Harold Edwards
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2009.
Harold Edwards, better known as Harry, was born in 1922 at Kapara on the Dingo Creek. His first experience with trucks was at the age of 14. He was in Sydney trying to hitch a ride while looking for work when a truckie named Bob Cooper gave him a lift in his new 1936 International truck.
Bob suggested that Harry should work at his transport company in Parkes so he did. The job mainly consisted of carting 44 gallon drums of kerosene and other products for the Shell Oil Co.
During WW11 Harry joined the army as a truck driver. After the war Harry worked felling and hauling logs across deep creeks and boggy terrain. This experience certainly came in handy on the road. Harry has been involved with trucks for the better part of 50 years and at times it has been a battle. He preferred to travel alone but was never lonely. He met many people along the way who were bogged or broken down and needed assistance. Harry was always ready, willing and able to assist.
On one trip through Wilcannia, his load caught fire and he had to continue driving for about 18 miles to prevent the flames from reaching the diesel tanks. He managed to save his AEC prime-mover but lost everything else including the trailer and load. Harry stayed onsite for six days making the truck drivable. There was no available water for washing either the truck or the body.
Another memorable occasion was when, on his way to Perth, Harry was going through Meckering and his load started going up and down like waves and the road started breaking up in places. It was the Meckering earthquake of October 1968, measuring 6.9 on the scale. There were no deaths but the town had been reduced to just rubble.
On yet another trip, after travelling through a sand storm, Harry came across a van south of Tennant Creek which was caught in the floods. It was carrying a group of children from a mission on the outskirts of Alice Springs. Harry towed their van for some miles until he was able to load it onto his trailer and take them back to the mission.
Like many others he was stranded in the Alice for 10 days waiting for the floods to subside. When he left, he carried three stranded vehicles to Adelaide. At the end of each journey Harry considers himself to have been fortunate to be returning home to a warm and loving family.
