Mr Delforce had been a household name in the Hunter Valley region for more than 40 years and over his career it is said that if someone lived long enough in Newcastle then Ken Delforce would have sold them a new or used car.
He held franchises for Toyota and Hino at Muswellbrook, plus Nissan and Mitsubishi, and operated extensive used car businesses from his dealerships, which traded as Crossroads Motors and later the Delforce Motor Group.
He held the Daihatsu franchise until it was discontinued in Australia. He was an early adopter of the Daewoo brand in Australia and got behind Proton and SsangYong as well.
Mr Delforce sold his dealerships to the Sumitomo Group in 2009.
Mr Delforce also operated the Mega Parts auto parts empire in Newcastle with an AutoPro store in Warners Bay and distributed from a large warehouse at Cardiff.
Friends told GoAuto that Mr Delforce was “always on the go” pursuing business project after business project and was in the middle of the construction of a major parts distribution warehouse due to be opened in the new year.
Known to his many friends and business associates as ‘The Sheriff’, he was said to be a man who did not know how to wind back.
One said: “He was always going to die in the saddle.”
Mega Parts manager Chad Moore, who worked for Mr Delforce for 20 years, said that he was working on his projects until the day he died.
Mr Moore told GoAuto: “He would never have retired. He had dreams. He lived to work.”
Employees remembered him as an outstanding employer and mentor who gave his time freely to his staff, many of whom got their start in the industry and went on to own or manage their own dealerships.
Ken Squires, who worked for Mr Delforce as a wholesale manager between 1979 and 1984 at Crossroads Motors in Argenton, told the Newcastle Herald: “He was one of the achievers in Newcastle. Everyone admired him.
“He would always walk in with a smile on his face and say hello to everyone. He always had something nice to say. We were a family and not so much a business,” he said.
Others remember Mr Delforce as an icon in the Hunter Valley, a character and a personality with a big presence. He was the kind of man who would stop a room when he entered, one told GoAuto.
Chris Kane, who worked for Mr Delforce some years ago, told GoAuto: “Ken loved everything about cars. He was a prolific reader, he was an intuitive valuer and was a natural in the car business.
“When people asked him about cars he was always protective of every car brand and never bagged another make. He would say: ‘There are no bad cars anymore, just some are better than others’.”
Mr Delforce’s love of cars ran to a collection which included various Valiants from his days at Crossroads Chrysler.
A great benefactor to the Hunter Valley community over many years, he loved Newcastle and participated in the Newcastle community wherever he thought he could make the city a better place.
At his funeral last Friday, the Newcastle City Hall was packed to capacity with Mr Delforce’s family, friends, colleagues and business associates, with many tributes from industry luminaries including former Nissan Australia managing director Leon Daphne.
Others paid tribute to his love of horse racing. He trained and owned horses in the Hunter region and was a life member of the Newcastle Jockey Club. He was a director and vice-chairman of the club until 2006.
Mr Delforce is survived by his wife Helen and his children Wayne, Deborah and Sharon.
By John Mellor
Ken Delforce
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