Bob (Kojak) Gumbleton

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2008.

Bob 'Kojack' Gumbleton, was born 15th October, 1937 and was brought up in Ganmain, NSW.  He bought his first truck, an International, in 1960 to cart bagged wheat to the silos in the district.

In 1961, after marrying, Bob moved to Swan Hill, Victoria, where he carted fruit to the Sydney markets.  It was all in wooden boxes and loaded by hand.  The road weren't very good and it took three days for the round trip.  He had several trucks: a Dodge, a White, a Kenworth and two Macks. Bob needed the bigger trucks for the runs he did all over Australia.  His first subbie job was for Forsyth & Gibson at Swan Hill, and Cains Transport in Portland from 1970-1975 when he started on the Adelaide to Darwin run for Bruce McDonald. 

It was while working for Bruce that he got his first Mack, the truck for which he worked so hard.  In 1980 he sold his Mack and moved to Darwin to manage McDonalds Transport.  When Bruce McDonald sold his business Bob went and worked for Bob Holt in Katherine taking roadtrain tankers of fuel out to cattle stations and remote communities.  Sometimes the load would be all 44 gallon drums, 380 of them at a time, and each and every one loaded and unloaded by hand.  Bob Holt then sold his business to Mike Flynn in Darwin so Bob decided to return south with his family.

Returning to Ganmain after 20 years in Darwin, he helped on a friend's farm until he became ill in 2005.  He lost his battle on the 16th February, 2008.  Over 200 people came from all over Australia to attend his funeral.  A truckie to the end, Bob was keen to advise a friend who visited Bob in hospital about a truck he had just bought. Bob Gumbleton was, without a doubt, a true gentleman of the road.