Inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Reunion 2005.
Gary Phillips started work in road transport at the age of 16 in 1972 at his father's business in Shepparton. His first job was completing and calculating road tax forms. Gary worked with his father Ted, and brother, Ian. Business was starting to boom and by the mid 1970s depots were established in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Gary's father, Ted Phillips, had started the family transport business in November 1935 at Bunbartha near Shepparton. From an early age he had recognised that he was part of a service industry and that service could mean more than putting a truck at a client's door. This is something he was consistent with the whole of this life.As the business grew, Gray proved to be a natural with the customers sensing their every need. As time passed he became more involved in customer liaison and service. He would visit major customers both interstate and locally on a regular basis ensuring that Phillips transport retained and expanded their business.Phillips Transport's core business was transporting food products from Shepparton to Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide. The company is proud to be associated with some of Australia's largest food processing companies. Gary's philosophy is to provide a safe working place for his employees, customers and the general public with a high priority on service and to maintain longstanding relationships with clients and employees. He instigated the original Enterprise Agreement in 1990 with Phillip's employees and is very proud of the working relationships he maintains with them all. In 1995, they started an intermodal service for customers at Mooroopna operating the largest regional container depot in Victoria. It has grown to some thirteen thousand container lifts per annum. Gary's wife, Kathy, and their children were all actively involved in the business. Ted passed away in 2044 and Ian 2055.In February 2004 Phillips Transport Pty Ltd sold their business consisting of 102 vehicles, 165 trailers and 197 employees. Gary has remained on with the Patrick Corporation as manager for the line-haul divisions for Shepparton, Sydney, Griffith and Brisbane and looks forward to the challenges and to what the future brings in such a diverse and exciting industry. There is no doubt that where-ever he ends up there is bound to be a positive outcome for the industry generally.