Russell Blows

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

As a teenager up in Booral, Russell Blows worked at Bradbury's Neptune Service Station as a bowser boy. This was the beginning of his love of trucks; fuelling, checking tyres and a chance to drive them up the driveway.

On his days off he travelled with Tommy Bowden who taught him the trucking skills of carting timber. Also he travelled with Senstocks, Seatons and Prices drivers interstate learning the ropes. He later drove local for Bowden & Grey and N K Harris.In 1962 Russell took a job with Seatons driving an A.E.C. Monarch. His first trip was a load of tyres to Brisbane. After that he went to Prices driving a 190 International from Brisbane
/Townsville to Melbourne. He then drove for Eric Kerr in a 190 International, carting produce ply and veneer to Sydney and general freight from Mayne Nickless to Brisbane. On one occasion he transported the Moscow circus to Newcastle.

Diesel Freighters was his next employment where he worked for Bob Firelock carting butter fat to Streets Ice-cream in Sydney and tyres from Goodyear to Brisbane. Whilst there he drove 184 International ACCO Butter Box 2050 and White Compac all with Cummins power. He stayed there for nine years. Russell then drove a Mercedes Benz for Salvats carting Bradmill products from Rutherford to Sydney. Russell then went to C & E driving a variety of trucks including Bedfords, a U.D, 3070 International and F10 Volvo carting electric light poles all over N.S.W and Victoria, timber out of Stroud to Sydney and cordial back to Newcastle for Schweppes. In 1981 Russell purchased his own truck, a 1978 Cab-over Kenworth. 

Twenty-eight years later he still drives Newcastle Sydney daily. This truck has done millions of kilometres with motor rebuilds and has original gear box and diffs. Russell holds a gold licence and has retained all his driving points with his fifty years of driving trucks.