STAWELL - The admiration Jim Leithhead Junior has for his late father, Jim Senior, is literally etched in stone at the front of Grampians Excavation and Soil Yard on the Western Highway.
Jim Senior started his career with the Country Roads Board in 1956, operating a 1940 D7M bulldozer. His bulldozing career started on the Mount Victory Road in the Grampians. He ended up spending more than 20 years in the Grampians, bulldozing trees, building dams and carrying out numerous other projects along the way.
Jim Junior made the decision last year to purchase a D7M bulldozer and locate it at the front of Grampians Excavation and Soil Yard. He already had a later model dozer and felt the two would complement each other and the front of the business.
"Dad always talked about that particular model, because he started his career on one. I thought why not buy one," Jim said.
Unfortunately, just one month after the purchase of the dozer and before the project could come to fruition, Jim Senior died and it hit the family hard.
However, Jim Junior remained adamant the dozer would still take pride of place at the front of the business - It now gave the project a whole new meaning.
"The dozer was going to sit out the front anyway, but I started thinking it would be good to put a rock there as well with a plaque, as a tribute to dad," Jim said.
"Not many people would be aware of the amount of work dad did to help establish this business, so I thought it would be a fitting tribute."
The plaque on the rock reads: "This 1940 D7M was placed here on the 3rd February, 2012 in memory of Jim Leithhead Snr. (1939-2011). He started his bulldozing career in 1956 for CRB (Country Roads Board) on the Mt Victory Road in the Grampians. Jim Snr. played a major role in building this business into what it is today. He is greatly missed by all at Grampians Excavations."
Jim Senior would often tell stories about a mate, Brian Warren, who he worked with in the Grampians for more than 20 years. It was a thrill for the family to have Brian, who now lives in Edenhope, travel back for the unveiling of the plaque last Friday night.
"We were thrilled Brian was able to come back and help unveil the plaque. They pretty much grew up together working in the Grampians. They were best mates," he said.
Jim said the dozer and plaque have continued to attract plenty of interest from passers by.
"Everyone who walks past stops and has a look. That was the whole purpose of it," Jim said.
"I wanted to keep the tribute simple, but still make sure we got the message across about how much dad actually did for us."
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