Glen ‘Joe’ Gleeson
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2023.
Glen George Gleeson, better known as Joe, was born in Blackall Queensland, in 1947. Ancestors on both sides of Joe’s family had bullock and horse teams carting freight and wool from Western Queensland to the coast. From an early age, trucks drew Joe’s attention, even from the classroom window. His uncles had a mail run and helping them kept Joe busy on the weekends.
Joe’s first truck driving job was on a mail run, sometimes pulling an 18 foot dog trailer. From that he progressed to carting wool to Brisbane with a B-model Mack. The next job for Joe was carting livestock to all parts of Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. During the slack times, Joe would be out mustering.
Joe purchased his first truck in 1975 which was a second-hand 711 Mack with two open 40 foot stock trailers. Next came a 1976 F Model Mack. These vehicles were followed by purchases every two years as follows:
1978 Atkinson plus 2 McGrath trailers and 2 Shanks convertible stock crates
1980 KW Aerodyne plus 2 Wehl trailers and 2 Shanks convertible crates
1982 Mack with GM 892 motor
1984 Ford LTL with Cat 430 motor
1986 Western Star with Cat 430 motor
1988 Western Star with Cat 430 motor
In 1980 Joe attended the inaugural meeting of Livestock Carriers (now Queensland Livestock Carriers Association) and became the delegate for the Central Queensland District until 1993.
In 1982 Joe built a depot adjacent to the sales yards in Blackall. He then started a general freight run to and from Brisbane. This was followed by the purchase of a fuel and livestock business in Isisford. This increased the carting ability to 36 decks of sheep and 24 decks of cattle. However, following heavy flooding, road restrictions and road closures, there was hardly a wheel turned on the livestock truck for nine months so Joe sold that business.
For the next few years, Joe worked in Charters Towers as Branch Manager responsible for the live export of cattle as well as the distribution of fuel tankers and tippers from mine sites.
Joe also spent time in Longreach working side tippers on the Thompson River Project. Joe then ended up in Isisford working for the Shire Council as a truck driver before becoming the foreman for 16 years. After that, Joe retired to Blackall.
