Brendan Johnson

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

Brendan Johnson's father was one of this country's earliest transport pioneers. Born in 1908 in Bourke, NSW, he drove some of the first trucks in the area working for his uncle carting wool to Bourke railhead and general freight to station properties.  In 1944 two momentous occasions occurred. Firstly, Brendan was born and secondly his father started his own carrying business in 1944. Brendan literally grew up with the trucks in the family business which carted wool, general freight and operated rigid tippers up until 1953.
Brendan and his two brothers decided to start a family based trucking business again in 1967. Within two years they were operating the first double decker stock crate in the region. Over the years the Johnson brothers have carted general freight from Sydney and Brisbane to Darwin and all throughout western Queensland. However, livestock cartage still remains the backbone of the business.Over the years Brendan played an active role in the local carrier association culminating with what he calls their biggest breakthrough in the industry in 1980. It was the formation of the Livestock Transport Association of Queensland. Many benefits for his sector of industry were gained as the Association went on to become instrumental in the granting of volume loading for the cartage of livestock. Brendan was elected vice-president at the inaugural meeting and held the positions of delegate, secretary and treasurer for a period of twenty years. When Brendan retired his son Gerard took up the position of delegate for the area and still holds it. Brendan enjoyed the whole of his time in the transport industry and says he has met a lot of great people who have worked in and for the transport system. It is an industry to which Brendan has given his all and supported from the earliest days of his career.