Heart of gold: Kevin Riddle is seen at Inchcape as “a great example to the younger generations about commitment, attention to detail and nurturing colleagues around you”.

INCHCAPE Australia Limited has paid tribute to property services manager Kevin Riddle – “a legend” at the company (and its predecessors) who retired on January 2 after exactly 60 years of service.

Mr Riddle entered the automotive industry on January 2, 1959, joining Larke Consolidated Industries as a 15-year-old apprentice motor mechanic at its garage on Paramatta Road in Stanmore, in Sydney’s inner west.

He initially worked on Fiats – and was part of the pit team for Fiat’s Bathurst campaign during the 1960s – and soon rose through the ranks to become road tester, foreman, assistant manager and then manager.

During this period, ‘Larkes’ transitioned ownership to LNC, JGL, TKM and ultimately Inchcape, and Mr Riddle’s hand turned increasingly to models from Subaru, for which Inchcape is the official distributor in Australia.

His responsibilities also included management of all Wetherill Park facilities, when the compound in the outer western suburbs of Sydney was opened in 1979.

He returned to LNC’s head office at Ryde in 1981, serving as administrative services officer and, later, warranty manager, before the full operation moved to Wetherill Park and Mr Riddle assumed the role of property services manager.

“I never envisioned spending so much time with the same company, but I’ve had different roles and the company ownership changed a few times, so there’s always been variety and plenty of challenges,” he said.

Mr Riddle has seen a vast amount of changes in the industry, particularly in vehicle engineering and technical development, from the Leone and Brumby in the 1970s to the current crop of Subaru models.

“When you look at Subarus now, everything from the paint to the trim, computer technology and reliability are vastly superior,” he said.

“When I started, radios were one of the major car accessories. Now, fantastic systems like EyeSight are becoming the norm.”

Inchcape Australia chief executive Nick Senior paid tribute to Mr Riddle, describing him as “a legend” at the company.

“His no-nonsense exterior hides a heart of gold and he’s a great example to the younger generations about commitment, attention to detail and nurturing colleagues around you,” he said.

By Terry Martin