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Doin' the Business

Doin' the Business

Written by: Wickham Freight Lines
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Welcome to Doin The Business with Graham Keogh, the podcast where real business stories come straight from the driver’s seat. Hosted by Graham Keogh from Wickham Freight Lines, this show dives into the people, lessons, wins, failures, and hard-earned experience behind building successful businesses in Australia.


From transport and logistics to leadership, growth, resilience, and industry insight, each episode features honest conversations with business owners, operators, and people who’ve spent years doing the work — not just talking about it.

No fluff. No corporate buzzwords. Just real people, real stories, and real business.

© 2026 Doin' the Business Economics
Episodes
  • Doin The Business with Graham Keogh | Episode 1 with Sean Haynes

    Doin The Business with Graham Keogh | Episode 1 with Sean Haynes
    May 18 2026

    Welcome to the very first episode of Doin The Business with Graham Keogh.

    Filmed inside Graham’s 1989 Kenworth T600, this episode kicks off the podcast with long-time Wickham Freight Lines team member Sean Haynes, now Head of Solutions.

    Sean shares how he started at Wickham’s as a 16-year-old washing trucks, worked his way through local driving, interstate runs, yard operations, and eventually into a leadership role helping solve problems across the business.

    This episode is full of classic trucking stories, old-school lessons, laughs, loyalty, hard work, and the culture that has helped shape Wickham Freight Lines over the years.


    In this episode:

    • Sean’s early days starting at Wickham Freight Lines
    • Growing up around trucks as a third-generation truck driver
    • Washing trucks, local runs, and learning the ropes
    • The value of hard work, commitment, and turning up every day
    • Graham and Sean reflect on funny moments, mistakes, and lessons learned
    • Why transport creates real opportunities for young people
    • The importance of culture, safety, and knowing your people
    • Graham shares the drivers and mentors who shaped his career
    • What “Head of Solutions” really means at Wickham’s


    Key Takeaway

    Success in transport doesn’t come from half-doing the job. It comes from commitment, resilience, problem-solving, and showing up every day ready to do the business.


    Guest

    Sean Haynes
    Head of Solutions at Wickham Freight Lines


    Host

    Graham Keogh
    Wickham Freight Lines


    Chapters

    00:00 Welcome to Doin The Business
    00:40 Graham introduces the first episode
    01:20 Meet Sean Haynes
    02:00 Starting at Wickham’s at 16
    03:00 Growing up around trucks
    04:30 First job washing trucks
    05:40 Moving into local driving
    07:00 Learning the ropes in the yard
    08:20 Sean’s first trucks and early memories
    10:00 Getting sacked, leaving, and coming back
    11:30 Opportunities for young people in transport
    13:00 Running tug drivers and learning leadership
    14:40 Wickham’s culture and long-term staff
    16:00 Growth, challenges, and knowing your people
    17:10 Graham’s early trucking idols
    19:00 What Head of Solutions means
    20:00 The non-negotiable for success
    21:00 Final stories and wrap-up
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    22 mins
  • Episode 3: Inside the Grey Ghost Restoration with Chris Hall

    Episode 3: Inside the Grey Ghost Restoration with Chris Hall
    Jul 31 2026

    Episode overview

    In Episode 3 of Doin’ the Business, Graham Keogh sits down with longtime Wickham Freight Lines workshop specialist Chris Hall.

    Chris shares how an apprenticeship at a local Ford dealership led to a mechanical career spanning approximately 45 years. He discusses his work across the Wickham Freight Lines workshop, from major engine conversions and accident repairs to restoring some of the company’s most historically significant trucks.

    The main focus of the episode is the restoration of the Grey Ghost, a 1970 Seattle-built Kenworth originally made for Comet and used in Australia’s overnight express freight industry.

    Graham and Chris explain the enormous amount of work involved in returning the truck to its original body-truck configuration. The restoration included extending the chassis, manufacturing unavailable parts, rebuilding the cab, restoring an original Lucar freight body and rebuilding its 8V71 Detroit engine.

    They also reflect on the differences between old and modern trucks, the importance of apprenticeships and why preserving these vehicles matters for future generations.

    Chapter breakdown

    00:00 – Welcome and introduction
    Graham introduces Chris Hall and discusses his role within the Wickham Freight Lines workshop.

    01:15 – Chris’s mechanical beginnings
    Chris explains how he entered the industry through an apprenticeship at a Ford dealership.

    03:15 – Comparing old and modern trucks
    Chris discusses the electronics, comfort and power of modern trucks while explaining how the basic mechanics remain similar.

    04:45 – Major Wickham workshop projects
    Graham and Chris remember replacing problematic EGR engines with Mack E5 engines and completing the wiring and conversions themselves.

    07:00 – Developing a passion for restoration
    Chris explains why restoring old trucks is some of the most rewarding work of his career.

    08:20 – Finding the Grey Ghost
    The story of locating and purchasing the 1970 Kenworth originally built for Comet.

    09:50 – Restoring the original truck configuration
    The team extends the chassis and returns the Grey Ghost from a prime mover to its original body-truck dimensions.

    11:25 – Fabricating unavailable parts
    Chris discusses manufacturing crossmembers, panels and other components that could no longer be sourced.

    12:35 – Paintwork and the Casino Truck Show
    The German Racing Silver paintwork and plans to unveil the restored truck at the Casino Truck Show.

    13:50 – Unexpected cab damage
    Rust, cracked flooring and the hidden problems discovered after dismantling the cab.

    15:20 – Connections to the original drivers
    Graham and Chris discover that the father of two current Wickham employees once drove the Grey Ghost.

    16:50 – Restoring the Lucar freight body
    How the team found an original body and rebuilt its floor, panels and door frame.

    18:50 – Why the original bodies rarely survived
    The lightweight construction of the freight bodies and why so few remain today.

    19:45 – Driving old trucks versus modern trucks
    Chris remembers learning in an R-series Mack and compares 285-horsepower trucks with today’s 600-horsepower vehicles.

    21:25 – Future restoration projects
    Potential future projects, including a Volvo F86 bubble cab and a Detroit-powered T650.

    22:10 – Rebuilding the Detroit engine
    Chris discusses working with Tim Wall to rebuild the Grey Ghost’s 8V71 Detroit engine.
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    22 mins
  • Episode 4: Family, Freight & The Next Generation

    Episode 4: Family, Freight & The Next Generation
    Sep 8 2026
    In Episode 4 of Doin’ the Business, Graham sits down with his daughter, Thomasin Roberts, Head of People, Culture and Safety at Wickham Freight Lines.Thomasin has been part of the business for the past 10 years, but her connection to Wickhams goes back much further. She grew up watching the business develop from something that simply felt like “work” into the national transport operation it is today.Graham and Thomasin reflect on what it was like growing up in a family transport business, the enormous contribution of their family behind the scenes and the early jobs Thomasin and her siblings were given during school holidays.They also discuss the importance of customers, curiosity and humility, and the challenge of maintaining a genuine family culture as Wickham Freight Lines continues to grow. Thomasin explains why the next phase of the business needs to be more strategic, while still protecting the driver experience, workplace culture and values that have helped shape Wickhams.The conversation also turns to the wider transport industry, including the role truck drivers played during COVID and how fragile Australia’s supply chain can be. Graham and Thomasin reflect on the extraordinary effort drivers made during that period and why the industry deserves greater recognition.Later in the episode, they have an open discussion about mental health within transport, the isolation drivers can experience and the difficulty many people face when trying to access support.They finish by looking outside the business, discussing Graham’s passion for farming, cattle, soil, trees and creating environments where things can grow.Chapter breakdown00:00 – Welcome and introducing ThomasinGraham introduces his daughter Thomasin Roberts and they discuss why she has been trying to convince him to start the podcast for the past five years.01:30 – Why the transport industry mattersGraham and Thomasin discuss the scale of transport across Australia and how almost every community depends on trucks in some form.03:00 – Truck drivers during COVIDThey reflect on the enormous effort drivers made during the pandemic, including constant testing, border restrictions and extended periods away from home.05:00 – Thomasin’s role at Wickham Freight LinesThomasin explains her role across people, culture, recruitment, payroll, compliance, training and HR, supporting a workforce of around 600 people.07:00 – Growing up inside WickhamsThomasin remembers growing up with a truck-driver father and an accountant mother, and how the business simply felt like work rather than a large company.10:00 – School holidays working in the businessFrom putting stickers on potato bags to working in the potato factory, Thomasin shares some of the jobs the Wickham children were expected to do growing up.12:15 – The next generation of the family businessGraham and Thomasin discuss what her own children now see when they visit Wickhams and the lessons they are already learning about work, customers and responsibility.14:15 – Why the customer comes firstThomasin reflects on lessons from her early career, while Graham remembers what his own father taught him about looking after customers.16:30 – Curiosity, humility and being one teamThey discuss the importance of never assuming you know everything and why good businesses continually learn from the people around them.18:45 – Growing without losing the family cultureThomasin explains why future growth needs to be more strategic while still protecting Wickhams’ family values, driver experience and workplace culture.21:00 – Learning the business from the ground upThomasin talks about joining Wickhams in recruitment, immersing herself in warehouse operations and learning why the best way to understand a problem is often to experience it firsthand.24:00 – Thomasin’s career and educationFrom recruitment and digital roles to completing an MBA while raising two young children, Thomasin discusses the experiences that shaped her professionally.26:15 – Mental health in the transport industryThe conversation turns to mental health, loneliness on the road, the pressures drivers experience and the challenges people face when trying to access professional support.30:15 – Graham reflects on Thomasin and the next generationGraham shares how proud he is of Thomasin and the next generation coming through the Wickham Freight Lines business.31:15 – Life outside trucksThomasin asks Graham about his interests away from transport, including his farm, cattle, soil, trees, dams and creating habitats for wildlife.35:15 – Watching people and businesses growGraham and Thomasin discuss their shared enjoyment of developing people, helping customers grow and thinking strategically about the future.37:15 – What’s next for Doin’ the Business?They wrap up Episode 4 with some father-daughter banter and a look ahead at future guests on the podcast.
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    38 mins
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