Frank joined the family Transport business at 17 years of age, fresh out of Boarding School from The Scots School, Bathurst, graduating in 1964-1965, and has completed his 55th year in the business leading from the front of industry and later on as sole owner and Managing Director.
Frank was a very active member of the trucking community. Frank was instrumental through his personal dedication in establishing ATA NSW now Road Freight NSW (RfNSW) and its predecessors ATA NSW and was Chairman of the original NSW Road Transport Association (NSW RTA) before it folded were well known. Many state that without Frank and Johnstons, Road Freight NSW (formerly ATA NSW) association would not be where it is today. Frank was very supportive, a great mentor to many, very generous with his time and provided many people with great opportunities.
In 2016, Frank was awarded the Road Freight NSW Outstanding Contribution to the NSW Transport Industry award for his many hours of service to the industry. In his typical fashion, he humbly accepted but didn't really understand what the fuss was about. To him, Transport and assisting the industry and others was just a way of life.
His knowledge and experience in the transport industry was second to none. While people will remember Frank as a no-nonsense, determined and resolute man, they will also remember his willingness to share his knowledge, helping those who wanted to learn, and giving wherever necessary to improve our industry. There are many in our industry who received their start from Frank and are now leaders within their respective fields. Frank was a great mentor, and will be missed terribly.
Johnstons operates in General Transport (including Over dimensional, Construction, Dangerous Goods etc.), Container Cartage with unpacks/packs, Warehousing/3PL, Quarantine and a more niche market segment of compact heavy lift, industrial machinery relocations with in house purpose designed, engineered and built cranes and forklifts. In the early years of Australian Manufacturing, Johnstons were renowned and pioneers with engineered equipment and methodologies, including being part of numerous War relief programs.
Frank was very charitable and Johnstons are long-time supporters of the annual Kidney Foundation (currently 25th year of support) as the key support vehicle transporting all the rally participants and there supplies for the Kidney Car rally that is run on many different routes each year. Further, a supporter of Legacy Australia, Convoy for Kids and the Red Cross Blood bank mobile trailer transport.
Frank had great joy and passion of great food and wine, fresh personally grown organic vegies, Sheep and Cattle, his travels far and wide, all over the world ( a very soft spot for France), boating on Pittwater and beyond to the Barrier Reef and his true passion was farming, His eyes would always light up when he spoke about his farm and what was occurring at that time. Frank always said if he wasn't in transport he would have always been a farmer. His father reminded him if he wanted to be a farmer then he needed to work hard to pay for it all!! He fulfilled this long term wish later in life to live as a farmer over the last 10-15 years in the Riverina/Albury region while always offering words of wisdom from afar, in order to enjoy his later years he passed the reins of Johnstons on several years ago.
Frank's grandfather started Johnstons in September of 1900 with 1 horse and cart, slowly building privately and conservatively and in the early 1960's Frank came aboard and served his time learning every facet of the business. He then took over as and worked his way to the top via a tough pathway, synonymous of the day, raised to be Managing Director when his father retired and expanded the company into what it is now. Johnstons has been run by Franks youngest son, Jeff Johnston, (now 4th Generation) who took over from Frank a number of years back in order to allow Frank to concentrate on his many passions,
Frank will be sadly missed by his family and his wisdom, advice, mentorship and great support within the Transport and Logistics industry
We will advise our members of the pending memorial service in due course, once the current circumstances of COVID before us all settle. Our deepest sympathies are with his second wife Wendy and his three children, Andrew, Stephen and Jeff and their families at this time. |
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