With an impressive tenure of 32 years as an RACQ Patrol Officer, Brian Blackwell goes to work every day knowing he will help Queenslanders in need.

Throughout his career, Brian estimates he has been called to more than 130,000 jobs for roadside assistance, ranging from flat tyres and battery-related issues to more complex mechanical problems.

But no matter the call, his favourite part of the job is meeting people and helping them in their time of need.

“There isn’t just one memorable moment that comes to mind, I log about 15 jobs every day, so there are hundreds of moments,” Brian said.

“Every breakdown is memorable for the person you’re helping.

“I’ve been called to premiers, prime ministers, people on their way to job interviews, even bridal parties on their way to the wedding.

“One of the more interesting jobs was when I found a snake wrapped around the driveshaft; it was just looking for a warm place to rest.”

By lunchtime on the ride-along, we had completed nine different jobs.

The first was a flat tyre in South Brisbane for a woman on her way to work.

“I called my brother first and he said, ‘I can’t come all the way into the city’, so I’m really glad I have Roadside Assistance,” she said.

The next job was a flat battery due to an internal light being left on and while we were there, Brian fixed up a loose fan belt that likely impacted the battery recovery time.

After more than 50 years of being a mechanic, Brian is an expert at his craft and can even tell a car’s country of origin by looking at the headlights.

When we asked Brian what has changed the most over the past 50 years working on cars, his answer was easy – technology.

“The presence of EV and hybrid cars, engine management systems, fuel injection, electronic ignition, and back in my day we used a Refidex for maps,” Brian said.

“At RACQ, we undergo training three times a year to keep up with the latest technology and mechanics in vehicles.”

In his spare time, Brian takes a well-earned break from motor vehicles to go mountain trekking across the world.

He has trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp 14 times and has also reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.

“It was actually a member who encouraged me to climb Mount Kilimanjaro,” he said.

“On a job, the member asked me what was left on my bucket list and after that conversation, I booked the trip.

“If you’ve got something on your bucket list, it will stay there unless you do something about it.

“That’s what I like about this job; you never know what the next call is going to be or who you’ll meet.”

Learn more about RACQ Roadside Assistance at racq.com/roadside

RACQ Roadside Assistance statistics for FY23

755,086 - Total number of roadside assistance events.

87 - Average number of job responses per hour.

3 - Top reasons for callouts – battery-related issues, flat tyres and vehicle lockouts.

2,057 - Towed caravans or trailers.

950 - Emergency responses for children locked in cars.

862 - Callouts for animals locked in cars.