John and Tracey Rehe

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John and Tracey Rehe

Trucking nostalgia. Tracey also runs the ‘Road Candy Truck’ Page. Watch the custom build of T600 KW.

Stepping back to share a few memories and photographs of our past.

24/12/2023

Can you believe it's been 40 years? Yep, and I have something very special coming up for you before the year is out. If you are busting to hear about it beforehand you can send me a message and ask. :)

Thanks for your friendship, love, comments, engagement and support throughout the years.

And thank you for those who have supported my side ventures and are now sporting 'Desperado' and 'Long Live Silver 92s' goodies and representing old school tastes.

It means a lot to me that you enjoy the old truck photos and memories we share and I love hearing (your) old stories and seeing your old truck pics too.

Us dinosaurs from the golden era (the fast years) of trucking are getting on now, aren't we? Haha.

Happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year to you and your loved ones.

Here's wishing everyone the very best and a special mention to those who are missing loved ones who are no longer with us. I feel for you. ❤️ 🙏

17/12/2023

Secret Santa has literally struck in the form of a good-hearted Samaritan who sent me a message a couple of days ago and said that he would like to gift one of these shirts (or one of your choosing from our shop) to a truck driver or former truck driver who has been doing it tough.

I was bowled over by Tony's act of generosity. Thank you for having such a kind heart. ❤️ 🙏 He wants to remain anonymous so I won't share his surname.

Understandably, you may not want to tell the world that you are doing it tough so just send me a message if you prefer or if you'd like to tag someone below.

01/12/2023

Friday night flashback to the first Desperado, Circa. 1980.

The day of delivery on the way from Melbourne to Bendigo.

John never liked the paint pattern on this...

but it wasn't worth rolling it onto its roof just to get another paint job. ;)

It only lasted a matter of months looking like this before he tipped it over in Queensland.

The chromed bull bar looked pretty sweet for a while.

24/11/2023

Gearing up with some vintage bottles and cans...because you can't have a Detroit Silver 92 without some spare oil receptacles, can you?

We're on the lookout for a couple of goodies for Road Candy Truck.

Would you happen to know where we can get hold of a one hundred and sixty kilometre speedo and a matching tachometer?

20/11/2023

Do you know what the worst thing about writing our book, The Expressmen - John and Tracey Rehe’s Book - Limited Edition is?

It's going back in time and delving deep into memories and recollections of the past.

And do you know what the best thing is about writing our book?

It's the exact same thing.

Oftentimes, sorting through the old photos and writing about the past makes me feel kinda down in the dumps.

This can be especially profound when thinking about details of those loved ones who are no longer here with us in the human form.

When Mum and Dad decided to buy this Kenworth, way back in 1977, I'm sure if they knew the tragic event that would take place not long after they picked up the truck, they never would have bought it.

This photo was taken in Rochester, Victoria, that same year.

You'll notice the L plate on the bull bar.

My sister's fiancé, Trevor, was learning to drive the truck when he called in with my father to the Rehe's family home to meet John.

At the time I knew of John and his family but I hadn't met them.

Dad always spoke with the highest regard of, Basil, John's father and what a great man he was.

He really looked up to him as a man of enormous integrity.

Dad loved to catch up with John and Tex on the road when he got the chance to have a chat (and a couple of posts of tea) in a roadhouse and he always returned home with stories from the road.

His ability to keep on and on and on and on...talking, earned him the nickname of Turbo. It was a name that my father shared with pride and a smile.

Kerry's finace, Trevor, liked a chat too and he was a bit of a larrikin.

For fun, he raced motorbikes on the weekends and my sister used to travel with him to go to race meets on weekends with bikes on the trailer.

They looked to have a fun future ahead of them after they were going to marry...but, sadly, that wasn't meant to be.

It came as a the worst kind of shock to receive the news that Trevor was killed in Dad's truck near St. Arnaud when he was driving, bobtail and ran off the road.

He was only 22 years of age.

The direction of my sister's life was altered in a split second with that tragic accident and when she was old enough to get her truck licence she went on to become an interstate truck driver, like our Dad, and my biggest inspiration to drive trucks. Our youngest sister, Sandy, followed in our footsteps too and became a driver.

Recently, along with her husband, Andrew Lattin, they hosted the very first truck show in Bendigo, Truckies Against Bullying.

You never know what events will shape you and your experiences.

Life gives us plenty of knockdowns and we've just got to remember to keep getting back up, time and time again.

15/11/2023

Man at work. 💞

15/11/2023

The 160kClub.com online store is up and running again if you'd like to check out the goodies like this "Long Live Silver 92s" shirt for the Detroit lovers. ❤️

03/11/2023

Are you going to make it to the first ever BENDIGO TRUCK SHOW? Join the group Truckies Against Bullying to find out all the details and follow the new page @ Truckies Against Bullying Bendigo Truck and Car show to show your support.

Check out this beautiful rig (sporting steps for days) that will be shining for the special occasion with thanks to Ross Transport and Joshua Ulbrich. Cooper, was delighted to be able to have a sit in the driver's seat today. Lookin' cool there, Coop. Just think...one day you'll be old enough to earn your stripes in a truck.

It's great to see people coming together to support the show that my little sister, Sandy and her husband, Andrew, have set up. I trust everything will run smooth for the day and Spring will keep showing off with these glorious sunny days.

27/10/2023

Here's to those kindred souls who love the sound and feel of a sweet Silver 92. 🍭💕 In celebration of launching the 160kClub merchandise website today, I'm going to give away this sweet "Long Live Silver 92's" Duffle Bag or Vintage-Style T-Shirt.

I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 1,000 and it's written down. Comment below with the number that you are thinking of and next Friday night we'll let you know if you picked my number. To be fair, you can only write one number below. Ask your friends to drop a number in case they end up with it and want to treat you for Christmas.

The site is open now if you'd like to take a look. Check the comments below. This is only the beginning and there will be many more goodies coming up. Which one would you like?

25/10/2023

The custom console in the cockpit is coming along swimmingly for Road Candy Truck.

Complete with a 'happy button' smack in the centre of the console.

Lots of polishing to follow.

With John and Tracey Rehe and Road Candy Truck

13/10/2023

Road Candy Truck update. There have been a lot of interesting comments about the custom dash that John has been building after I posted a front on viewpoint shot on the Road Candy page last night. The general consensus is that it looks a bit like the Bat Mobile. As a Batman fan, since I was a kid, that's a good thing.

The dash was fashioned out of some rusty old steel and a piece of aluminium. The best is yet to come. 💕🍭

07/10/2023

You Are Invited to show off your truck and support a good cause...Announcement for upcoming TRUCK & Car SHOW in Bendigo, Victoria.

"We are getting a bit done for our upcoming Truck and Car Show on the 4th of November. We'd love to see as many as we can to come and enjoy this day with us.

There will be no prizes as this is our first to be held, we are about bringing people together to raise more awareness of bullying in schools and the workplace mainly, as well as the broader community.

We will have food and coffee vans, a sausage sizzle and face painting for the kids.

Help us make this a success, and show that we are serious in making changes, we have to start somewhere. 🙌 " - Andrew Lattin

Contact Sandy or Andrew through the Truckies Against Bullying Group and jump on board to register your Truck or Car and be part of the 1st Truck Show in Bendigo.

Link to group below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/998615814629691/

30/09/2023

Headed southbound at Maryvale one afternoon after fuelling up in the 80s. This wonky old shot of Andy and Nadia Soutar's beautiful rig brings up so many great memories.

At the BP, the hospitality of Jeff and Aub and Jeff's lovely wife, Beccy (I think) with her home-cooked meals was greatly appreciated by many and a most welcome break.

We fuelled and showered here most trips on the south leg out of Brisbane.

The beauty of having six tanks and being able to carry 2,100 litres of diesel was that we saved so much money every trip by buying our fuel in the state of Queensland as it was so much cheaper, at the time, than the southern states.

Can you imagine the cost of filling up with 2,100 litres nowadays?

28/09/2023

I named the shop 160kClub...you might know why ;) as a nod to the old school days and I wanted it to have a retro-vibe, like my designs.

Well, I didn't quite make it a couple of weeks ago but I've been flat out with so many things going on and fun designs to make.

This is just a smidgeon of a glimpse to see what's in the pipeline.

My mind has been in a whirl as I learn some new technologies and stretch my creative thought processes.

I promised myself that I would launch the shop today even if I wasn't ready...so even though I only have the premium shirts available for the next few days, there are many different varieties, sizes and colours as well as some cheaper shirts to follow.

You can check them out and let me know what you think in the comments.

For the early bird peeps, send me a message and check in please so we can get your goodies in the mail.

23/09/2023

We may not like the same trucks, we may not agree on everything, we may not have the same sense of humour but at the end of the day, we're all just human beings and, one day, we're all going to exhale for the last time.

Thank you for spending some of your precious time with us and for sharing your thoughts and your stories. And thank you for being respectful to this little group of fellow truck -lovers. 🙏❤️

23/09/2023

How’s this for a sweet old SAR? JR thought this was one of the best looking SARs at the time. It still looks gorgeous.

*******************

Join our Facebook group (below) to hear updates for our upcoming book.

22/09/2023

Some views never grow old. 💙 Even though this view from Desperado's driver's seat was a hurried snapshot taken one day in Rocklea, back in the mid 80's, this classic beauty is timeless.

There will be many old truck photos in our upcoming book. Join our Facebook group (check the comments below) if you are interested when it's getting closer to publication.

16/09/2023

A rare picture of John’s younger brother, Tex, getting down and dirty on the way to Perth. John has an interesting snippet to tell in our book about this day.

For book updates you can join our Facebook group John and Tracey Rehe’s Book - Limited Edition

16/09/2023

Back in the 80’s at the Brisbane truck show. Do you remember when T600s first came onto the scene? John took a shine to them and thought they had potential. I must admit that I didn’t like them at all. Little did I know that a few decades on we would end up owning one - not that Road Candy Truck will end up looking like one when the backyard build is complete. You never know what life has in store for you.

12/09/2023

Desperado (The First) in her natural habitat - at a workshop, broken down having yet another engine rebuild in Tamworth.

This truck had four engine rebuilds before we ended up trading it in on the better Desperado - the W Model Kenworth. 💕

There are some interesting stories to tell about this troublesome Road Boss and you'll be able to read about it in our book. Join our group to be notified ⬇️
John and Tracey Rehe’s Book - Limited Edition

09/09/2023

A blast from last century. I've always loved Leech's trucks. Back in the 80's they were some of the sharpest looking rigs on the road and they still look awesome. I acquired some of my cornering skills from following their trucks through bends in the wee hours of the morning when I was learning to drive the Road Boss while JR was asleep in the bunk.

01/09/2023

When I was a kid my dad wore t-shirts with the prints of trucks on the front...but, after posting my t-shirt design a couple of weeks ago some people said they'd prefer the design printed on the back.

Well, I listened to everyone who wanted the print on the back of the T-shirts instead of the front and I'll be ordering both - as well as a few more colour options and a little surprise option.

I'm just waiting on three more samples to arrive and then I'll be ordering. Thanks to those who pre-ordered. If my dad was still around I know he'd feel so proud to have worn a Desperado shirt.

26/08/2023

Once upon a time, back in the 70's, when truck drivers wore platform shoes on the weekends - after they'd finished greasing their truck, of course...

JR was never a 'blue-singlet-wearing truckie' and, unlike my father (whose main attire consisted of frayed Stubbie shorts), he's never even owned a pair of Stubbies.

I found out later that some of the other drivers jokingly called him 'pretty boy' because he always wore Levi jeans, a belt with a silver buckle, often cowboy boots and a nice button-up shirt or a T-shirt and accessorised with a chunky, silver ID bracelet, signet ring and a nice watch.

He sure didn't look like any other truck driver that my dad ever brought home for a hot home-cooked meal. :)

P.S. Check out the height of those platform heels!

You can join our group to learn more about our upcoming trucking book in the comments below. :)

19/08/2023

DESPERADO...Since 1983 We are thinking of doing a batch of this T-Shirt design and taking pre-orders to have them printed. What do you think? Do you like the slightly 'grunge' style with an old school feel?

Drop me a message if you'd like to pre-order.

I plan on ordering as soon as possible. 49.95 + $10 postage

17/08/2023

Desperado The 1st. Circa 1979. I’ve often wondered why White didn’t fix the design of the crooked way the air cleaners were mounted.

JR’s cousin, John, who was on the trip with him when he rolled the truck onto its roof, has recently shown us a bunch of great photos of the smashed truck.

It really is amazing (aka miraculous) when you see how crushed the cabin was from the rollover, to know they both walked away from the scene.

John has given us permission to share the photos in our upcoming book about trucking life.

You can join us in the group for book notifications if you might be interested in securing a Limited Edition copy when it is closer to being published. Link for the Facebook group is below.

Also, you still have time to enter the poster giveaway for Father’s Day. Scroll down through the posts until you reach the Lady Trucker poster to see how on the John and Tracey Rehe page.

16/08/2023

Rocci Cricelli’s, Road Slave and John’s, Blue Max (with one of many paint jobs) hanging out together back in the day.

Photo credit: John Meddings

You are invited to join our Facebook group where we’ll be sharing notifications about our upcoming book. Check comments.

12/08/2023

Customised Freightliner Argosy by John Rehe. I just found this shot from a few years ago when I was looking for an old video of the Road Boss after John painted it red.

I’ll see if I can post the video tomorrow.

Scroll through the John and Tracey Rehe page for “before” photos of this truck when it was painted white.

Join our Facebook group for upcoming book notifications. Check out comments below.

12/08/2023

Tex, in the early years.

He may look like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth but he had quite the colourful vocabulary - as anyone who knew him could agree.

The history of Rehe and Sons was long and there has been some confusion about how it started.

The original Rehe and Sons was John, Tex and their father, Basil.

John came with up with the name when he was on a trip to Adelaide one day in his M.A.N. Circa 1971.

He had some stickers made up at a sign shop when he got to Adelaide and surprised his dad when he returned home with ‘Rehe and Sons Express Haulage’ stuck on the door of his truck.

Years later, Tex registered the name as a company and along with his wife Robyn, grew the business to an impressive fleet.

As busy as Tex was with the operations his love for trucking didn’t fade and he never stopped driving trucks.

Sadly, Tex, along with his wife Robyn and Suzanne (John and Tex’s younger sister) lost their lives in a tragic car accident 3.05.2009

John has many fond recollections and stories to share of Tex when they were trucking together in the early days.

~ Tracey

11/08/2023

This was a typical scene in the Rehe's backyard in the 70's in Rochester, when the Rehe brothers, John, and his younger brother, Tex, worked on their trucks.

At the time John still owned the Blue Max, before Tex bought it from him and before John went on to buy a Road Boss that he named, Desperado.

Moody Blue was an ex-road train and was bought as a glider kit.

The truck was previously owned by Red North and had a 420
Cummins in it.

When you zoom in you might notice the name on the fuel tank says, B. (Tex) Rehe. Tex's name was actually, Basil (named after their father), but he didn't like it so always used his nickname.

John is the one sporting a Beatles-style hairdo (and I thought the hairdos from the '80's were bad!).

09/08/2023

Father's Day Giveaway of an original Desperado 'Lady Trucker' Poster - Circa 1986 Read the post to see how to be eligible.

For a bit of background information (for our new friends) about this Australian W Model Kenworth and owner-driver in the photograph (photo credit, Robert Friedler).

My name is Tracey Rehe and along with my husband, John, we operated for years as a two-up driving team.

This 1983 Kenworth is called, Desperado. We were told by the Kenworth salesman that it was the first truck that Kenworth built with six tanks.

Desperado had six different liveries over the fifteen years that we owned the truck. Some think we owned a bunch of different W Models but it was just this one with multiple appearances -

1. Charcoal with a high rise sleeper
2. Silver with a high rise
3. Silver (2nd time) with a low line sleeper and a Rudkin Wiley kit
4. Midnight Blue with a low line sleeper and Rudkin Wiley kit
5. Rolls Royce White with a low line sleeper and Rudkin Wiley kit
6. Two-tone Plum (that always looked brown in photos) and Cream with the low line sleeper and an original Taylor's wing

Contrary to what some people comment when they see this photo and assume I was a model who couldn't drive, they are wrong.

I'm a truck driver who couldn't model.

That's the truth!

I reluctantly agreed to posing in an outfit that I only made for the photo shoot. This isn't how I dressed when I was driving. I usually wore jeans, boots and an oversized man's work shirt.

The ripped pink top, the cut off jeans and my pink-painted shoes were all the idea of the man who owned a poster shop and asked me to 'model' with Desperado.

I didn't have someone to do my hair and makeup for the photo and we overnighted it to get to Brisbane in time to wash the truck and give it a quick polish at the Shell at Rocklea before the photographer arrived on the scene of the shoot at Kangaroo Point.

My eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep the night before and I'd barely had any sleep because I was so nervous about doing the photo.

Other comments saying that I wouldn't even know how to change a flat - wrong again.

I could and did change my own blowouts - even when I went on trips by myself to Brisbane and I could have had help to change a tyre, I did it by myself.

It's part of trucking...well, at least it used to be ;) and still is for owner-drivers these days.

And the other comment I'll make mention of is the nut cover on top of the tyre - for those who assume I don't know that I need to remove a nut cover, or that I'm scratching a nut cover.

Sometimes people jump to wrong conclusions about someone or something because of appearances.

For instance, yesterday someone referred to me as some kind of pr******te because I shared a photo of myself (taken by a family member) sitting on top of my Dad's Kenworth, wearing what any teenager wore during a hot Australian summer - shorts and a tank top.

I was a very shy and quiet introvert who was self-conscious about how I looked.

Whilst I wasn't confident with my appearance and never have been, I was confident in my ability to drive well and handle a truck. I had a good teacher - my husband. We've been together for over 44 years.

Contrary to some stories, I never crashed or rolled the truck. I didn't even scratch it.

That's a little bit of background anyway. John and I are writing a book about our life in trucking and have a Facebook group that you can join if you are interested in being notified closer to publication next year - all going well.

If you are interested in buying a set of 3 Desperado posters while the sale is on check out the John and Tracey Rehe page and send me a message.

We are also currently doing a backyard custom build of an old T600 Kenworth, Road Candy Truck (you can follow the page if you like).

Now to enter, take the steps outlined below.

1. Follow the John and Tracey Rehe page
2. Share the post, publicly
3. Click on the image so you can make a comment under the original post

The winner will be picked randomly from the comment section under the original post, Sunday 27th August and checked to see if they follow the John and Tracey Rehe page and that they have shared the post, publicly, to be a valid winner. If not, another random winner will be chosen. The winner is responsible for the postage costs and will be notified of that they have won and the cost via private message based upon the location of the country. Good luck!

If you are interested in buying an original Desperado set of 3 posters - https://candycart.Samcart.com/products/fathers-day/

Photo credit: Robert Friedler
Copyright: John and Tracey Rehe

08/08/2023

Remember the good old days when 5 clearance lights were a Christmas tree? Back when I was looking forward to becoming a truck driver. John reckons I look like I wanted to be a hood ornament but Dad only had a cabover Kenworth...

We’ve been digging up some great old memories sorting through old photos for our upcoming trucking book.

You’re invited to join the group about updates as it becomes closer to being published. Links in comments.

Also, check the last post on the John and Tracey Rehe page.

07/08/2023

Now on sale! You only have until Wednesday 9th at midnight to snag a set of 3 original Desperado Posters - to be delivered before Father’s Day. Check comments below or send a message for link to FATHER’S DAY SALE 💙 This is one of the set of 3 originals posters - almost 1 metre x 695mm

Link in comments.

Share with your friends if you think they might be interested for Fathers Day.

With John and Tracey Rehe

Copyright: John and Tracey Rehe
Photo Credit: Robert Friedler

05/08/2023

Tex Rehe’s beautiful truck after John detailed it and wrapped the tanks in stainless in the 90s.

This was his first Aerodyne.

It still looks good to this day.

You’re invited to join our group for upcoming book notifications through the John and Tracey Rehe page. Facebook group in comments.

https://Facebook.com/groups/theexpressmen

P.S. John also painted the rebel flags too.

02/08/2023

You only have until Wednesday 9th at midnight to snag a set of 3 original Desperado Posters - to be delivered before Father’s Day. Check comments below or send a message for link to FATHER’S DAY SALE 💙

Share with your friends if you think they might be interested for Fathers Day.

With John and Tracey Rehe

Copyright: John and Tracey Rehe
Photo Credit: Robert Friedler

01/08/2023

Desperado, getting ready to roll.

Memories 💞

Upcoming book: The Expressmen
You’re welcome to join the Facebook group. John and Tracey Rehe’s Book - Limited Edition

01/08/2023

John's late brother, Tex.

Crossing the Nullarbor Plain and taken near the Great Australian Bight in the 70's, this was around the time when John still owned the Blue Max and John and Tex were doing some two-up trips to Perth in the Blue Max.

John has a few great stories from trips with Tex that will be included in our book. (The link to the book is in the comments.)

Whenever you are driving across the vast expanse of Australia from the East Coast to the West Coast of Australia (or vice versa), the first glimpse of the gorgeous blue ocean as you cross through the desert is stunning.

I was fortunate to run two-up from Sydney-Perth with JR for a while after we were married and the sight of the water out there at the Great Australian Bight is something special to behold.

The contrast of the rugged cliff faces, the sea and the awesome sky literally takes your breath away.

There is a very wide continental shelf along the Bight that, in places, is more than 200 nautical miles wide. It is the longest stretch of east-west coastline in the world that is ice-free, facing the Southern and Antarctic Oceans.

If you haven't yet seen this part of the country, I recommend that you put it on your 'to-do' list. Driving across there is a wonderful experience.

Just keep a watchful eye out for wild camels and kangaroos. We really are so lucky to be living in this beautiful country of Australia.

P.S. Taken from Wikipedia: "The Nullarbor Plain (/ˈnʌləbɔr/ NUL-ə-bor; Latin: nullus, "no", and arbor, "tree") is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north."

31/07/2023

Desperado The 1st

Back from the truck smash repairs, returning to work after John rolled it onto its roof.

More pics and stories to follow in our book, The Expressmen.

Join our group. ⬇️

30/07/2023

What would you have done? High rise or low line sleeper? Some people have suggested we must have been crazy for changing Desperado’s high rise sleeper for a low line and I receive so many questions about why we would have done that.

Let me preface this by saying that if it were entirely up to me, I would have kept the high rise.

Firstly, I would have kept the first colour, the charcoal...but after Desperado was painted silver, I would have kept the truck exactly as it was with that colour and the high rise.

John, on the other hand, has this innate desire to keep on changing things.

It’s just in his nature.

So when he decided to get rid of the sleeper, with the 3rd paint job (a different coloured silver) the high rise was ditched so that a Rudkin Wiley kit could follow.

I’m not fond of those kits so it was quite a let down for me but the low line sleeper did come with some advantages.

The sleeper was easier to cool and easier to heat.

In winter the bunk was much cosier and it was great having a full length door for easy access to pack our clothes, food and clean linen every week. There was also less to clean inside.

When we sat around in the searing summer heat it was much cooler with the Rudkin Wiley shading the sleeper.

The cons were that we could no longer stand on the bed so it was a little more awkward to clean the ceiling of the bunk and I much preferred the look of the high rise.

The truck was much harder to wash and less safe.

The Rudkin Wiley stayed for the 4th paint job (Midnight Blur) and the 5th paint job (Rolls Royce White) and was ditched for the 6th paint job.

There will be loads more to share about the truck with all of its changes and makeovers in our upcoming Australian trucking book that will be choc-a-bloc with truck nostalgia.

Check the comments for the Facebook group.

We have something coming up for Father’s Day so make sure to follow the Road Candy Truck and John and Tracey Rehe pages.

~ with Tracey Rehe

29/07/2023

Just somebody that I used to know. ❤️

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Send me a message to the John and Tracey Rehe page for the link...before midnight!

Birthday Sale on Desperado Posters. I might have had my birthday but the party’s not over yet. 🕺🎉🕺 Photo credit for Posters: Robert Friedler.

80's Truckin' Nostalgia. The original 40-year old Desperado Air Shield. Never been used. Follow 'John and Tracey Rehe' for more. Turn up the volume to hear John explaining.

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