John Edward “Frog” Norton

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2022.

John Edward Norton (nicknamed ‘Frog’) was born in August 1952 in Warragul, Victoria. John began his working life as an apprentice motor mechanic at the Longwarry Butter Factory and finished his indenture at the age of 21 in 1973.  From here, following in his father’s footsteps, John become a truck driver. He worked for different companies such as Avis Car Rentals moving cars and trucks and others where he transported racehorses and even the Rocky Horror Show theatre   production from one city to another.

John then worked for Pronto Concrete, helping to open a cement plant in Lyndhurst, Victoria, before buying his own agitator truck in the early 1980’s. He operated under the business name of Norton Transport for many years.

From driving the agitator truck, John moved to interstate driving, working for K&S Freighters out of their Melbourne depot from the early 1990’s.  John loved the open road, driving up and down the Newell Highway in New South Wales, listening to loud country music and chatting on the CB radio. John’s next job was with Fiorelli Transport carting boxes of potato chips on interstate runs.

He then moved onto driving a fuel tanker in the late 1990’s, carting fuel from Melbourne to Gippsland. John would line up the deliveries on the weekends so he could spend time with his family at their holiday caravan at Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland. 

After the contract for the fuel delivery was lost to a larger company, John found employment with Bedggood’s Transport of Maffra, Victoria, carting paper interstate.

Eventually John became an owner-driver, purchasing a Volvo cab-over. He sub-contacted for John Heggart Transport of Warragul, Victoria, carting paper from Melbourne to Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

In 2007 John was forced to retire from long distance driving due to a kidney disease for which he had to undergo regular dialysis. During this time, he worked as the machine mechanic at the Beaconsfield Golf Course.

After receiving a kidney transplant, donated by his good mate Robert, John was able to enjoy his well-earned retirement.  He always kept busy in his shed, working on different projects whilst thinking about the roads he had travelled. He toyed with the idea of getting a part time job every time he heard there was a shortage of drivers, but he never followed through.

In January 2022, John sadly passed away after contracting Covid-19; he is survived by his daughters, Kara and Lana, and brother Gary.