Farms & Farm Machinery #401

Review
for a while. Unfortunately, the early seventies saw
dramatic falls in cattle prices and the farm was
going through a very lean patch.
There was enough work to keep Laurie busy but
Ian chose to head off p to central Queensland and
refine his truck driving skills working for some other
companies, gaining valuable experience in tankers,
flattops and general freight. He learned all aspects of
the transport industry.
FAMILY AFFAIR
1976 saw Wild’s Livestock really kick off hen Ian’s
brother Rod decided to return to work the family
farm and help reinvigorate the transport side.
Rod had spent several years with AML&F as a
stock and station agent, so he was no stranger to
the farming world. When he came back to the farm,
he purchased a single-drive 1976 Bedford with a
6V53GM motor as well as a single deck bogie axle
trailer. Fitted with straight pipes it was often joked
‘that’s the truck where the cattle wear earmuffs’. The
big 216hp (161kW) engine was worked very hard as
Rod kept it busy moving stock all over the area.
In 1979, Ian returned home and purchased his
own Bedford, this time with a tri-axle trailer and a
3x2 convertible stock crate on the back. Ian testifies
he could get 430 lambs on the old girl, but I would
hate to guess how hard that was pushing the old
190hp (142kW) engine.
Even with the two semis and the old family body
truck the workload was increasing and, in 1980,
Wild’s Livestock purchased its first Kenworth, an ex-
Shell S2 that Ian hooked up under his 3x2 tri axle – off
he went carting lambs with a bit more power to enjoy.
“It knocked a couple of hours off he job with that
S2,” admits Ian.
Things changed again for Wild’s Livestock in
1984, when Syd Laverty (an old mate that Rod and
44 Farms & Farm Machinery
Ian worked with) passed away. Rod and Ian were
approached by Laverty’s wife, Dawn, to see if they
were interested in taking over the local livestock
transport part of the business. This acquisition
brought with it a change in setup as well as a change
in customer base.
Laverty’s work had predominantly been based
around calves and pigs. Lots and lots of delicious
pigs actually. So much so that it led to Ian’s infamous
nickname (now seen on the top of the Kenworth)
Wear and tear is visible, but with it still going strong
there’s no restoration planned as yet