Margaret Stocks
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunions 2014.
In the late 1950s Margaret would sometimes go to work with her father in a Bedford tray truck while he cut and delivered teatree sticks to local customers in Victoria. When she turned 17 years Margaret had left home to accompany her truck driving husband to be on his trips across the states. The family have always been very involved in the trucking industry. She has four brothers-in- law who are truck drivers and three children of her own who are involved in the transport industry. Margaret and Bill's wedding reflected their love of trucking with Sartori Transport's White Road Commanders being an official part of the wedding party. This resulted media articles in two major Sunday newspapers.
Once Margaret had started her family she stayed home to raise her four children, giving birth alone to her first two sons, Billy and Johnny, while her husband Bill was on the road driving interstate. When she could Margaret obtained her medium rigid licence and began driving a five to eight tonne delivery van around Melbourne and occasionally on country trips for the next ten years. Margaret then went on to drive passenger coaches from depot to depot for cleaning. Margaret, alongside her husband Bill, has now been running their transport business for 42 years. Twenty years ago they secured a contract to cart concrete sleepers with Austrak in Geelong and went on to expand their business from one truck to eight. They also secured a direct contract with V-line and Metro rail. The fleet now consists of five Kenworths, two Freightliners and a Western Star. It has since turned into a family-run business.
Margaret with the help of her daughter Cindy, is the receptionist, secretary, accountant as well, the voice of logic in the office! She says looking back at that period from where they started, to where the company stands today, it is a proud achievement.
It takes a strong, independent and understanding woman to be a truckie's wife who continually and totally supports her husband and his trucking business. Margaret has been just that for the past 48 years and deserves her contribution to be recognised.