Robert ‘Bob’ Blake

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2023.

Robert (Bobby) Blake was born in Heyfield in 1943. He first started working in a timber yard in Heyfield, Gippsland when he was just a lad. That’s when he fell for the smell of petrol, and later diesel, carting logs up and down the mountains in an old 180 Inter.  

Due to starting a family and the slowing down of the forestry industry, Bob moved to Stawell, Victoria, in the 1960s. He started driving for Stawell Industries (Haulage) but eventually jumped the fence and went driving for John Carson Transport. 

The attraction of being an owner driver led him to buying a 1418 Benz off Eric McClure, the owner of Stawell Haulage. It was at the time when the industry in the 1980s was getting tougher on drivers and the highway was a little less forgiving and anyone that was there at the time would agree that it wasn’t all a “party” but it was bloody hard work! Finding it was a tough old life Bob made the decision to sell up and go back driving, once again for John Carson.

Bobby went from a G88 Volvo to Mack’s and eventually fell in love with the third W model Kenworth he drove for John, he’d had them all from new. The 1980s was also a time when companies struggled to keep up with high interest rates and after 18 years with John Carson, he had to jump the fence to John Repper Transport. 

After a life changing event he and his wife Betty thought they would have another crack at buying an ex John Carson W model and being an owner driver. They ran general freight Melbourne to Perth but the next few years took its toll on Bobby’s health, he was forced to sell up and take early retirement. Sadly, after only a couple of years at home, trying to live a normal life with Bet, he had a massive heart attack in the kitchen and died.  

I bet if you could ask Bobby if he would do anything different he would pretty much tell you he wouldn’t change a thing!