Trevor Skein passes the ice cream cone and Trev's Tasty Treats on to John Said

The iconic van serves frozen deserts to Wagga and its surrounds, popping up at events everywhere from rodeos to Little Athletics.

Mr Skein sold the van to John Said three years ago, but said the joy of selling ice cream had made it hard to give up.

"Every event is different with a different style of people. You go down to Gears and Beers, it's a totally different kind of people going down to the trots," he said.

"You'll get a child come to you and say 'I've got $2.30 - what can I have?' I look at the kid and say 'Mate, you can have the truck'.

"Every event was special. Every event I was thankful for, and thankful for whatever I got out of it."

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It takes a particular kind of person to run an ice cream van, and Mr Skein thinks he's found the right man for the job.

He said the main qualifications are patience and kindness. When Mr Said told him he would keep the van in Wagga, he knew he'd found his successor.

Mr Skein had listened to the stories about the pleasure of serving ice cream to excited children, but had to experience it for himself to really feel it.

"There was this little girl who came to the window, and she was a buck short. There was a flake that was there, and I said that's alright, enjoy it," he said.

"Less than 10 minutes later she was back with a dollar, and I said don't worry about it.

"An hour had passed, and she came back for another ice cream - choc dipped. While she wasn't looking, I put a flake in it, and gave it to her so she didn't see it ... it makes me cry to think about it."

Mr Said agreed and said it had been a dream of his to own a food van.

He plans to give it a fresh coat of paint, and take over the event and street circuits.

For now, he and Mr Skein will operate the van together.

"I wanted to give a memory to my grandchildren - drive up to their house and give them an ice cream," Mr Said said.

"I want the next generation of people to have what we had when we were children .... jumping up and down when they see the ice cream truck.

"I've been to events where he hasn't attended, but there's stuff we've done together. This is not the end, it's just a change - I think it's in his DNA at this point."

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