Jeffrey Venaglia

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2005.

Jeffrey John Venaglia or Bulldog as he was known by many who travelled the highways, was an interstate truck driver for the majority of this working life, starting before CB radios were even thought of or only talked about.
If you wanted to communicate with your trucking mates to catch up on the gossip, or check out where the 'stakes' were hanging out, you had to pull up at one of the many roadside truck stops or your favourite truckie cafe.Jeffrey's favourite trucks were the two Mack trucks that he had during these years.  He loved his Macks.  He had an R-model and a B-model, and they were both painted Mack green.  Everything was Mack green, the trim on the house, and even the post for his wife's plants.When the truckies blockade was at Hexham, Jeffrey and his wife made boilers full of mince and soup for anyone who needed a home-cooked meal.  The couple were known for their generosity of spirit and their dedication to the plight of the trucking industry in hard times.In his later years, Jeffrey decided that life on the road was getting a bit much for him so he retired from the interstate life and bought himself a Volvo tipper.Jeffrey had bought it to work locally and while he thought it was a good truck, it wasn't a Mach and his heart was with Mack.  He missed his Macks so much he painted the Volvo Mack-green to match his wife's pot and the house trim saying this had made him feel a lot better.  It was hard for him to adjust to this new life of being home every night and not kicking over the Mack to be in Kempsey before the sum came up, which was one of his favourite sayings.Then he developed prostate cancer.  This was a very painful and sad time for the family; but Jeffrey kept himself going by driving his Mack-green Volvo.  Inevitably, the time came when Jeffrey had to give up driving and succumb to his illness, but truck driving was in his blood.  It was his life and his love.