William Smith
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2007.
As a young boy Bill Smith would often accompany his truck-driving father on trips interstate and this led to a yearning for him to do the same. His father however, insisted that he earn a trade qualification first.
After Bill completed his trade as a boilermaker he went to Melbourne and got a job as a truck driver carrying wool and bulk cement and then with Yellow Express Carriers transporting transformers to the Latrobe Valley. He went on to transport many loads of earthmoving equipment and transformers to major dam sites and open cut mines (coal, iron ore, manganese, copper, etc..) throughout Australia.
April 1970 saw him move to Lance Smith Heavy Haulage where he stayed for 14 years as a driver and later, a supervisor. In November 1984 he started Hi-Haul Transport with Ritchie Whitehead as his fellow director. Today the company owned by Bill and his wife employs of 20 people. It was one of the first transport companies to achieve accreditation to ISO Standards. The fleet consists of 14 Kenworth prime-movers, a Scammell Contractor (built by Lance Smith Heavy Haulage), an eight-wheel Volvo tilt-tray and approximately 40 pieces of trailing equipment including platform trailers, floats, dollies, steerables, extendables, ect.
Notable contracts have included roof trusses for the new Southern Cross Railway Station, transport of some 1800 concrete beams ranging in weight from 30 to 90 tonnes and up to 40 metres long over a 150 kilometre stretch from Morwell to the Eastlink project in Melbourne. Bill has been a member of the Over-dimensional and Overmass Taskforce with the Victorian Road Transport Association for over 15 years. Bill and Rosemary maintain connections with many charities especially cancer research and children's causes. As an active and enthusiastic member of Angel Flight, Bill has also often made himself and his plane available to them.
Today Bill spends his leisure time playing golf and flying his plane; travelling and enjoying life.