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Sick of the Bullshit
Letter to the Editor

2nd of August 2008

In response to Mick Pattel calling stoppage off

In last Thursday's Toowoomba Chronicle newspaper, page 5, it reads as follows –

Stoppage called off

A TRUCKING group protesting against demerit points and registration costs has called off its national stoppage.

The National Road Transport Forum (NRTF) organiser Mick Pattell said both the Queensland and New South Wales transport ministers were on holidays and unable to meet the group.

The industrial action, which began on Monday and was planned to last for two weeks.

Mr Pattell said the stoppage also had been hijacked by other trucking groups with different and vested interests including the Australian Long Distance Owners and Drivers Association (ALDODA) which began a protest on Monday against high fuel prices and pay rates.

Lyn Bennetts Responds:

The Transport Industry Shutdown:

ALDODA actually began our protest in April 2008 which had been planned for a number of months before.

I Lyn Bennetts organized the first shutdown meeting on the 4th of May 2008 at the BP at Archerfield. Mick Pattel contacted me after this meeting and asked if he could join us in our shutdown.

Mick Pattel was the one hijacking the meetings after he used me to fund the advertising by way of printing and distribution costs to advertise our joint meeting in Townsville on the 24th of May almost three weeks after the first meeting; it was my efforts that advertised this meeting in Townsville that was to be held at 10 am at the RSL.

Mick Pattel then changed the venue at the last minute and I was kicked out of that meeting by his security guards whom he organized for an open meeting???

I advertised that meeting at my own expense and Mick Pattel would not allow me to address the owner drivers and drivers for which this meeting was being held for.

For verification of the donations received and the events that unfolded at his meeting including pictures contact ALF Wilson Journalist on mobile 040800930. As it turned out Mick has his own political party, the Southern Cross Party and Mick is the one that has always had the political agenda. Mick received $30,000.00 in donations to support the transport industry at this one single meeting; he then went on to hold another five meetings around the country; receiving more funding at each meeting. Mick Pattel uses people to advertise his meetings and then kicks them out in front of everyone to make it look like we are hijacking his meetings. Mick Pattel also did the same thing to Peter Schuback with the Toowoomba meeting his number is 0408458232 for verification.

As I didn’t want to divide the unity that we desperately need in this industry to succeed; I have made a point of not saying anything against Mick Pattel before this; accept to expose his southern cross party website; but instead of Mick Pattel backing away from this shutdown quietly he’d rather rubbish the hard efforts of ALL concerned and turn his back on his own supporters; well what’s new?

You may also like to ask Mick what happened to the other $170,000.00 that was donated to the shutdown from his other meetings for the use of owner operators and drivers in the interstate transport industry?

And if Mick is so much against the Australian Long Distance Owners & Drivers Association who is not owned by anyone and was simply set up to represent owners & drivers eight years ago; then why has he along with Melissa Armstrong and Tom Desmond registered a company with ASIC on the 30/06/08 called the Australian Long Distance Owner & Drivers Pty Ltd ACN number: 131 960 088? The only ones they are hurting by stealing the ALDODA name is the Owners & Drivers that Mick is hoping to get the votes from to get him into parliament!
The only ones who stand to acheive or lose anything through the Australian Long Distance Owners & Drivers Association Inc is Owners & Drivers (Not me)

And just for the record Mick Pattel and Peter Schuback told their supporters to stay at home; so it's fair to say that the majority of supporters who were seen out protesting we actually ALDODA supporters; I'm not saying that others weren't involved I'm just saying that the majority were ALDODA so we must have done something right!

The only vested interest that I have, if you can call it that; is that I have been in this industry for 20 years; my husband has been in it for 29 years and his father for 45 years; this is a family business that has stood the test of time and thousands of people in this industry are suffering the same as we are. I have been fighting for better pay and conditions for eight years as the ALDODA spokesperson and one of the organizers of Blockade 2000 which achieved the chain of responsibility that ALDODA are now forming a class action on against the Government. I am now the QLD President (I do not receive wages or income of any kind from ALDODA)I pay all of the expenses out of my own pocket and it has cost me $20,000.00 of my own money to represent this industry and all I want is safety first and foremost, viability and sustainability for every owner operator and driver which this industry has never had.

I am not running in politics and I do not have my own political party and while Mick Pattel is busy climbing his political ladder we are all left stuck in an industry that has 370 deaths per year and thousands of owner driver and driver bankruptcies, closely followed by hundreds of marriage breakdowns and suicides.

All I have ever wanted is to UNITE the people on the same issues and Mick Pattel has done everything in his power to divide us. Mick Pattel called off his side of the shutdown; and what did we achieve?(nothing)! We must continue with protests otherwise the future of our industry is doomed to financial ruin and monopolization.

This fight is NOT OVER; in fact it’s just BEGINNING!

United we WILL make a Difference!

Yours sincerely

Lyn Bennetts

Queensland President of ALDODA

Australian Long Distance Owners & Drivers Association

P.O Box 3190

Browns Plains LPO

Browns Plains QLD 4118

Mobile 0420984261

Fax 0732975887

Email l...@aldoda.com