Grahame Allen

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2010.

Grahame Mervyn Allen purchased his first truck in October 1969 just after he completed a panel beating and spray painting apprenticeship. He'd always wanted to drive a truck of his own and he decided it was either now or never.

He operated as an owner driver for a couple of years driving an International AccoS-635 Perkins powered tipper truck hauling creek gravel to a local crushing plant. In 1969 Grahame and his wife Noeleen set up a partnership to run their trucks.

Grahame looked after the logistics and the driving while his wife looked after the running of the office and the accounts as well as running the home and raising the family. In 1978 the partnership was dissolved and trading commenced as Grahame Allen and Sons PTY LTD under which it is still trading today. Over the years the fleet grew to include over thirty trucks and eighty items of earth moving equipment which made quite an impact on his local economy. Over the years the business operated with a variety of trucks including White, Mercedes Benz, and Mack among others. Most were used in heavy, off road conditions and had to be reliable and tough to make the cut for Grahame's fleet. His equipment worked hard.

Much of his operations were in remote locations on unmade roads and it was not unusual to overload by at least 50% in those days. Although most of the equipment has since been sold and the business is operating on a reduced scale,  the Allens are now in a position to enjoy some leisure time. Grahame's favourite truck of all time is his 1988 Bi-Centennial Mack named Governor Phillip in which he enjoys travelling around the country  and displaying it at truck shows. It is still a hard worker in Grahame's business, never failing to attract attention where-ever it goes in Australia. Grahame and Noeleen's small business is typical of the many thousands of Mum and Dad type trucking businesses, in Australia, that carry this country.