Robert Gloster of A.J Gloster and Sons has been driving the Underbool to Ouyen school run for almost 50 years. After so much unwavering service for the regional Victorian community, Gloster recently got surprised by a deserved reward.
Robert Gloster has been driving buses for nigh on 50 years. Most days he completes the daily run from Underbool to Ouyen – 51 kilometres as the crow flies – and drops students to and from the school in Ouyen. Despite this long service for his local community in the Victorian Mallee, Gloster was taken by complete surprise when he was rewarded for his efforts.
In July, Gloster was chosen by the Bus Association of Victoria as the Best School Bus Driver for 2022.
After receiving the award at the Bus Vic maintenance conference and trade show’s awards ceremony, Gloster admitted he was completely surprised by the recognition.
“I never envisaged that I would even be a contender – I had no inkling whatsoever,” Gloster told ABC. “My wife Colleen must’ve forwarded the award nomination details to the school in Ouyen and then obtained references from students past and present.
“I still don’t know how she did it without me knowing. We went to the conference in Melbourne and when they announced it, I couldn’t comprehend it for a few seconds, it was a total surprise.”
The award was a long time coming for Gloster. As a third-generation member of the business A.J Gloster and Sons, he is continuing on family tradition in the Mallee region. The operator first started in 1945, when Gloster’s grandfather Joe received the contract to run the Underbool to Ouyen high school run. Gloster’s grandfather first used an old Lend Lease truck chassis for the contract and had a fabricator 60 kilometres away build a body to put on it.
After receiving an education at the Mildura Tech School in the 1960s, Gloster left unsure about what he wanted to do for a career. He ended up joining the family business at A.J Gloster & Sons in 1968, when he began his motor mechanics apprenticeship.
“When I started working with the business I wasn’t required to drive buses for a while,” Gloster says. “Soon it became evident they’d need drivers, so that’s when I got my licence.
“I started driving in emergency cases on our smaller feeder service before progressing to the main service from Underbool to Ouyen.”
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From there, Gloster became the full-time driver of the school route each morning and afternoon, returning to Underbool following the morning run to work in the automotive business before heading back to Ouyen for the afternoon run. He’s since witnessed changes to the way modern diesel buses, power steering and climate control air conditioners have evolved over the decades.
The Victorian Mallee operator has seen a lot of change, especially when it comes to bus and coach technology. In 1949, A.J Gloster and Sons purchased its first purpose-built bus in an old Bedford model. From there, the business grew fast. As bus technology evolved, so did the regional Victorian operator.
By 1964 it had purchased three Bedfords before upgrading to an International Diesel with an Ansair Body in 1984. This was replaced in 2001 by a MAN model with an A.B Denning body.
Gloster says his grandfather used to recall the early days for the operator when the roads were almost unnavigable.
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“Following sand storms in drought conditions, the driver would often have to take several attempts getting over some of the rises,” Gloster says. “With no air conditioning, power steering or synchromesh gearboxes, it would have been a tough time for both driver and students.”
In 1955, A.J Gloster and Sons received a second contract. The contract involved picking up students from the farms south of Underbool and feeding the existing high school bus route on the highway at a little town called Torrita. That bus would then return on a similar route bringing children into the Underbool Primary School. Gloster says the service ran until the contract ended in 2004 due to a lack of numbers.
Currently, A.J. Gloster & Sons runs a 2020 Mercedes-Benz model with an Express body on it that Gloster says looks and feels more like a coach than a bus. With a 43-passenger configuration, Gloster says the run has become much easier with climate control, automatic transmission, air suspension and more comfortable seats.
“With this bus it’s so comfortable and spacious,” Gloster says. “The school kids certainly have it pretty good today “
Such is the nature of Gloster’s family business, he received his bus driving licence from the Taxi Directorate at the age of 20. This began a long relationship with the school service that led to him winning the Bus Vic school bus driver of the year award some 50 years later.
“We still pick up students along the highway and we still have reasonable numbers,” Gloster says. “Apart from now not having to cross over numerous railway crossings, the route has been the same since the contract began in 1945.”
But this consistent route each day has never bored Gloster. He says the highway he drives on each day is always changing, providing beautiful views of the local farming community depending on the time of year. With the kids on board each day, Gloster says he has been able to develop relationships with students and the local community to keep them safe and follow them on their school journey.
“It’s so rewarding to talk with the kids each day as they get on and off the bus,” Gloster says. “Quite frankly, I’ve looked back recently and thought where has the time gone?
“It’s never been a chore as it gets you up and cracking each day. My dad Ray still works in our garage at the age of 95, while my brother and business partner Doug drive sometimes when required.”
It’s this bond with the Mallee community that helped net Gloster the award for 2022. Despite not being one for the limelight, Gloster says winning the School Bus Driver award for this year from BusVic was a special achievement.
“I was quite chuffed, it was a really nice surprise,” he says. “It’s great to be recognised, but we do all of this work to keep our community viable.”
Despite building a great rapport with students, parents and the community over the years, Gloster’s position as the main driver of the school service isn’t guaranteed. Recently his son and fourth generation employee in the business Cameron has been driving the route while Gloster has had some surgery.
Despite only being out of the seat for a few weeks, Cameron has already revelled in listening to the young passengers and transporting them to and from school each day.
Although his father is keen to return to his position, it may be hard to get Cameron out of the driver’s seat. But Gloster is adamant he has plenty of years left driving the school run.
“My health is good so I’ll continue driving when I can get back in,” Gloster says. “Cameron will drive more than he used to, but I’ll hopefully take the school run back. Building the rapport with the kids and communicating respectfully with them and their families each day is something that I’ve loved doing over generations.
“That run is an integral part of our business and has been for a long time, so we’ll keep transporting the kids to school as long as we have plenty of them in the region.”