Robert Rawlins
Robert Rawlins was born in 1951 at Murray Bridge in South Australia and grew up on farms around the area. At 16 he got his truck licence and started driving an old Bedford carting hay with his brother supplying hay to the local dairies.
Over the next 7 years they had two truck and trailer combinations carting livestock, grain, fertiliser and hay servicing mainly the dairy industry around the Murray Bridge district in a variety of trucks including Bedford, Austin, MAN and International.
Robert then went to work for Merv Blenkiron in the early seventies where he stayed for 20 years carting mainly livestock but also hay, grain, fertiliser, wool, machinery and general freight around South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and a bit of Queensland. First truck there was a Leyland Mastiff tray truck with a V8 Perkins towing a 20 foot trailer. They then purchased several Scania prime movers over the next few years towing 2/3 deck sheep and cattle stock crates
After 27 years carting mainly livestock Robert decided it was time for a change and he started a job with Scott's of Mount Gambier carting general freight around Australia for the next seven years. While there Robert drove a cab over Western Star but mainly International S Lines. His last truck there was a S Line towing a refrigerated Tautliner carting premium wines from South Australia to Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.
Robert then went to work for Murray Valley Transport in 2000 after a death in his family and he needed to be a bit closer to home for a while. Once again Robert was carting grain and fertiliser but now in tippers not bags as this was much easier. The company went from a Ford Louisville towing a convertible tipper to having 20 trucks in a range of combinations, single semis, truck and trailer and B Double tippers running from South Australia to all the eastern states. In about 2005 the company name was changed to Karoonda Freight Service and Robert then gave up full time driving to work in the office and do some relief driving when needed. Shortly after Robert took on the role of manager & logistics manager and although the company is much smaller now he is still active in the logistics role with this company and several others across Victoria.