Shirley & Terry Smith

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2007.

On 1st September 1950 friends, Terry and Lionel Hudson, bought a mail contract and fuel depot in Cloncurry QLD. Shirley met Terry in 1958 and the couple soon married and had two children, David and Terry Jnr.

By 1962 Shirley had taken over the administration enabling Terry and Lionel the time to branch into livestock haulage as well as maintaining their mail contract which operated from Cloncurry to Normanton via many stations on a 1120klm round trip all on dirt roads. By this time the depot has evolved into bulk fuels and avgas to fuel the Flying Doctor and TAA DC3s. Over the many years they operated Biltzesm Austins, Bedfords, Ford 8000s, Deutz, Internationals and Dodges before moving into Ford Louisville and Volvo prime-movers.

In 1966 Terry and Shirley bought out Lionel Hudson and the business became TD & SA Smith. Shirley often went co-driver until she took on full management of the depot till it was sold in May 1995. In 1979 they purchased a Volvo F3 prime-mover from Brown and Hurley forming a long association with this firm. A bitumen plant was added to the operation. In 1989 Terry suffered a stroke which forced him to take life easier so he retired from driving the trucks. Eldest son David returned home to take over from his father and formed Smith and Son Fuels Pty Ltd. Terry Jnr., who was already involved in the business, decided to purchase a Kenworth to haul cattle and establish Smith and Son Haulage Pty Ltd. Terry Snr. helped Shirley with office duties as much as he could. Sadly, Terry passed away on the 14th January 1991.

To honour his 43 years of service a Memorial Rest Stop has been erected 80kms north of Cloncurry.

Shirley combined the two businesses with her son's and became Cloncurry Smith's Transport Pty Ltd and after 50 years in the business they have Kenworth and Western Star prime-movers hauling products all over Queensland and the Territory.