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Brad Walker wins top prize at Koroit Truck Show with stunning T659

One of the first truck shows of the year, in Victoria at least, is held at Koroit in the state’s western district.

As always, the show didn’t disappoint, albeit with a couple of local companies who usually display an array of their trucks called away for business. Many of their spots were taken by newcomers or others who brought along more than one truck.

One newcomer to the show was Richard Wilken who arrived with his recent acquisition which attracted more attention than bees to a honeypot – the classic and famous Mack Bicentennial Edition Super-Liner, Captain Cook, resplendent in its 14-year-old paintwork.

Better known as TJ, John Cousins is a proud owner of a Kenworth. Not just any Kenworth though. This is one of a number that sports a very particular paint livery and two words which would be sure to raise the ire of Richard Wilken. Those two words? ‘Mack Muncher’.

To rub salt into the Mack wound, TJ and his crew adorned themselves in these politically-charged T-shirts. Image: Graham Harsant

John and his crew all sported T-shirts (of Warwick Talbot’s LT38 Muncher), proclaiming the fact, along with the subtitle, ‘Get the Dogs!’ It’s little wonder that he was not parked up next to Richard at Koroit.

“I’ve loved these Cleveland trucks since I was a young fella. My wife and I used to run Perth and we always saw the Mack Munchers. I had to have one.

I heard Frank (Cleveland) was shutting up shop so I rang him up and I said I want one of the old yard trucks – the cab overs. He said, ‘I could have sold another 25 of them. You won’t get one.’ I asked what he had left. A 600 and 601s, he replied.

“I wasn’t really interested but I went home thought about it and rang the next morning to grab the 600 and it’d gone. Then a mate in Perth got onto one and contacted me.

I rang the Mrs, told her to contact the owner and lay down a deposit. A young bloke at Barnawartha had it so I went and had a look. It’d been a bit knocked around and had been in the yard for probably 10 years but I grabbed it anyway, even though it had been rolled twice, the last time in the late 90s. It’s a 1980 model but has the late-model cab on it with the wraparound dash. They reckon it’s done about 4 million kilometres but she still goes pretty well.

“When I first bought it home I excitedly took it for a run up the road and back, then I got more excited and took it up and back again and parked up. The fam said you better get out here because the exhausts are on fire. Sure enough, there were flames pouring out of the stacks. When I pulled them apart there was carbon everywhere, no doubt from years of idling around the yard.

“So that’s the story. It’s a special truck and is part of Australian folklore. They were pretty fast in the day too. I was lucky enough to get it and she’s come to a good home. We are just fortunate enough to be able to carry on with Frankie’s legacy.”

Enjoying the camaraderie

John Sheppard is reunited with his S-line International that he bought back 31 years after selling it. Image: Graham Harsant

Not everyone comes to Koroit to win an award. John Sheppard from Geelong was quite happy to just turn up in his truck, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the camaraderie.

‘His’ truck was the first one he ever bought back in 1985 – a 1980 International S-line which had belonged to Morgan’s sawmills in Tasmania.

“I had this truck for nine years until I sold it 31 years ago….and I bought it back last year.

“When I retired I had two Aerodynes and the guy that had this bought them. Part of the deal was that I got this back. I haven’t done anything to it other than repaint the fading black stripe. It was a prime mover when I sold it and the buyer stretched it, put the tray on and towed a Dolly behind it with a 45 footer trailer behind that, which was legal in New South Wales back in 1994.

“For a 45-year-old truck it’s in bloody good nick.” (and it absolutely is, with the interior looking as good as new.)

“I’m now debating whether to leave it as a tray but I’m tempted to take that off, cut the back out of the sleeper and stretch it out to maybe 80 inches, put a turntable back on and turn it back into a prime mover.

“The truck had a Cummins 300 when I bought it, but I upped it to 500hp driving through a 15 speed on 44,000lb diffs. Mechanically it’s still perfect. I believe the motor hasn’t been touched since I sold it. I did 3 million km on it up until 31 years ago. What it’s done since then I have no idea, but I won’t be selling it again.

“They say you’re not supposed to get sentimental about trucks but, hey.”

Head-turning Diamond-T

Murray Langford arrived with his ultra rare and beautifully restored Diamond T, departing with two awards. Image: Graham Harsant

Murray Langford is a restoration perfectionist and owns a number of brands that would make your mouth water. None more so than the 1950 Diamond-T he brought to Koroit.

“I’d been looking for one of these for many years. They are so rare that they are simply not available. There are only 21 or 22 left worldwide. I’d mentioned my desire to Dan Thomas, a good mate of mine in the US and the next moment he’s on the phone saying he’d found one in Wyoming. “If you don’t buy it, I will”.

“He flew there, had a look at it and said, yes this is the one you want. So I bought it sight unseen.

“We still don’t know where it did most of its work. It was in a museum in Nebraska for quite a few years. Their museum’s are not what ours are, so it needed quite a bit of work when we got it back. It took us two years to restore it – that’s two of us working on it non-stop. But now it’s finished, it’s beautiful and it is just lovely to drive with its original engine, which is an NHRS Cummins with 300hp which was a lot of power in its day when many people were messing around with 100hp Perkins.

“There are two others in Australia – one in central New South Wales at Parkes and I don’t know when they’ll restore that. There is another in Perth which I looked at first to buy, but it had a Budda in it and the Budda was seized up so I left it alone and went with this one.

“Why yellow, before you ask?” said Murray. “I saw a 500 Kenworth in the United States that was done in exactly this colour and it looked beautiful. It’s as simple as that!”

The truck is indeed spectacular, and dressed off with black guards both front and back it really pops. Murray walked away with two show awards – well he would’ve if he hadn’t already departed for Mount Gambier. We’re sure they’ll be sent to him.

A popular winner

The win means Brad will be invited to take the truck to the Brisbane Truck Show in May. Image: Graham Harsant

Brad Walker arrived at Koroit with a couple of trucks, both tippers and one of which was never a popular truck and was consequently short lived – that being a CAT. When I first met Brad some years back, he had a superb Mack Super-Liner which he sold. The first question I put to him was why?

“I had a brand-new 9oh turning up. The Super-Liner wasn’t owned totally and I didn’t want another payment and friend, John was there, he had the money and was a good bloke to deal with, so I stupidly let it go.”

Brad does a lot of road construction work, hence the tippers.

“Dad drove trucks on and off when he was young and my grandfather was a truck driver all his life. From the minute I could walk I was going to be a truck driver. On school holidays I went with dad’s mate, Barney McFadyen, who would pick me up on his way to work in a ute. He’d stop and get a newspaper and it used to annoy me because I just wanted to get to the truck. I was 10 or 11 and I said, ‘Can’t you do that the day before?’ I wanted him to get today’s paper yesterday. That’s how keen I was.

“The CATs done just over 1 million kilometres – all tipper work – and had one turbo in that time. Otherwise the motor’s not been touched. It is on its second gear box and did a clutch. Inside the upholstery and the dash is immaculate – like it came out of the factory. I can’t fault it.”

Along with the CAT, Brad also bought along – as it turns out, very fortuitously for him – his other truck, a Kenworth T659.

“It took two-and-a-half years to get it looking as you see it here today. I went with a T659 because I wanted something different. Klos did all the stainless, Thomas Quigley did the bar, Heath from Boort did the signwriting and Chris’s Tipper Body’s supplied the tray – people I have always dealt with. I went black on black inside which the sales rep I deal with, Ron, said is only the third black one he’s done in 23 years.” (It looks great)

It is fair to say that Brad is a master of black and white on a truck.

“It started because all the trucks I bought were white and it was just easy to paint the guards black. And then everywhere you go, into the quarries and all, they know who you are straight away.”

These days of course it is not just the guards, but the little touches like the scrolling on the bonnet which is understated but very classy. Even down to the D&K Walker signage named after sons, Dylan and Kane, which is done in a two tone grey.

Going back to that Super-Liner that Brad ‘stupidly’ sold, he has never been able to get it out of his system so consequently he has bought another, this time a 2007 Super-Liner, currently in the paint shop.

“That model was the last of the good stuff as far as I’m concerned.

“I do get a bit disheartened and wonder why I bother coming here and entering a truck in the competition when I see the Cornwills’ trucks – they are just that good. No, they are way better than that. Troy Cornwill paid me a great complement earlier when he said, for what we do this T659 is too good.”

Whilst he didn’t know it at the time, Troy’s words to Brad were prophetic because the T659 won Rig of the Show, no mean feat when looking at the class that was on display at Koroit.

The win means Brad will be invited to take the truck to the Brisbane Truck Show in May, joining the Cornwills with their Legend SAR and some 25 other trucks that have won various shows around the country and where the best truck in the land will be chosen.

The full list of winners from the 2025 event. Graphic: Koroit Truck Show
  • For more pictures from the event, grab your free copy of the February 14 issue of Big Rigs from the usual outlet, or download the digital edition here.

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