Bill Lipman

Bill Lipman known as Billy Blue Gum "because the pole between the jinker had to be blue gum for the strength, so Bill Duff the saw miller always made sure he saved one for him, hence the nick name.

Bill was born in Holland in 1940 and his first job was in 1959 with Dyers Transport driving freight to Melbourne. In 1961 he worked for Steve Hesz carting pulp to Maryva1e. In 1963 Bill purchased his first truck, a BMC and carted pulp from Tamboritha to the Marwale Paper Mill. Then in 1965 he bought an International Acco and carted logs from Fiddlers Green to Matlock, afterwards buying another ACCO and then a Benz.

In 1970 Bill purchased a bogey drive White and carted logs to Wahalla, then he bought another Benz to cart logs from Mt Howett to the Heyfield Mill. In 1973 he bought a Diamond T. 1975 Bill purchased his first brand new truck, a Transtar carting lime to the Cement Works. He then started working for Bruce Heywood at Maryvale Sands where over the next 21 years he carted to Dandenong, Loy Yang and the Thompson Dam, just to name a few places, whilst driving his Kenworths until he retired and sold them to his son Danny.

After so many years of trucking, Bill had many funny and scary stories, but the scariest one he'll never forget was when he was driving near Moondarra and having a full school bus pull out right in front of him, so he pulled around it only to see a car coming toward him , then on pulling back to the other side of the road my bull bar clipped the bus and opened it up like a can of sardines and Bill ended up in the ditch, but by some miracle no-one was seriously hurt.

So after 55 years in the trucking industry, Bill has carved out a living for himself and his family and also made many, good lifelong friendships.