'Mr Gladstone', Cyril Golding, was last night inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
Established in 2009 by QUT Business School, the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Library Foundation to recognise the contribution business makes to Queensland, the Hall of Fame now records the stories of 34 great Queenslanders.
QUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Corporate Programs and Partnerships) Professor Peter Little described Mr Golding as an innovator who had not only helped make Gladstone the thriving city it is today but a man who had national economic impact and whose legacy would forever be felt in the earthmoving industry.
"Cyril Golding is a natural-born innovator," Professor Little said.
"While in his twenties he started his business carrying timber on a second hand Ford truck but very quickly made an indelible mark on the transport industry by inventing the tipper truck.
"This great invention set him apart from other transport operators.
"His ingenuity and business savviness saw him develop a business that became one of the largest privately owned earthmoving fleets in the Southern Hemisphere.
"Golding Contractors was involved in nearly every significant project undertaken in the central Queensland region and many beyond."
Professor Little said major projects included the Queensland Alumina Refinery, Stanwell Energy Park, Boyne Smelter, Townsville Zinc Refinery, Comalco Alumina Refinery, contract mining at Mary Kathleen as well as many BMA and other mine sites.
"Cyril was a hard worker who ploughed his profits back into his business so he could expand and diversify his interests," he said.
"He had vision, even at a very young age, seeing the potential in the economic development of Gladstone and making sure he had a stake in it.
"The business relationship he forged with Queensland Alumni continues today."
Professor Little said Mr Golding continued to learn throughout his life.
"He taught himself computer programming language and wrote his own applications for the company, changed the company's management structure and expanded to ensure he could take advantage of Gladstone's economic boom," he said.
In 2007 after more than 65 years at the helm of Golding Contractors, Mr Golding retired at the age of 88.
Professor Little said Golding Contractors was one of the 'great' Queensland companies and under Mr Golding's leadership it expanded to include five regional offices, had an annual turnover of $350 million and employed well in excess of 1000 people at the time of its sale in 2008.
"In 2008 Cyril received the keys to the City of Gladstone and is a well-known local hero particularly for his philanthropic work for which he has been given the much-loved title 'Mr Gladstone'," he said.
"Cyril Golding belongs to that most esteemed category of businessmen, a self-made man."
The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame now includes the stories of 34 business people and corporations who have helped shape Queensland's social and economic prosperity.
The distinguished Queenslanders inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame last night at a gala dinner at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre were:
•Campbell Brothers Limited, nearly 150 years old, for global business leadership in its field
•William Knox D'Arcy for his successful development of the Mt Morgan gold mine and role in the discovery of oil in Persia
•Cyril Golding for contributions to civil infrastructure and mining services in Queensland
•The McDonald Family for leadership in beef production over more than 150 years
•The RNA for its outstanding contribution to Queensland industry and society for 136 years
•Salvation Army General, General (Rtd) Eva Burrows AC for exceptional global and national leadership.
The Hall of Fame space resides within the State Library and includes a digital story booth and provides access to business memorabilia.
Visit www.halloffame.slq.qld.gov.au to view stories or to find out more about the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame inductees.
Media contact: Rose Trapnell, QUT media team leader, 07 3138 2361 or 0407 585 901 rose.trapnell@qut.edu.au
