John has lived in the Bellingen district all his life,’’ what a great achievement he has to show’’.
On the 29th August 2015 John [beetle] Bailey was inducted in the National Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs.
This is his story
John Bailey was inspired by trucks for as long as he could remember. It all started with his father’s 1936 Chevrolet truck which as a youngster John was fascinated with, and loved to go on trips with him. It was inevitable that young John would become a truck driver himself. Once John got his licence he progressed through from the old Chev to Morris, commercial Fargo, Chevrolet and Bedford dodge. This was followed by 1418 Mercedes Benz. He later went on to drive b model Mack’s, including v’8 and various f model Mack’s.

John started driving Cab-over Kenworth’s in 1974 and 1976. He bought the third LNT 9000 Louisville to arrive in Australia.
John at 73 years of age is still doing what he loved most driving Kenworth trucks on the interstate runs for the Lindsay brothers. The Lindsay Bro’s transport business was established in March 1953 by Tom and the late Peter Lindsay as a Coffs Harbour based business with two second hand table top trucks which were used to carry local fruit and vegetables to the railways for transportation to the Sydney markets. Working for Lindsay bros after a long and illustrious career. John Bailey had plenty of stories to tell, He published a book called ‘’Two Lifetimes Behind the Wheels” describing his life driving trucks and carting freight telling yarns that only truck driving men can relate to the highlight of Johns career was being inducted in the NATIONAL TRANSPORT OF HALL OF FAME . John says he intends to keep on driving trucks while he feels safe in doing so.