Paul Dossett - Trucks, Trains and Tony

In-depth

14 Mar

At age 21 Paul Dossett bought a 1983 Kenworth SAR. Fifteen years later it is still in his possession. Originally a Ron Finemore truck, it passed through John Paul Grundy and Barry Aikens before finding a home with Paul. “I love this truck,” he says. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to own.”

Admittedly truck obsessed, Paul owns around ten trucks including two W-models, a single drive Aerodyne, a cab-over and a Mack Superliner. Add to that four or five trailers and you get the picture.

Fact is, Paul is not a truckie in the driving sense of the word. “I’ve done a few kilometres behind the wheel but it’s hard to make a quid out of trucks these days. I’m a diesel mechanic by trade.”

With a bit of prodding Paul tells me that he started out working on trucks, but not these days – at least in the professional sense. When I push him as to what he does to earn a crust he has me follow him into mate, Cleve Thiele’s trailer.

“That’s what I work on these days, mate,” he says, pointing at a lump of plastic wrapped metal sitting on the trailer floor.

He unwraps it and there is the biggest bloody piston I’ve ever seen! Paul works on freight trains, repairing the Pacific National Locomotives. “I get to work on 130 ton locos, get my wage and go home. One of my mate’s dad was a boss on the rail. They were looking for fitters at Clyde and the rest is history. 13 years later….”

**Imagine 16 of these under the bonnet of your favourite ride**

I’m guessing the job pays reasonably well, given his truck collection. The piston is from a 3,500 horsepower EMD, 2-stroke locomotive. The motors are V16’s, usually G.E’s and max out at 4,500hp, “but we de-rate them a little.”

“And you carry it around with you because…?”

“Well you never know when you may need one. How many times have you been stuck, and think, jeez, I could use a locomotive piston right now.”

Paul reaches into the cab of the SAR and pulls out a photograph of close mate, Tony Camilleri who passed away in late 2019. “Tony made an impact on everyone he ever met. Whenever I’m making a mile, so’s he. I reckon he’d be pretty happy about that.”

…..

REMEMBERING TONY ‘IZZY’ CAMILLERI

On the morning of Tuesday, December 10, 2019, thirty or more truckies gathered at the Little River BP on the Geelong Road. From the red and black T900 Legend to Ray Shalders’ single drive W-model, they were all presented without a speck of dirt on them. Similarly with the drivers. Not a blue singlet to be seen. Rather, pressed trousers, collared shirts and ties and in many cases, suits.

At 9am, engines turned over and the procession, led by a sparkling white 1986 W-model Kenworth, wound its way down the Geelong Road to the church where hundreds waited to mourn the passing of Tony ‘Izzy’ Camilleri, the owner of this white Kenworth that had served him so well for nearly thirty years.

Tony was made for the industry and it was made for him. He was driving tippers before he was 20 with Boral, carting sand out of Bacchus Marsh. Then there was Linfox, Pearce’s and Fluid Freight LP gas tankers, one of which he laid on its side with mate, Les Thursby riding shotgun. “There was a problem with the tri-axle with a full load of LP gas. We were going around a corner and arse-over-end she went. It certainly wasn’t Tony’s fault - he was a damned good driver!”

On one occasion while driving a truck for another company, Tony took the corner of a roundabout just a little bit too tight and rolled the truck. He rang the boss straight away and said, ‘Boss, the mirror is broken.’ The boss snapped back, ‘Then fix it!’ Tony replied, ‘I can’t, the truck is on top of it.’”

Maybe it was just as well Tony went out on his own, purchasing a Kenworth S2 in the late ‘80’s. This was followed by his beloved W-model that he bought in 1991. He had run into long-time mate, Ray Shalders who’d just three days before bought one for himself.

“It was only three years old at the time,” said Ray. “Tony came down and said, ‘Where did you get that bloody thing?’ I said, ‘Why? Do you want one?’ He said, ‘Absobloodylutely I do!’ I said its sister truck was still sitting there at Sidebottom’s so he went straight out and bought it.”

So Ray had W-model number 7 (Cummins) and Tony, no 8 (CAT). The things Tony held dearest were his family, his friends and his W-model, although it would be hard to say in what order. He used it as a working truck for his whole life, only ever having the S2 and the W.

“I’d known Tony for 35 years,” said Ray. “If you broke down at 3 o’clock in the morning, anywhere, anytime he would jump in the car and drive down there to make sure you got back on the road again. What sort of man would do that, that wasn’t a true mate?”

Les Thursby and Tony went way back. “I first met Izzy, and his quick wit and humour over 50 years ago and we quickly became the best of friends. Tony helped everyone who needed it without reservation or expectation of repayment. It is not an exaggeration to say that Tony was an extraordinary man. We held a shared passion for automotives and spent many hours working together on cars and trucks for income, for fun, or for sheer necessity of a job that needed doing.”

Tony had a little gas burner that he kept in his truck, always ready to be pulled out to cook something on whilst waiting roadside for the next job to start. He would start cooking and his wife, Julie would give him extra food to cook for people - including strangers – he’d meet along the way.

On 2nd August, 2019, just months before his death, Tony and his close friends, Karen and Heath, organised a benefit called Tony Gives Back to the Mac. With brother, Joe and other family members belting out the songs, over $20,000 was raised for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute. Tony mingled with all his workmates and family, although wracked with pain.

Twenty years before, Tony had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The family thought then that he wouldn’t survive, but survive he did. Then, four years before his passing, he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Following the lymphoma he had regular blood tests – but, as it turned out, never a test for his PSA levels.

In the face of this adversity he showed great strength, courage, resilience and determination.

Tony is greatly missed to this day by his many friends in the trucking industry. As Paul Dossett said, “It would be impossible to forget him. His photo rides with me everywhere and I feel his spirit riding with me.”