Margaret Eslick has retired from driving the Murga-Longs Corner Road bus after 30 years.
Margaret Eslick is a much-loved community member of the Canowindra and Cudal areas retires after 37 years as a local bus driver.
Multiple generations of families have had the privilege of Margaret driving their children to school.
“It is so rewarding to see the pre-school children you first carried on the bus grow into fine young adults, often being invited to attend their major life milestones such as their 18 birthdays, engagements or weddings,” Margaret Eslick said.
Margaret and Graham Eslick purchased the Murga to Canowindra school bus run off the Bassett family in the 1980’s. The idea was Margaret would drive the school bus each day and then in between the school bus run, Margaret would be able to assist with farming.
They purchased a 40 feet, 57 seat Bedford bus, which on most days the bus was full with kids travelling to the three schools plus the pre-school in Canowindra.
By the mid 1990’s their farming enterprise had grown, so the Eslick family decided to sell the bus to Cabonne Bus Lines.
In 2008 Margaret returned to school bus driving on the Murga School Bus, a position Margaret has continued to drive until her retirement in September 2022.
“It is very hard to describe the bond you develop with all of your children, and this is the bit I will miss the most,” Mrs Eslick said.
Margaret would have driven the Murga, Longs Corner to Canowindra almost 15,000 times, carried on average 20 children each day, giving a total number of student movements in excess of 300,000 kids. Such a wonderful achievement!