Mick Carriati

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2002.

Young Sergio (Mick) Carriati came to Australia to join his father building houses.  He spent his early years looking to make his fortune prospecting for gold at Big Bell.  Early trucks in the Carriati fleet included Dodges and ERFs and then came a D6 dozer that Mick used to clear land and sink dams.  Mick was always game to have a go and soon became renown as a big time earthmover.

'If you're going to make it in business in the bush, you buy Mack trucks and Caterpillar machinery". Mick was involved in the building of the Esperance breakwater, levelling the Kununurra airstrip and sealing the Eyre Highway.  His company trading as S. & M. Carriati, was based in Redcliffe on eastern approaches. 

Mick was known as a man who became involved in any scheme he thought would make a quid.  He was one of this industry's characters!  Many were controversial and he became notorious for many reasons.  He was reputed to have carried a red pen with him to sign cheques in the knowledge the bank would not honour them.  He knew the banks didn't like it and that bought him a bit of extra time.  The legend goes he signed a cheque with a black pen one day and the bank questioned the authenticity of it! Mick was a young migrant from humble beginnings and with little formal education.  With his wife Maddeliene they built one of the biggest WA trucking companies of its time. 

Mick lost his life in a tragic car accident in 1992.  He was larger than life and no-one can dispute he left his mark on the Australian road transport industry.  The Carriati business today is carried on by Mick and Maddeliene's son John.