ICON’s and History Maker Inducted into the Shell Rimula Hall of Fame.

In-depth

5 Sept

Written By Graham 'Kermie' Harsant

Each year, The National Road Transport Hall of Fame reveals its highest honours: Icons of the industry and the coveted History Maker Award. This year two Icons were inducted….

GRAHAM RICHERS – ICON

The story of Graham Richers is one of reluctant leadership turned into lasting success.

In 1935, Graham’s father, Walter Richers, was given a Model T truck in lieu of wages when his employer, a Maryborough ice vendor, closed his business. Walter kept delivering ice at four pence a block and found extra work as a general carrier.

By 1936 he had added a Chev truck and, as refrigerators replaced ice deliveries in the 1940s, the business grew into general transport, later expanding into removals, event hire and crane hire. Through the 1970s, with rail freight declining, Walter saw the future in road transport. In 1976, he bought a small freight run between Maryborough and Brisbane. His son Graham, fresh from a mechanic’s apprenticeship, loved driving trucks but had no interest in management.

**Graham with industry legend, Jim Hurley.**

That changed when Walter’s health faltered, forcing a reluctant Graham into leadership. He agreed only on the condition that the business be auctioned after 12 months if it failed. Instead, father and son became a formidable team, with Graham managing and Walter guiding. When Walter died in 1987, Graham focused the business on intercity road freight, selling off removals and crane hire to concentrate on long-haul transport. His vision proved right.

Today, Richers Transport operates daily services from Brisbane to Bundaberg and full truckload routes to Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The fleet travels 1.2 million kilometres a month, with about 50 trucks leaving Brisbane each night. Over 200 employees now work across depots in Bundaberg, Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Gympie and Brisbane.

What began with one truck in 1935 has grown into a major freight company, built on the hard work and integrity of Walter and the reluctant but natural leadership shown by Graham.

PHILLIP RUSSELL – ICON

Philip is the second generation of his family business, founded in 1925 by his father, the late Roy Russell. This year marks the company’s 100th anniversary, with Phil having played a pivotal role for 53 of those years.

He began working at just 15 as an apprentice mechanic before his father urged him to “step up” and take on more responsibility as Roy’s health declined. Determined to prepare his son to carry on the family enterprise, Roy guided Phil into transport operations.

In 1970, Phil purchased land at Eagle Farm, relocating the business from New Farm to Fison Avenue in 1971. At the time, Eagle Farm sat on the outskirts of Brisbane, but it has since grown into a thriving industrial hub with the Russell family company firmly established at its heart. Through the 1980s and 1990s, Phil steered the business towards specialised general and heavy haulage. He had a keen eye for truck specifications, ensuring vehicles were fit for the toughest and most varied conditions, a skill he has since passed on to his son. Despite his management role, Phil relished time on the road, occasionally working as a pilot vehicle operator alongside his drivers. This hands-on approach earned him great respect and lasting friendships with staff.

Jim Hurley applauds, Russell’s induction as an ICON of the industry.

As the third generation entered the business, Phil stepped back to enjoy travel while still keeping a watchful eye on freight movements nationwide. He has been a strong advocate for the transport industry, representing it at local, state and federal levels to promote practical heavy vehicle road standards.

Even today, Phil remains active and engaged, walking the yard, chatting with drivers and workshop staff, and showing appreciation for people, equipment and the industry he has helped shape.

GREG ‘RHODESY’ RHODES (Deceased) – HISTORY MAKER

**Greg Rhodes’ daughters’ proudly receive the History Maker Award.**

Greg “Rhodesy” Rhodes was born in Tennant Creek in 1960. From age 10, he worked alongside his father as a chainman on NT construction projects, developing a strong understanding of logistics and heavy equipment. Leaving school in Year 10, he began a plumbing apprenticeship but quickly gravitated toward civil and mining work, recognising that moving the right equipment at the right time made or broke a job.

By his mid-20s, Greg co-founded Bernie & Rhodes Pty Ltd, delivering multiple NT Government contracts, before establishing Rhodes Contracting, now Exact Contracting, in 1992 with his wife Jenni.

Over the years, Greg oversaw the construction of over 1,000 kilometres of roads, more than 500 kilometres of large-diameter water infrastructure pipelines and delivered 31.45 million cubic metres of cemented aggregate fill and nearly 900,000 cubic metres of shotcrete. He completed nearly 100 contracts for the NT Government between 1992 and 2022. These included high-profile projects like the Stuart Highway-Palmerston bypass duplication, Keep River Plains Road project and major upgrades to the Plenty and Carpentaria Highways.

His understanding of heavy vehicle logistics was second to none. He could look at a tender and know immediately what gear would be required, often before the design was even finalised. He specced his trucks and equipment to suit his exact needs. If what he needed didn’t exist, he’d work with someone to build it. In 2004, Greg negotiated the backfill operation for the WMC Olympic Dam Underground Operations in South Australia. He worked with a local Northern Territory company Mick Murray Welding to develop custom belly dump trailers. This innovation changed the methodology of delivering Cement Aggregated Fill down the stopes, which was a much safer and more cost-effective method than the end tipping method that was being deployed at the time. This move didn’t just solve a problem on Greg’s job. It set a precedent. Other contractors took notice and, before long, Greg’s approach became the new standard.

At the time of Greg’s death in 2022, he owned over 200 Prime Movers, plus the fleet of dollys, flat top trailers, drop deck trailers, tippers, side-tippers, tankers and floats. From moving dozers into remote sites to hauling concrete, shotcrete, gravel and backfill across state borders, Greg built a transport business capable of doing the job at his pace.