<<Rewind 2018: ‘Sticks’

In-depth

10 Aug

1 Header. Stcks and Karen with Nate and Macey, two of their Brady Bunch..JPG

Prologue: I wandered into my local Newsagent one morning and owner, Andrew says, “Want a good story about a good bloke? You need to talk with ‘Sticks’.

“Umm, OK,” replies me, always on the lookout for another trucking story.

“His name is Dale Weidenbach, although everyone knows him as Sticks. I’ll give him a call and set it up,” says the ever helpful Andrew.
So it was that the following Sunday morning I present at Sticks’ home, we havachat, take some happy snaps and finish off with his regular Sunday ‘Breakfast’ of a Wild Honey or three. This is Stick’s story.

…..

Sticks: “It’s all About Family.”

Born at Kiadina on the York Peninsula, two hours west of Adelaide, Dale Weidenbach moved Victoria’s Goulburn Valley 40 years ago, when his parents bought a horse stud farm in the Shepparton District. The nickname ‘Sticks’ was bestowed early upon the gangly youth.

Dale left school at 14, the school ringing mum up and indicating in the strongest possible terms that having him there was a waste of everybody’s time. “I went and worked for Crowey – my older brother, David. The school said that both he and I wouldn’t amount to anything. We’ve both proven them wrong.”

It was trucks that Sticks wanted in his life so he turned up at Phillips Transport in Shep one day and started helping out around the yard.

“I was 17 and I worked there for three months before I even got employed - it was that hard to get a job there. So I spent my day’s tarping trailers. I just wanted a job driving for them. My two best mates Neil and Glenn Hallows worked there and I would jump in a truck with one or the other and head to Melbourne with them at night.

“One day the foreman, Paul Bell walked out and said, ‘The boss said to give you a job. You’ve been hanging around enough!’ I got my license on my 18th birthday and the first truck they gave me was a 1418 Benz which I ran around locally with P plates. Then I started on Interstate. After the Benz came a UD and then they were all Kenworth’s.

“I got glandular fever and was on a couch for three months. I came back slowly, working in the yard as I wasn’t well enough to drive. That ended with me becoming foreman of the yard, organising all the loads. This was a company with 100 trucks so it was a big job and was invaluable experience for later on when I went out on my own. I spent 21 years at Phillips Transport and loved every minute. We were Family in the best sense of the word.

“Phillips ended up selling out to Patrick’s (who later sold to Visy). Patrick’s made some terrible decisions. I walked in there one day the boss came out and said to three of my mates, ‘You, you and you.’ Gave them all envelopes and said, ‘See you later.’ This after 35 years of service and more. That’s what they did. From family, everyone had just become a number, so I left.”

“It was time for me to have a go on my own and that was the start of White Diamond Transport. This was about 12 years ago and I’d seen a1982 W Model for sale. They wanted $40,000 for it with no roadworthy. I offered $20,000 and I got it. Good mates like Neil, Glenn Hallows and my brother Roger who is a mechanic helped me get it on the road as I had no money to speak of.

“Patrick’s didn’t want the SPC local work so I saw an opening there by going to them direct, running between Shep and Mooroopna carting stock and fresh fruit. It got a bit quiet there so I went into Plunkett’s, a local fruit farm and so was doing both jobs.”

**Plunkett Orchards have been Stick's family, filling the gap left by Phillips Transport**

“When Visy bought Patrick’s out they declared that they wanted all the SPC business back so I lost that part of my work – for a bit. Turned out that Visy didn’t have enough trucks to handle their business, haha! Today I have one truck there most of the year and in-season I have six, counting subbies.”

The W-Model came due for replacement and Sticks had spied a 950 (in fact the first sold in Australia) down Adelaide way.

“This bloke wanted the W Model badly so I sold it to him for $40,000 and bought the 950 for the same price. We spent a little bit on it but it’s a brilliant truck to drive and you can take it anywhere.

“Visy had an Aerodyne which was one of Phillips ex’s. They rang me and they said I could have it for $10,000! They reckoned it had a crack in the block. We put a new sump gasket on it and some new batteries. That was five years ago and she is still going strong. It is the only truck we’ve not spend any money on. It was also full of fuel when we bought it. It’s like a mini lottery win that one! We bought another Aerodyne which went on Interstate. Then came the LTL. It’s got an original 870,000 km on it since ‘94 and is a beautiful truck.”

“The (second) Aerodyne started letting us down a bit. My best mate, Warwick Talbot, who worked alongside me at Phillips ended up being a salesman at Graham Thomson Motors in Shepparton. He said, ‘For 60 easy payments you can have a new one!’ So we sold the Aerodyne privately and bought a brand-new 610 SAR off Warwick. That’s our first new truck. Currently there is a 950, the LTL, the new 610, a 904 and the Aerodyne.”

Stick’s brother, David owns Avonleigh Flowers at Murchison. “We carry two semi loads a day out of there – much more in peak season. He has three farms. They export the flowers. He grows them and I cart them for him. It’s good business as we run very light. We are lucky if we are hauling five tons. Saves a fortune in juice.”

**The fleet. 950, 104 Aerodyne, 610, 904 and LTL.**

In addition to hauling his brother’s flowers Sticks also works full-time for Plunkett’s Orchard, carting apples and pears. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them. They gave us every opportunity. I was working directly for SPC carting their stuff and it got a big quiet so I went into Plunkett’s and just asked the question. Later that afternoon they rang me and offered me a load and I have been working for them ever since. This was about nine years ago.

“Plunkett’s always been my priority. I would pull a truck out of anywhere for them. I keep the trucks out there, we wash them out there. It’s like my own depot. It’s also good for them because they don’t have to run around chasing tracks. They have five farms and in-season I’ll organise the subbies for them. In-season we’ll do 60,000 bins of fruit so I have trucks running in and out of there seven days a week.”

Dale’s logistical knowledge learned through Phillips has stood him in good stead for his own business. “I’m forever grateful to blokes like Gary and Ian Phillips and my foreman at the time, Paul Bell. We worked side-by-side for a long time.

“I’m lucky that I’ve got some good drivers like Graeme Hansen who I know will take good care of my trucks and business, allowing me to take a bit of a holiday every now and then. Graham and I go back to the Phillips days.”

Indeed, most of Stick’s staff today have been connected to Phillips Transport in some way, a testament to the family values and loyalty that company displayed.

“Loyalty goes both ways. I miss Phillips, but what I lost there I gained at Plunkett’s in terms of the ‘family’.

Sticks trucks are complemented by six trailers and 11 pieces of machinery. “We only owe on three of them – the new truck, the 904 and the Wing-Liner trailer - everything else is ours.”

**Wing Liner trailer works well - since adding an extra battery to keep it powered through constant use.**

Sticks is ably supported by Karen who looks after the books. Every Sunday morning they sit and go through the paperwork, do the pays and discuss business for the following week. Sunday mornings are followed by church in the afternoon - church being a bunch of mates coming around to the couple’s shed to chew the fat and sink a few.

With a blended family akin to The Brady Bunch, Sticks knows just what that word means. Phillips Transport, Plunkett’s, Avonleigh Flowers have all been family to him. No doubt White Diamond Transport is also Family to those work there.