One year on from the opening of Tasmania’s new Bridgewater Bridge, Brighton Community News caught up with Dromedary resident Joe Young — the man entrusted with the important task of driving the very first vehicle across the landmark crossing.

Born in 1951, Joe grew up between Broadmarsh and Austins Ferry as one of 13 children. After leaving school in 1968, he began work with the Postmaster-General’s Department (PMG) as a technician. The PMG was Australia’s national postal and telecommunications provider before being split into Australia Post and Telecom Australia (later Telstra) in 1975. Joe married his wife Helen in 1975 and together they built their family home, “Ruapuna”, in Dromedary, where they still live today. They raised three daughters — Emma-Leah, Simone and Melanie.

A passionate collector and restorer of veteran vehicles and old farm machinery, Joe is well known for his love of preserving local history. Among his prized possessions is a rare 1910 Star motorcar, built in Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom.

It was this remarkable vehicle that carried Mrs Margaret McMaster and Mrs Barbara Jones across the newly opened Bridgewater Bridge on 1 June 2025. Both women, now in their nineties, were given the honour of being the first official passengers to cross the new 1.2-kilometre bridge after unveiling a commemorative plaque. Fittingly, both had also attended the opening of the previous Bridgewater Bridge back in 1946.

Joe remembers the day vividly — particularly the pressure of making sure everything went smoothly. “It was an absolutely freezing day,” Joe recalled. “I had unloaded the car at the old St Mary’s Church in Bridgewater at 7.30am and the carburettor had frozen up. I had to run it for 20 minutes to warm it up, but I managed to get the car onto the bridge by 8am.”

“It was still pretty much dark at that stage. Laura from State Growth was there to meet me and I just said, ‘I didn’t let you down!’”

Joe said he stayed close to the vehicle throughout the morning, carefully preparing the veteran car for the historic moment. “I was invited to sit with the dignitaries, but I just wanted to stay with the car,” he said. “I was very worried about the cold for the ladies, but they didn’t want to wear headscarves because they’d had their hair done for the occasion.”

As the ribbon-cutting approached, Joe admits he was holding his breath. “I lifted the bonnet, turned the fuel on and cranked the handle a quarter turn — thank goodness she started,” he laughed. “After that, we were ready to go.”

Driving the 115-year-old vehicle proved no easy feat. “It was very cramped because the car really only seats two people, so I couldn’t actually sit down,” Joe said. “I was literally driving standing up.” Within minutes, the trio had crossed into history as the first official passengers over Tasmania’s newest bridge.

Joe says he feels incredibly proud to have played a role in such a significant event for the local community and Tasmania as a whole. Today, a framed memento commemorating Joe’s involvement in the bridge opening is proudly on display at Brighton Council Offices in Old Beach, where residents can view it over the coming months.

For Joe, the experience was more than just a drive — it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment connecting the region’s past, present and future.