Edmond ‘Eddie’ James Hart born on 27th January 1937 at Collie South West WA.
In the words from a song by great Australian singer song writer Graeme
Connors – the second son of an Irish catholic family from the old part of town.
Eddie was married to Gillian (nee Fogarty) for 64 years and had 5 children (one deceased).
Eddie started life in transport at the age of 13 off siding with his father John ‘Jack’ Hart, carting pipes for the Wellington Dam to Narrogin Pipeline with an old British Bedford with a jinker attached. Loading the pipes by hand rolling them off the
loading dock onto the jinker.
He still has the scars from this work, jamming his hand while loading pipes.
Towards the end of this contract, he and his father were involved in a head on
accident with another truck on the Coolangatta Bridge north east of Collie in which he got stuck in the truck when the cab came down jamming him over the engine bay.
When he was old enough to get a truck licence, he started with Public Work
Department driving a Ford V8 petrol truck carting skids of concrete and rock on the wall lift at Wellington Dam. After this project was complete, he went to the
Kimberly Region of WA with the Public Works Department to work on construction of the Camballin Rice Field project between Derby and Fitzroy Crossing, driving ex-army Diamond T’s tank carriers hauling plant and equipment to site, also
operating dozers on this project. He then came back to the South West of WA with the PWD working on the Logue Brook Dam project carting fuel (in drums) gravel, sand and steel. While working on this project in 1961 he was commandeered under the emergency services act to cart fuel for the Dwellingup fires. Delivering fuel to machines on the fire front.
He then started work at Peters Creameries in Brunswick Junction as it was known then, driving Thames Traders picking up milk in cans from dairies in the South West. Had short stint as an owner driver with a single axle Chev working for the Main Roads Department of WA.
Returned to Peters Creameries where he remained for the next 38 years. Back on the can run with the Thames Traders, then stepping up to the bulk milk transfer in tankers hauling between Manjimup and Brunswick and Brunswick to Perth driving Leyland Hippos and Leyland Octopuses, also carting bottled milk to the Great
Sothern region. Peters Creameries then came of age and started purchasing G88 Volvos moving onto F series Volvos and Scania’s.
While working for Peter’s creameries Eddie also had part time jobs fist working E. Norton & Co delivering rock to the extension of the Bunbury Land Back Wharf in a Ford F700. Later for local stock carriers, WB Shine & Co and RG & LRT
Whithers carting stock from Esperance, Albany and all the local sale yards
throughout the South West to local abattoirs, driving petrol V8 International single axle prime movers, single axle UD prime movers, single Dodge with sliding tandem trailer 6V-53 GM, tandem axle White 9000 8V-71 GM, White Road Commander
8V-92 GM and ACCO-3070 with 903 V8 Cummins. During the mid-70’s Eddie
basically held down two jobs to pay the bills when his third child, second son
became ill with cancer, jumping from one truck/job to another.
Resigning from Peters Creameries after Brambles had taken over the transport department, he went to work for Bunbury Hiab and Tilt Tray Service carting hire equipment throughout the South West, retiring after this, well sort of retired. Kept working part time in Busselton for Busswell Transport carting sand and gravel around the local area finally retiring at the age of 75.
Eddie has spent his lifetime involved in the transport industry and would not change it for anything else. This has taken him to many places and allowed him to make many friends along the way. A great industry to be involved in and immensely proud to be a part of.
Sadly, Eddie passed away at age 87 on 9th July 2024.
Inducted in 2024
