John & Laura McPhee

Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2008.
Mcphee Transport was always a family-run, local business that expanded under the guidance of John McPhee and the very watchful and experienced eye of his mother, Phyllis, who during the war, ran the family business started by his grandfather.
The company grew from strength to strength under John's leadership and soon became one of the most profitable and respected family transport businesses throughout Australia.  John, and wife Laura, always felt that the family behind the employee was a principal factor in maintaining good work ethics and, to that end, supported them all.John, like his father and grandfather, was very community-minded.  One example that springs to mind was the bread strike in NSW.  John would fill any extra space in his trucks, backloading out of other states, with bread and deliver it free-of-charge to all his customers and staff.  During the big drought, John arranged for donated food and hay to be delivered out west and to the Wayside Chapel.So with the reality of expansion having two options: float or sell, John decided to sell, as he didn't want to answer to shareholders each year.  Five companies were interested in buying McPhees; three local and two overseas.  John finally cut a deal with Ross Cribb of TNT, a man John trusted to be true to his word that if he sold it to TNT, Ross would allow the company to operate under John and Wally Maloney's management without interference from TNT.John sold the transport company but kept the warehouse and logistics side of the business.  That company remained independently operated with its own board under Walter Maloney, John Everingham with Jay McPhee, John's son, as the managing director. John McPhee was invited, by Sir Peter Abels, through Ross Cribb, to join TNT as director of operations and went to South Africa to review a sortation system and report the findings.