CDC Queensland school bus driver Mark Nel can’t wait for the second school term to start – he wants to tell his students that he was named the Queensland School Bus Driver of the year.
The 2023 Translink Queensland Bus Driver of the Year Awards, announced at the QBIC conference on the Gold Coast on April 6, recognised and celebrated remarkable individuals who go the extra mile every day. The winners were chosen via a public vote, from a pool of nine finalists, with three in each category. The finalists were selected by an expert judging panel from more than 1,850 public nominations.
Mark said if it wasn’t for the kids, he wouldn’t have won.
“So, to all the kids, I can’t wait to thank them enough to get me nominated, and then selected out of 1850 people right down to this position. That’s unbelievable. Winning this award to me; it means so much for not only me, for my family. I can’t wait to go back and tell the students that I’ve won. I went to the students when I heard I was a finalist and they’re all so excited for me and they’re proud of me,” he said.
Originally from Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Mark settled in Australia after living in South Africa and Canada. Despite his background in telecommunications, he quickly developed a passion for driving buses, finding joy in transporting children to school.
He started working for Young’s Bus Service, which is a part of CDC Queensland, about two years ago because he wanted to do a job that “helped the community”.
His run sees him pick up high school aged students from Emu Park and Taranganba and take them to Yeppoon State High School.
“My favourite thing about becoming a bus driver is communicating with the students. The bond between me and the kids on the bus. This seems to fit in perfectly and it’s amazing,” he said.
“One of my favourite experiences was on my birthday last year. The students, they gave me nice gifts and they all sang happy birthday to me. So, I had 50 kids singing happy birthday. It was amazing.”
For their birthdays, Mark said he made keychains with buses.
“I get the bits and pieces and then put them on a keychain. It’s nice when you see them hanging off their bags and they can remember it’s a gift from me.”
Another special memory, he said, was when the entire bus full of students clapped for him when he told them he was taking a day off for his citizenship ceremony when he became an Australian.
Outside of work, Mark enjoys riding his Yamaha 250 motorbike with his wife on weekends.
“Some interesting things about myself that people may not know is I served in the Rhodesian army. I’ve lived in five different countries throughout my life and I had a pet monkey,” he said.
CDC Queensland General Manager Anna Tyben said she imagined it might be a “noisy first day of term” when Mark’s biggest fans onboard learn he was publicly voted the best school bus driver in the state.
“Congratulations, Mark! The entire team at CDC is incredibly proud of you and your achievement. We know that your passion has made a positive impact on countless lives. Here’s to many more successful journeys ahead,” she said.
