John Coombe

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2015.

John Coombe was born in Adelaide on the 30th October 1943. He left school in 1957 and started driving for his father who had a small carrying company. Four years later he got a job as a derrickman on the oil rigs with a drilling company in the Cooper Basin and after two years he was able to buy his first truck, a Commer Knocker. Later he traded it in on a brand new 1966 Commer with a half cab sleeper. John ordered it in black and purple with Miss Gwenda written on the front. This later became Mrs Gwenda when he got married.

After the Commer, John bought a Cummins powered ACCO which had an unusual sleeper cab and a pusher axle, then a Loadstar, a Mercedes and his last truck, an old beauty he restored out of a truck yard, a 1973 W Model Kenworth. This was one of only 15 in Australia with a Gull Wing bonnet and fibreglass guards. This was later named The Legend & I.

John carted freight all over Australia with these trucks working for companies such as Friendly Transport, Verdons, Toll, Pipeline Engineering, Gasfield Haulage, Ottoway Engineering and WG & HM Ebert. He loved the outback most of all and the challenges that came with it, the dirt tracks and right of ways, the bull dust and the bogs. John spent many years carting in and around the Cooper Basin, Moomba, Jackson and Eromanga areas. He especially loved moving big machinery and oil rigs, loads that presented a challenge. If there was any way to fit it on he would.

John also had a passion for draught horses and horse drawn vehicles and would attend events in South Australia with them. He also supported many charity events.

Sadly John passed away on the 19th March 2014 after 56 years in the transport industry and a lifetime of memories.