Businessman reflects on motoring legacy

AUTOMOTIVE dealer Peter Stevens said he’s not sure if it was luck or divine intervention that led to his major successes in the car industry.

Between 1970 and 2018 Mr Stevens achieved more than one billion dollars of machinery and vehicle sales.

“I think the biggest success is what we’ve been able to achieve… I had no formal education,” he said.

“What I’ve learnt is through the car industry.”

Mr Stevens has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the King’s Birthday Honours, in recognition of his contributions to the community.

He began his career as an apprentice motor mechanic with Craig Bros in 1954 and was awarded apprentice of the year four times.

In 1971 Mr Stevens became a share holder in the business and by 1976 he bought the remaining shareholding to allow the Craig brothers to retire.

The business’ name was changed to Peter Stevens Motors in November 1983.

Mr Stevens said his success did not come without challenges, but supporting his staff remained of upmost importance.

“Challenges were the recessions and how to get through them because all the people that joined us were the most important part of the dealership,” he said.

“We fought to keep them on at all costs.”

In 1997 a site located at Creswick Road was purchased to take the business forward and Mr Stevens said the ‘Motorworld’ which remains on site today is one of his greatest achievements.

“Prior to building it I went to America and looked at the improvements they’d made over there,” he said.

Peter Stevens Motorworld was sold in 2017.

Mr Stevens has donated several cars to Grampians Health and is a life member of Ballarat Health Services Base Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Centre for Aged Care.

He was awarded a Grampians Health live governor award in 2019.

Mr Stevens is also dedicated to supporting prostate cancer awareness with the Male Bag Foundation following the diagnosis of his friend, and former Aussie rules footballer and coach, David Parkin.

The organisation has raised money to install 20 machines that detect prostate cancer in a more reliable and less invasive way around Australia, the first of which was at the Ballarat Base Hospital.