Transport innovator Bill Gibbins mourned

MANAGING director at FCL Interstate Transport Services, William (Bill) Gibbins AM, has been remembered for his contribution to the Australian supply chain and for his philanthropy.

Mr Gibbins died on 3 December after a long illness aged 78.

He was the founder of FCL Interstate Transport Services, a significant Australian logistics company that he built and later sold to Linfox in 2006.

An important component of his success was the use of logistics hubs, making him a significant industry innovator. 

Chief executive of the Victorian Transport Association Peter Anderson said Bill Gibbins was “a true innovator of supply chain in Australia”.

“His foresight and energy in creating new pathways for both road and rail to share the same process was ingenious. A true industry legend,” Mr Anderson said.

Social media posts from the transport sector referred to “the best boss I have ever worked for. Still loved by so many of his former staff”.

Aside from his passion for the horse racing industry, he was also a prominent philanthropist.

His generosity included buying the building of the Rats of Tobruk Association (RTA) building in South Melbourne, ensuring the ‘rats’ would still have a home and buying a building for charitable group The Wellington Collingwood.

In a social media post, the RTA said Mr Gibbins had been “the saviour of the Rats of Tobruk Association”.

“At a time when our future was uncertain and the doors of Tobruk House were at risk of closing forever, Bill stepped forward with extraordinary generosity, purchasing the building in 2007 and ensuring our continued home,” the RTA stated.

“We owe an enduring debt of gratitude to Bill and to the Gibbins family for their steadfast support across nearly two decades. Bill was a man of great thought, conviction, and integrity. His generosity was matched only by his humility, and he will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.”

Chair of The Wellington Collingwood, James Macleod, said on social media that Bill Gibbins “was always just an ordinary bloke, with an extraordinary outlook on life and an imagination that embraced everyone: the rich and the poor, the saint and the sinner.”

“A few years ago, when we were looking for a new home for the Wellington, Bill called me and asked me to meet him for a coffee in Collingwood the following week,” Mr Macleod wrote.

“We had that coffee, walked out together, and attended the auction of a building that was for sale. The rest is history. Bill purchased the building and gave it to the Wellington to use for a dollar a year for ten years.”

Bill Gibbins is survived by his wife Iolanda and his children Greg, Andrew, Matthew and James.

Funeral details are available here.