You’re offline. This is a read only version of the page.
Along with two other notable figures, Western Australia’s Mr. John Hughes, of John Hughes Group and Mr. Doug Kerr of Shacks Group, have recently been recognised before a national audience, at the 2023 AADA Convention and Expo’s Chairman Dinner in Sydney. The pair were recognised for dedicating their lives to the automotive field, each contributing well over 50 years of service to their respective businesses and equally, to the broader automotive industry.
AADA CEO James Voortman introduced the award recipients as “incredibly special people” who had given “exceptional service to the communities they serve, to the people they employ, and to this industry as a whole.”
“…Tonight, we get to acknowledge some dealers from the great state of Western Australia, and the equally great state of South Australia,” said Mr. Voortman.
Mr. Hughes was the first to receive his lifetime achievement award, presented by MTA WA Group CEO Stephen Moir, who praised Mr. Hughes’ business success and broader contribution to the community.
“[John] now has nine franchises. He has 500 people. He has spread to the northern suburbs and the southern suburbs. And more importantly, today he has 2500 used vehicles in stock.
“He’s an amazing example of resilience in business. He never wavers away from a challenge. The one thing I admire about him the most is anyone in WA can ask to speak to him on the phone and they will be put straight through to him and he will speak to them...” said Mr. Moir.
Mr. Hughes began his career at the age of 19. He was tasked with presenting new Vauxhalls for customer delivery which subsequently ignited an insatiable passion in him.
“I’ve had it in my system ever since. I don’t play golf. I don’t go caravanning. I don’t play bridge. I haven’t got a boat. I don’t go fishing. What else do people do? I just absolutely love the car business.
“And when you love what you do, as we all know, you never have to go to work.”
Over the course of time, Mr. Hughes has accrued incredible achievements. At one point, his dealership ‘John Hughes Hyundai’ became Australia’s top Hyundai seller for six years – outselling dealerships even on an international scale.
Today, Mr. Hughes has successfully established his own service centres, fleets and the finance broking business, ‘Yes Loans.’ Of course, he is prominently known for owning one of WA’s biggest car dealership groups, which represents manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia, Ford, Volkswagen, MG, LDV, Jeep and Chery.
On stage, Mr. Hughes took a moment to pay his mentions.
“I want to say thank you to my wife without whom I wouldn’t be here. A word of advice fellas, for those of you who are married, I go home every night and I surrender at the front door.”
While maintaining his leadership in the automotive world, Mr. Hughes has also turned his attention to philanthropical pursuits, participating in charitable causes and offering welcome support at a community-level.
Mr. John Hughes
Next to receive his prestigious award is Mr. Doug Kerr, who owns the Shacks Motor Group in Fremantle and Rockingham.
Mr. Moir introduces Mr. Kerr as ‘one of the greatest people you could ever wish to meet.’
“He has been involved with the MTA in WA for longer than I think we could even find records,” Mr Moir said.
“Nobody in WA, including anyone in my office, knows more about licensing and WA’s very heavily regulated industry… [than him].”
What started as a small automotive repair shop in 1922, turned into a newly-built showroom in 1982, which then went onto become Fremantle’s largest automotive new franchise for brands such as Mitsubishi and later, Volkswagen, Mazda and HSV. Over decades the business continued to grow, renewing itself as employees and family members joined the business, further expanding the organisation’s capabilities with increased knowledge, skill, energy and fresh perspectives.
Upon accepting his award, Mr. Kerr shared his story, which for Shacks has been one of ‘perseverance, family values and a passion for excellence.’
“I joined in 1969, fresh back from a tour overseas in Vietnam. I got discharged from the national service in the army and joined the company in September 1969 as an assistant sales manager,” he said.
“Back in 1923, we became members of the WA Chamber of Commerce’s automotive division and in 1934, we were inaugural members of the WA Automobile Chamber of Commerce, and subsequently AADA.
“For me, I’ve enjoyed being in the committees to make sure that our industry goes forth. I served a term as president of AADA back in 1987-1989 and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.
“Thanks to my family and a special thanks to my daughter Jodi who has now taken over as Managing Director at the helm of the Shacks Group, as the generation to lead us into the future.
“I think you’d all agree we’ve had some good times, we’ve had some fantastic times and we’ve had some bloody hard times but the industry has always given us challenges and rewards. Thank you very much for the recognition.”
Mr Kerr thanked the guests that have supported him and the company over the past 101 years.
Special thanks to Neil Dowling from Go Auto for covering this event and producing the substance of this article.
