"R Power" in Brooklyn

I posted this photo of the weekend's activities

Our truck in the front yard by bparo2003 , on Flickr

and got some information from their user frednurks that has got me wondering. The conversation went like this:
frednurks (27 hours ago)

G'day Bparo, that is a sweet looking AR Inter. My dad once told me about a transport company in Brooklyn called R Power who had a bright red fleet of these doing steel in the 50's. Their catchcry was something like R Power by name, R Power by truck, around the same time they also had R190s as well. Do you know anything about these?
[ch9733]

bparo2003 (23 hours ago)

sorry Fred - have never heard of them. do you have any photos or details I could use for my vehicle club with accreditation of course

frednurks (6 hours ago)

G'day Mr B, no l don't have anything on them, had never heard of them until my dad told me about them. He started driving for a Geelong company called Purnells in the late 40's, he carted off the wharves in Port Melbourne a fair bit so probably saw them then, or he could have been pulling my leg. Maybe some of the real old timers from the HCVC forum might know, he has since passed away, so asking him again isn't an option.


so super sleuths what can you tell us?

Well...
This is coming from a Young Timer...

In later years, didn't Powers have a heap of Accos, twin steer, bogie.
Red cabs / black or dark grey tippers.
Yellow signage from memory.
I remember seeing them in around Geelong Road Brooklyn..
They used to cart coal or briquettes..

Purnells were definately in Geelong.
Green trucks, also with yellow signage
My Gramps drove for them, as did my dad..
I can remember the ol man zooming around toward Corio Quay in 54 /56 Ford tray truck , without a drivers door!

Maybe i am gettin old..That was well over 40 years ago..

Might need a proper Ol timer like Raggsie to verify some of that...
Apparently when he was a kid, Melbourne road was dirt!

chocs

Steady up Chocs I remember Geelong Road Being single lane, but never dirt
Would have been sitting on Pops knee in the bread van in the S.A. mid north in those days
I do remember Powers though.
They were still around in my day, now owned by Calleja aren't they ? :
Not sure about Purnells though I vaguely remember them being shipping agents, Green trucks ?

Righto Raggsie, you can't mention anything on this forum and get away with it. Where in the SA Mid North were you doing the steering from Pop's knee?
I can remember the bread van calling at our farm when I was a Kid. The smell of freshly baked bread when he opened the van door was heaven. At one time the butcher and grocer also called weekly. Those times are from another world. Cheers

I don't know if it's the same company or not, but Power's was doing steel rolls out of Lysaghts Westernport in the late 70s/ early 80s? I also don't know if they were taken over or what happened, but one of the sons, Dick Power (Flea) I think was their Ops manager and his brother John worked there as well. I see John occasionally when he comes back to Vict. during summer (he spends the rest of the year gold-fossicking and taking photos) so I'll ask.

My sister is related by marrige to the Purnells in Geelong they are a vvvvvvvvvery old family of the area .
I would say if you have a road name after you then you have some clout.

The Melbourne-Geelong road sealing was completed in 1930 according to the Vic Government website.

Gidday Tacho,
Pop at that time worked for Rohrsheims in Port Pirie, don"t exactly recall the stops but remember the same big shady tree at lunchtime everyday
Don't really know the exact history on it all but I am tipping it would have been about 1961 or 1962 as I would have been in school in 1963 and he retired in 1965.
He was probably bought out by same as he was initially a Baker and the Old Man use to talk of harnessing the horses before School.