CM applauds a hero
Page 6
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THE FIRST Mark Vane Memorial Award has been won by Tom Curran (54) of Roadline (UK). Mr Curran who is based at Manchester will receive his award on Sunday at The Runnymede Hotel, Egham, before flying off with his wife to Gothenberg as guests of Volvo.
The trophy which was originally to be of Kent stone, was made of Swedish glass. It is to presented by Christopher Serie, who presents BBC Radio Four's "Going Places" programme.
The winner just got there by .2 per cent, ahead of Cliff Stanton of Rank Hovis, who used his vehicle to rescue a family trapped in a burning building in Liverpool,
Tom Curran, an HGV driver, delivers wines, spirits and cigarettes to wholesalers and retailers in the Manchester area. On May 10 this year he was attacked by two men as he sat in his cab checking his delivery sheets. He was punched repeatedly in the head and stabbed in the face with a screwdriver by the men who demanded that he give them the keys to the rear door of the vehicle. Tom tried to fight them off but was rendered powerless by a third man who grabbed him from behind and held him down across the seats. Tom however managed to flick on the vehicle intercom switch which would trigger the alarm if the hi-jackers tried to start the vehicle.
The brutal beating continued (subsequent hospital treatment revealed lacerations to the nose and eyelids and a fractured cheekbone) but Tom refused to surrender the keys. The attackers tried to start the vehicle to get it into a side road but this triggered the alarm and they fled empty-handed.
Tom's courage and loyalty are perhaps best summed up in his own words, extracted from his statement to the police following the attack. "At the time of this attack my wagon was loaded with approximately 50 cases of wines, spirits and cigarettes. These items were the property of my employers and these men had no right or authority to attack me and attempt to steal them."
Tom has already proved his worth once before, in 1980, when he saved a boy from electrocution at the risk of his own life.
He subsequently received recognition from the Chairman of NFC for his action.
In all there were ten entries considered by the judges.
The full story of the 1983 scheme and the winner's Swedish trip will be published in CM on December 24.