Robert Curtis

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

Robert Curtis (Bob) was born in Unley, South Australia to parents who were market gardeners at Brown Hill Creek. As a twelve year old he worked as off-sider delivering groceries for IGA in Adelaide on the delivery truck. After some years with IGA he moved to Mount Gambier and began driving for JJ Ward Transport, Lake City Freighters and then for Telford and Hood.

In January 1975 Robert commenced work with Allan Scott of Scotts Transport Mt Gambier; the enterprising businessman who built an empire from one truck. Robert drove a Kenworth on fridge van work. It was while he was at Scotts Transport that he earned the nick-name Jack. Some months later the opportunity arose to cart carbon dioxide. Robert went on to cart gas from the Caroline carbon dioxide plant just outside Mount Gambier for more than 30 years. He witnessed many changes in both the industry and in dangerous goods haulage during that time. Initially the gas went to Adelaide and Melbourne but later it went to Darwin and on occasions to Sydney and Perth. This work included thousands of kilometres of rail travel as the vehicles on route to Darwin were railed from Port Augusta to Alice Springs.

In 2006, Bob decided to move from interstate work to local and has in the main, been carting paper pulp to the Kimberley Clarke plant at Millicent near Mount Gambier from the shipping port of Portland for the last eight years.

After 39 years in the transport industry Robert continues working with the Scott Group with the intention of staying as long as he is able. Today he drives an International Power Star B-double, fleet number 242, which he has had from new. Robert claims it as his favourite vehicle of all time. It is the tenth, from fifteen vehicles the company has assigned to him which he has driven from new with Scotts over the years

A traveller at heart driving is his life but Robert does enjoy river fishing and has a green thumb with his orchids.