Scotch College

'Mr Woodside' Geoff Donaldson's brilliant career

At eighty-seven years of age, standing two metres tall (six feet six inches), and with a sharp mind and a quick wit, Geoff Donaldson ('30) cuts an imposing figure.

For many years Geoff was also a giant in the Australian corporate scene, as chairman of Woodside Petroleum, Australia's largest-ever resource development, and chairman and director of several other companies. Nicknamed 'Mr Woodside', Geoff was awarded the Order of Australia in 1985 and the Lewis G Weeks Gold Medal for his services to Australian business.

He is one of only two Australians to be written up in Fortune magazine, and a cover story in Asian Banking magazine described him as 'Australia's billion dollar man'.

Geoff grew more than 40cm (16 inches) during his four years at Scotch, from 1927 to 1930 - and says Scotch also helped his mind to grow. 'Four years in the boarding house and, at school, having my interest kindled in many subjects, particularly geology, served me in good stead right through my career,' Geoff told Great Scot. Legendary masters 'Bumpy' Ingram, 'Bosh' Bowden and 'Tort' Jamieson nurtured him, and 'Faf' Fleming later became his brother-in-law.

Born in 1913, Geoff lived at Heidelberg until he was twelve. 'It was a country village then,' he said, 'and I used to milk two jersey cows in the morning and then ride a horse to primary school.' His interest in agriculture stimulated, Geoff was later to own 1,100 hectares (2,800 acres) of prime land near Bairnsdale, and to pioneer water conservation techniques, for which he won the Victorian Government's Hanslow Cup.

Leaving school in 1930, Geoff got a job at Perpetual Trustees despite the Depression, rising to become a senior Trust Officer, then left for war service in 1939. He had the great foresight to set his future career course by buying a stock exchange seat in 1943, while still a soldier. He was to hold that seat for thirty years.

Demobbed in 1946, Geoff quickly showed marvellous aptitude as a broker. His company, Donaldson and Lynch, underwrote many companies, the most famous of which was Woodside Petroleum, of which Geoff was to be chairman for more than twenty-eight years. As well as Woodside, Geoff became chairman of Mid-East Minerals, Vamgas and Ramsay Surgical, and was a director of Santos, Besser Vibrapack, John Sackville and Sons and RVB Engineering.

'Whenever I was elected to a board, I always tried to encourage the company to show strong, steady growth, while keeping costs down,' Geoff said. Woodside's success, and that of other companies with which Geoff was associated, attests to the wisdom of that philosophy.

In retirement, Geoff still watches business affairs - and Scotch - keenly. His three sons and four of his five grandsons all attended the school. (He also has four granddaughters). Among his many interests, Geoff is on the Council of Melbourne Scots, is a keen member of the Viticultural Society of Victoria, and often swims at the Athenaeum Club's indoor pool.