Ian Hill
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2013.
Ian Phillip Hill was just 14 years old in 1948 when, while living on a farm in Oakland, he started driving an old wooden cab Reo truck to the grain silo six miles up the road. He did this for two years. When he turned 16 Ian put his age up by ten months and started working as a town delivery boy in Albury driving a Bedford truck for AL Anderson & Co (which later became Roadair Transport).
By the time he was 17 Ian was driving interstate in an International AL Model 180 carting wool and produce to Melbourne and Sydney. Ian then did six months National Service Training in the RAAF after which he returned to Albury and started driving for Chris Wilson, New City Transport, in a 22 White powered by a six cylinder Gardner diesel. While working for New City Transport Ian also drove a Vulcan truck carting salt from Swan Hill to Sydney and Brisbane. Ian says it was the worst truck he ever drove. Ian then returned to drive for Roadair in an International R190 carting general goods to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. After leaving Roadair in 1956 Ian drove another 22 White for Judds-Riverina Transport carting goods to Sydney.
When Ian decided it was time for a real change he then returned to the RAAF and joined the transport division where he drove a Leyland Comet 90 carting ammunition and explosives from Ettamogah NSW to various RAAF stations around Australia. He was discharged from the RAAF after six years. Back in the industry as a civilian Ian got a job driving a Commer car carrier for Gus Stupuras delivering cars around Australia, but mainly from Melbourne to Sydney. He then decided to drive buses and took a job with Cobb and Co for a while before returning to Roadair where he stayed for the next thirty years. This was an era of corporate changes in the trucking industry in Australia and in the following years Roadair amalgamated with Yellow Express, Fleet Express, LilyaJulius and then became Finemores Transport from Wagga NSW. With each sale Ian continued with the company.
After leaving Finemores Ian worked as a casual with different businesses driving many articulated trucks which included Kenworth B-Doubles and a Ford L9000 B-Double. Ian was one of the first B-Double drivers on logging and interstate.
Ian received many awards for his safe, accident free professional driving over the years but he also says he received plenty of overloading and log books fines. Ian retired due to ill health in 1998.
