On the eve of the Royal Queensland Show, better known as the ‘Ekka’, the ROADBOSS crew travel with Jamie Pickett and his FJF Amusements’ crew transporting the biggest, baddest rides in the Southern Hemisphere from Maryborough to Brisbane ahead of show time!
It’s a techni-colour assault on the senses, especially for a young child. The oddly comforting smell of warm manure and fertile country dirt, against a backdrop of jaw-dropping rides that tower above nearby buildings, the promise of a Bertie Beetle showbag if you behave, a tomato-sauce dipped Dagwood dog for lunch and a Strawberry Sundae for dessert.
For a child born into the show business, a ‘show kid’, the Ekka experience is just as exciting, but there are a few extra perks.
A young Jamie Pickett, one of six children born to an Australian showman father and Māori nurse mother, knew how to milk the benefits of a life on the road, travelling the country on the bustling show circuit. Jamie and the other show kids could spend the nine-day Ekka taking back-to-back rides for free, with an all-access pass to the inner workings of the show.
But Jamie found another loophole that well and truly topped the unlimited rides. He noticed that when a child wandered into the lost-and-found area, claiming to have been separated from their parents, the staff would console them with a free ice cream. You beauty. Jamie, unsurprisingly, got lost plenty.
“Oh, we knew our way around, but we also knew how to trick the system just a little bit,” he laughs, reminiscing on his earliest, and most joyous, memories of the Ekka. “We’d fill up on ice cream then end up on the jumping castle all day!”
FJF Amusements travel the country in a 10-plus-truck-strong fleet of Volvos and MANs transporting the biggest, baddest rides in the Southern Hemisphere. Images: Thomas Wielecki
These days, Jamie owns and operates FJF Amusements and his crew of travelling show people, many with children and pets in tow, and all self-sufficient with a convoy of caravans, travel the country in a 10-plus-truck-strong fleet of Volvos and MANs, with a few smaller Isuzu runners and American pick-ups thrown into the mix, transporting the biggest, baddest rides in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Ekka is a big deal for the richly diverse show people, many of whom share similar childhood memories to Jamie’s, having been born into the multi-generational show business – some families have even had skin in the game for longer than the Ekka’s 149-year history. And there’s around 50 other families making the pilgrimage, Jamie tells me, casually.
It was clear from the moment we wandered into the Maryborough showgrounds that show people have maintained something missing in today’s world – a deep sense of community. In an every-man-for-himself society, the show people stand as a reminder of the old ways, like ‘many hands make light work’, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, and everyone is treated as family regardless of ancestry, skin colour or background.
After meeting with Jamie and his family – extended, mind you, given many of them don’t share Pickett DNA, an eclectic bunch that treated us with more respect and comforting curiosity than we’re used to, we talk through how we’re going to tackle the task of documenting this momentous journey.
The plan, Jamie and his business partner, operator of The Beast, Bryce Platt, tell me, is to make the final run from Maryborough to the Brisbane Showgrounds – home of the Ekka.
There’s no dawdling, with an efficient pack down and prompt departure, children beaming with excitement, wives piloting the many tow vehicles, men aboard the trucks, and the promise of a McDonald’s breakfast once out on the road.
Show people stand as a reminder of the old ways, like ‘many hands make light work’, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, and everyone is treated as family. Images: Thomas Wielecki
I’ve zigzagged through countless convoys, shuttling my photographer – this time the immensely talented Thomas Wielecki – from back to front, front to back, making sure to spend as much time as safely possible next to each truck. Never, in more than a decade doing this, has a convoy communicated more efficiently.
Show people spend their life on the road, starting in tow vehicles, like the various American pick-ups littered throughout this convoy, before moving into light-duty trucks, and then onto heavy-duty ride runners. It’s a staged progression, an apprenticeship in roadcraft, and the level of respect and responsibility on display is admirable. It’s ingrained.
“We spend our life on the open road, you know,” Jamie says, “and we understand that the interstate drivers need to keep their logs moving and all of that.
“We’re very mindful of getting those guys past us, giving them priority to get them going. Even our caravans, everyone’s got a method to travelling and we make sure we’ve got good brakes and enough power so we aren’t holding people up.”
We’re in no rush, with the various gun operators running the oversize setups sticking to the left, prioritising a smooth, safe ride over a deadline-busting run at the limit. It’s a masterclass in responsible road use, and the bright, transformer-like ride trailers get plenty of attention from passers-by. There’s no hiding what the FJF crew are carting.
“These rides are expensive and need constant maintenance and engineering, so every bump – especially on rough sections of road like this – impacts the wear and tear of our equipment,” explains Sky Fly operator, Dick Sage, who’s wheeling a Volvo FH like he was born to do it.
FJF Amusements’ gun operators running the oversize setups stick to the left, prioritising a smooth, safe ride over a deadline-busting run at the limit. Images: Thomas Wielecki
“It’s a beautiful trailer to pull, too. In fact, the whole ride is such a well-made machine. There’s only five in Australia, and they’re Italian-built, so while I love the truck, and I’ve been driving Volvos for more than 30 years, the ride is special – it brings the community together and I just love that.”
As the Golden Arches come into view just outside of Kilcoy, indicators blink in sync across the convoy, as the crew exits and parks up. Tucker time.
Talking with Bryce over a sausage and egg muffin, he gives me a rundown of the show circuit, speaking of his fellow show people with deep respect and pride as he lists off their duties, achievements and family histories. It really does feel like I’m having breakfast with one big family.
“Well, I’m a fifth-generation showman,” he tells me, mid-bite, “but some of these people’s families go back even further. My grandma was a well-known horse rider, she even set some records back in the day and did great things for the industry.”
Bryce takes a swig of his coffee and sums things up for me: “Basically, we all go back a way – and this is the life we love.”
As I chat with Bryce, and then Jamie as he joins us, the children hover around our table, visibly excited by what must be a slightly unusual situation. A journalist and a photographer handing out ROADBOSS magazines, trying to understand how the show people live out on the road, carting their incredible rides around the country.
ROADBOSS’s journey was all about trying to understand how show people live out on the road, carting their incredible rides around the country. Images: Thomas Wielecki
The final run into Brisbane requires some careful wheel-work, as the oversize trucks navigate inner-city traffic without breaking the daisy-chain convoy order.
A few caravans fall away from the convoy, as passenger-car drivers dash in front of them to try and shave a second or two off their weekday commute, but miraculously the trucks remain bumper-to-bumper all the way in.
Rolling into the grounds, the Ekka organisers know Jamie well, as do the other show people, with waves, handshakes, and a warm welcome for the FJF crew.
With millimetre precision, the various trailers, carrying The Beast, The Warrior and the Sky Flyer, are positioned in pre-allocated spaces. Suddenly, the cool, casual energy shifts as the FJF crew flick over into setup mode – and everyone’s got a job. It’s like clockwork.
It’s showtime.
Check out the full story in the upcoming Spring Issue of ROADBOSS Magazine, out late September-early October. Subscribe here.
