. People tell
me how good they look but I can visualise it, too. I
reckon if I could see, they’d look exactly how I see
them in my mind.
“Besides, I know the blokes at Cleary Bros will do a
good job and they’ll do it just the way I ask. They’re
good tradesmen but they’re good people, too.”
Still, there’s no escaping the disappointment and
the frustration. Here is a man, after all, who worked
hard all his life, and loved most things about his
working life, hardships and all. A man who drove
and operated and understood trucks and heavy
machinery as well as any, yet a man who continues
to thrive in the company of like-minded, honest
people, and once a friend, remains an unwaveringly
true friend.
In quiet conversation though, Phillip admits he’s
fully aware that some people are unable to relate to
him the way they did when he had his eyesight.
“It’s a bit annoying really. I’ve known some of
these people for a very long time,” he says sharply.
“I’m still the same person, I still know the same
things, but I think they just can’t handle talking to
a blind man. It’s as if they don’t know what to say
anymore. I might be blind but I’m not bloody deaf
or stupid and if it worries them, they should try it
from my side.”
He seems relieved to get that off his chest.
The blindness is caused by a condition called
anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and for Phillip,
its first effects were felt in 2009. Most times, as wife
Jenny explains, sight in at least one eye can be saved
but it is extremely rare that both eyes are affected
to the point of complete blindness.
Despite the best efforts of many specialists
including top ophthalmic doctors in the US
introduced through Terry Peabody’s connections,
nothing could be done and by Christmas 2010,
Phillip was completely blind. It was, of course, a
brutal hit and coping mechanisms came in many
forms, but none greater than the incredible stoicism
of an intensely loyal wife and resolute family.
ownerdriver.com.au
APRIL 2021 67