Founder of WB Hunter will be farewelled at a Victorian church after passing away on May 25 aged 92
By Tamara Whitsed | May 29, 2012
Trucking pioneer Bill Hunter OAM will be farewelled this week after he passed away on May 25 at the age of 92.
The funeral for Hunter, who founded WB Hunter, will be held at St Augustine’s Anglican Church at Shepparton in Victoria on May 31.
Hunter grew up in Sydney and Horsham and worked as an accountant for a chain of retail stores, Permewan Wright, before serving in the Middle East, New Guinea and Borneo as an artillery artificer during WWII.
He returned to Permewan Wright for a short time after the war, but left in 1947 to build his own business at Shepparton.
WB Hunter bought, sold and transported eggs and established a store in Shepparton catering to the needs of farmers.
Hunter Initially carted eggs and goods for his own store, but in time he took on outside work – groceries to supermarkets, malt and barley to Carlton & United Breweries, and a wide variety of freight as far as Brisbane and Adelaide.
By the 1980s, Hunter had 60 vehicles and stores in six towns, selling farm supplies and hardware. The business employed about 100 people, including drivers.
From the 1980s, Hunter’s children and grandchildren became increasingly involved with the management of the business, allowing him to spend more time serving his community.
He was a Shepparton City councillor for 27 years, and served five terms as mayor. He also volunteered internationally with OxFam and Community Aid Abroad.
By 2000, WB Hunter had over 100 vehicles. The trucking division was sold to Brian Hicks of Cobram in 2008.
During his career, Hunter was an active member of the Victorian Transport Association (VTA). He was inducted to the National Road Transport Wall of Fame at Alice Springs in 2010. Hunter is survived by his wife of 69 years, Dot Hunter.