Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): I rise today to honour a truly inspirational Australian outback hero, a pioneer and trailblazer of the iconic and very historic Birdsville Track. Tom Kruse, as we knew him, was a legendary mailman of the Birdsville Track, but on Thursday last week, 30 June, Tom passed away in Adelaide surrounded by his family. Tom was born on 28 August 1914 in Waterloo, South Australia. He left school at the age of 13 and did various labouring jobs before moving to Yunta to work in a small garage owned by his brother Snow. Tom became a regular face for residents along the Birdsville Track when as a 24-year-old he began the mail run between Marree in South Australia and Birdsville in Queensland, in the outback of my electorate. He made his first trip on 1 January 1936 in 45-degree heat. If anyone has ever experienced the heat of the outback at that time of the year, they will know just how tough it is. The outback then, of course, was very tough. It is a very lonely place at times, but Tom conquered sandhills, dust storms, flies and in wet seasons, like now, floods, swollen rivers and creeks along the track. He made these trips every fortnight. Round trips between Marree and Birdsville normally took seven days, but when the Cooper flooded the trip could take as long as six weeks. Breakdowns were a common occurrence, but Tom was dedicated to getting the mail through. His mail service was a lifeline for so many people living along the track. He brought mail, supplies, fuel and education resources to the otherwise isolated people along the track. (Time expired)