Riverina transport identity Kelvin Baxter has been inducted into the Deniliquin & District Transport Industry Wall of Fame, recognising more than five decades of service to the trucking industry and regional Australia.
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Mr Baxter was one of three inductees honoured at Saturday night’s Wall of Fame dinner in Deniliquin, alongside Les Bond and the late Simon Edmunds.
The induction caps a long and distinguished career that began when Mr Baxter was just 17 years old.
“Kel’s trucking career began at the age of 17, in 1968, behind the wheel of his father's 1951 Bedford tipper, carting grain from local farms to district silos during harvest,” the citation said.
“From those humble beginnings, Kel built what would become one of the Riverina's most respected transport businesses.”
Alongside George Fenton and Fred Driscoll, Mr Baxter launched interstate freight operations to Melbourne in 1984, laying the foundations for the Berrigan-based Baxter Transport.
“What started with a handful of trucks has grown into a major transport and farming enterprise, with up to 55 trucks operating across Australia and a workforce of about 80 employees,” his citation said.
Beyond business, Mr Baxter has been a passionate advocate for the transport industry, serving on numerous industry bodies and helping secure road train access to rice receival sites.
He was also instrumental in the introduction of B-Triples and AB-Triples across regional NSW, helping improve productivity and safety throughout the freight sector.
“A former chairman and life member of the Australian Trucking Association's Industry Technical Council, Kel has earned a reputation as a tireless campaigner for the transport industry and regional Australia,” his citation read.
Kel and Marilyn Baxter packed and ready for this year's Crawlin the Hume event.
His contribution has previously been recognised through his induction into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2015 and selection as a Kenworth Legend in 2019.
Mr Baxter said being named to the Deniliquin and District Transport Industry Wall of Fame was a special honour.
“I really will treasure this award,” he said.
“It means a lot to me, and I thank those that nominated me.
“There are a lot of good operators doing this job.
“Our industry is not an easy one, so to be recognised like this is an honour.”
The annual dinner attracted a strong crowd despite there being no truck show held as part of the weekend festivities.
Four new nominations were accepted for consideration this year, with Mr Baxter, Wayne Kempton, Brian “The Pom” Hearn (dec) and Leslie Hood (dec) all entering the nomination process.
Special awards were also presented by the Truck Show committee to recognise long-serving contributors to the Deniliquin and District Transport Industry Truck Show, Industry Expo and Wall of Fame. They went to former committee president Leesa Muir, Ash Gray, and Ron and Margaret Brown.
Guest speakers included representatives from NatRoad and TruckSafe, Graham Thomson Motors, AxleFix, the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Victoria and the Purtill Group.
Cartoonist and former highway patrol officer Steven ‘Tex’ Bloomfield provided the evening’s entertainment with stories from his policing career.
Organiser John Creenaune said the event was a success, with about $10,000 raised through raffles and auctions.
“The night was a success, it really went well, everyone was happy,” he said.
• More on each of the inductees will be included in the Southern Riverina TRUCKtalk magazine, produced by the Deniliquin Pastoral Times and Southern Riverina News, which will be published next week.
