McColl's Oldest Living Tanker Driver
Recently McColl’s was contacted by Alan Jones who claimed his father may well be McColl’s oldest living tanker driver. After contacting Des and chatting about the early days in Geelong, there is no doubt that Des may well be our oldest living driver. Born on 4 May 1923, Des celebrates his 100th birthday this month!
In 1952, the Geelong Cats brought Des had met and become friends with Stuart and June McColl in the early 1950’s. Des worked for Stuart who was managing the local dairy factory. Whilst managing the factory, Stuart and June began McColl’s Transport in 1952 and after a couple of years purchased their first purpose-built milk tanker. Stuart approached Des to see if he would be interested in driving the tanker. At the time Des was working for Stewart servicing ice cream cabinets that used brine to keep the ice cream cold. Des was on call 24/7 and if a machine played up, he was called to fix the issue. It was a good job that supplied a car with the role. However, when Stuart approached Des to see if he would drive his new tanker Des decided to join McColl’s and worked for around 12 months delivering milk from the western district to the dairy factory in Geelong.
After 12 months Des decided to go back to his trade and with his business partner started JB Electrics in east Geelong. Des Jones and Max Brown started their new business. Max had an army background whilst Des was from the navy. Des said the J should come first like the Navy does! Hence JB Electrical. Stuart was kind enough to offer finance to Des however with already having a business partner they went off on their own venture.
Des is also the last remaining survivor of the HMAS Canberra which was struck 24 times by gunfire and struck by torpedo in the battle of salvo island on the 9th of August 1942. Although the Japanese fired 19 torpedos it is now thought that the USS Bagley inadvertently torpedoed the cruiser. Of the 819-strong ships company, 84 were killed and 109 wounded. Des recalls swimming as fast as he could to the life raft as he had a fear of sharks. Des was a stoker on the boat and recalls the day he turned 18 and his pay doubled. Des recently visited Sydney and Canberra as the guest of honour as the Navy held an 80-year reunion from when she was lost in battle.
McColl's Big Milestone is just the Beginning
Celebrations will roll out all year at McColl’s Transport as the business celebrates 70 years of providing expert service in the delivery of liquid loads.
In 1952, the Geelong Cats brought home a premiership flag after winning 26 games in a row and defeating Collingwood on Grand Final Day.
It was also the year Stuart and June McColl bought two F600 trucks, launched McColl’s Milk Transport and set about picking up milk from dairy farmers around Port Fairy and delivering it to processing plants to be made ready for retail shelves.
As proud Geelong residents, it’s only natural the McColl’s trucks would carry some blue and white – a tradition that carries on to this day, more than 70 years later.
Stuart and June’s vision and determination provided the foundation for a business that heads into 2023 with a turnover of more than $200 million, 26 depots all over the country, six major workshops, more than 250 prime movers, 800 trailers and 650 staff.
The couple started a journey which current CEO and part-owner Simon Thornton is determined to honour for the next 70 years.
Thornton’s passion for the business and the opportunity it presents to show the world what can be done when a group of like-minded individuals are willing to take a long term, “generational” approach to business ownership is never far from the surface.
This is Thornton’s second time around at McColl’s. His first was in 2009 when he joined as CEO, hired by the private equity owners to help transform the business.
It was Thornton’s introduction to the truck and transport industry, after having built a career as a business leader focused on heavy machinery, farm equipment and company turnarounds.
He left in 2014 after five years’ service, which included the celebration of the business’ 60th anniversary, attended by Stuart and June.
“I went away for four years and at the end of the four years, the private equity firm, which was KKR at the time, came back and said ‘you thought you’d be a good owner for this business, do you still want it?’ And I said, ‘yeah, I do’,” Thornton said.
He rallied a bunch of friends, mainly alumni from when he started studying Commerce at Melbourne University in 1988, and the Friesians investment group was formed.
“We call ourselves Friesian because we think of McColl’s as like a dairy cow, not like a steer, an Angus or a Hereford that’s being fattened up for market.
“We just think if you have a company, and you look after it and you nurture it and you build it over time, then it becomes a force within itself.
“So, we’re now five years in and it’s been an exciting ride, kind of restoring McColl’s to the path it was on originally under family ownership.”
Since 2018 McColl’s has invested more than $30 million in high productivity state-of-the-art A-double tankers, and millions of dollars into new trucks, new depots, tanker washes and technology that enables the business to minimise downtime and reduce wasted kilometres across its nationwide network.
Thornton describes McColl’s as a values-driven business, and the company website clearly outlines its mission: “To deliver a transport service unmatched in safety, quality, compliance and reliability”.
The business lists its five core values as: safety first, honesty and integrity, consistency, mutual respect and commercial responsibility.
They are values Thornton says are ingrained in the hiring, the processes, the purchases and the relationships the business has with its long-term partners.
“We have a saying here that you should never have a conversation that you wouldn’t be happy to invite your kids or your mum too,” Thornton said.
McColl's Christmas hampers make a huge impact
Understanding that many families are doing it tough over Christmas, McColl's Transport has teamed up with the Greater Shepparton Foundation to provide for flood relief victims through our Christmas Hamper Appeal to support OzChild which helps young children and families who are doing it tough this season. The impacts of the floods across the region, coupled with cost-of-living pressures, has made Christmas feel incredibly challenging for many families. Together through the power of community giving, we managed to fill a truck load of full 10 hampers, which were delivered to Shepparton on Monday, 12 December.
Thank you to everyone who took part and generously donated to this cause, small or large your contributions will help make a difference in the lives of families this Christmas.
Pictured from left are Chris Belli, Mary Atkinson, Kathy Wyatt and Marlize Magro from OzChild, Steve McPherson from McColl’s Transport, Jenni Whitford and Tahlia Martin from Shepparton Athlete’s Foot, Jessie Reid and Taylah Heinrich from McColl’s Transport. Pictured seated are GSF’s Neha Samar and Tina Curtis and Sam Tobias from OzChild.
