John McCallum

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2007.

1925 - 2000
John Charles McCallum was born in Casterton, Victoria 1925, and died in Casterton in 2000. After completing primary school John commenced his commercial life as a carrier and dam sinker with a team of four draught horses, pulling a four-wheeled wagon.
His modus operandi was applied to the carting of primary products between properties, and to and from the Casterton rail head. This occupation saw John handle a great variety of commodities such as firewood, wattle bark, wool, posts, fertilizer, hay, grain, bricks and other building materials.

Around 1944 John purchased his first motor truck, a left hand drive ex-Army Ford V8 tray-truck of 4 tonne capacity. From this humble beginning John went on to purchase a Ford V8 prime-mover pulling a semi-trailer on which he had built a wooden stock crate. Soon he was to purchase a second Ford V8 semi-trailer, and with the build up of post-war activities, John and his staff were quite busy.
Around the mid 1950s he was persuaded to purchase a passenger bus and take up a contract transporting country children to the secondary college at Casterton. This move into people transport saw John purchase further buses for both school contracts and charter tours. On the tour side John contracted to Deluxe Coaches and also operated Australia-wide and overseas tours in his own right.
On the home front he had accepted the BP Australia fuel agency which he built up to considerable gallonage. In all his endeavours his wife, Grace, assisted him.
John deserves recognition for his contribution to the industry.