Allan Duell

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2023.

Allan Duell was born in 1949 in Mt Gambier. He left school at 15 years of age and worked for his father Jack, who had a contract sawmill. Allan would drive his dad’s International truck to stack timber. At 18 years of age Allan worked for Schweppes Drinks delivering drinks to various businesses throughout the South East of South Australia and Western Victoria. After about four years, Allan changed to driving a Bedford truck for Coca Cola.

In 1972 Allan married Sandra Kain and on the 1st July 1973 the couple opened their own business, a local delivery service. They delivered freight and goods from both passenger and goods trains. Their freight included mail bags from Post Offices to rail each weekday, morning and afternoon. The vehicles were an unreliable Commer van and a Bedford truck for larger jobs such as containers of groceries and dry goods from rail to local grocery stores.

These vehicles were quickly replaced by a new Dodge DSN500 and a Holden One Tonner. The railways would also consign furniture for transferred staff and these items were also delivered by Allan. Allan enjoyed this aspect of the business and bought another new truck, an Isuzu TK with a pantechnicon to accommodate the growing need for furniture removals.

A Target store opened in Mount Gambier three months after Allan commenced his business and so he also carted their goods from rail to the store. However, the railways were on the way out, so Allan purchased a larger truck, an Isuzu JCR, also with a pantechnicon. This vehicle would allow him to concentrate on furniture removals. Duells Furniture Removals, ‘The Gentlemen of Moving,’ was born.

Allan successfully acquired the movement of freight from the Target Distribution Centre, Altona, Victoria, to the Target Stores in Colac, Warrnambool and Mount Gambier. This led to the purchase of a second Isuzu JCR and then another. Allan was driving and running the business. Target gave notice that they were moving in a different direction so Allan became a part time driver and spent more time in the office to concentrate on furniture removals.

In 2009 Allan purchased a Mercedes Benz Axor for his son, Jason, to drive and in 2013 the company bought out another local removalist, known as Ausline Removals and Storage. This required Allan to add further Isuzu’s to the fleet. In 2015 the company expanded again when Allan purchased an Adelaide based company, ‘All States Removals’.

Allan’s fleet continues to grow with a new Volvo, Kenworth and Isuzu FXD all due to arrive prior to him celebrating 50 years in the transportation industry on the 1st July, 2023.

Over the years Allan has had some unusual jobs, including delivering to a dug out in Coober Pedy and a paddle steamer on the Murray. He has moved a plane and a boat. All in his purple trucks. The day he painted his first truck purple his dad declared ‘You may as well shut up shop now.” Luckily, Allan didn’t heed that advice and there are still many customers lining up to have those ‘controversial’ purple trucks deliver their goods.