Graeme Egan
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2013.
In an era of corporate restructuring and frequent career changes there is something about a man who works in the same industry for more than 40 years, let alone for the one company. Graeme 'Omar' Egan has done just that. Omar, born in Colac on 17th August 1947, initially trained as a motor mechanic including working on heavy vehicles which he discovered he had an affinity with. He did this for eight years before turning his hand to truck driving for the Amezdroz and Menzies company of Colac (now Wettenhalls, a DRW company).
Colac is situated between Geelong and Camperdown in Victoria and is primarily an agriculture and pastoral district hence the trucking industry has always played a major role in its development. The cartage firm of Amezdroz and Menzie had been operating since 1925. One of it's first and longest serving contracts was carting Regal and Bulla Cream around the district.
Omar spent a number of years running up and the down the Eastern Sea Board servicing the major cities with general freight and later in his career choosing to slow up a bit and on to the local roster. Omar spent the last few years transporting ice-cream from Colac to Melbourne in one of the cleanest looking Kenworth K104s on the Colac to Melbourne route. Even though he chose to put away his spanners and drive trucks for a living there is no doubt his mechanical knowledge assisted Omar along the highways, not only with keeping his own truck going, but in helping others in need along the way.
Always a cheerful, happy fellow with a razor sharp sense of humor, Omar has made countless friends with people from all corners of the land. He liked to keep his managers and fellow work mates on their toes and, in an article in the local news paper, in which he was interviewed for his 40th year with Wettenhalls, he thought it time to confess to smoking in the company truck.
Now that Omar has retired, he has no regrets about life in the trucking industry. He and partner Wendy can now get the motor bike out on sunny days and travel around this big country.
