Memories of Macks

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Owner-Driver  /  June 6, 2017

Retired truckie Les Henderson, 84, reflects on the Tarcutta bog, his reliable Macks, and his enduring love for his wife Bonnie.

Les and Bonnie Henderson of Ballarat, Victoria, were newlyweds when they bought their first truck, a KBS7 International, in 1955.

Later that year they bought a new Ford V8. Les was driving it interstate in the winter of 1956 when he became stranded at Tarcutta, New South Wales, with hundreds of other truck drivers as they waited for the boggy Hume Highway to be repaired.

Les was keen to get home to Ballarat to see Bonnie and their first baby, but police told him he would be stuck at Tarcutta for a day or two. "I was there for eight days," Les recalls.

He replaced the Ford with a second-hand Diamond T the following year. His twin brother Graham Henderson also bought a Diamond T, so for a while the twins had a Diamond T each. (Graham founded Henderson Haulage.)

In 1960 Les began his long association with the Mack brand, purchasing a 1957 Model B61.

There was plenty of interstate work for subcontractors in the 1960s. Bonnie was busy too. By 1967 the couple had four children – Susan, Paul, Judith and Leslie.

Luckily the Mack didn’t let the family down. Les was equally impressed with its replacement, a 1966 B61, and their third Mack, a 1979 R Model. All of the Macks were second-hand but they were reliable thanks to Les’ regular maintenance.

Inspired by their love of Mack trucks, the Hendersons named their Ballarat home ‘Macksville’.

Today their son Leslie (Junior) continues the family’s sand and soil cartage business.

Les (Senior) worked until 2010 when Bonnie was diagnosed with dementia.

The couple still lives at ‘Macksville’. Les, 84, points out Bonnie looked after their children all those years he was on the road. "And so I’m happy to look after her. Even now, she still says, ‘I love you’."

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