The long-time Penrite owner has been inducted into the AAAA Hall of Fame

At the Australian Auto Aftermarket Excellence Awards Banquet, Margaret Dymond was inducted into the AAAA Hall of Fame.
Margaret is the the owner of renowned Australian automotive company, Penrite Oil, and wife of the late John ‘JD’ Dymond.
Margaret and ‘JD’ first moved from England to Australia in the late 1950s to pursue JD’s work commitments with BP and then later in the additive and lubricants sector at Lubrizol, before he and Margaret purchased the Penrite Oil Company from its original Founder, Les Mecoles, in 1979.
It is said that Les joked at the time to Margaret, “it is great you have nine children as you already have your own workforce.”
In those early years, Margaret was very hands on within the business assisting JD at car club talks to showcase Penrite, at events on weekends to promote the brand, and even in the factory spray-painting oil drums or making promotional t-shirts with the Dymond children.
Throughout these formative years Penrite launched many new products to the Australian automotive industry, including the iconic HPR series.
This range was designed, tested and manufactured here in Penrite’s local plant and showcased Penrite’s ability to deliver world-class products designed in Australia for Australian conditions.
As the 2000s commenced and just as Penrite was growing into what we see today as an industry leader in the automotive landscape, Margaret and the family were impacted with the passing of both JD and their eldest son Mark, both who had been a major force behind the now iconic brand.
Lately additional Dymond family members have joined the ranks at Penrite in various roles, including sons Toby as Chief Executive Officer, Nigel in new product development, Jon as Victorian State Manager, and Fleur in merchandising. Other children Roland, Sam, Julia, and Sue have also contributed to the business throughout its growth.
Margaret still maintains a hands-on role with the Board and the direction of the company and also supports Penrite’s sponsorships of grass-roots events and charitable causes, while also ensuring Australian manufacturing and family values are still Penrite’s focus.
In addition to her work at Penrite, Margaret privately has been a champion for youth involvement in automotive trades and motorsport activities.
She continues to support various initiatives aimed at encouraging young people to pursue careers in the automotive sector and has been a mentor to many aspiring motorsport enthusiasts.
“When my husband came home and said he was going to buy Penrite, I thought ‘is this something that we really want to do?’ John told me why and we said yes, so we counted our money and said, ‘we are going to do it’,” Margret said during her acceptance speech.
When asked what the secret to the Dymond family’s and Penrite’s success was, she paused before answering: “the secret is a lot of hard work and doing something together and making sure that you have good communication with everybody.”

To learn more about Penrite Oil, visit www.penriteoil.com.au