The Golden Fleece - a photo on Flickriver

The Golden Fleece

            Old Golden Fleece Garage still retaining its original signs in Maleny, Queensland.

Golden Fleece (H.C.Sleigh ...nothing to do with Santa Clause by the way) was taken over by Caltex in 1981.It's iconic Golden Fleece globe signs are now collector's items. Caltex was always a name licensed to Ampol. Ampol as a brand also disappeared years ago, but with the loss of the right to use the Caltex brand, all such stations are reverting to Ampol starting in late 2020. 

Which reminds me, with oil price going up as the world kick starts despite COVID continuing its march, oil supplies haven't kept up with demand. The most recent round of price hikes and cycles that occur in capital cities in Australia, the price is $1.93.9.  Having travelled about Queensland in the last two years owing to COVID restrictions, I could pretty confidently say that the price in St. George, about 600 kilometres plus west of Brisbane will be about $1.49.9!!!!!!! How amazing. Draw your own conclusions. In Brisbane, the price of fuel usually jumps about 10 cents a litre just crossing the Ted Smout Memorial bridge to Redcliffe, poor things. They get ripped off relentlessly. 

Golden Fleece was an Australian brand of petroleum products and service stations operated by H. C. Sleigh and Company. A partnership was founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1893 by shipowner and merchant Harold Crofton Sleigh (1867–1933) and manufacturer and shipowner John McIlwraith (1828–1902). In 1913 the company took delivery of its first consignment of motor spirit from the United States and marketed it in Australia as "Golden Fleece".

Initially, motor spirit was sold in drums only—the first Golden Fleece pump being installed in 1920. Golden Fleece was a pioneer of single-branded service stations (as opposed to the more common multi-brand offerings of the era), and its distinctive "golden merino" trademark was soon a common sight for Australian motorists.

The post-war era saw a massive expansion of Australia's motor industry and car ownership soared. The company was made public in 1947. These were boom times for Golden Fleece and expansion and acquisitions were the trend throughout the 1950s and 1960s. H.C. Sleigh Limited acquired the fledgling "Kangaroo" and "Phillips 66" brands in 1962 and 1967 respectively. During these years, many (if not most) Golden Fleece service stations became roadhouse-style outlets with restaurants and bold signage.

Some time during the 1960s or 1970s Golden Fleece gained a major contract by the, then small, major trucking company Linfox, that is still held by Caltex Australia today, due to a friendship between Regional Manager for Victoria Max Collins and Lindsay Fox.

The company never had its own oil refinery and depended on Caltex to facilitate the importation and refining of crude oils at Kurnell Refinery in Sydney on its behalf. In the late 1970s the industry started to mature and rationalise due to soaring crude oil prices, and Federal Government oversight of petrol and diesel prices which was a subtle form of price control. Inevitably Golden Fleece was itself acquired by Caltex in 1981 and no longer trades under that name, though its unique livery can still be seen on some older roadhouses in rural Australia. A particular treasure for collectors are the globes (in the shape of the Golden Fleece ram) that sat atop the company's pumps until the 1970s, when the pumps were standardised.

Purr Pull was a brand marketed by Independent Oil Industries of Sydney. They also sold Purr Star and Resis Oil. The company was bought out by Smith Wylie (Aust) Pty Ltd in Queensland who ran the company as Purr Pull Industries and then in June 1954, H.C. Sleigh merged with Purr Pull Industries, with the Purr Pull and Star brands dropped and all operations rebranded as Golden Fleece.

Thanks to Wikipedia

Taken on: May 15, 2021

Sets appears in: • Brisbane and Queensland

Groups appears in: • Amateurs • Nikon World more » • Flickritis: over 87,000 waiting for a vaccine. • Nikon DSLR Users • Australian Photographers • Queensland • CLICK the CAMERA • Flickr Australia • CentralFlickr • Aussie all over! • Australian Photographers!!!! • Australian Country Towns • Nikon Full Frame Cameras. • My Australia • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • Urban - Photography • Australia on Flickr • ...Australia... • Flickr's Biggest Group • FlickrCentral With No Posting Limit • Nikon Australia • Nikon - The world through my eyes • Queensland Australia • Color my world! • Flickr Queensland • ABC Southern Queensland • ` FLICKR ´ • Nikon Photographers • Australian & NZ Service Stations, Garages & Car Dealerships • 60+ photographers • * just photos * no rules please use comment code appreciated • Belonging in Queensland • Country & Coastal Towns of Australia • Life Through A Hole • Australia - Pictures (No 30/60 limit) • Nikon D850 Official Club ★ • Nikon D850 DSLR • Flickr Australia Unlimited (No 30/60 restriction) • Australian Cities, Towns & Villages • Australian Photographers over 60 years • All Your Photos and Mine (No 30/60 limit - Photos from anywhere) • "Flickr Foto Share" « less

Stats: 2,800 views / 23 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: