Harvey Oliver
Harvey Oliver was only eight years young when he developed a love of trucks. The first vehicle to make an impact on Harvey was a F600, 7-tonne Ford V8 petrol truck on the family farm at Bakers Hill, which was used for carting hay from paddock to shed. Farm life was to lay a steadfast foundation for Harvey’s life.
Harvey completed a fabrication apprenticeship, and it was his skills as a handy welder that opened doors to his first real truck job. In 1982 Harvey prepared to take the road headed north from Perth with owner and co-driver Danny Polian. Before they were even able to depart welding repairs were needed and Harvey got them done.
In February 1982, seasonal monsoonal rains saw the Fitzroy River flooded and the road to Darwin closed. Harvey was stuck in Derby in a loaded cab-over White 350 Cummins. What was meant to be a short trip turned into a three-month odyssey. That was Harvey’s first real taste of the unpredictable Northern region.
Between 1982 and 1984 Havey had his first taste of the Kimberley when owner of Jones Contracting “Dumpy”, gave the young man a go. Proving himself to be handy in his first "big boy" gig, Harvey continued driving road trains on supply runs deep into the Kimberley.
From 1985 to1990, Havey expanding his craft by working for CLAN Contracting, who provided him with a W Model Kenworth, 400 Cummins engine which is his favourite truck to date. Harvey was hauling oil rigs and equipment through Australia’s most remote and beautiful landscapes. From Derby to Canning Basin, through the Tanami Desert, Balgo Hills, and Kidson Track, from Windy Corner to Gunbarrel Highway, across the Great Central Road to Uluru. These roads were only tracks when Harvey was mastering them, unloading the dozer to make the tracks passable or stopping in the middle nowhere for the rain to dry up. These were normal events for Harvey in the 80s in Central Australia.
From 1991 to 1993 Harvey enjoyed a breath of Southern air when he worked for Jaspers BP, delivering fuel across the Eastern Wheatbelt. It was a change of pace, but the grind didn’t stop. From 1994 to 1999 Harvey returned to the Northern Kimberly, working at the Argyle Diamond Mine. Here Harvey mastered a range of heavy earthmoving and mining machinery; graders, dozers, blast-hole drills, water carts, dump trucks, and 150-tonne off-road flat tops. Harvey never knew what the unforgiving elements of north WA would throw at him, so he was equipped with fire and rescue operations during his six-year stint.
During the period between 2000 and 2003, Harvey spent some time at Merredin, in the Wheatbelt of WA. Harvey was on the fuel run with West Fuel BP, Kewdale. While this was a breath of fresh air it did not last long as the recession hit hard, and hours were cut. With the glory days of the Kimberley still in his memory, Harvey packed up and relocated north for good.
There was a new, character building chapter waiting for Harvey between 2003–2011 when he moved to Broome. He became a truck driver trainer and assessor, training and shaping the next generation of operators.
Havey began working for MG Tyres, Broome in 2011 and continued until 2013 when in 2014 Avon Price, owner of Oilfield Transport Services (OTS) required a reliable, steadfast man and he picked Harvey. Harvey began running general freight between Broome, Perth, and Darwin.
Between 2014 and 2024 Harvey went to work for McCorry Brown Earthmoving (MBE). The family-ran business needed a man of many talents as they expanded their fleet. Harvey’s ‘I’ll have a crack and get it done,’ attitude suited them perfectly, Harvey handled everything they threw at him. Harvey hauled cement, earth materials and regular heavy machinery as well as camp relocations from town to ‘No where land’, in outback Kimberly.
From back paddocks to the vast deserts of Australia, Harvey’s career is a testament to hard work, adaptability, and a deep respect for the land he traversed, and people he inspired along the journey. A cornerstone man whose hard work leaves a legacy.
