Amongst the raft of events at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show will be a charity fundraising Guinness World Record attempt for the heaviest truck push by strongman Troy Conley
Troy Conley is very strong. Very, very strong. A quick search of his name online and you will see him pulling aeroplanes, semi-trailers and even a fleet of 16 cars.
There is something incredibly likeable about the guy, and you don’t have to scratch the surface far to see what it is. It is what motivates him.
Over the past couple of years, Conley has had a lot of attention due to his many amazing exploits.
He has had more than a fair go at a number of phenomenal records, so it was inevitable that a Guinness World Record was going to feature his name very soon and could very well be as a result of his next challenge, during the South Bank Truck Festival.
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“What’s important for me is the fundraising,” Conley says.
“That’s absolutely number one. If we can drive that past $30,000, that would be incredible. The record is then a nice bonus.”
Conley says that while the challenges are great fun, they are for a very sombre reason.
“It’s all about helping kids that have been seriously injured or diagnosed with critical illnesses like cancer and leukemia,” he explains.
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“Unfortunately, that is what happened with young Ava. At just two-years-old, she was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia and subsequently lost over 98 per cent of her bone marrow.
“Thankfully, now, five years on, she’s okay and in remission, largely thanks to the support Little Wings, Ronald McDonald House and Sydney Children’s Hospital offer.”
Last November, Conley was attempting to break the Guinness World Record for Most Cars pulled by an Individual with 16 Hyundais, weighing over 25 tonnes. Unfortunately, he came up short of the record by five metres due to a misplaced foot on one of the car’s brakes!
To keep momentum going and keep driving the fundraising, Conley was looking for another challenge.
“I’ll be looking to set a new Guinness World Record for the heaviest truck pushed by an individual for 100ft (30m). Currently, this is 11 tonnes.”
Well, thanks to Daimler Truck and Bus Australia, we have the vehicle: a 12-tonne Freightliner Cascadia.
To be eligible for a Guinness World Record, the area used has to be surveyed by a qualified surveyor and certified to be within one per cent of 100 per cent flat. We have found that surface on Little Stanley Street in South Bank.
“After the failed world record attempt last year, I received a message from Ava’s mum,” Conley adds.
“For all the things I’ve done in my life, nothing has moved me in the way that did.
“So, now I’m a man possessed, and a man on a mission, to ensure we reach our $30,000 target.”
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It doesn’t do it justice not to include the whole note from Ava’s mum, Kathy, but here is a small excerpt:
“Ava and I were chatting about you and she realised you lived at Ronald McDonald house as well for a long time when you were little, then the penny dropped.
“You could see her eyes begin to sparkle. She asked ‘so I could do that?’
“I think it would be amazing if you could go and tell all the kids who stay at Ronald McDonald house your story.
“You understand gratitude like we do; it is this level of gratitude we have for you today for unlocking our little girl’s potential.”
Conley is truly an inspiring bloke – passionate, relentless in pursuing excellence and, most of all, genuinely caring.
“Going the extra mile like I am at the moment to help the community, to allow kids like Ava to be able to follow their dreams, and support families like hers when they need it the most; that’s all I need,” Conley says.
Make sure you are there to support Conley on Friday morning, May 14.
You can make a pledge or a donation to help Conley reach that target on the BTS website: www.brisbanetruckshow.com.au.