George Dawson
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2012.
Following undertaking a senior mechanics and refrigeration course at the Bendigo School of Mines, George Dawson decided to enter the road transport industry. In 1943 George Dawson won a school bus tender and for £1600 purchased a secondhand, 1947 OB Bedford passenger bus able to carry 31 people. George still has this contract. He won a second tender in 1956 and purchased a 1946 Bedford OB wooden frame bus made by Ansair.
George Dawson purchased his first truck, a secondhand 1944 Chevrolet four tonner in 1950 to carry general goods from Raywood to Bendigo and Melbourne. George operated his own Motor Repair Garage in Raywood from 1959 until he sold out in 1990. George and his wife, Jenette, also purchased and operated a taxi truck business in Bendigo from 1972 establishing Central Victoria Removals. Their son, David, took over this business in 1993.
In 1975 George purchased shares in Kangaroo Flat Bus Lines and became the managing director when the business operated just 14 coaches. During George's term at the helm he built the fleet to 40 buses and coaches operating half of Bendigo's urban service and railway contracts as well as tour coaches. George and Jenette purchased all the shares of this business in 1990. The urban service was sold to Christians in 1995 but George kept the coaches and moved to 90 Wood Street changing the name of the business to Bendigo Coachlines. These coaches travel Australia wide with tour groups including school camping trips and various clubs such as Probus.
George is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport, a Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary and was a member of the Buses International Association (USA).
In 2012 George still enjoys active involvement in the day to day operations of Bendigo Coachlines. He would like to retire and see the business continue to prosper. In 2012 his fleet consists of 19 coaches, two Austral double-deck coaches, 3 Hi Deck Scania coaches, one Volvo coach, one Mercedes, 12 Scania coaches, four Toyota mini buses and two Mitsubishi Rosa mini coaches. He well deserves his place in the National Road Transport Hall of Fame.
