In 2015, the World Solar Challenge sped down the 3200 kms of the Stuart Highway as solar vehicles from all over the world competed fiercely to see who would win the title of the fastest solar car in the world.
Founder of the Australian moving company, Two Men and a Truck, Richard Kuipers, and a team from his associates and friends were gladly traveled alongside the Holland team as one of their sponsors, as personally requested by the Dutch Consular General in Sydney.
The aim of the trip was for Richard and his crew to sponsor and support the Holland solar car team during a notoriously difficult challenge. The solar powered cars can reach speeds of 180 kilometres an hour along the dead straight, seemingly endless Stuart Highway. It was this spectacular landscape and the amazingly remote community of Indulkana, which quickly captured the imagination and hearts of Richard and crew.
We drove along a dusty dirt road until we came across a little town called Indulkana. The real fun began when we walked across the road to the local school where we dropped in on the classrooms to talk to the local Indigenous children. They were beautiful kids, full of excitement. We chatted with them for a while, talking about what they do for fun and listening to all their interesting stories. It was a totally unexpected experience, and then, the best ones are.
Richard’s entrepreneurial mind turned to the power of solar in remote Australian communities and using solar, how he could enrich and contribute to the lives of those who had cemented his affection for this community.
Two Men and a Truck have a clear and powerful social and environmental action plan, which targets wide community outreach opportunities. The plan targets partnerships and projects with an extended life, rather than one off events.
In 2017, after extensive consultation with the Indulkana school Principal, Richard and his team returned to Indulkana to unveil the Environdata solar weather station. The teachers and students access and analyse the weather data as part of their education, as a way to learn more about the environment and their land.
If you would like to know more about the Indulkana Weather Station or get access to the data, we would love to hear from you.
