APT Travel Group has announced the passing of their corporate patriarch Geoff McGeary.
McGeary, a pillar of the Australian travel industry, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, yesterday, 18th June.
Per the official statement, McGeary passed on just before his 84th birthday.
The Australian travel pioneer retired from the helm of APT Travel Group in January 2024 after six decades of leadership.
The family has requested that the public could send donations rather than flowers to APT’s OneTomorrow Foundation to be used in research on the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Phil Hoffmann, founder and executive director of Phil Hoffmann travel, said of the late icon: "A true legend that has left an indelible mark on the Industry. Geoff McGeary was one of pioneers and icons of the travel and tourism industry. He was always thinking of new opportunities and was a great advocate for the distribution of products by the travel agent network. He also did so much in bringing Canada/Alaska and European river cruising programmes to the Australian market."
What comes next
When McGeary stepped down from leadership, he put his two children Robert McGeary and Lou Tandy in charge of the business.
With their father’s passing, the younger McGeary and Tandy remain co-owners of APT Travel Group, as well as directors working together with the rest of the corporate board and other key executives.
In an interview following her father’s retirement last year, Tandy assured the public that APT will still be driven by innovation the way it has always been from her grandfather’s time to her father’s.
Tandy said: “Part of the culture of the business will be to have a go and try things. That is part of the way our father lived, and life is for living, to get out there, seek to improve and if there are mistakes, learn from them and do better next time.”
Celebrating a life well-lived
The son of Australian Pacific Holdings founder Alfred William “Bill” McGeary (1900-1963), Geoff McGeary took over daily operations at APT’s precursor day McGeary Parlour Coaches in 1961 when he was just 19.
Never looking back, he transformed his father’s little bus company in Melbourne into a leader in the global tourism industry.
Over his six decades in the saddle, McGeary attributed much of his success to good fortune.
Those who knew him best, however, would point out that it was his hands-on approach and open mind for innovation that propelled the company into the success it continues to enjoy to this day.
With his keen mix of innovation and investment, McGeary took the business from Melbourne to the world, and his inspiring story will live on through the business and the lives he touched over the years.
