Mr Gibbs, 73, lost his father Wilfred, brother Anthony and cousin Bill in a horrific crash on the Olympic Highway between Yerong Creek and Henty when he was only 11 years old.

To honour their memory, he has restored a 1956 Ford F600 Prime mover, which he displayed at the Wagga Veteran and Vintage Motor Club June Rally and Display on Sunday at the Australian Clay Target Association grounds (ACTA).

"It's a memory truck to remember my father, brother and cousin who were all killed in a truck identical to this one," Mr Gibbs said

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"It happened way back in [July] 1959," he said.

On that fateful day, the trio were bound for Wodonga with load of cattle on the back of their truck. It was meant to be the final trip for the truck as they planned to pick up a new Commer Diesel Prime Mover the next day.

Embossed on the truck were the words "Gibbs Bros", a successful livestock and general transport business they ran out of Mangoplah.

As darkness set in, the trio headed south along the Olympic Highway. They passed Yerong Creek and were nearing Henty when their lights blacked out. At the time there were also roadworks taking place.

They were driving blind and a mechanical fault and wet conditions only made matters worse.

"They hit a tree and the trailer broke off. That hit the fuel tanks behind the cab and she just went up in flames," Mr Gibbs said.

Amazingly, only two cattle were killed in the incident.

The tragedy was made worse by the fact Anthony, 21, had only been married for two and a half weeks at the time of the crash.

"My cousin Bill was just 16 years old at the time," he said.

In about 2007, Mr Gibbs decided to build the "memory truck" in their honour. With the help of family and friends, he did a total rebuild and restoration of the truck, ensuring to get the exact same make and model.

Mr Gibbs even installed unique indicators specific to that era - mechanical arms with a hand attached to the car door. The project took 18 months to complete and was ready in time for the 50th anniversary of their deaths in July 2009.

In the years since, Mr Gibbs has displayed it at shows across Australia, to great success. "It's picked up over 100 wins," he said.

Sunday's display saw 122 cars, motorcycles and trucks converge on the ACTA grounds and rally director Peter Hoey is hoping for a bigger and better turnout next year with clubs across Australia invited to attend.

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