Larry Gill
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2022.
Laurence Randolph Gill (better known as Larry) was born in September 1948 in Como, Western Australia, the youngest of three children.
From when he was a young boy, Larry had always wanted to be a truckie. He was first employed by Dowerin Shire Council, north east of Perth in Western Australia and obtained his truck driver’s licence at the age of 18. In 1969 Larry moved north to Port Hedland to work for Bell Brothers – at the time this was his dream job as he thought they had the “biggest and best trucks”. After years of working in the northwest of the state, Larry moved back to Perth and honed his salesman skills selling machinery with Isas and Max Winkless’ Volvo. In 1978, Larry started his own business, Gill’s Commercial Truck Sales.
Larry’s love affair with trucks took an unexpected turn when he became interested in Tatra, an off-road truck built in the Czech Republic. Larry discovered these beasts by chance, reading about the company involved with Skoda, in a Czech magazine. The Tatra technology was nothing like he had seen before, with a unique independent suspension and amazing off-road abilities. Larry saw a huge potential for the brand and enquired about the possibility of bringing them to Australia. After many difficult long distance phone calls and faxes, all in broken English, Larry managed to negotiate a deal with Tatra and flew to Europe to visit the factory. Larry opened the first Australian Tatra dealership, Offroad Trucks Australia, in Perth in 1996, offering full servicing facilities and dedicated spare parts to their customers.
Larry's determination, stubbornness and vision saw Offroad Trucks Australia expand exponentially over the years and a branch was opened in both Queensland and New South Wales. From a small team of two people, the business now has over twenty employees plus a tight group of sub-contractors and suppliers. Offroad Trucks Australia has sold vehicles to industries such as mining, drilling, farming and emergency services.
2021 marked the 25-year anniversary of Tatras presence in Australia. Over this time, Offroad Trucks Australia have sold almost 700 Tatra trucks to companies such as BHP, Roy Hill Mine and Rio Tinto. They have also sold Fire and Emergency vehicles for mine sites and the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Offroad Trucks Australia has been pivotal in changing the mind set of ‘fit for purpose’ trucks and has pushed awareness and recognition of lesser-known heavy vehicles by working with organisations such as Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia and Australia Design Regulations to implement improvements and rule changes.
From 2016, Larry suffered ongoing medical issues but he was still in the office every day. Sadly, in March 2022, Larry passed away, leaving his adored wife, Gerry, and their family as well as the business he loved.
Highly respected, Larry was known as a driven, forward-thinking man whose enthusiasm for the Tatra brand was infectious. Upon his passing, he was remembered and his life celebrated by hundreds of industry colleagues, customers and friends across Australia who recognised his passion, enthusiasm and love of the Australian Transport Industry.