Eugene McCormack

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at ReUnion 2002.
Eugene McCormack did his first trip to the Northern Territory in 1969 in a Leyland Hippo towing a freezer van to Darwin for McDonalds Transport and then backloading to Adelaide with buffalo meat from Batchelor.
In the early 1970s trips were done to Tennant Creek with building supplies for the new post office.  Eugene went on to run the Old South Road for many years carting for various companies including heavy earthmoving equipment for MacMahon Constructions as they completed various sections of what was called the New South Road as a two lane road was constructed  through the centre.The Stuart Highway was horrific in those days and in one instance caused Eugene to snap the end off a diff housing in an R-600 Mack on the corrugation south of the border in 1974.  Eugene spent several days on the side of the road and had to eventually borrow another prime-mover to deliver his two trailers to Darwin.  He arrived there just in time to have his truck hit by a flying caravan in Cyclone Tracy.In early 1975 Eugene purchased a new Scania and started working for Jack O'Day doing a weekly freezer van service between Alice Springs and Darwin.  Eugene says he knew every boghole on the South Road on a first name basis.  Eugene then carted for Quarry Industries carrying earthmoving equipment and crushing plants that were needed for the building of the new Ghan railway line from Tarcoola to the Alice Eugene also carted to the Moomba Gas fields and along the infamous Strzelecki Track for Santos.His last truck was a 1981, 321 hp M.A.N. which took him into his retirement.  Eugene lives in Adelaide with his family.