Keith Forster

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Re Union 2007.

Back in 1958, Keith Forster was a young man working on the family property, Bulpunga, in the western district of New South Wales. He watched with interest as local mail contractors delivered supplies and fuel to the property, and carted wool back to town.
Keith was called to drive the family's trusted single-wheel K Bedford to cart wool for local graziers to the railhead at Yelta or to carry bulk wine grapes inside tipping bins and bulk oranges from the Curlwaa shed to Mildura for juicing. Soon there were three 1418 Benz and an N-series Volvo working on livestock haulage. Forsters was the first company to hold a road train permit that allowed the company to haul livestock from NSW across the border into sale yards at Yelta and Mildura in Victoria. Keith's wife, Pauline, was one of the first women to get a heavy vehicle licence. She did it in a 1418 Mercedes Benz truck in 1970. In those days.

Forsters operated what was the longest livestock haul in the country, stretching from Halls Creek in the Kimberly to Dandenong in Victoria, carrying horses and donkeys.In the 1980s, Keith became the local agent for Comet Overnight Express. The first week saw 11 inward parcels and none out. Three years later, Keith was handling between four and five tons of each every night. Comet decided to open its own branch in Mildura and Forsters Transport Comet Agency was closed. Keith concentrated on grain haulage. Grain was transported in centre delivery bins or by trailer with grain traps on the floor. This was to be the mainstay of the business for several years, although an interest was kept in the livestock side of the operation.

Keith's son, Stuart took over the business and moved through a series of Mack trucks before switching his allegiance to Kenworth. Today Stuart operates a small fleet of Kenworths (and an old Atkinson) and uses them to haul a variety of trailers.