For many children across north-east Victoria, one thing they could rely on day in and day out was a Walters bus meeting them on their journey to and from school.
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Not only for students, the charter and tour specialist Walters Passenger Service has been a constant in the area for many others for 70 years.
“It has been a good journey making good friends along the way both in the industry and with our clientele,” Wayne Walters said.
“We got a lot of pleasure building up the business and seeing what we achieved and with our high standards found ourselves with some memorable jobs – corporate, Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games were some.”
The business operates school bus runs around Kyabram and north-central Victoria, as well as interstate tours, when restrictions allow.
Father and son: Neville and Wayne Walters.
Walters offers school camps, senior tours and Probus club and garden club tours, the team also does many theatre trips to Melbourne with senior groups.
With 25 employees, Walters is owned and managed by Sue and Wayne Walters, with the core group including operations manager Carmel Moore, plus a mechanic and a maintenance person.
Wayne is the latest in the family to carry the bus-line torch.
Wayne’s grandfather, Vic Walters, began the company in 1952 after buying up three school runs and buses in Euroa.
Wayne Walters said his grandfather had a huge love for vehicles, so much so he requested his brother-in-law build an elite coach, fitted with a Cadillac motor.
Following Vic’s retirement, the reins were passed to his son Neville, who took up operations full time.
With the help of his wife, Lorraine, who assisted with charter bookings and cooking during their trips, Walters soon became a well-respected bus and coach business around Euroa.
Family business: The employees of Walters.
While Wayne grew up around the bus services, he never truly saw himself taking over the business.
That is until he met Sue.
Returning from a stint in Melbourne as an apprentice boilermaker to his home town of Euroa, Wayne began working for his dad, Neville.
Wayne bought two school runs from him, and 18 months after, bought Neville’s last vehicle.
Neville still remained actively involved in the business, filling in on school runs or moving buses between depots, only giving up his bus licence in 2019.
It wasn’t long before Sue also quit her job to become a part of the family business.
The two took on the company with a guiding light from Wayne’s parents, with his mum’s personable touch continuing to be a core priority in the business.
“Mum’s business skills and business brain were really helpful for me and Sue starting out – how to organise charter work and how to treat people, be wonderful, organise charter work and be one step ahead,“ Wayne said.
“We used to have a bus pit and depot at our home and, one day, when John and Val Russell of Violet Town came in for a regular maintenance check, he mentioned that he was hanging up the boots that year.
“He offered me the opportunity to buy his school runs and we did a handshake deal.”
Wayne said the purchase was the beginning of the expansion of the business.
In 2006, Wayne and Sue bought two school runs in the Kyabram region and in 2017, the couple made the tough decision to sell the Euroa part of the business, which had been in the family for 65 years, and focus on the Kyabram region.
“We had our business in Kyabram for 13 years before we made the move over here to live permanently,” Sue said.
“Our Euroa side of the business was the same size just not all in one area, but our Kyabram side of the business was all in one area so the easier half of the business to run and therefore scale back on our move over here.”
The couple said that while leaving Euroa, the town in which they were born and bred and had built up the business, was a difficult choice, Kyabram was a welcome transition.
“Everyone in the community welcomed us with open arms and has been very supportive of us – we had the feel of a great community before we moved though,” Sue said.
Reaching 70 years in operation is an incredible feat for any company, but like many good things, it will all come to an end at some point or another.
“Coming to Kyabram was to scale down, and as our girls have their own careers ahead of them, it looks like ‘Walters’ won’t make the fourth generation in the bus industry – we will scale down again one day soon,” Wayne said.
The Walters said their journey had many rewarding experiences, so many that it was difficult to single just one out.
“Doing our bus tours around all parts of Australia and then our customers who became our family wanting to know when and where the next tour was going to be was pretty special,” Wayne said.
“Some of our staff remain very close friends and the loyalty we have been shown is amazing.“
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