11 minute read
VALE John Holliday - I’ll always bleed yellow
VALE John Holliday
A friend too many in our industry ‘John ‘Doc’ Holliday’ sadly passed away this July surrounded by his loving family. Our sincere condolences to Holly and family. I know many WA Transport Magazine readers have fond memories of John and I am grateful for knowing this kind-hearted gentleman who always made me feel like I was part of the CAT family. I first met John Holliday when John Bowe was driving the CAT Supercar. Imagine my excitement when John offered me a ‘hot lap’ with this iconic race driver and car. From there he introduced me to the Caterpillar Supertruck and Inky Tullock [for those of you not familiar - one of the world's best’ Supertruck drivers and champion in New Zealand). Another hot lap ensued and I was hooked on Truck Racing. With others in the CAT family, Truck Racing was reborn and how much fun did we have at meetings all over Australia. The best times though were here at Barbagallo Raceway. Those were the times. Farewell, my friend,
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~ Karen-Maree’ Kaye.
John Holliday in 2019. Thank you Sharon Middleton for image
John (Doc) Holliday started working in the transport industry in the early 1960s. Initially, he drove trucks for the Hydro-Electric Commission in Tasmania. He later purchased his own truck, an R190 International tipper, and went working on dam sites in various places in Tasmania.
In the years that followed, John drove all through NSW, mostly to the markets. He did this in just about every make of truck you could imagine including Commers, Albion Reivers, Leyland, Atkinson, Bedford, International, Mercedes Benz, White, Peterbilt, Mack, and of course, Kenworth.
In the late 1970s, John joined Cavpower, the Caterpillar Dealer in South Australia, driving a low-loader delivering earthmoving machinery around the state. Sometime later he was given the task of operator training and demonstrating new earthmoving machinery. About that time in Australia, the minerals industry was starting to boom and the Caterpillar product was starting to make inroads into the on-highway truck market with the 3306, 3406, and 3208 truck engines.
In the mid-1980s, John was promoted to Cavpower Truck Engines as the account manager where he worked until 1992. He then joined Caterpillar of Australia Ltd as the area manager for Cat Truck Engines covering SA, WA, and NT. It was hard going in those days but John was tremendously satisfied to see Caterpillar leading engine in the high horsepower market.
With Caterpillar keen to support all the local and national industry bodies, it was that part of the job that John relished as it enabled him to meet and deal with many of the characters of the industry to which many life-time friendships evolved.
John’s genuine love of trucks and engines and the people of the industry never waned.
There is no doubt that John Holliday’s early years in trucking gave him valuable insight into the problems experienced by truck operators in the fields, mines sites, and on the highways of Australia. If there is one thing all his clients always said about John, was that he knew his product inside out.
Those in the industry who were lucky enough to deal with John over the years always spoke highly of his good character, his sense of humour and his unstinting professionalism and loyalty to his company and his job.
John was representative of the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes in many ways to ensure that Australia keeps on trucking.
In December 2015, John retired from more than 40 years of being devoted to the CAT brand and unwavering support to a legion of CAT truck and engine customers.
He was widely known as Caterpillar® truck engine specialist and had progressed through the company to become Caterpillar’s On-highway Truck Engine representative for Australia, NZ, and the Pacific markets.
At that time John said, “Sooner or later most careers come to this point but I can say with total conviction that I have had nothing less than a fascinating and hugely satisfying career with Caterpillar.”
“I’ve had the privilege of working with a great bunch of people and representing a great product. It doesn’t get any better than that.” “I’ve always liked operating trucks and machinery,” he reflected, “and in many ways, I believe that has been a major asset when it comes to understanding the needs and challenges of truck operators.”
Gifted with a quick smile, a bright sense of humour and a patient, conciliatory nature, John admits the truck industry was his ideal career platform.
“The truck engine business and road transport, in general, were always the core of my career and it was a privilege to be CAT’s representative in this industry. But when it’s all boiled down, it was the customers who have made it so special.
“Sure, it wasn’t always easy but the levels of customer loyalty to CAT truck engines, in particular, was phenomenal. I never found it hard to share that same level of passion and loyalty to the product and those customers.
“There were certainly some amazing characters and yes, some good times and some not so good but at the end of the day I like to think I gave CAT and its customers my best shot.”
Among many career highlights, John cited his 2005 induction into the Australian National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs as a distinct honour.
“That came at a time when there were almost no supplier representatives in the Hall of Fame so it was a proud and very humbling experience to be nominated and accepted,” he recalled.
Another highlight, John explained, was being involved in the evolution of many trucking businesses.
“Working with the one-truck ownerdrivers, the small family operations, was especially satisfying. To be closely involved with some of those people, watching them work so hard and helping them build some very big operations was incredibly rewarding,” John remembered.
“It’s a great credit to them and CAT engines, and I’ve no doubt these are some of the reasons there’s so much loyalty to CAT.” “The way I see it, if there’s a CAT under the hood it must be good.”
After retirement, John was able to spend more time with his wife Helen ‘Holly’ at their beach house on the Yorke Peninsula and forged a close friendship with his fishing rod.
Talking about his retirement he said with his typical broad grin, “I don’t intend to be bored. One thing’s for sure though. I’ll always bleed yellow.”
In 2019, SARTA recognised John with an award for ‘Service to the Road Transport Industry’. The speech to honour John summed it up, “Those of us with CAT in our fleets not only were customers but we were treated like family with many of us in the industry becoming life-long friends because CAT brought us all together. John was pivotal in all of this, he was there for the highs, and there with Bundy Rum for the lows. Johnno ‘Doc’ Holliday will always be remembered as a friend of the industry.”
WA
TRANSPORT
magazine
VOLUME 26 | NUMBER 8
Angry Chicken Publishing Pty Ltd
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PUBLISHER / COMMISSIONING EDITOR
Karen-Maree’ Kaye T: 08 9296 4488 Email: karen@angrychicken.com.au
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
This seems to be the ‘Grey Nomad’ edition with not only Carol Messenger’s Bird’s Eye View on page 9 and Ray Pratt’s Fair Go on page 10 but also a news story on page 20 all speaking about interaction between caravaner's and trucks on WA roads. I know it is ‘what you are experiencing’ and the message needs to get to the caravaner’s so I will be doing what I can to facilitate this for you.
Please forgive me if the rules change to borders again before this goes to press, but I would hope that as there has been a National Cabinet decision to adopt the same policies in every state that the information contained within is current when you get this. Please make sure though you check in with the authorities and powers to be yourselves though.
Thank you for your feedback on the last edition, particularly the story on the possible nation building venture Project Iron Boomerang. I am glad my readers thought it was common sense as much as I did.
Welcome to all the new subscribers and thank you everyone to those who have cheered up my life with your positive comments on the readability and relative content [WA content] that is published in the magazine each month.
Best,
Karen
CONTENTS
2 ..............................................VALE John Holliday - I’ll always bleed yellow 6 ..............................................New Main Roads website to provide easier, more streamlined access for customers 8 ..............................................Independent review called for Main Roads signage policies
12 ...........................................Letters to the Editor 13 ...........................................Works underway on Perth’s new, modern freight corridor 14 ...........................................Western Roads Federation - Lockdown creates shortages and problems 16 ...........................................LRTAWA – Stakeholder engagement – can we do better 17 ............................................Fremantle Port – the heart of the city’s identity
18 ...........................................Sealing progresses on Great Central road 19 ...........................................2020 Australian Fleet Trends Report unveils trends on driver behaviour
20 .........................................Upgrades for Kimberly roads 21 ...........................................Plan for the Great Southern unveiled
Every Month
7 ...............................................Questions to WA State Government 9 ..............................................Bird’s Eye View 10 ...........................................Fair Go for Owner Drivers 22 .........................................HCVC 24 .........................................WA Transport History
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WA TRANSPORT magazine 100007516 August 2020 | price $6.95 ISSN 2202-6193
Page 2 A NATION-BUILDING PROJECT THAT WILL BENEFIT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY Australia needs ‘nationbuilding’ projects that will increase employment, help establish and increase local manufacturing, and set Australia up for an export manufacturing future. Project Iron Boomerang ticks all these boxes and this project would mean that WA Transport and associate businesses would need to grow and develop to cater to a doubling of the Pilbara as it stands now IN THIS ISSUE: Move over Wodonga – Collie is stepping up Registration fee rise – Only in WA $223 million to unlock shovel ready projects Tonkin Gap project fast tracked
WATM • August 2020
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