A History of Service

Doug and Merle Sharpe with their baby son, Ron Sharpe. The family commences residential building construction in Sydney and expands to regional New South Wales.

Commercial building construction of shops and offices in regional New South Wales commences whilst residential building continues to grow. Ron Sharpe joins the family business as an apprentice carpenter.

.Business activities expand to include asphalt and infrastructure projects. Community involvement includes Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army, Apex and the Surf Rescue Helicopter to regional NSW.

The booming 1980's sees expansion to road maintenance and repairs as sewage and water infrastructure is built across regional parts of the State.   

Michael Sharpe joins the family business. With large investments in new equipment and developing new technologies, the family is involved across a wide range of infrastructure projects including excavation and road construction and sub-division works. 

Works include bitumen sealing between concrete layers on the new F3 motorway and the approaches to the Mooney Mooney Bridge. The new highway cuts the travel time in half and opens up new business opportunities in Sydney. 

Real estate development and industrial building construction extends across the Central Coast and Newcastle.   

By utilising the family's resources of plant and equipment, community support is provided in times of need including floods, clean up days and bushfires. The various trucks and machines have been used for everything from rubbish clean up and carting material to setting up fun runs and street parades.   

Works in the late nineties include asphalt paving of roads and footpaths across the Sydney CBD and repairs to the Sydney Harbour Bridge deck in the lead up to the Sydney Olympics.

In 2005, Ron Sharpe was named Citizen of the Year for the City of Gosford and on Australia Day 2006, he was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in recognition of his service to the community of the Gosford region through a range of service and social welfare organisations.   

A new book by Margaret Hardy titled Significant Men of The Central Coast includes Ron Sharpe OAM and his three sons who are mentioned for their involvement in providing support to community groups through donations, partnerships, volunteering and community sponsorships. 

The new Westpac Banking Centre was officially opened by the Sharpe Family who have been customers of Westpac for more than 40 years.  

 The opening was also attended by Tim Harrington, Westpac’s General Manager for Commercial and Regional Banking along with Mr Huw McKay, Westpac’s International Economist. Thanking the Sharpe Family, Mr O’Hearn said “As a token of our appreciation for the time and effort you put in to making the opening a superb experience for our guests, Westpac has made a donation to the Salvation Army."   

"On behalf of Westpac I would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Sharpe Group of Companies for taking the time to officially open the Erina Westpac Business Banking Centre.”

The family supports the arts community to allow a special focus on providing Australian artists with greater opportunities for career development and exposure of their work. 

Ron Sharpe becomes Chairman of the NSW Branch of the Order of Australia Association. 

Michael Sharpe supports the work of the Freemasons on the Masonicare Board. He served as a Board Member at the Central Coast Local Health District which provides public health services including at Gosford and Wyong Hospitals. As a member of the Board Research Committee, he provided experience and insight for the development of the governance framework and the philanthropy procedures for medical research. The committee is instrumental in planning for the new Central Coast Medical School and Medical Research Institute at Gosford Hospital.

Michael Sharpe worked with Federal Safety Commissioner, Helen Marshall, to launch a Federal Government best practice case study which looks at an award winning safety awareness program.

“Sharpe family companies have a history spanning nearly 60 years and three generations without a serious reportable injury or workplace fatality. This is a strong record for any company in the construction industry which in 2006-07 had a fatality rate twice as high as the ‘all industries’ rate,” Ms Marshall said.

“The Safety Bro program, which won the National Safe Work Award for Best Workplace Health and Safety Practices in Small Business, shows other businesses that simple programs can be effective with the right attitude and strong leadership.”

The Sharpe Family has a strong history of service and is involved across a wide range of Australian industries. 

Ron Sharpe OAM has served as the Chairman of the Order of Australia Association.

Throughout his life he has been involved in building construction, civil infrastructure and the road maintenance industries. Ron Sharpe was the Founding Chairman of the Road Profiling Association of Australia, which evolved to become a part of the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association. As part of the celebration of AAPA's 40th anniversary in 2009, he was recognised for his services to the industry.

Sharpe has been a member of the Apex Club and was awarded Life Membership in 1990. He has helped raise funds for a number of causes including the Surf Rescue Helicopter and the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol. 

He has been involved with the Salvation Army throughout his life, being a member of the Salvation Army Band, building the Salvation Army Hall at Umina with his father and being chairperson for the Peninsula Red Shield Appeal.

Supporting a wide range of community groups across Australia through volunteering, donations, providing plant and equipment and significant fund raising.   

Supporting organisations like Family Busines Australia, CPA Australia and industry groups like The Australian Asphalt Pavement Association is important but nothing beats getting your hands dirty and lending a hand to organisations like local sporting groups that need the oval fixed up or the Rural Fire Service in a time of need.  

"We work in a very team oriented environment and this type of work is something we have always done and learnt from our father. It’s part of our family heritage,” Mr Sharpe said.  

“We believe it’s also a good example to set - that where companies can help, it’s important they do help.   

“Times can be pretty tough for a lot of businesses so where you can lend a hand it certainly has a flow on effect and is good for the whole community,” he said.

Five generations. Merle Sharpe with Ron and Carol Sharpe along with Michael Sharpe and his daughter, Jordi with her new baby boy.    

“It was almost guaranteed that my brothers and I would also follow in our father’s footsteps,” said Michael Sharpe.  

“Growing up, Dad would take us to crush cans for Apex, learn marine radio at the Coastal Patrol and go door knocking for the Salvos.  “Once we built a BMX track for the Boy Scouts which was like a life-sized sand pit. Dad let us ride on the loader, in the old Bedford water cart and even drive the little Pit roller all by ourselves,”  Sharpe reflected.  

Family, community and innovation are the cornerstones of success. “Innovation”, says Sharpe, “is in our blood.” Solving a problem or finding a new way to do things, such as devising non- traditional methods of road repair, usually means drawing on family and company resources.  

“It is wonderful to be able to draw upon a rich family history of knowledge and community involvement."