Barry Bunge
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2021.
Barrie Bunge (known as “Bungee”) was born in 1945 in Warracknabeal, Victoria. Barrie started driving on the family farm at the age of five in a K5 International ex- Army truck. His mum thought the truck was a runaway but Barrie was crouched on the floor of the cab pushing the accelerator as he passed the house! In 1959/60 Barrie, along with his father, Athol, and brother, Errol, built a single axle flat top trailer and moved the family to Dululu, Queensland. His parents established the business, Bunge Transport, which was the start of Barrie’s love of the transport industry.
During the seventies, Barrie purchased a Dodge and ventured into livestock cartage, hauling stock from all over Central Queensland into Fields and Lakes Creek Meatworks at Rockhampton.
In the early eighties, Barrie bought his infamous Acco in which he eventually did over one million miles. He subbied for QRX which took him as far as Chillego in Far North Queensland and over to the Northern Territory. Barrie also subbied for Rocky’s Own Transport, McAllesse, Ipec and Followmont.
By the early nineties, Barrie had sold up and worked as a company driver for W&M in Brisbane, where he carted hanging meat for a couple of years. Barrie then purchased a T- Line and subbied for Densley’s Burdekin Growers Association, carting produce out of North Queensland to Brisbane markets and back loading freight for Followmont and Ipec. He sold the T-Line and bought a yellow Ford LTL but in 2010 Barrie’s declining health led him to sell the truck and move to Cardwell, Queensland. Barrie then did some local tipper work for a mate in the Hinchinbrook area.
Some of Barrie’s most memorable jobs included moving a house in Central Queensland on two trucks, side by side, hauling parts of the first dragline to go into Moura Mine and carting cyanide into Mount Morgan Gold Mine.
Barrie was well known for telling a joke and being able to fix anything on the side of the road. Sadly, he passed away in Brisbane in October, 2008 after a short battle with cancer.