Ronald Brown

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2014.

Like many truck drivers of the same era, Ronald Brown began his driving career before he had a license to do so. At 16 years of age he was driving a timber jinker carting red gum timber to Edward River sawmill at Moulamein, NSW. When he turned 18 Ron went to Victoria to obtain his licence. In NSW he would have to wait until he was 21.

Ron started carting sawn timber to Melbourne in an F500 Ford and later carried stock, fuel and fertilisers until 1967 when he and his wife moved to Melbourne to drive locally with Hartridge Transport in Footscray. In 1968 Ron started driving interstate and worked for various companies over the years including Selwood, John Nash, Seltino, Leitch Heavy Haulage and Tarmax Haulage. Ron drove a Ford Louisville with a 692 Detroit motor for a BP economy run from Melbourne to Sydney in 1983 towing a tanker full of water achieving third place for fuel economy. He was also helped get Convoy For Kids started in New South Wales.

In 2004 Ron started at Intercentre Transport which was Arnott's Biscuits transport company. He stayed there for 15 years until he took a redundancy package when Lindsay Fox took over. Pace Farm was his next employer and Ron stayed with them for four years after which he relocated to the Riverina area. During Ron's employment with Arnott's Biscuits he completed a course with the RTA to become a heavy vehicle instructor and assessor. He then formed his own driver training business, RDT, where, after his move to Finley, he continued that business as well as driving for Brookes Logistics at Barooga. Ron was transport coordinator there for approximately 12 months.

At present Ron is semi retired and does a small amount of tip- per driving carting grains and fertiliser. He is nearly 73 years old and has a total of 58 years driving in the transport industry. Ron brown classes himself as a professional. He has two sons who are also drivers in the industry and he knows that they carry on in the same professional manner as he has always done.