Roger Rutherford
Roger John Rutherford, affectionately known as ‘Redfella’, was born in July 1951, in the outback town of Broken Hill, to Bruce and Mavis Rutherford. Driving was in Roger’s blood. His passion for trucks and the transport industry began at the young age of 14. In 1965, he started working alongside his father Bruce, a truck driver. They travelled together in a Leyland Comet with a single-axle trailer loaded with wool between Adelaide and Broken Hill. Roger has remained behind the wheel ever since.
Roger fondly recalls the early guidance of his mentor and uncle, Maurice Barraclough, who played a key role in shaping Roger’s strong commitment to mentoring others in the industry.
At just 16, Roger became the youngest driver to begin working for Brambles Freight Services. One of his proudest achievements is contributing to the construction of the Moomba to Adelaide Gas Pipeline, including delivering the final load upon its completion in 1969.
Later that same year, at age 17, Roger took his skills abroad to Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, with Kennelly’s Transport, joining a team responsible for delivering equipment and the camp for the Panguna copper mine.
From 1989 to 1996, Roger owned and operated his own Kenworth truck, transporting livestock and later general freight across the country, from Brisbane to Perth.
In 2005 Roger met and later married Dawn Elizabeth Rutherford, who since this time has been a constant and supportive presence throughout his long journey in the transport industry.
A standout chapter of Roger’s outback career was hand-loading thousands of wool bales—every single one by himself—an achievement few can match.
Respected throughout the industry and well-known for his mechanical know-how, Roger has a reputation for fixing nearly anything on a truck or trailer and ensuring his deliveries arrive on time, nearly every time.
Over five decades, Roger has witnessed many changes in the transport world, from the introduction of air conditioning and sleeper bunks to truck fridges and radial tyres. Despite all the changes, his love for the job remains constant fuelled by the people he has met and the vast Australian landscape he’s crossed countless times.
Roger has hauled just about everything, including:
Livestock
Wool
General freight
Heavy haulage
Rig shifting
Molasses and lick blocks
Roger’s proudest achievement is that his love of and contribution to the transport industry will be continued by his son John Andrew Rutherford, who is not a truck driver but rather a heavy vehicle diesel mechanic.
Today, at 74, Roger is still behind the wheel of a Mack Superliner, driving for Neil Mansell Transport. With over 50 years of continuous driving under his belt, he says he’s far from retirement.
