As the Brisbane Truck Show gears up to celebrate its 60th Anniversary in 2027, join us as we go back in time to the very first event…
On a sunny Autumn morning in May of 1968, a consortium of transport industry movers and shakers converged at the Haulmark Trailers yard in Rocklea, heralding the beginning of a tradition that would alter the industry forever.
Australia was changing fast through the late ‘60s, with a rising standard of living fuelled by a strong post-war economy, near full-employment and a booming manufacturing industry. Across the country, the freight task was expanding to keep up, and this meant trucks were pulling a significant volume of freight off the strained rail network.
The nation’s transport operators were crying out for larger, more productive vehicles and trailers capable of hauling heavier loads of cattle, wool and product between cities. It was this demand that birthed a legendary event.
In the bustling Haulmark yard, 21 exhibitors gathered for what was then known as the Queensland Truck Show. Gleaming new prime movers – mighty Macks, Kenworths and Internationals – stood shoulder to shoulder with trailers engineered for the harsh Australian extremes built by show host Haulmark.
Above: In the bustling Haulmark Trailers yard at Rocklea, 21 exhibitors gathered in May 1968 for what was then known as the Queensland Truck Show
Visitors on the day represented an industry coming of age; a striking tapestry of the era. Bushies dressed in grease-stained jeans, broad-brimmed hats and RM Williams boots rubbed shoulders with city men in sharp suits and ladies in elegant day dresses. Starry-eyed children, too, attended with their parents, many undoubtedly growing up to work within the industry.
Among the notable players at the first show was McMillan Livestock Transport owner Don McMillan hailing from Surat, unmistakable in his cowboy hat, alongside Haulmark’s Managing Director, Ed Koppitke, and Technical Director, Spencer Grammar. Ted Van Fleet roamed the yard with his film camera, capturing the momentous occasion in black and white.
The show’s opening ceremony bridged the industry’s proud past and its roaring future, ushering in a new era of high-productivity trucks and trailers.
Queensland’s State Minister for Transport, William (Bill) Knox, offered the official opening astride the back of a 1920s Thornycroft flatbed truck, borrowed at the last minute from a Sunshine Coast local who had used the rig to transport goods from Brisbane to Caloundra since the late ‘20s.
Above: Queensland’s State Minister for Transport, William (Bill) Knox, offered the official opening astride the back of a 1920s Thornycroft flatbed truck
Seated on the stage beside the Minister was Haulmark’s Bernie Quinn, who would soon become the first Treasurer of the Commercial Vehicle Industry Association of Queensland (CVIAQ) – the body formed following this landmark event, which would eventually become Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA).
It was a simpler time and in that sunlit Rocklea yard, business was done with the kick of a tyre, a firm handshake and a handwritten cheque scratched out right there in the dust. And, by all accounts, attendees turned up ready to throw down their hard-earned for the latest transport equipment.
Next year, as the Brisbane Truck Show celebrates its 60th anniversary, the industry will converge within the towering halls of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and throughout South Bank’s bustling streets for a week-long celebration of trucks, trailers and the broader industry.
But, the true spirit of the event remains firmly rooted in that fateful day in 1968, at the Haulmark Trailers yard in Rocklea, when Australia’s heavy vehicle industry came together to turn a new page.
Sources:
> Bruce Honeywill (Truckin’ Life Magazine Archive)
> Bob Slack’s account, as provided for BTS 50th anniversary celebration
> Big Macks Trucks Forum, discussion from 50th Anniversary show, with posters sharing recollections and photos