Archibald Allan Scott, AO (1923–28 October 2008) was a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n businessman, most well known for his

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

-based transport, property and media interests.

Career

Scott was best known for founding the truck organisation Scott's Transport in

, which has since grown to be one of the biggest freight companies in Australia, rivalling

Linfox Linfox is an Australian transport and logistics and supply chain business founded in 1956 by Lindsay Fox. History Linfox was established in 1956 by Lindsay Fox as Lindsay Fox Cartage with one truck in Melbourne. In 1958, a contract with Schwep ...

. In 1988 Scott purchased local rival transport company K&S Freighters and then listed it on the Australian Securities Exchange. Alongside trucking, he had many business interests in Mount Gambier, including the town's newspaper, ''

The Border Watch ''The Border Watch'' is an Australian newspaper based in Mount Gambier, South Australia, as of October 2020 owned by TBW Today Pty Ltd. The paper services Mount Gambier, the South Australian Limestone Coast, and parts of Western Victoria. It is ...

'' and television station SES8. He also owned two regional radio stations, Adelaide radio station

5DN Cruise 1323 (call sign: 5DN) is one of Adelaide's longest running radio stations. In its 80+ years it has changed considerably. It was the first commercial station to begin broadcasting in South Australia. History Radio 5DN began operating ...

, hotels, shopping centres and cattle properties in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

and

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Scott was awarded a medal of

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

(OAM) in June 1986 and made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in June 2006 for "service to the development of the transport industry, focusing on heavy vehicle driver safety training and through lobbying for improved infrastructure and development of an integrated freight network, and to the community through a broad range of sporting, medical research and aged care organisations". In 1997, Scott's became a major sponsor of Port Adelaide Football Club upon their entry into the Australian Football League. In early 2004, Scott criticised Port Adelaide coach Mark Williams, stating that Williams would never coach Port to an AFL premiership. Following Port Adelaide's victory in the

2004 AFL Grand Final The 2004 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Brisbane Lions, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 2004. It was the 108th annual grand fi ...

, Williams made the famous speech "Allan Scott - You were wrong!".

Personal life

After a 55-year career, Scott died of heart failure on 28 October 2008 in hospital in Mount Gambier aged 85. He was survived by his wife Grace, children, and 14 grandchildren. His death as one of Australia's richest people led to a highly publicised legal battle over his $600 million fortune among his family.

References

1923 births 2008 deaths People from Mount Gambier, South Australia Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian businesspeople {{australia-business-bio-stub