Leon Todd
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2010.
Leon Todd is retired from transport work and is currently managing a cattle property in the Warrumbungle Ranges out of Coonabarabran in NSW.
He was an owner-operator carting freight and livestock having started in the transport industry in 1967, carting cattle from the top end of South Australia during the drought in his dad's old International.
In the early years he carted freight to Paraburdoo and Mount Tom Price, fuel from Lyndhurst to Moomba Gas Fields, freight from Adelaide to Darwin and cattle all around central Australia. Leon has always been known for his go anywhere commitment and getting the job done. One of the funniest memories of the road werethe parties that would start from nowhere, whether it be from on the side of the road boiling the billy or being broken down. Other drivers would pull up and a day or two later they would all be back on the road again. The saddest times were seeing a fellow driver or mate in an accident. All the time it was getting harder to make money.
By 1970 Leon was driving a Mack R600 and he later went onto having Kenworth TW models and a 1977 Autocar. Because he was in livestock transport Leon named his smart looking two-tone brown prime movers EXPRESS COW TAXI. Leon's 1980 TW Kenworth was custom-built with one of the biggest Cummins powered motors with the longest wheel-base prime-mover, and one of the biggest sleeper bunks at the time. It certainly was a unique, express cow taxi, for its era. Leon was very happy with the Kenworths as they would build what he wanted. Leon's favourite truck of all time was his last prime-mover, the Kenworth TW 1980 model as it was very reliable. Leon drove through most states often over the roughest roads no-one else would go on.
Leon says the mateship and camaraderie in the bush is second to none; there is nothing better!
He is remembered for his great roadtrain setup, go anywhere commitment and his legendary status with his Kenworth two-toned brown roadtrain with the very first load through double deck crates in the Alice Springs region.