The 'Bird Scarer' returns to accompany Cam on his final journey

As Henry 'Cam' Maxwell was laid to rest following a funeral service at All Souls St Gabriels Chapel on April 8, his first truck, christened 'The Bird Scarer' by virtue of its loud Detroit engine, accompanied him on his final journey.

What's more, his son-in-law Stuart was at the wheel, and was joined by six other prime movers, driven by Robert Morton, Longreach; Barry Christensen, Hughenden; Dave Graham, Townsville; Callan Archer, Charters Towers; and Prairie Anderson, Townsville.

The story came to light thanks to Slattery Auctions, who shared the chance happenings that took place on social media, beginning with the purchase of the 1980s vintage truck by Tim Ison of Ison Haulage at Chinchilla in early April.

By coincidence, the sale happened a week after its first owner, Cam Maxwell died in a motorbike accident at Hornes Road, Broughton.

The page said Mr Ison had been scrolling through tribute photos showing Cam and his beloved C500, when he came across a comment from Cam's youngest daughter Trish, who had dropped into the yard for a final photo alongside her dad's truck while on her way up from NSW for the funeral.

"I wish we could get it to Charters Towers for his final sendoff," she wrote, and that's what Tim decided to do.

"It's just something that had to be done, I didn't really think twice about it," he said at the time.

Cam's sister, Margie Scott said the family had no idea until it turned up in Charters Towers where Tim drove it out to their address and handed it over for the family to have.

She recalled that Cam had purchased the truck new in the mid-1980s, selling it a decade later with the business he and wife Julie had set up, HC & JA Maxwell Livestock Haulage, operating out of Hughenden.

Cam had been born in Winton in 1955, the youngest of four siblings, growing up on Luckham, Thordale and later Coralton.

His education was via correspondence with oversight from governesses, then boarding at the CWA hostel to attend the Winton State School, and then to The Southport School where his main interests were rugby and rowing.

Early in his final year at boarding school in 1972, it was decided that his pathway should be the Longreach Pastoral College, where he completed a two-year certificate in animal production.

While at the college it was customary for the students to attend dances with the Longreach State High School.

At one of these dances he noted a cute girl across the room and after spending half the night building up the courage he eventually walked up behind her, pulled her hair and said "wanna dance?" So started a lifetime romance with his soulmate and future wife Julie.

His post-college life included working on exploration drilling rigs in NSW and the Northern Territory, running the pastoral business at Winton, driving for Col Searle, and moving to Malanda and clearing land that's now the Nerada tea plantation.

Establishng the trucking business in Hughenden was next, selling up in 1993 to buy land along the Broughton River outside Charters Towers.

A hankering to go back on the land saw the family purchase sheep and cattle property Hazelwood, west of Isisford, where they spent the next 17 years, 11 of them battling ferocious drought conditions, before moving back to the Towers.

"Cam overcame a heart condition, pulled himself back from the emotional toll of battling drought, and had a brush with cancer, but for whatever reason came off second best riding his prized motorcycle," Margie said. "We will never know what actually happened on that day, but one thing for sure we do know is that he has left a large void in all of us."

Cam is survived by Julie and their children Clinton, Jack, Michelle, Scott and Trish, 15 grandchildren, and was an uncle, brother and friend to many.