Graham McDonald

Graham McDonald started driving in 1954 for his father in Kaitaia New Zealand, he was 15 years old at the time, one of four boys in his family, and with three trucks they worked mainly with livestock and generally from the railways.

When Graham was 24 he and his wife Nyra took the bold move and bought their own truck, quickly this grew to five trucks. After trading on his own for a couple of years he amalgamated with his two elder brothers to form McDonald Bros Transport. This business continued on until 1975 when they sold to the local big boys. After a couple of years he returned to trucks, running a branch for a major public company which included 70 trucks maximum.

Once again the lure of owning his own trucks began with a family company, two three ton trucks and one five ton truck and within three years this had grown in size to over 20 vehicles where he sold to a publicly listed transport company. In 1988 Graham, Nyra and family arrived in Australia where once again he bought a small transport business, and by 1995 this had grown from a local town carrier of eight trucks to a business of over 45 trucks, travelling the eastern seaboard of Australia with depots in Brisbane, Sydney and Townsville.

By the turn of the century and with his children taking an interest in other things, half the business was sold and eventually in 2006 Graham and Nyra sold the remainder of the business, of which his son bought a part.

Graham was on the National Council of Road Transport in New Zealand and upon his arrival in Australia was an active member of the QTA. Graham and Nyra are now retired and live on the Gold Coast today.