TRUCKING ALONG WITH DAVID CHENEY

 

My family didn’t pressure me or even expect me to join the family General Motors dealership. After two months working as a porter on Hayman Island, I went into accountancy once I completed a commerce degree at Melbourne University. This is where I met my wife, who was doing the same course.

 

Funnily enough, when I graduated, I applied for a junior executive training course at Ford Motor Company, and I was one of 20 chosen from 200 applicants. My family was not happy about it given that General Motors and Ford were bitter rivals. They said I only got that job because of my name, and that General Motors would probably cancel their franchises if I joined Ford.Then, out of the blue, our company secretary called me and offered me a job as his assistant accountant for 12 months to work in payroll, accounts payable etc. so I could get some practical hands-on accounting experience.

 

To my father and grandfather’s surprise (allegedly), I found myself working in the Flinders Street offices. I watched the company go from being purely family owned; merging with Bill Patterson Motors in July 1971, and then being bought out by Patterson Cheney’s current owner, Neville Bertalli.

 

 

I enjoy driving nice cars but I’m not a petrol head. My interest was in running a business that sold them and employing other people to do the selling. English cars like Jaguars have always been my favourites, bearing in mind that my first few cars were Vauxhalls - my favourite was the Vauxhall VX490. Now I drive a 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid.

 

 

When the business moved its HQ to Dandenong in 1974, I took over running the truck division and spent the next 25 years building what became the second largest truck dealership in Australia with facilities in Dandenong, Footscray, Broadmeadows and Ringwood. We were one of the first multi-franchise dealers, selling brands such as Bedford and Leyland trucks. I loved it and spent 20 years as either secretary or president of the General Motors Truck Dealer Council.

 

Selling trucks is different to selling cars. The biggest decisions people make when buying a car are the colour or the style of seats. People buy trucks because they have to meet a need. I always told my sales people to focus on being transport consultants and advisors. It’s an approach that works to this day.

 

 

I’m a fairly shy person and have to force myself to be “out there”. I have a sense of humour and love a joke but hate having to get up and make a speech. Really, I’m a home body and enjoy my own company. A lot of my time is spent reading; I’m an avid reader and especially love autobiographies and biographies, and the kind of legal and travel stories that James Patterson, Wilber Smith, John Grisham and Jeffrey Archer write. They take me to places I wouldn’t go.

 

Comedy is also my thing. English comedy is the best. Having watched Yes Minister and Faulty Towers over and over, I can practically recite them. However, I’m not too sure whether Yes Minister is fact or fiction. Seems to me fairly reflective of Canberra and Spring Street.

 

 

Not my footy team Collingwood because they don’t win very often. I like simple things. I’m content with my life and very happy when I see my granddaughter Madi (21) and my kids, Jane (55) and Peter (53). They all live within 12 minutes of our home. Jan and I have been happily married for 57 years. She’s a wonderful woman and I’m often told that she deserves much better. Otherwise, my interests include going to our beach house in Blairgowrie, playing golf, gardening, and holidays when we’re allowed!

 

 

I’ve had to present three eulogies in the last 15 months. Of my team of four for the club’s Charity Golf Day, I’m the only one left. I’m getting tired of seeing my good friends leave, and it’s confronting to think that it won’t be too many years before I join them, but having my faith gives me comfort.

 

 

My grandfather, Sydney Albert Cheney gave me a lot of advice from an early age such as, “Whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability and try and do it better than anyone else has done it.” I’ve tried to live by that.

 

There’s a lot that I’ve done that I’m proud of, including being involved in setting up and then being secretary of North Balwyn Community Men’s Shed. Several other major Rotary projects also fill me with pride including running a district conference in Adelaide, Greg Ross’s ‘Paint Your Heart Out’ project, putting together the 30-year history of the club, and the fashion parades with Paul Fitz and Ron Liner. I also assisted with the formation of ROMAC as a national body, and North Balwyn Men’s Probus Club. Spending 16 years on the board of Eva Tilley Memorial Home was great too. I was president for three years and spent four years in charge of fund raising where we raised $1million towards a $15 million re-development of the entire facility.

 

 

I retired from work in 1998 but for 40 years Rotary’s kept me well occupied; I’m the longest serving non-charter member of our club.

Rotary is a magnificent organisation but I’m sad about what’s happened to it. I went through the halcyon days where we had only 40-50 members. Many lasting friendships were formed and there were many fellowship functions. Our close-knit group included most of the wives. Those days seem to be disappearing. There doesn’t seem to be the same kind of commitment or feeling of obligation these days.

During my first 20 years we were obliged to attend meetings 100% of the time. If you couldn’t get there, you were encouraged to do a makeup. This policy saw me attend Rotary clubs while overseas in places including Tokyo and Cairo. Now there’s a different atmosphere and philosophy. I think it went wrong when membership ceased being a privilege and became more of a numbers game - so says an elderly man!