Stephen Wagstaff
Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2013.
Stephen (Wags) Wagstaff was born in Melbourne in 1950 and grew up in Mordialloc. After leaving school he started his apprenticeship at Whites Marine and Auto Service. As soon as he got his license at 18, in 1968, he left the spanners behind and took a job driving trucks for Lindsay Fox.
In the years following Stephen worked for several companies including Knights of Kilmore in International R190 and R200 towing tankers throughout Victoria. Wanting to hit the major highways Stephen went on to drive a Hanson Cab Atkinson for CW Eagles on line haul from Victoria to Queensland. B&N Brown employed Stephen for over three years to cart large reels of paper in a Transtar 4090 and a White 9000. Later he drove a Mack F700 with a C motor and quad box running to Perth across the Nullarbor with glass and general, and up to Carnarvon and Gascoyne Junction Western Australia. He hand loaded pumpkins back to Safeway stores in Melbourne for Mal Clayton Transport, Dandenong.
Stephen became an owner driver when he purchased an Scania LKT 111 to tow fridge vans from Melbourne to Perth for Frank Maine and for a time Stephen also operated his own truck servicing and repair shop. During this time he employed a driver for the Scania and also purchased a Kenworth and put a second driver into it.
Stephen sold up, moved to Maryborough (Queensland) and took a job working for Luya-Julius. Unfortunately, Stephen suffered injuries to his legs and back when an axle on the dog trailer snapped at the hub and tipped him over leaving him hanging upside down till rescued. After recovering he moved to Townsville to drive for MJ Wilson & Son, sub contracting to Doug's Transport before joining Campbells to drive coaches in Townsville and Mt. Isa for five years.
After acquiring a cab-over K125 Kenworth with a Haulmark trailer he won a contract as an owner driver with Victorian Railways in Mildura, carting sleepers and machinery, grapes and grain. Stephen then moved to Brisbane and started in heavy haulage Australia-wide for J N Nicholson. He then purchased and rebuilt a Mack Cruiseliner and drove Australia-wide for McAleese for the next 12 years. While with McAleese, Stephen bought a W-model Kenworth with a 400 Big Cam to tow a B-double. Stephen later started an antique car restoration business but eventually bought another truck and is now working for Beattie Transport, Adelaide and Brisbane.