Jack Membrey

Jack Membrey was the eldest of three brothers, born from 1927 to 1934. He knew what hard times were about, the family began in Prahran which his father Bill called 'Struggletown', during the great depression. Jack's father was a truck driver working for WG Hicks.

Jack was enrolled at Gardenvale Central School but never went. At 14 he left home to go fruit picking, moved on to cleaning stables at Caulfield racecourse, learning how to play two up and gamble and then when his father returned from World War II he joined him in driving from their newly purchased fruit shop in Ararat to the Vic Market three times a week.

Transport was definitely now in Jack's blood. When the family returned to Melbourne, Jack stayed in Ararat, bought an old Chinaman's horse and covered wagon and began transporting fruit door to door around the streets of Ararat. On his return to Melbourne he drove for Briens Coaches, Peninsula Buslines, IPEC, Colliers and even took up chauffeuring a Toorak socialite for six months.

At IPEC he did change overs Melbourne to Tarcutta in a VW Kombi van delivering parcels. At Colliers he started off in their old Albion truck nicknamed 'Old Sooty Box' because of the exhaust. Often when he got out from a trip you could just see these big blue eyes and black face.

Jack and his wife Norma started J & N Membrey & Son in 1962. 'Have gravel will travel' was the company slogan at J & N Garden Supplies which Jack ran delivering sand, soil and screenings. They ran this company successfully until 1985 when Jack started Membrey's Transport doing daily Melbourne to Gippsland runs. In 1988 Jack suffered a stroke and Craig (his son) came to help out. Jack never recovered and handed the business over to Craig to manage in 1989. Jack passed away in 1998.

His legacy has been taken on by Craig and he has expanded it to be a very successful transport and crane hire company that Jack would be proud of.