Basil Penrose

BASIL PENROSE was nicknamed Baz or Sailor. He was born in 1925 in Melbourne Victoria and served in the Navy for the duration of WWII. After he was discharged in 1946 after the war was finished, at the age of just 21 years Basil decided he wanted a career in the transport industry. His first employer was R.H. Wilkinson where he drove a lend lease Chevrolet and a KS5 for two years.

He then went to work for Dickie Armstrong doing the Melbourne to Sydney run in an a EH Mack and a Commer knocker for approximately five years. Basil then spent eight years with Don Opperman doing the Melbourne to Adelaide return in a Diamond T 630. After that Basil worked at Eastoes for eight years doing Melbourne to Sydney, Sydney to Adelaide then back to Melbourne to do a Melbourne to Brisbane return. Usually he drove a Peterbuilt or Kenworth.

From there Basil went to work for Wettenhalls for eight years often doing three trips a week Melbourne to Sydney in an S2 Kenworth, a Mack 350 or a single drive Kenworth W Model. Basil then went to work for 12 months with TNT as their Dock Foreman followed by a stint at Bunkers/Travelos as Queensland Depot manager for five years. He then returned to Bunkers in Melbourne doing Goondiwindi change overs until he retired in 1988 at the age of 63.

Basil was a pioneer in the transport industry and worked through many tough years and saw a lot of changes in how the industry operates. Basil is a true gentleman of the trucking industry and is genuinely loved and respected by everyone who knows him throughout the trucking Industry. Basil is now 94 years old; a living legend and considers it a great honour to be nominated along with his son Noel Penrose. He has four children. Basil Penrose was inducted into the Old Truckies Hall of Fame at Hoppers Crossing in Melbourne in March 2012.