Max & Mary Lynch

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2011.
The Lynch family in transport dates back to Max's father John who operated bullock teams in the early part of the century, then a T model truck for mail delivery in the Krambach area near Taree, NSW.
Max started a mechanic's apprenticeship after leaving school but soon lost interest when offered a job driving a paper truck from Sydney to Hunter Valley north coast and New England area.  He met Mary around this time. Mary's brother Joe was a fellow driver of Bailey's paper trucks.In 1948 Max purchased a Ford Blitz 4x4 from Stan Harrison and began delivering goods to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.  He purchased an AEC 4x4 WW2 around 1952 as a cab chassis and built his own cab with sleeper and passenger seating known as "the house on wheels."In the early sixties he started to expand and moved from home and operated Newcastle's most modern and largest Ampol "Jet Age" service station.  Around 1963 he and his brothers, Ray and Ollie built a new depot at Wallsend, and again relocated in 1970 to Hexham and son Mike became an apprentice mechanic. His sons, Glenn in 1974, and Peter in 1979, joined the company. His daughter Helen joined in 1983 and cousin John in 1984.Max was always a forward thinker and pioneered same day delivery to Sydney and door-to-door overnight service to Melbourne in the early sixties.  The quick-hitch turntable and light weight homemade trailers which were preloaded for turnaround were also a result of his efforts.. These are still used to this day.Max died in 1987 after complications from surgery.  Mary oversaw operations till her death in 2009 rarely missing a day.   Barry Morrison drove for Max 1963-67 and returned in 1983 and is still present in operations since 1998 and is regarded as one of the "family". Another "gun" driver from the sixties is Barry Petersen who stills calls in to reminisce.