Graham Mitchell

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2010.

Graham Geoffrey Mitchell was born in November 1941 in Box Hill and started driving tractors and trucks on his parent's orchard at Trafalgar when he was about 12. Graham did a motor mechanics apprenticeship at Russell Burrows in Box Hill.

He married Elaine in 1962 and bought his first truck, a Thames, at the age of 21 and sub contracted with Tarax Drinks. His next truck was a Bedford. In 1966 they moved with two children to his father's café  and service station in Tynong. While there he had a Ford tow truck but still carted for Tarax with a Inter AS tray. They moved to Trafalgar with three children in 1968 where he drove buses and milk tankers. In May 1974 Graham and Elaine, now with five children, moved back to Melbourne where he drove a milk truck then a Deutz semi carting paper to Smorgans. In late 1974 a business was formed and  GEM TRANSPORT. The Mitchells  bought a C-line Inter, 345 motor, then another Inter 160 Cummins and a Hancock prime-mover with a 180 Cummins, hauling trailers for Ansett. Later Graham started doing interstate with a driver in one truck, carting out of Ford Motor Company and Vaughan Transport.

In 1976 Graham decided he wanted to be at home nights with the family so they went into tip trucks with Elaine getting her articulated licence in 1982. Their trucks included Accos, Leyland, Transtar DCO400 and also a Massey 200 Drott. In 1983 they went out of tippers into the furniture removal business with Graham buying a Mazda then a Hino FD166. Elaine has a Toyota Dyna then a 510A Inter. They worked local and country. They retired on the 30th June, 1998 and moved to Rosedale, Vic where Graham unfortunately tragically passed away in October 1998.