“This is for my Dad”

In-depth

14 Aug

From Armadale, NSW, 28 year old Tommy Shorter sits behind the wheel of a Kenworth 409SAR, hauling general freight. But it wasn’t about himself that Tommy wanted to talk, but rather his dad, Graeme, who sadly passed away from cancer in the February of 2019, and his mum, Vikki.

From humble beginnings – Graeme grew in in a Housing Commission home and Vikki in an orphanage – the couple built up and ran a successful cattle transport business.

Graeme started in the trucking game with his father – who’d once been in the logging industry before it fell into a bust and broke him. They purchased an old Mack R600 and did some casual work for Kelly’s Transport in Armidale, NSW.

Graeme has trained as a car mechanic but pulled the pin on that career immediately after completing his apprenticeship. Before going out on his own he had driven for Natural Country (taken over by Roadmaster) behind the wheel of a Mack and fell in love with the marque – in particular the V-8 Value Liner.

“When eventually he bought a Value Liner and it came up the driveway I saw him cry,” said Tommy.

Other trucks Graeme and Vikki had were an ACCO and a Western Star Constellation with a C15. Then he bought his first brand-new truck, a Super Liner, also with a C15 putting out 550HP. Unfortunately that truck was written off and replaced with another with the 685 MP10 powering it. He also bought a Kenworth 104 for Tommy’s older brother, Robbie.

Graeme and Vikki met at a pub – not unusual. Except that Vikki asked a bloke, Alan (who happened to be Graeme’s brother) who he was. “Stay away from him,” said Alan. “He’s no good and besides he’s underage. Shouldn’t even be in the pub!”

But it didn’t stop love blooming. Together they built the business – Graeme behind the wheel and Vikki doing the taxes, the bills and all the paperwork – this while she was also working at the University of Armidale.

“Behind every man is a good woman and behind most truckies as a savvy partner who is a pretty good businesswoman. While he was out doing the work she was making sure that the money came in. They were very much a partnership.”

Being younger, Tommy wasn’t old enough to work in the business, but was always helping out on weekends – often the only time he and his siblings would get to see dad. “Trucking is like that. The time that dad had at home was usually spent on maintenance so we had to work on the truck if we to spend time with him.

“I hated it at the time but now I wouldn’t change a thing. It made us as close as we could be with a dad who was away a lot of the time. It’s one of the downsides of family life within the industry. It can be a great stress on a lot of people.”

In season, Graeme would put together a couple of Road Trains and he and close mate, Greg Hickey, would be up at Surat – pretty much in the middle of Queensland with the wheat harvest – and work their way down to Goondiwindi, Condamine and Moree. During the wheat harvest they would often be away for three months or more.

“Occasionally I’d get out of school and go with dad,” said Tommy. “I loved that part. They’re the memories that really stay with you - there is nothing like being young and driving the truck across the paddock with two trailers behind you.”

The family business was called Shorter’s Transport – Armidale. And Graeme and Vikki ran it for 26 years. Together they built a thriving business, starting with sheep and some hay, before moving into cattle – plus the harvest work. They would often have to sub-contract work to others, such was their success.

This left Vikki to raise the three boys – Robbie, Tommy and Wil.

“You both accept it and make the best of it or you don’t. We made it work. I think the fact that we kept it as a small family business was a big factor. Some of our clients became very good friends. It went beyond the business-to-business relationship. This is a mark of the sort of person Graham was and also the clients that we dealt with.”

In 2012 Graeme was diagnosed with bowel cancer. He fought it until the 18th February of 2019, before succumbing to the disease at age 59.

The intervening years with the illness didn’t stop him though. While undertaking chemotherapy, friends such as Greg Hickey would help with the business.

“But even when he was having treatment,” said Vikki, “he had a pressurised bottle on him that would give the chemo treatment to him over a few days. He would go in for his treatment on Wednesday and then he would jump in a truck the very next day. Sometimes it would get a bit too much for him but when he could he would get in the truck because he just loved it.

“It really makes you appreciate your friends and does give you faith in your fellow man. We have been very lucky. Armadale is a lovely area and a close-knit community. When someone needs help people step up and help out. We can’t say enough about other companies – Kerry’s transport and Steve Haslam at Walcha Carrying Company. We’ve had Greg and Graham Toombs and Dave Marshall, our subbie up in Glen Innes. There are so many people we were subbing out to, and helping out when Graham couldn’t do it.”

Tom never drove for his father but did a fair bit of driving with him. “When I got my HC license I would hop behind the wheel of the Road Train as a driver under instruction. It’s those days that I look back on most fondly.”

“When the Doctor turned around and said it was his time, dad sold off the business and the trucks to make sure mum was taken care of and wouldn’t have to handle all that alone.”

……….

Tom has been in his current job for a year. Pretty much born with diesel in his veins, he mucked around a bit before getting his licence. “Dad said, ‘get your license and I’ll give you a job’. I said I don’t want to drive trucks – you know, the whole rebellion thing.

“He said to my grandpa, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do, he doesn’t want to drive trucks.’ Grandpa turned around and said back to him, ‘He’s bullshitting you. You wait, he’ll drive trucks’…. and sure enough…”

Tom drives for John Snell out of Armadale – one of Graeme’s very good mates. “I must be a decent worker because he bought me this truck John has three trucks now including two B-doubles. He’s just bought me an A trailer and I can’t wait to drive it.”

Tom travels mainly to Sydney and Brisbane. He says COVID-19 has not been a great imposition to travelling interstate as he runs up the New England highway.

His dad is never far from his thoughts as he sits behind the wheel.