Andrew Davidson
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2013.
Andrew John Davidson was born in Benalla in May 1949. Times were tough in post World War Two Australia and, as the second eldest of six children, he had to leave school at the age of fourteen to work at his father's bakehouse to help make ends meet. Andrew also sought work on local dairy farms and this is where he started driving. When he was old enough he turned his attention to truck-driving as a job and initially worked for South Wang Sawmills and later the iconic company of W.B. Hunter Transport.
In later years Andrew drove log trucks for Bill Clealand for a while and then worked as an interstate driver for both Midways and Milligans.Sadly,while Andy was driving for Midways, his older brother Dave was tragically killed in a truck accident at Euroa. It was a sobering time for Andy but he decided he would stay 'on the road' and continued to work for Midway Freight Lines for another ten years. During those years, Andrey drove various types of trucks, ranging from the classic 1418 Mercedes Benz, a brand new black Mack Valueliner towing a Cadbury Chocolate pan, a 2233 Mercedes Benz and several Macks including R-Models, a Superliner and a Cruiseliner.
After finishing at Midways, Andy then went to work for John George hauling out of Melbourne doing flat tops on interstate work primarily between Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. During this time he drove a W-model Kenworth and several Macks including a 350 Valueliner and a V8 Valueliner. Andrew moved into B-Double haulage when he started with John L Pierce. John L Pierce Transport had a diverse business ranging from civil defense, material deliveries to building sites, general haulage and later fuel distribution and transport. Andrew and his wife June stayed with John L Pierce for about eight years before moving to north Queensland where Andy drove tippers and walking floor trailers around the region before opening a coffee shop. Andy loved the coffee shop. Sadly, Cyclone Larry destroyed it and Andy had to return to the trucking life. He worked in the post cyclone clean-up for Cairns Mulch and ended up staying with them for several years before returning home to north-east Victoria.
Over the years, Andy has mainly driven Benzes, Macks, Scanias and Kenworths, with a particular fondness for V8 Macks. He has driven for almost 40 years and has never been involved in a major accident. Today, Andy is still driving trucks and says he wouldn't have it any other way. He currently works for Wayne McMonigle of Whitty Produce driving a brand new Kenworth T609, towing Sloan-built B-Double tippers. His work takes him all through Victoria and New South Wales.
