Jeffrey ‘Jeff’ Eatts
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2023.
Ronald Jeffrey Eatts, aka Jeff or Eattsy, was born in 1940, in Adelaide, South Australia. He married Jayne in 1962, and they had two children. Growing up in Milang, South Australia he was inspired to begin truck-driving by his older brother Graham who had his own milk trucks. Jeff drove his first truck at 13-years-old, and two weeks before his 16th birthday, he was carting livestock and general freight for Ted Griffen’s Lake Transport Service between Adelaide and Milang.
Jeff drove for Ray Pettit moving livestock to Melbourne and carted cattle in the Northern Territory from ‘Mary Vale’ to Camooweal, Queensland, and Mt Isa, Queensland, for the Vestey Company. Jeff drove the company’s now famous Rotinoff Viscount road trains called ‘Jackie’ and ‘Julie’ (located on site in the TIA Shed), before carting uranium for N & I Fisher in AEC trucks, from El Sherana Mine to the Moline Treatment Plant in the Northern Territory.
In Adelaide, Jeff drove a Mercedes and Leyland Super Beaver for Kennelly’s Transport, hauling general freight, cement, and steel to Melbourne, Darwin, and the west coast of South Australia. On one trip to Darwin, he became bogged near the rocket range at Woomera after an electrical short circuit ruined the batteries and damaged the cabin.
Jeff returned to Ray Pettit in 1962, transporting livestock and general freight from Apsley, Victoria, to Sydney NSW in a 1958 Ford F600 Canadian Butt. Joining George Millhouse Transport in Millicent, South Australia, Jeff moved livestock to Melbourne or Adelaide in Isuzu or Commer Diesel trucks.
Briefly Jeff carted pine logs from Mt Burr Forest, South Australia, in an old Mack truck for Donal & Butcher; paper from Mt Gambier to Melbourne/Sydney in a Commer Diesel with Telford & Hood; and rabbits to Melbourne for Graham Cutting in a 2-stroke Foden.
Jeff then joined Alan Scott’s Transport Company for 4 years, driving an AEC Mammoth Major carting furnace oil for Mobil from Port Stanvac to Torrens Island, Port Adelaide, before moving gas for Esso in a Kenworth from Melbourne to Naracoorte, South Australia, and Adelaide. Jeff went on to manage a new LPG Depot in Naracoorte, delivering gas in a Commer truck.
Relocating to Rockhampton, Queensland, saw Jeff driving for Dupont Australia carting explosives to mines in Central Queensland and Northern Territory, in a 1973 Mercedes. On one occasion Jeff had to carry leaking gelignite from Townsville to the Bajool Dupont depot. Jeff received numerous Safety Awards during this time.
Jeff started his own business in 1984, carting general freight for Brambles in his Isuzu truck, until his retirement in 1995.
