Jack Goodbody

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2012.

27:9:1919 to 19:12:2001

Jack Goodbody's love of trucks first began when he was employed by Frasier's Furniture in Bendigo. However, World War Two intervened and Jack enlisted in the RAAF. When he returned home to Bendigo at war's end he met and married his wife Thelma in 1949. Within a year they had started their own furniture removal business.

In January 1950, Jack purchased a Ford bus chassis with only a bonnet over the motor and mudguards. He had to build a new cabin and furniture van onto it before they could start operating. As well as furniture, Jack carted biscuits from the Brockhoff Biscuit Company factory in Melbourne and all manner of lollies, cordial, flour and other items to Sampson's Wholesalers in Bendigo. Over the years Jack owned numerous Fords, Internationals and Mercedes Benz trucks.

In 1953 Jack purchased a Ford truck and trailer to cart tomatoes from Bendigo to Rosella in Melbourne and extended his furniture van with a gooseneck to fit on a semi-trailer. It offered him the versatility of being able to lift the van off the semi trailer so he could cart general goods. Insulfluff was also carted in the van.

Jack also owned and operated a French-made Panhard Van which he later sold to concentrate on carting general goods including tomatoes, tomato pulp, bricks, timber, cement, honey and beehives. In those days all these goods had to be loaded and unloaded by hand. Jack would take a full semi load of 60lb tomato pulp tins to Tocumwal to be loaded on a Sydney train stacking them into the rail trucks by hand himself. He would then have to load the semi with cement for the return trip again, all by hand. Asked why; his answer was always that it was just his job and he did it to the best of his ability.

Over the years Jack also carted 44 gallon drums of fuel from the BP Depot in Bendigo, carried livestock and operated a concrete mixer for Ready-Mix. In later years he carted cement roofing tiles for the Atlas Tile Company and these too were all unloaded by hand. Jack later purchased a forklift to make loading and unloading easier.

Jack retired in 1986 after 36 years of trucking and passed away in 2001. His eldest son, John, and two of his grandsons have followed in his footsteps.