THREE members of a Piangil trucking family have been inducted into the National Road Transport Hall of Fame.
Peter and Kathy Knee and son Barry were among 55 people honoured at last month’s Australian Festival of Transport in Alice Springs.
As truck drivers, Peter and Barry have racked up countless kilometres transporting freight across Australia, with Kathy providing valuable administration and compliance support as office manager.
Peter became interested in trucks as a teenager taking fruit to market from his parents’ orchard at Narre Warren East. They later began buying, packing, transporting and selling fruit out of Robinvale.
His first truck was a Ford Thames Trader powered by a Fordson Major tractor engine with a manual hand on the driver’s side door that was used as an indicator.
Peter and Kathy moved to Piangil in 1978, and with Barry started their own business, Barry Knee Haulage, in 1998.
They took fresh produce to Melbourne, returning with backloads of general freight and farm chemicals, and carted grain locally.
Barry specialised in the interstate runs, transporting refrigerated produce, wool, fertiliser, general freight and machinery between Piangil and Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane.
Over the years, both Peter and Barry also donated their services to transport hay and goods to farmers affected by drought and bushfires.
The family knew Peter had been nominated, but managed to keep Kathy and Barry in the dark until their names were read out during the induction ceremony.
“I nearly fell off my chair,” Kathy said.
“It was the last thing I expected. I don’t do it for these things, I do it to help my husband.”
Peter and Kathy retired in March and are in the process of winding up the business.
