In 1958, Brisbane-based Shirley Smith (née Cotterell) was eager to see some of country Australia before jetting off for a trip around the world.
When an opportunity presented itself to work in the outback Queensland town of Cloncurry and earn some extra cash to fund her trip, Shirley could not get away from the city fast enough.
While pouring drinks at the Cloncurry pub, a strapping young bloke named Terry Smith walked in to order a beer and Shirley’s travel plans went out the window.
“I was going to make some cash and set off around the world. But then I met Terry and that was quickly abandoned,” she said.
Terry was her first love while red-dirt horizons and open roads were a close second.
Shirley took up a job at her new husband’s trucking business and together they built one of the oldest family-run transport operations in outback Queensland, Cloncurry Smith’s Transport.
While Terry passed away in 1991, Shirley and her two sons, Terry Junior and David, have continued 50 years of service to some of the state’s most remote communities.
Having recently received a 2023 Transport Women Dream Maker Award, Shirley said keeping her boots firmly on outback soil was the best decision she ever made.
“They were simpler times back then — trips across to Alice [Springs] delivering sheep with the young boys in the truck,” she said.
“No bunks, no air conditioning, just swags under the stars.”
Keeping it moving
Over the years, the Smith family has transported fuel to service planes for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), mail, livestock, mining materials, town supplies and even houses across thousands of kilometres spanning northern Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Isolated residents in the harsh desert country have been all too happy to see the faces of Terry, Shirley and their boys.
“We have so many stories from being on the road. Most involved helping travellers who needed water or fuel,” Shirley said.
“You never drove past anyone without stopping to assist.”
“Being bogged in wet season was the norm but we would all be together as a family, roll out the swags, put the billy over the campfire … it was wonderful.”
In 1991, the family suffered a blow when Terry Senior passed away, leaving Shirley and her sons to continue operations.
‘Too much red tape’ hurting business
It was not until 2019, at the age of 79, that Shirley handed in her road train licence.
While Terry Jr and David continue to drive the trucks, Shirley, now 83, remains at the helm of the business, maintaining every aspect of the paperwork.
It is a side of the business she said could kill off smaller players in the industry.
“There’s too much red tape when it comes to the administrative side,” Shirely said.
“A lot of very experienced drivers have left the industry because of the paperwork.
“I don’t think there will be a third generation of Smith’s trucking.”
Fuelled by the legacy of Terry Sr, Shirley looks back on their lives together and counts her lucky stars he walked into her pub all those years ago.
“Who needs to travel around the world when you can call a place like Cloncurry home?”
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