The story of Melton Toyota and Keith Harrison starts with small beginnings and spans more than 30 years of growth in the motor car industry. The Keith Harrison story is one of growth, achievement and loyalty to the community in which he was raised.
Keith was born in Rockbank and went to the local primary school. He attended Sunshine Technical School for his secondary education, then attended the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he studied a motor mechanics course. His first mechanical work involved Triumphs and Vanguards.
Keith has a keen interest in sport and he became involved in the local sporting community when he was young. He played for the Rockbank Football Club before transferring to the Melton Football Club where he was a greatly valued player. At 25, his football career was cut short when he was forced to retire due to a broken elbow and heavier work commitments.
A young achiever, Keith began his own business at age 21. It was a motor car repair business on a site leased from a local couple. It later became the Shell Service Station on the Western Highway, and, ironically, was located across the road from the site that was to become Melton Toyota and Harrison Ford. Keith successfully operated his first business for 5 years.
In 1968, he married Joan Young, of Ballan. Joan became involved in the business operation and then in the early 1970’s Keith was approached by Toyota and was asked if he was interested in starting his own Toyota franchise in Melton. He accepted the offer and on February 1, 1973, Australian Motor Industries welcomed Keith Harrison to the Toyota Network. With success behind him, Keith could only go forward.
In December 1983, Keith leased the site next door to Melton Toyota from the Ford Motor Company business that would become Harrison Ford, and in 1996 opened the doors to Melton Suzuki. Keith has been the motivating force behind the success of Melton Toyota, Melton Suzuki and Harrison Ford and has certainly made the dealership one of which all Melton residents can be proud and rely on. The Harrison Motoring Group has recently opened the doors of Harrison Hyundai, and now the group employs more than 95 staff members. Keith takes great pride in the fact that most of his staff are local residents, promoting a family atmosphere in which to work and grow.
Having been raised in the Melton community, Keith is aware of its needs and is always prepared to help in any way the dealership can, whether it is by sponsorship or by personal involvement by himself or his staff. Melton Toyota is a proud supporter of various community sporting groups including the Melton Football Club, the Melton South Football Club, The Melton Cricket Club, the Melton Bowling Club, the Melbourne Racing and Speed Boat Club and the Melton South Little Athletics Club just to name a few. Keith has been a member of the Australian Power Boat Association for over 40 years and has won a number of Championships. A highlight of Keith's racing career was when he won Australasia’s most prestigious speedboat racing event - the EC Griffiths Cup - at Lake Eppalock in 1986 and again on the Hawkesbury River in 2003 and 2004.
Keith has since retired from racing and now leaves that job to his son, Grant. Keith now manages the race team and oversees the engine building of their latest grand prix race boat “GP101”. The team is not racing at the moment, however, due to a serious race accident that Grant was involved in. Keith has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Melton for the last two decades and one of his annual commitments during the last 20 years has been to organize and co-ordinate the clubs major fund raising event, the Charity Golf Day. He is also a member of the inaugural council for the Mowbray College.
Today the next generation of the Harrison family is making its mark in the business, Grant is the Dealer Principal of Melton Toyota and Nic is the Dealer Principal of Harrison Hyundai and Melton Suzuki (Harrison Ford ceased operation in February 2008 after 27 years). Brooke has been assisting in vehicle preparation and has just recently purchased her own mobile dog grooming business. Other outstanding achievements of Keith Harrison include:
- Melton Citizen of the year in 1994.
- Life member of the Rotary Club of Melton. Awarded 'Paul Harris Fellowship'
- Life member of the Melbourne Racing and Speed Boat Club.
- Joan and Keith Harrison are founding members of the Mowbray College, with the art gallery being named in their honour.
- Joan is also a life member of Mowbray College.
- Melton Toyota strives hard to support the community to supply better service and greater car deals.
- Winner of Toyota Australia's highest dealership accolade 'The Presidents Award' in 2002
The company is proud of its staff; Leigh Evans won the Toyota 1995 National Service Advisor Skill Competition and was inducted into Toyota's International Hall of Fame in Japan. Joan Harrison as customer relations manager has won numerous awards. Maureen McGinnis for her many awards of excellence in Business Management, Brad Evans for the many Parts Excellence awards. Many of the staff have been part of the business for over 15 years, Maureen McGinnis (Business Manager), Jeff Mills (Foreman), Peter Hunter (Pre-Delivery), Peter Morris (Road Tester), Vic Allen (Technician), Leigh Evans (Service Manager) and Brad Evans (Parts and Accessories Manager).
Joan and Keith have taken a step back from the business these days. Joan officially retired in January 2007 after more than 30 years of working in the business and Keith is “semi-retired” preferring to just pop in to work occasionally leaving more time for work on his golf game.
