Skennars

Skennars was an Australian interstate coach operator.

History

Clarrie Skennar began operating coach services in 1956.1960 Clarrie was running a service from Goondiwindi to Brisbane using 2 VW Combies, His Agent at Goondiwindi was the Shell Garage next to the old Ambulance Centre. Border Coaches were running a service from Boggabilla to Brisbane without a permit to pickup any passengers within Queensland. Skinners upgraded his fleet to 2 side loaders ( International & a Dodge) bought out Border Coaches and ran the service from Boggabilla to Brisbane with the mail contract from Goondiwindi to Warwick, but the mail was still at Warwick when his coach returned from Brisbane. He then purchased Grimley's Coaches running Stanthorpe (from a Shell Garage) to Warwick (from an office at the Grand Hotel in Grafton St moving in 1952 to a Shell Service Station opposite the park in the main Street)to Barns Auto Depot in North Quay in Brisbane using old AEC buses, all luggage was carried on the roof under tarps. Clarrie extended the service to Tenterfield. At this time his depot was in Warwick on the same property now used by Crisps Coaches. It was at this depot he started to pioneer the rear engine coaches once using an old Fire tender, he extended the chassie rear engine the unit and Watts Coach builders in Brisbane built a wooden framed body on the unit. Clarrie moved to a few new depots in Brisbane,2/ Upper Roma St,3/ Barrys Pde in the Fortitude Valley with a workshop in Doggett St, Fortitude Valley and finally to The Brisbane Transit Centre. By late 1962 he won a ballet for the Brisbane to Noosa Licence and was moving to give a service from Noosa to the South West at Boggabilla and West to Mt Isa, but the bad roads West were not helping, so he stopped the service at Charleville (until the roads were improved). Running a daily service to and from Charleville with additional services to Roma 6 days per week. At its peak the fleet consisted of 62 coaches.^[1] Skennars operated long distance coach services throughout Queensland. It also operated services in New South Wales to Sydney via the Pacific Highway and to Tenterfield and Moree.

In 1989 the Skennars business began to be broken up. The Brisbane to Sydney service was sold to Lindsay’s of Coffs Harbour, Brisbane to Gold Coast to Coachtrans, Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast to Sunshine Coast Coaches and Gold Coast to Warwick to Pat’s Coaches, Warwick.^[2][3][4] In 1990 the Brisbane to Roma via Toowoomba services of Pacific West were purchased.^[5]

In 1992 the remaining services were sold; Brisbane to Moree and Toowoomba to Tenterfield both to Crisp Coaches, Warwick^[6] and Brisbane to Toowoomba, Roma and Charleville to McCafferty's Coaches.^[1][7]

Fleet

Skennars operated a fleet primarily of Denning and GBW bodied International coaches. Fleet livery was blue with yellow signwriting.

References