Max Pollard, known by many as ‘Chick’, had a wealth of trucking knowledge, gained from more than 55 years’ truck driving experience, transporting everything from ammunition and grains to livestock, super phosphate and concrete slabs.
Sadly, Max passed away in 2019 but his contribution to the Australian truck driving industry will be honoured during this year’s service at the Victorian Truck Drivers’ Memorial in Alexandra.
Born in 1941, Max attended Seymour College and began his trucking career as an owner-driver with Stan-Miller Transport, Nagambie.
His professional life was extensive and varied. He worked both for others and himself, including water carting during the Hume Fwy construction, and he later carted crushed rock out of Kilmore.
Like many truck drivers, he felt that truck driving was in his DNA and took great pride in his profession. Today, truck driving remains a job essential to the lives of everyday Australians.
In Max’s later years he began restoring older trucks and took great pride in visiting truck shows, where he received multiple awards for his restored vehicles.
His daughter Simone Vagg recalls many fond memories of gaining glimpses into her father’s life of the road.
She recalls her youngest sibling and Max’s only son, Jack, out helping wash his dad’s immaculately clean truck as soon as he was old enough to hold a hose.
Now Jack has also made a career driving semi-trailer trucks.
His daughters also helped out, hand-pumping diesel from 44-gallon drums to refill the tanks before he took off on his next load delivery.
Often, the children would come along for drives with him.
While there are plenty of fond memories of their father’s dedication to the job, the risk that he took to carry out his work was also remembered.
Simone recalls sitting at the edge of her parents’ bed when Max, with just a cut on his forehead, relayed how the day before, while employed to cart BP fuel for E.W. Day and Sons of Oaklands, a tanker was destroyed.
Other than the wreck of the truck and tanker, Max’s melted Casio calculator and a hubometer were the only things retrieved from the crash site. Max walked away lightly.
The sacrifice that many truck drivers make is never far from mind.
In 1981 Max’s best mate, Graham ‘Boofa’ Taylor, lost his life behind the wheel of his truck, leaving behind a young family.
Graham will also be honoured at the Victorian Truck Drivers’ Memorial in Alexandra.
Simone said the memorial was a way to honour the special bond of those that dedicated their lives to the transport industry.
“It is really special that both Chick and Boofa will be both recognised in this space, and it is intended that Max and two of his fellow ATHS (trucking society) members who are being inducted in June will have their plaques together,” Simone said.
“The memorial is in a really beautiful park setting where families, fellow drivers and members of the public can visit and pay their respects.
“It is really fitting that those connected by the love of spending their working hours on the road are acknowledged for their contributions to the transport industry and are united in this space.”
The commemorative service will be held on June 10 at the Victorian Truck Drivers’ Memorial in Alexandra to honour those who have died on the roads or significantly contributed to the Victorian transport industry.