Reg Ansett
| Reg Ansett | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Reginald Myles Ansett 13 February 1909 Inglewood, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 23 December 1981 (aged 72) |
| Residence | Mount Eliza, Victoria |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Grace Ansett Joan Adams Ansett |
| Children | John Ansett Bob Ansett Jane Ansett Janet Ansett Jill Ansett |
Sir Reginald Myles "Reg" Ansett KBE (13 February 1909 – 23 December 1981) was an Australian businessman and aviator. He was best known for founding Ansett Transport Industries Limited, which owned one of Australia's two leading domestic airlines between 1957 and 2001. He also established a number of other business enterprises including Ansett Pioneer coachlines, Ansett Freight Express, Ansair coachbuilders, Gateway Hotels, Diner's Club Australia, Biro Bic Australia and the ATV-0 television station in Melbourne and TVQ-0 in Brisbane which later became part of Network Ten. ATI also bought out Avis Rent-a-Car and had a 49% interest in Associated Securities Limited (ASL). In late 1979, mainly due to the collapse of ASL, Ansett lost control of the company to Peter Abeles of TNT and Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation who became joint managing directors.
Reginald Myles Ansett was born at Inglewood, Victoria, on 13 February 1909. His father owned a garage before World War I when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. After the war, his father established a knitting factory in Camberwell and Ansett gained qualifications as a knitting-machine mechanic at Swinburne Technical College. He was an enthusiastic private pilot, having obtained his licence in 1926 (No. 419).
He went north to work as an axeman in a Northern Territory survey team. For a time, he entertained the idea of buying land in the territory to grow peanuts. He found himself unemployed when the Commonwealth government cut off the funds for the survey. On returning to Victoria in December 1931, with his savings he purchased a second-hand Studebaker and began a service car operation between Ballarat and Maryborough carrying passengers and small items of freight. When this proved uneconomic, he switched the Ansett Motors operation to a Ballarat to Hamilton service. The wealthy graziers of Victoria's western district proved to be a much better market. Within a few years he had a small fleet of service cars operating to towns in western Victoria.
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