PROMINENT vehicle repair businessman, transport industry identity, property owner and jet-powered truck builder Terry O’Hare has died aged 87.

Mr O’Hare started the Re-Car Group in the backyard of his mother’s house in 1953 and took it to be one of Australia’s biggest and most successful truck repairers.

He also had a large and diverse business portfolio including the Anchorage Restaurant and Marina, Truck City, Citylink Property group and Seair Pacific.

His companies were also involved in special-purpose vehicle manufacturing aimed at specific industry needs. One of the best known was the world’s first jet truck ‘Waltzing Matilda’, which was built in only six weeks to challenge the American drag truck Super Boss.

Matilda, as it was known, went on to capture the world truck speed record (over a flying mile) at 176.2 miles per hour (283.57km/h). It also achieved speeds in excess of 354km/h during the record runs.

Mr O’Hare was awarded entry to the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in 2017, which said he had migrated from the UK in 1950 as a ‘Ten Bob Tourist’ settling in Melbourne.

“A cabinet maker by trade he worked his way around Australia until being drafted into the army. When Terry was discharged he established Re-Car Body Works in the Melbourne suburb of Sunshine,” the Hall of Fame said in its presentation.

“In the late 50s, as larger and more diverse line haul trucks became available, Terry recognised the need for a vehicle repairer that could specialise in damage repair of trucks.

“He saw that damaged trucks were taking months to repair so after traveling overseas and looking at methods being used in other countries Terry determined that a truck should be repaired along the same lines as it was originally manufactured using assembly line methods.

“Re-car would disassemble the truck on arrival and send the components to different parts of the workshop so that each of these components was being repaired at the same time.

“The truck would then be reassembled and delivered to the client. Using this method Re-Car could repair most trucks, regardless of the damage, in four weeks.

“This method of repair was embraced by the Industry and Re-Car grew to become the largest truck repairer in the southern hemisphere.

“It operated two plants in Melbourne and Brisbane and employed 200 tradespersons. Other companies soon followed Terry’s lead and the modern truck repair industry was the result.”

Mr O’Hare’s son Stephen said: “My father was a true entrepreneur, an innovator and a very proud Australian, who loved a challenge.”

By Neil Dowling