Hopkins Brothers, near my home in
Rockhampton are photos of horse
teams. Although they own the latest,
biggest and best vehicles of the day,
it’s the black and white photos of their
predecessors, including their great
grandfather’s achievements, that take
pride of place. Horsepower and tonnage
may have changed, but those long-
distance transport routes are still part
and parcel of this company’s daily life
and with such a long transport tradition,
the Hopkins’ family has a good
collection of both working classics as
well as others waiting to be restored.
Tony Hopkins had been happy to take
an hour out of his busy life to talk about
the values that his father had insisted
he adhere to while servicing and driving
their livestock, tippers and grain trucks.
“Do the job properly first time,” his
dad would say, “or you’ll find yourself
walking!” As Tony explained, “There
weren’t any two-way radios back then,
let alone mobile phones. When you were
out in the bush, there may have been no
choice but to walk for help!”
In fact, everything was very much
hands-on and sensate with those old
vehicles. You heaved yourself up into
the cab, scanned the simple instrument
panel, smelt the grease and oil, heard
the distinctive sounds of the Perkins or
Cummins’ motors and understood theneed to keep those petrol-powered Austins
and Bedfords screaming in order to keep
up the revs and momentum. “It was an
entirely different style of driving back
then,” Tony Hopkins had agreed. “You
couldn’t rely on the horsepower to keep
the wheels rolling; it was left to the skill
of the driver who manipulated the crash
gears and simply listened to the motor.
Very few of the old girls had rev counters.
They were actually seen as an unnecessary
option. But it’s just this type of nostalgia
that keeps the people pouring through the
gates at truck shows.”
In 2005 in Queensland, there was
really only a choice of two historic truck
shows in Brisbane and the enthusiast had
to travel to the big smoke to show off his
or her treasures. But now, classic trucks
have such drawing power that small
agricultural shows and country festivals
in general advertise that classic trucks
and tractors will also be on display.
The ripple effect is felt too as tractor
or bulldozer collectors need substantial
trucks to transport their exhibits to
shows. So, it follows logically that you’ll
find classic trucks to cart them – all
together creating a blast from the Past.
However, whether it’s a beautifully-
restored big banger or a little three-
tonner mail truck, this industry has
recognized that rigs of all sizes had their
part to play in transport development.Truckin’Life < 043 >CLASSIC TRUCKS
Diesel and petrol variations on
display in New Zealand.Drought relief convoy, (^1950) s.