Owen Leech

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2014.

Owen Leech was born in Castlemaine, Victoria in May 1951. He left school when he was just 15 and began working at his father's Golden Fleece service station pumping petrol. until he was old enough to get his licence.

When he was 18 years of age Owen commenced work in the family transport business of J.J. Leech & Sons. His first job was driving a Dodge tray truck used for carting huge lumps of granite for tombstones to Melbourne. Soon after he was set to work in a seven series Dodge running interstate with Stramit to Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide. These loads were 14ft high and were restrained with ropes and tarps. There were no load binders in those days.

In later years Owen drove an R200 International and well remembers a trip to the Snowy Mountains where it took him all day to drive in the fog from Albury to the mountains and back. In 1972 Owen drove a single drive S2 Kenworth and said he felt like the 'King of the Road' in it compared to his past trucks. Owen upgraded to a new bogie drive S2 Kenworth in 1979 which the business still uses every day for local deliveries. Owen's father, Jack fractured his back in 1979. Work had to continue so Owen took over driving the mobile crane for Jack. Just as his brother Jeff did, Owen taught his own son to drive trucks too. Of course this son is now a part of the next generation at J.J Leech & Sons.

Today Leech Transport are proud to be providing local and interstate transport and forklift services for over 70 years in a business that has spanned three generations. Owen, along with his two brothers, also on the Wall of Fame, has been an integral part of that growth for over fifty years.