Frank Marley

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2002.
It's hard to believe that an easy-going, affable bloke like Frank Marley could be branded a "rebel truckie."  That was the front page headline when the Western Australian transport operator was arrested and conveyed to Fremantle prison on the second of two occasions for carting goods by road.
Road transport by mechanised vehicle was not a consideration when Australia became a Federation in 1901.  Neither were the railways.State governments would not concede any ground to road transport.  Such untenable conditions bred a rebelliousness in truckies as they defiantly fought for a fair go.  In the far west, Frank Marley was one of those transport operators who, through initiative and hard work, could beat the railways on price, efficiency and on-time delivery.  The young Frank bought a Commer powered by a 354hp Perkins engine.  This really was the very beginning of Marley Transport.  At age nineteen, Frank married Georgie and had four sons, all of whom work in the business.Frank Marley had a long-term involvement with the Western Australian Livestock Transportation Association and was a former president of WARTA, now known as the Transport Forum.  Marley Transport is now involved in livestock (mostly pigs), wheat (all off-line bins to the railhead), feed distribution for Westfeeds, salt from the lake stockpile to the railhead, and general tipper work.  Frank is open to any challenge, be it a struggling tourism bureau or setting a record for the world's longest road train.  It is little wonder he is so well known Australia wide. Today, Frank Marley is quite happy to be spare driver while his son Stephen runs the Company.  His wife Georgie remains the administration coordinator and the pair are still very involved in the road transport industry.