Harold BON Reeve

Harold (Bon) Reeve was born in Foster, Victoria in 1909. In 1935, Bon with his brothers Bill and Dick commenced operations as Reeve Brothers Transport which consisted of a Thornycroft and a Diamond-T as well as the Service Station in Toora. Dick was the mechanic with Bon and Bill doing the driving, carting fish from Port Welshpool to Melbourne.

With the start of World War II, Bill left to fight and reeve Brothers was disbanded. After the war Bon started his own transport company under the name of HN Reeve & Sons. The fleet started with KB 6 and KB 7 Internationals carting general freight and grocery's from the local rail heads.

Around 1950, HN Reeve & Sons branched out into livestock transport carting sheep and cattle to Dandenong Saleyards and Newmarket. The fleet consisted of Leyland Beavers and Comets, Commers and a Ford F600, 1½, 2 ½ and 3 deck stock crates, some homemade, others purchased from Dickinson Crates at Dubbo. 1962 saw the arrival of the first International R190 which was quickly followed by three more, all of which were powered by GM motors.

In 1960 they started carting milk in cans until the arrival of bulk, farm pick-up tankers. There were three milk transfer tankers operating up until 1978. In 1968, an ex-Ansett S Model Kenworth was purchased from Kenworth Trucks at Preston. This was the first of many Kenworths. 1974 saw the arrival of one of the first tri-axle, drop deck stock crates that went into Victoria and southern New South Wales.

HN Reeve & Sons also branched out into interstate transport, carting general freight for te likes of Taylor Dalton, Cubico, Marsden's and Manson's to name a few. In 1978 Bon sold his transport company to aid in his retirement which was short lived. He could always be found in his shed fabricating tools and sundry equipment for the transport industry.

Sadly on the 22ndof August 1997, Bon passed away after a battle with illness. His legacy still carries on today with four generations of family involved in the road transport industry.