Phil Ellbourn

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2015.

Born in Adelaide in 1953, the first of four children, Phillip George Ellbourn's trucking career started as soon as he could get his licence. He left school and started working for a local family business carting fruit and vegetables between Adelaide and the Melbourne markets. This was a very manual job and Phil learnt the demands of the trucking industry very quickly.

Phillip took a short break from driving when the company folded and went to work as a store man at South Australia Cold Stores. However it wasn't long before his passion for the open road called and he was back behind the wheel. He started off locally delivering heating oil for Hicks Cartage. Then it was a short stint driving an International D100 for Smith Bros. carting out of Para Hills quarry. From there Phil spent the next 12 years working for Gawler Screenings but forever on the lookout for that better job he left Screenings and in 1990 started a long stint as a driver with Ian Cootes carting LPG. He stayed with the company through many changes of ownership and still drives for them today.

He hauls his Kenworth road train heading north delivering LPG to customers on the road to Alice Springs and as far north as Darwin, also covering Moomba, Oodnadatta and out to the Tanami desert. Always willing to help anyone in need Phil has made many friends in his 45 years in the industry and often stops for a day or two catching up with many of them.

His passion for trucks isn't only limited to driving as he found the old International D100 that he drove in his early days sitting forlorn in a backyard and in need of some TLC, so with the help of some patient friends it is being restored to its former glory with Phil's intention of displaying it in truck shows around the country.