Kevin Bryant

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2009.

Kevin, 'KB' Raymond Bryant was born 5th August, 1938 and died 15th November, 2007.  He left school at 15 to commence a motor mechanic apprenticeship and by 1963 he was working for Sandringham Bus Lines.  He later went on to become a coach driver and pioneered many outback runs.

KB drove tours throughout Australia for 16 years.  He loved the outback.  He drove two tours up to Alice Springs for Sandringham Bus Lines and decided to become an owner-operator for Centralian Tours.

He purchased the two Leyland-Freighter coaches and named them Elma #1 and Elma #2.  A Hino (Elma 3) and two bogie-drive Denning coaches (Elma 4 and Elma 5) were to follow.  For some years he employed a driver for his second coach.  KB always maintained and repaired his own vehicles and his dirty white overalls were a trademark.  There were many roadside repairs done over the years such as repairing a tyre or replacing broken spring leaves.  If there was a shady tree to work under that was a  bonus.  KB was also a founding member of ARCSW - Ayers Rock Cock Sock Club, and of ALDECC - Australian Long Distance Experienced Coach Crews.  He pioneered the north-south Tanami Track tourist coach route in 1972.

After Centralian Tours folded in January 1974, KB became a founding director of Centralian Staff Pty Ltd (trading as Camping Tours of Australia) and continued as an owner-driver for them until 1983.  He believed the sealing of many roads and the change from Ayers Rock National Park to the upmarket Uluru marked the end of an era.  It was time to move on and he retired from "The Track".

KB began Mobile Production Facilities after he was asked to drive a bus for "The Slim Dusty Movie".  There he saw an oppportunity to replace the inadequate make-up and wardrobe caravans with buses.  In late 1983 he purchased three ex-school run Bedford buses to set up as mobile make-up and wardrobe facilities.  These are used on location for Australian film and television productions.  KB continued to work in this industry until his death in 1997.

Today, his son Peter continues to run Mobile Productions Facilities.