Myra Dyer

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2005.

1919 - 2006

Myra was born in 1919 in the Loxton Hospital SA and lived in Kingston-on-Murray as a young child, moving with her family at age six to a farm in the Barmera district. Her father, Doug Pickering, grew wheat and barley and, as the eldest of eight sisters and brothers, Myra was expected to help out on the farm after leaving school.

She undertook many back-breaking jobs such as chopping and carting wood, breaking in horses, and even driving horse teams at just 14 years of age. Myra married Murray Dyer in 1943 and went on to have eight children of her own. After WWII, Murray and Myra began carting wood, furniture and livestock with Myra working alongside and as hard as Murray, even when she was pregnant. Being the mother of eight children didn't keep Myra out of her truck. Murray would take half the kids with him and Myra the other half with her. Myra had started driving her father's Fargo around the farm when she was 14, and over the years Myra has driven many of the marques that are now left behind in history. 

Over the years the Dyers have owned and operated a 1930 International complete with a wooden cab and cellophane windows, a WW2 Maple Leaf Chev, Austin, Ford, '54 Bedford, an assortment of Commers and a few Volvos. Myra mastered them all and gained a reputation in the area as being a fair dinkum truckie who prided herself on doing the best no matter what the job. Myra ceased driving trucks in February 2003 when arthritis told her it was time to stop. Up until this time she was still regularly helping her son, Terry in his trucking business, and every second week went to the Loxton market for the local butchers; a run she had been doing for more than 60 years. 

Over the years Myra appeared on numerous TV shows and in countless magazine and newspaper articles. Sadly, this grand old lady of transport passed away in 2006. There is no doubt that she was admired by the nation and well-deserves her place in the Hall of Fame.