Gavin Tucker, left, with his son Troy loading up the first box of their latest Parcel Run deliveries.
Road trips are Troy Tucker’s happy place.
“He’ll drive anywhere, he’s just content in the passenger seat watching the world go by,” dad Gavin said.
Now, the Kihikihi father and son are tapping into that passion as Gavin’s looks to ways to help Troy gain skills and confidence to enter the workforce.
Their company, Parcel Run, has been on the road since December after Gavin, his wife Amanda, Troy, 22, and younger brother Jack, 18, moved up from the Kāpiti Coast in November.
As customers place online orders for deliveries between the wider Te Awamutu area and Hamilton, Gavin and Troy oblige.
Eight months on, they have delivered everything from flowers to furniture, tractor tyres to automotive parts, letters and even undertaken a bakery run.
When he was three, his parent’s received their son’s formal diagnosis of autism.
“We knew nothing about autism,” Gavin said.
“After the formal diagnosis, we had to do our research and find out.
“Troy still has very sensitive hearing – he needs routine, some tasks that may not seem big to others are massive for him. Something little can end up being upsetting.
“You have to stick with repetition in order for Troy to form a habit.
“I think one key question you always have is what will Troy do once he leaves school and looks for work?
“That’s actually why his love of driving makes Parcel Run perfect – he’s so used to travelling between Te Awamutu and Hamilton now.
“I think when people observe anything out of the perceived ‘norm’ different people receive things in different ways,” Gavin said of Troy’s journey.
“Maybe people who’ve just met Troy may not realise exactly what he’s capable of – but as his parents who’ve walked with him, Amanda and I know the incredible gifts, talents and abilities he has.
“It’s astounding. We’re 100 percent committed to journeying with him for the long run as his confidence in those areas increases.”
Parcel Run is the latest expression of that commitment – and Gavin sees daily how much Troy is growing.
Particularly, he says, when it comes to Troy’s speech, and his confidence when talking to people.
“Even in the last six months, I’m so impressed with where he is now.
“We were out to dinner at a restaurant not too long ago and when the waiter came, Troy spoke directly to them to place his order.
“Usually, Amanda or I would relay what Troy wanted.
“That may seem like a small thing to others, but for us that’s massive.”
At Parcel Run, as Troy becomes accustomed to tasks Gavin’s already given him, small additional responsibilities will be asked of him when the timing is right.
Troy – who has his restricted driver’s licence – isn’t quite driving the Parcel Run van just yet, though that’s not far away, Gavin says.
Firstly, likely in between Te Awamutu and Hamilton, then eventually in the business of Hamilton too.
Establishing a routine early on when down south while Troy was learning to drive, Gavin would take him to a wide-open car park in which it became the norm to complete exactly eight laps every Saturday and Sunday.
“Once that was a pattern, we switched to driving on the street. Apprehensive at first, one day I just watched it all click.”
Gavin said he’s grateful for how “warm and friendly” customers have been since he and Troy have been on the road.
“We love seeing them, and they love seeing us. The cool thing is, they’re helping play a part in being among those who – in time – will tangibly see how Troy develops and grows.”
Meanwhile, talent clearly runs in the Tucker family.
In pursuing his passion for writing, Jack’s subsequently published his first book.
Called the Rise of Maioura, it’s the first of a 10-title series Jack’s already mapped out in his head, Gavin said.
