Lindsay Fox
Encyclopedia
Lindsay Edward Fox AC (born 19 April 1937) is an Australia
n businessman. As of 2009, he was the 10th richest person in Australia, with a net worth of around 1.5 billion (1.5 billion). He is best known as the founder and chairman of his family-owned trucking and logistics company, Linfox
.
, a suburb of Melbourne
. He has been quoted as saying that his early family life was difficult and that "I had a pretty abusive father".
He was educated at Melbourne High School, but was asked to leave during Year 10, at age 16, due to his lack of academic interest. He started working as a truck driver and was able to use this as a springboard to found Linfox
. He has since visited Melbourne High School on numerous formal occasions. An indicator of his tremendous work ethic and raw business savvy can be seen on a profile of Fox televised on the ABC
. He has been married for 50 years, with 6 children.
Following the suicide of his son Michael in 1991, Fox advised the Federal and Victorian governments on youth suicide and is on the board of the National Advisory Council on Suicide Prevention. In 1992 he was named "Victorian Father of the Year". In an interview with George Negus
in August 2004, Fox spoke of the loss of his son: "Well, life is about being up and being down and being able to get up again. And in my walks of life, I guess I thought I was invincible till one of my sons committed suicide. And at that point of time, I knew I wasn't invincible ... I'd give up everything if we could get Michael back. He's got a special place in each and every one of the hearts of our family and he'll always be there and he'll never grow old."
think I'm Liberal, Liberal
think I'm Labor, the Catholic
s think I'm Protestant, the Protestants think I'm Catholic. The local rabbi delivers me matse
. So I guess, bottom line, I'm an Australian".
Fox went on to say: "I, traditionally, probably, was brought up in a working-class family where the old man would turn in his grave if he'd thought I'd have voted Liberal. But I must admit, from probably 25 up to the last election, I would have voted Liberal and supported Liberal quite strongly. But I was completely disillusioned by the lack of statesmanship with our Prime Minister
with the Ansett debacle
. He had an opportunity to be a statesman. Instead he took on a political role and as a result of that, the demise of Ansett came about".
with moderate success, and he continues his involvement with the sport.
Recruited from the St Kilda Football Club's thirds side (which he captained), Fox was sent to Golden Point Football Club
in the Ballarat Football League
before he returned to make his Victorian Football League debut in 1960. Fox did not think much of his footballing abilities, but as a ruckman
he went on to play 20 games (for 3 goals) between 1959 and 1961. Following his stint in the VFL, he went to the VFA, playing firstly for Moorabbin
and then Brighton
-Caulfield
football clubs.
He later returned in an administrative role, becoming the president of the Saints in 1979.
company in 1956 with one truck.
He also took ownership of Melbourne's Luna Park
in late 2005. In 2006, he made an unsuccessful bid for the development of the neighboring 'Triangle Site' on St Kilda's foreshore. The property was subsequently destroyed by fire.
He has been involved with a number of high profile disputes with the Government relating to his property development activities. In the late 1990s he attempted to claim the public beach area in front of his holiday home as a private helipad for his helicopter and to build a high security compound for himself and his family. This development was rejected by the Victorian Planning Minister. However he has also been able to use his government contacts to gain favorable treatment by being granted permission to land his helicopter near his Portsea home on crown land.
Fox has been in dispute with the local council of his Toorak mansion by attempting to have the heritage listing that applies to all homes in the street removed from his property. His son's Toorak home was destroyed by fire.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n businessman. As of 2009, he was the 10th richest person in Australia, with a net worth of around 1.5 billion (1.5 billion). He is best known as the founder and chairman of his family-owned trucking and logistics company, Linfox
Linfox
Linfox is a logistics and supply chain company established in Australia by Lindsay Fox in 1956. The company started with one truck operated by Fox. With the acquisition of Armaguard from Mayne Logistics in 2003 and FCL in 2006, it is now the largest privately owned supply chain solutions company in...
.
Early life
Lindsay Fox was brought up in PrahranPrahran, Victoria
Prahran , also known colloquially as "Pran", is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Prahran had a population of 10,651. It is a part of Melbourne with...
, a suburb of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He has been quoted as saying that his early family life was difficult and that "I had a pretty abusive father".
He was educated at Melbourne High School, but was asked to leave during Year 10, at age 16, due to his lack of academic interest. He started working as a truck driver and was able to use this as a springboard to found Linfox
Linfox
Linfox is a logistics and supply chain company established in Australia by Lindsay Fox in 1956. The company started with one truck operated by Fox. With the acquisition of Armaguard from Mayne Logistics in 2003 and FCL in 2006, it is now the largest privately owned supply chain solutions company in...
. He has since visited Melbourne High School on numerous formal occasions. An indicator of his tremendous work ethic and raw business savvy can be seen on a profile of Fox televised on the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
. He has been married for 50 years, with 6 children.
Following the suicide of his son Michael in 1991, Fox advised the Federal and Victorian governments on youth suicide and is on the board of the National Advisory Council on Suicide Prevention. In 1992 he was named "Victorian Father of the Year". In an interview with George Negus
George Negus
George Edward Negus is an Australian author, journalist, and television presenter. He previously presented 6:30 with George Negus on Network Ten, until it was axed by the Network on 19 October 2011.-Education:...
in August 2004, Fox spoke of the loss of his son: "Well, life is about being up and being down and being able to get up again. And in my walks of life, I guess I thought I was invincible till one of my sons committed suicide. And at that point of time, I knew I wasn't invincible ... I'd give up everything if we could get Michael back. He's got a special place in each and every one of the hearts of our family and he'll always be there and he'll never grow old."
Political positions
When asked by George Negus how he describes himself politically, Fox replied: "I guess, LaborAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
think I'm Liberal, Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
think I'm Labor, the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s think I'm Protestant, the Protestants think I'm Catholic. The local rabbi delivers me matse
Matzo
Matzo or matzah is an unleavened bread traditionally eaten by Jews during the week-long Passover holiday, when eating chametz—bread and other food which is made with leavened grain—is forbidden according to Jewish law. Currently, the most ubiquitous type of Matzo is the traditional Ashkenazic...
. So I guess, bottom line, I'm an Australian".
Fox went on to say: "I, traditionally, probably, was brought up in a working-class family where the old man would turn in his grave if he'd thought I'd have voted Liberal. But I must admit, from probably 25 up to the last election, I would have voted Liberal and supported Liberal quite strongly. But I was completely disillusioned by the lack of statesmanship with our Prime Minister
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
with the Ansett debacle
Ansett Australia
Ansett Australia, Ansett, Ansett Airlines of Australia, or ANSETT-ANA as it was commonly known in earlier years, was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airlines flew domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia during its operation in 1996...
. He had an opportunity to be a statesman. Instead he took on a political role and as a result of that, the demise of Ansett came about".
Football career
For many of his earlier years Lindsay Fox played Australian rules footballAustralian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
with moderate success, and he continues his involvement with the sport.
Recruited from the St Kilda Football Club's thirds side (which he captained), Fox was sent to Golden Point Football Club
Golden Point Football Club
The Golden Point Football Club were an Australian rules football club which competed in the Ballarat Football League from 1905 to 2000. Golden Point were based in the Ballarat suburb of the same name....
in the Ballarat Football League
Ballarat Football League
The Ballarat Football League is an Australian rules football competition that operates in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia.The competition formed in 1893 as the Ballarat Football Association and was renamed Ballarat Football League in 1908 and was briefly known as the Ballarat-Wimmera...
before he returned to make his Victorian Football League debut in 1960. Fox did not think much of his footballing abilities, but as a ruckman
Ruckman (Australian rules football position)
In Australian rules football, a ruckman is typically a tall and athletic player who contests at centre bounces and stoppages . The ruckman is one of the most important players on the field...
he went on to play 20 games (for 3 goals) between 1959 and 1961. Following his stint in the VFL, he went to the VFA, playing firstly for Moorabbin
Moorabbin Football Club
Moorabbin Football Club, nicknamed the The Kangaroos, was an Australian rules football club which played in the Victorian Football Association from 1951 to 1963 and then from 1983 to 1987...
and then Brighton
Brighton Football Club
Brighton Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA. The club was based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton and were nicknamed the Penguins...
-Caulfield
Caulfield Football Club
Caulfield Football Club was an Australian rules football club which played in the VFA from 1965 until 1987. Nicknamed The Bears, they were based in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield and wore a blue and white guernsey.-History:...
football clubs.
He later returned in an administrative role, becoming the president of the Saints in 1979.
Business interests
Fox started his LinfoxLinfox
Linfox is a logistics and supply chain company established in Australia by Lindsay Fox in 1956. The company started with one truck operated by Fox. With the acquisition of Armaguard from Mayne Logistics in 2003 and FCL in 2006, it is now the largest privately owned supply chain solutions company in...
company in 1956 with one truck.
He also took ownership of Melbourne's Luna Park
Luna Park, Melbourne
For other amusement parks of the same name, see Luna Park; for other uses of the phrase, see Luna Park Melbourne's Luna Park is a historic amusement park located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia...
in late 2005. In 2006, he made an unsuccessful bid for the development of the neighboring 'Triangle Site' on St Kilda's foreshore. The property was subsequently destroyed by fire.
He has been involved with a number of high profile disputes with the Government relating to his property development activities. In the late 1990s he attempted to claim the public beach area in front of his holiday home as a private helipad for his helicopter and to build a high security compound for himself and his family. This development was rejected by the Victorian Planning Minister. However he has also been able to use his government contacts to gain favorable treatment by being granted permission to land his helicopter near his Portsea home on crown land.
Fox has been in dispute with the local council of his Toorak mansion by attempting to have the heritage listing that applies to all homes in the street removed from his property. His son's Toorak home was destroyed by fire.
Awards and recognition
- Fox was appointed an Officer of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in the Australia DayAustralia DayAustralia Day is the official national day of Australia...
Honours of 1992, in recognition of service to the transport industry and to the community. - In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary MedalCentenary MedalThe Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
. - In the Australia Day Honours of 2008, he was advanced to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), in recognition of his continued service to the transport and logistics industries, to business through the development and promotion of youth traineeships, and to the community through a range of philanthropic endeavours.