One of the champions of the road haulage industry has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List
Mr Eddie Harper, from North Brewham, near Bruton, who is Chairman of the Road Haulage Association’s Livestock Hauliers Group, receives the award in recognition of his many years of service to livestock transport.
As usual, the Honours List reflects and pays tribute to outstanding achievement and service right across the community and the nation as a whole.
Eddie started work as a livestock transport driver in the 1960’s. He still drives today and is the Group’s longest serving Chairman, ensuring the safety and welfare of drivers and animals at all times.
Over the years he has found himself transporting all varieties of livestock worldwide - from cattle and sheep to camels and elephants. And, for the last four years, he has also found time to be the Works Contracts Supervisor at the busy Bath and West Showground at Shepton Mallet, where his wife Angie works as a livestock and entries officer.
Said Eddie: “ I am very proud this has happened but also pleased it has happened for the livestock transport industry – it proves we are doing something right! Ours is a very important industry and worth fighting for, and it has come on in leaps and bounds over the last 10 years, despite foot and mouth and EU regulations.”
It was foot and mouth which led Eddie to work at the Showground when he was called in to set up and oversee biosecurity measures there following the outbreak in 2001 which devastated the country.
Eddie knew he was in line for the award four weeks ago, but had to keep it top secret until the official announcements were made in the early hours of Saturday morning. He tried to take his mind off it by keeping busy with the Royal Bath & West Show. But last weekend he and his wife waited up to see the news come up on a website. “Until that moment I did not believe it was going to happen. It is a great honour – not just for me but for the whole industry.”
The Road Haulage Association said it was delighted that the hard work of its long-standing member and Chairman has been recognised.
RHA Chief Executive Roger King said: "Eddie Harper's award is extremely well deserved. Eddie has worked tirelessly on behalf of this industry and we are particularly indebted to him for the tremendous amount of work he undertook on our behalf during the foot and mouth crisis of 2001 and since."
In addition to driving Eddie has now become an international expert on the subject, and travels to Europe in a consultancy capacity on a regular basis. In fact Eddie's expertise has become so sought after that he has presented papers on the subject in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Dr Jane Guise, Chief Executive of the Royal Bath & West of England Society, said: “We are all really fond of Eddie, who is transforming the appearance of our showground, and I am delighted that his MBE reminds the rest of the world what a good chap he is. The Society is proud to have him in the team, and we hope he enjoys the glory - which is not often encountered in his day job!”
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Showground Man Wins MBE
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