Bryson Fredericks – celebrating 50 years of Adelaide Fuel

50 years of fuelling the Fleurieu and beyond.

Story by Poppy Fitzpatrick. Photography by Jason Porter.

Page left: Adelaide Fuel has been servicing Fleurieu farms and locals though their petrol stations for fifty years, starting with a single truck and now employing close to eighty people. A great local business story. Above: Bryson Fredericks (now nearly 75 and at the helm of the business for fifty years) stands proudly in the ‘man cave’ housing his impressive vintage fuel pump and signage collection.

A lot can happen in half a century. Casting back to 1971, Bryson Fredericks’ memory lands him in Seaford, among big open paddocks of untouched land – vastly different from the suburban sprawl, shopping centres and industrial outlets that populate the area today.

At the centre of the region’s rapid growth has been Bryson’s business, Adelaide Fuel Distributors. In 2021, Bryson reflects with near disbelief on fifty successful years.

Growing up in New South Wales, Bryson wore a few different hats before falling into the fuel industry. He started as an electrical apprentice, worked a few stints on an oil rig, while also popping down to South Australia sporadically to pick grapes and drive trucks for Booth Transport. Known for his go-getter attitude, Bryson threw himself front and centre to take on the next generation of Ampol’s bulk fuel distribution.

Bryson took over their Seaford depot, which originally operated under the name Seaford Petroleum. His initial clientele consisted largely of agricultural families in the area. One such customer, Peter Krichauff, recalls receiving deliveries of fuel in 44 gallon drums to his farm in Delamere. As the sole operator, administrator and delivery truck driver of the company, Bryson would fill, pack and dismount these drums single-handedly. With a hint of pride, Bryson attributes this heavy lifting to never once needing a gym membership.

Peter remains a loyal customer to this day, but now receives his fuel delivery in bulk – between one and two thousand litres – around once a month. Moving away from drums and into bulk delivery allowed Bryson to greatly expand his service by reducing the frequency of his visits. When business spread into metropolitan Adelaide and beyond, it seemed fitting to change to a name with broader appeal. Adelaide Fuel Distributors was born, and now supplies as far north as Blanchetown and as far south as Cape Jervis.

While building the business, Bryson also kept busy establishing himself as a generous member of the Fleurieu community. Adelaide Fuel Distributors has sponsored the Willunga Golf Club and Moana Surf Life Saving Club for its entire fifty years. Bryson himself proudly holds a life membership to both – his name even displayed on the women’s rowboat at the surf club. Having spent his entire married life in the Old Noarlunga community, Bryson is also a life member of the Old Noarlunga Football Club, the Chairman of the Old Noarlunga Uniting Cemetery and, as an avid cricketer, was instrumental in restarting the Old Noarlunga Cricket Club in 1972.

In between his hard work, Bryson still managed to fit in a social life. It was at a Mount Compass dance Bryson attended with mates that he met his wife Dianne, who grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Myponga. Dianne and Bryson exchanged numbers and have since passed on their impressively tall genes through two generations. Although Dianne isn’t heavily involved with the business side of things, Bryson tenderly admires their unwavering support of one another, which has allowed their company and family to grow together harmoniously. >

Top left: 1971 – Bryson’s first truck. Top right: 1973 – taken on their house block at Old Noarlunga. Middle left: The Fredericks Family. Middle right: Bryson and Dianne. Bottom: 1972 – original depot on Seaford Road, which is now a Caltex service station.

Their three children Jason, Sarah and Katherine are all keenly involved in the business and maintain a close relationship of deep trust. Mixing business with family is not without its fair share of hard work, Bryson admits, but it’s clear that his loved ones are the centre of his world – alongside his impressive collection of antique fuel pumps. Bryson has accumulated a personal museum of petrol pumps, standing as a physical representation of the massive change he’s experienced over the past five decades. As he shows me a handful of restored pumps he keeps at the main office, Bryson opens one up with a grin, revealing an interior that’s been discreetly refitted with a refrigerator.

Fifty years in business has exposed the family to almost every possible hardship. Witnessing many others lose their livelihoods along the way, Bryson puts his continued success down to following honest, hardworking principles and maintaining a level of integrity that’s often missing in big business. Bryson has always meticulously ensured all of their operations are above board, earning him widespread respect in the industry and clearly contributing to the business’ longevity. He also humbly shares his successes with his employees, who he regards as extended family. Bryson insists the business would not be where it is today without the hard work of his general manager, Trevor Bayliss, who came on board in 2007 to bring the company to the next level and became a close friend in the meantime.

He and his family are focused on preserving a customer service experience that is hard to come by in an industry increasingly moving into corporate ownership. To have built Adelaide Fuel Distributors to the size it is today, while still being family-owned and operated, is an admirable achievement – one they’ve all worked extremely hard to maintain.

As he celebrates fifty years of business and approaches his 75th birthday, Bryson is keeping his hands full, with no sign of retiring anytime soon. With six grandchildren – including identical twins – and a truly energetic outlook on life, it seems Bryson and his family will be fueling the Fleurieu for many years to come.

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