Wall of fame praise for Allan
Warragul “truckie” Alan Barden doesn’t know how many kilometres he’s clocked up after well over 50 years behind the wheel.
But it is more than likely in the seven or eight digit range.
Mr Barden latest long trip was to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory last month to be inducted into the Wall of Fame at the National Road Transport hall of fame.
However, this time he didn’t run the bitumen for the 4,600-kilometre round trip, opting instead for a more comfortable and quicker aeroplane.
Like most that have made a career of driving trucks it is still in Mr Barden’s blood.
At 74 years of age he still “helps out” a district carrying firm by servicing its vehicles and being a back-up driver when needed to transport mainly cattle and logs.
The long interstate trips were consigned to the past several years ago.
The regulations and fines for log book breaches became “too steep,” Mr Barden said.
Born at Warragul, he spent his first nine years living at Noojee.
The nickname “Grubby” he acquired at school at Noojee has stuck with him ever since.
The family moved to Bairnsdale, a town Mr Barden lived at for 35 years before returning to Warragul.
His introduction to working in the road transport industry came when he was 13 years old.
He got some after school work cleaning the workshop at Arthur Ablett and Overends Transport at Bairnsdale and soon after learned how to service trucks.
“Arthur Ablett taught me how to drive,” Mr Barden said, and the rest is history now acknowledged at the Hall of Fame in Alice Springs.
Thirty-three years of his driving career has been as an owner-driver and, while he has no idea of the number of kilometres he has driven, does know that he’s “worn out a few trucks”.
It has been a life Mr Barden said he thoroughly enjoyed.
“I’m a bit of a loner and liked being on my own driving the trucks”.
A son, daughter-in-law, grandson and son-inlaw travelled to Alice Springs with Mr Barden to witness him and 81 others be inducted on the Wall of Fame.
They joined almost 1500 others recognised in previous years.