Good staff and long-term loyalty are hard to find but we were very lucky to have had three individuals who deserve the recognition for everything they have done for us. Quite simply, we couldn’t imagine the past 30 years without Funky, Jules and Henry; our longest serving Ferry Drivers. This motely Ferry ‘crew’ transported vehicles everywhere – short trips, long trips and everything in between, they were always responsible for getting our vehicles wherever we needed them to be, hence the reason we named our three car carriers after them!

At Everything Fleet, we know what it’s like to end one chapter (aka Thrifty Car Rental) and start another, and for this reason it’s important to thank those who didn’t quite reach the finish line with us. We miss seeing Funky, Jules and Henry’s smiling faces every day but we know how hard they worked and we wish them only the best in their retirement adventures.

Here are some random (but fun) facts about our retired Ferry Drivers:

Funky (formally known as Ray)

  • It was a natural progression for Funky to get into ferry driving after working as a taxi driver for 20 years however a bad habit he picked up, is never stopping to eat and that’s also one of his pet peeves – getting into a car where other drivers have eaten and there are crumbs everywhere!
  • Driving for all those years, it’s a wonder he didn’t have more speeding tickets in his lifetime but if you ask Funky, he can remember them all. The first time he ever got caught speeding he was driving a Green Holden Barina on an early morning run from Brisbane and all the other drivers saw him get pulled over and they had a good laugh at his expense! The second was on his way back from Toowoomba in a Grey Mitsubishi Station Wagon at 7pm and there was a State of Origin match on that night (NSW lost!) and the third was near Yatala, in one of his long-term favourite cars, a Grey 2-door Mitsubishi Lancer.
  • The funniest story Funky recalls is not really that funny at all! The drivers were travelling together to collect cars when one of them started complaining of indigestion. This particular driver eventually asked the ‘crew’ to pull into a service station to enable him to purchase some Quick-eze. It wasn’t long after that an ambulance was called and the driver was rushed to hospital and two stents put into his arteries. Collectively, all the Ferry Drivers had a good laugh over this many years later thankful he didn’t die in their car!
  • And, now to what everyone always asks us – how did Funky get his name? Is it because he smells? Is it his unconventional dress sense? Or did he simply do a JLo? Nope – the name Funky was “invented” by Ben Manns, an original Jonday member. One morning, the car detailers had music playing and Ben started to do a dance and Ray got up and joined him. Ben laughed his head off and called him Funky from that day forward. Eventually, all his family and friends started calling him Funky and the name just stuck.

Jules & Henry:

  • Jules and Henry, a brilliant husband and wife team got into Ferry Driving when their neighbour asked them to go to Brisbane to pick up cars for him. They both genuinely loved driving as it was interesting each and every day and some 25 years later they found themselves still doing it in between their overseas travel junkets.
  • Prior to becoming full-time Ferry Drivers, Jules and Henry owned and operated a coffee lounge called the Royal Palm and two takeaway shops in Rockhampton.
  • Jules’s favourite car was the original ‘Thrifty Courtesy bus’. Known for its unique decal design, it was famous on the Gold Coast and many competitors tried to emulate it but nobody came close. Eventually Jonday sold it to a local surfing company which was sad, but at least we got to still see it driving around on the Coast.
  • Henry’s favourite car was the Nissan Tiida – an incredibly spacious and comfortable hatch. His worst was a Renault Megane Convertible; a cute car but the soft-top roof was unreliable and it was terrible to drive.
  • Celebrity Sightings worth mentioning – Jules was delivering a car one day and after knocking on the door, she found a young Hugh Jackman standing in the middle of unwashed clothes and with no shirt on!
  • The funniest thing that ever happen to this dynamic team during their time with Jonday/Thrifty was Keith and his daily habit of ringing them to find out where he actually sent them! This of course was well before hands-free and the constant ringing was a nuisance as Keith always kept tabs on how long they would be – meanwhile Funky, hearing impaired, was always fast asleep in the passenger seat if they were doing ‘group’ drives.

Funky, Jules and Henry – thank you for being there for Jonday for all those years. Enjoy the retired life! If you ever need a vehicle, Everything Fleet will be there with open arms 😊. If you are driving in the Gold Coast or Brisbane area, make sure you look out for our car carriers – named after these great employees!

Want to be part of our success story? If you’re in the Gold Coast, Brisbane or Sydney area and want to join the team, get in touch.