Bruce Winston Guy Horsfield was born in Molong NSW on June 15th 1943.
Bruce and Barbara have been married for 57 years, they have 2 beautiful daughters, Renee & Susie.
Renee travelled and lived with her mother and father in the truck from the age of 10 months until she started school.
Bruce has had a passion for trucks and everything pertaining to the
industry all his life. His father owned a Ford Model T Truck and supplied wood locally. At the age of 12, Bruce started driving his fathers truck carting bagged wheat and hay between farms in a D15 International 15CWT vehicle to the age of 17 then he transferred to a D35
International 2 speed carting cattle, sheep, fertilizer and wheat locally.
Bruce owned and drove a 58 Model F500, KBS 6 International and a 51 repowered Mack: carting general freight and livestock locally and to Sydney markets.
Bruce purchased 6 new trucks and ran these trucks consistently,
locally, to far north QLD, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and occasionally to Darwin. His loads consisted of tyres, rubber, wool, hay, grain, bananas, produce, stock, steel, gravel, heavy wide loads, wine, grapes and general freight. In 1976, Bruce had a contract with South Pacific Tyres delivering goods from Bundaberg to Mareeba for 20 years. Bruce employed two
permanent drivers who became lifelong friends.
During the wet seasons there were difficult times with holdups, flooded rivers and roads and a lack of facilities.
His best memories were loyalties of mates, friendships gained, cooking by the camp fire where often truck drivers would pull in for feed and a chat. He enjoyed the sense of freedom of transport and the camaraderie between the truck drivers. Bruce loved singing songs whilst driving (had a few loyal followers) and helped to pull a mate out of a bog with a
30-ton load of bananas along the beef road, this took 4 trucks hooked up to get him out!
Bruce’s successful achievements were the delivery of high heavy loads without mishaps for 20 years. His reflections of days on the road
consists of the companionship with Barbara, Renee and later Susie which was so important to him. He cherishes the old friendships, good people in the roadhouses, fuel suppliers, mechanics and the general care for one and other.
Bruce appreciates the big improvement in vehicles today, the comfort, power, specialized equipment, improvements in all back breaking
elements of transport, greater weight allowances and communications.
Bruce’s industry awards received were the numerous overloading fines!!
Bruce is now 81 and still has his road train license, driving the
occasional truck and heavy equipment.
Inducted in 2024
