Neville Thomson

Neville was born on the 2nd of February 1959 in Hornsby, New South Wales. He was the 10thchild born to a family of 12 children, the family moved to Western Australia in 1962 when Neville was three years old.

They moved to a 1500 acre farm at Unicup in the south west of Western Australia and stayed there until Neville was 12 years old. The family then moved into Manjimup where at the age of 13 Neville started picking beans to earn some money. The money he earned here he used to purchase some straw and chicken manure and at the age of 13 started growing mushrooms.

At the age of 15 Neville was the largest grower of mushrooms in Western Australia. At 17 needing to enlarge the mushroom farm he purchased a farm at Carbunup near Busselton but things didn't run smoothly and with the arrival of cyclone Alby in 1978 the mushroom sheds where blown away.

At 18 Neville brought his first truck to cart produce from the farm to the Perth markets. He then purchased his first new truck, an Isuzu eight tonner, this time carting produce and sawn timber from the south west to Perth and then carting goods back to Bunbury and Busselton for local shop owners.

1978 saw Neville married to Lynette Beryl Jesnoewski. At age 21 he purchased his first semi-trailer truck, a Scania 111, 330 hp with a 10 speed gear box. With this truck he started to travel to the East coast carrying goods and return freight back to West. Aust., he also carted potatoes from the Busselton area during the potato season to Perth.

In 1982 he sold the Scania and purchased an International 3070 prime mover with which he again carted potatoes and sawn timber from the south west to Perth , around this time he moved his family to Perth where he then started to cart goods for the mining industry to Kalgoorlie and Agnew. In 1985 the International 3070 rolled over and while being repaired caught fire and was written off. 1985 also saw the purchase of a Volvo F12 roadtrain with 16 gears and 380 with which he continued carting east west. and also into the north west of Western Australia.

In 1989 the family moved to Manjimupthe, the Volvo was sold and an Atkinson 4870 prime mover 450 hp with a 15 speed Road Ranger was purchased and continued to cart potatoes and sawn timber into Perth markets. 1990 saw the purchase of a saw mill in Northcliffe and now Neville carted his own timber into Perth. In 1995 after the Atkinson 4870 had rolled over for the third time it was written off.

1995 also saw the purchase of a Kenworth K100 cabover 400HP. Cummins engine and 13 speed road ranger. In 1996 saw the purchase of a 48 seat Denning Landseer coach. 1997 the Kenworth rolled while being driven to Perth and was written off. 1997 then saw the purchase of a Ford Aeromax 450 hp with which they carted the timber to Perth. 2000 the saw mill was sold and the coach business was increased under the name of Thomson Coachlines.