Bob Devlin
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2015.
Robert (Bob) Devlin was born on the 19th October 1934 in the northern region of New South Wales around Dorrigo. Bob went to school in Billies Creek. Bob passed away from a long illness on the 1st February 2013, eight days after his wife Doreen. They raised four children. Bob was introduced to trucks and machinery by his father Les (Dusty) Devlin. He was a truck driver and a mister-fix-it. Dusty made most of his tools to fix most problems. This upbringing rubbed off and Bob became a self-taught mechanic who could fix anything. He was well sought after in the Eden area where he would help repair and rebuild anything for no cost.
Bob's first trucking job was carting logs south of Eden for Cec Wallace in 1950 and 1951 then carting fish to the markets for Leo Myers, after that he worked on Doreen's parents family farm for a short period of time.
Bob brought his own truck around 1959 and started carting power poles and logs to the local saw mills. Bob was an owner driver for around 50 years. He worked many other jobs as an owner driver carting fish and doing interstate from time to time.
When the HDA Chip Mill started in Eden, Bob was the first to deliver a load of logs to the mill. He was real proud of his docket number one.
Bob started out with a petrol powered Bedford then progressed to a petrol powered 95 bogie drive International, a short time after Bob and Doc Reynolds rebuilt the 95 they put a 653 GM 10 speed Road Ranger and a Mack rear end. They also put on a Diamond-T cab with twin stacks. In those days it was a big banger, the trucks name was Nippy Pink.
During the Chip Mill days Bob had a DCO slimline with a 335 Cummins motor. He later traded it in and bought his first plastic cab Atkinson powered with an 8V71T. Not long after this Bob bought another Atkinson. He then bought a Flintstone Mack.
Bob ended up with four log trucks working at the HDA mill Eden for 30 years. Other trucks he had in his fleet during this period were a Transtar 4270 with an 8V71T, Freightliner with a series 60 motor. He also owned a W Model Kenworth.
Bobs last job after selling his trucks and depot was to drive a log truck for his friend Lloyd Cocks in Eden for 12 months.
Bob helped everybody he came across without exception, two of his sons and a brother in-law followed Bob into the industry. Bob taught and mentored many young up and coming drivers into the industry for five decades.
After retiring Bob and Doreen had lots of happy days and years caravanning around Australia with close friends. Bob and Doreen are sadly missed by all their family and friends.