Featured, News, Western Star

Vale Bob Shand 

The co-founder of the company which introduced the Western Star brand of trucks to Australia has sadly died this week. Bob Shand, along with his partner, Kit Bleakly, played an instrumental role in establishing Canadian truck brand, here in Australia in 1983.

Together they introduced the North American brand to Australia from their facility in Wacol, Queensland, where the brand still operates some 30 years later

The features of the trucks built at the company’s base in Kelowna, British Columbia, were of rugged heavy vehicles designed to handle the tough conditions working in the forests of Canada. These attributes made them good candidates to handle our equally tough trucking conditions.

“All at Penske Commercial Vehicles are saddened by news of the death of Bob Shand, co-founder of heavy duty truck brand, Western Star, in Australia,” said a statement from Western Star trucks on the news of Bob Shand’s death. “Bob’s legacy will forever remain his unwavering commitment to the customer, as he strove always to deliver a tailored customer experience.

“This commitment and spirit continues to be the driving force behind the Western Star Trucks brand, despite market and ownership changes (first with Transpacific and recently with Penske Automotive Group).

“The entire Western Star Trucks business and team remains indebted to Bob and his work in establishing the brand in Australia We will miss him greatly and our deepest sympathies go out to the entire Shand family.”

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