Time to Roam Australia Issue 15 - June/July 2015 | Page 6

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upfront welcome

Editor’s desk
Over the past few years we’ve enjoyed bringing you the stories
behind many of the big Australian caravan makers of the past.
We break with tradition this issue by looking
at Jayco, the industry’s “great survivor”.
It’s 40 years since Gerry Ryan built
his first pop-top trailer prototype in a
cow shed south east of Melbourne.
Even he could not have foreseen it would
be the foundation for the massive company
that is Jayco Australia today, building more
than half of all the new caravans, motorhomes,
5th wheelers and campers on our roads.
From a business perspective Gerry Ryan’s story
is all the more interesting given he’s weathered
the many storms and challenges that ultimately
brought down those big names from the past.
I was intrigued going into the interview because
here’s a company with a massive market share
up against hundreds of smaller competitors,
yet I’ve never found anyone with a bad word to
say about Gerry Ryan or the Jayco product.
To me that just seemed un-Australian. After
all, we take pride in cutting down tall poppies! I
was curious to know how Jayco had built and
maintained such an enviable reputation.
I found the answer lies in a long-standing
commitment to continuous quality improvement
and supporting people. It was a privilege to meet
Gerry Ryan and look back over those 40 years and

I hope you enjoy this special anniversary feature.
A new feature we’ve added this issue is a
classified se