Betty Morgan
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2007.
Betty Morgan, one of three children, grew up on a dairy farm in Mooroodue in Victoria. It was her father who first taught her to drive and her choice of vehicle was an old Chev with rubber wheels and a double clutch.
At 15 she was servicing vehicles at the Frankston Ampol Garage and when she turned 18 she moved to Melbourne to commence work at Melbourne Tramways & Railways. By the time she was 24 she was running the North Albury Caltex Roadhouse and that was the start of her love for the trucking industry.
The truck drivers she met at the roadhouse taught her how to drive and she often went on road trips with them and met their families and was always made welcome. She later ran a café in Coolac, NSW and worked in hotels in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth but was always involved with trucks and truck drivers in some capacity. Betty finally obtained her truck licence in 1968. She had to drive around the block and answer three questions in order to pass the test. It was fairly unusual for a woman to be driving trucks in the 1970s, but once the blokes knew her ability, she had no trouble finding work.
Initially she drove for Ray Cant of Allalong Transport carting general freight and produce around Sydney in an International. Her constant companion was Cuddles, her faithful labrador and they were soon well-known to all as they made their daily deliveries. Betty's trucking career eased up in the 80s with the arrival of her son, and, after moving back to Melbourne, Betty took up driving a school bus in the suburbs. When Allalong Tasmanian Searoads in Melbourne was established in 1985, Betty was once again working for Ray Cant driving a Toyota Dyna truck.
Betty moved into the office of Allalong in 1990 and was quickly promoted as the Victorian manager in 1995, a position that she still holds today at 67.
Her love of trucks has never wavered. She was one of the first women truck drivers and has certainly paved the way for those who have chosen to follow her.
