Roy King rode the wave of the development of post-war tourism, both in South Australia and around the world.
He was born to Agnes and accountant Len and grew up on Greenhill Rd, Toorak Gardens, during the Depression.
When the family’s cash ran out at the end of 1938, he was moved from Prince Alfred College to Unley High to finish his schooling in 1939.
His excellence in visual arts studies saw him encouraged to go to BHP’s wartime shipyards in Whyalla in 1940 as a trainee naval architect to build corvettes.
Roy started work on the HMAS Whyalla, helping to draft parts of the ship, including its rigging, and winning a place on board for the launch ceremony.
Always a keen sailor, he was soon hooked on going to sea rather than designing ships and in 1941, managed to win his essential services release.
The Royal Australian Navy sent him off to train as a radar mechanic and in 1943 he was put on the HMAS Bunbury to fir the ship with radar.
The Bunbury served in New Guinea and the waters beyond, focused on convoy, anti-submarine and escort missions.
He loved the tropics and learning about the people he met there.
He slept beneath the ship’s whaler lifeboat and took every chance to sail the whaler to nearby islands.
Bunbury was in Adelaide for a refit at the war’s end, so Roy, by now a petty officer, was able to join the victory parade up North Tce to be welcomed by the nurses of the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Roy’s parents were involved in a Kangaroo Island tourist venture and applied for early discharge to help with the business. He started work in January 1947 and quickly built up a bookings business for Kangaroo Island tourism, working from the Edments building in Rundle St.
Their success brought more business from Victor Harbor and Port Lincoln.
Len King saw the opportunity to add the bookings business of big companies and groups like the Weapons Research Establishment, and the major airlines and shipping companies were happy to give their bookings preference.
When Roy and Len noticed that Reg Ansett was buying hotels, they decided to try the same, and Roy took a lease on a Port Lincoln guesthouse.
He had met Vi in 1947, and they married in 1948, and headed off to learn about the business together.
I nAdelaide, Roy and businessman Dick Fidoch shared a sharpies sailboat and Roy campaigned successfully to revive the defunct Port Lincoln Sailing Club, sailing sharpies.
By the time Vi and Roy returned to Adelaide with a growing family in 1951, the family business was accredited to book with all the world’s airlines and shipping companies.
On a holiday to Fiji, Roy and Vi noticed that Qantas did not promote its refuelling stop at Nadi on the American route as a stopover.
He took up the issue with Qantas in Sydney and was immediately asked if he wanted to create tours for them worldwide. He arranged to organise Asian-Pacific region tours through the family company Partitours later called King’s Holidays, and opened offices in Japan, Honiara and the US.
It inspired him to help established the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, and become a delegate to international travel agent federations. In 1978, the company – now in the hands of Roy and his brother Brian – was rapidly expanding by acquisitions in preparation for a float, but the credit squeeze caught them and they were advised to liquidate their businesses.
Roy first worked for Kingfisher Travel but later set himself up as an independent travel consultant, and was soon turning away work.
Roy’s many other personal interests included him forming in Adelaide the first Lions Club in South Australia in 1960.
His love of yachting saw him sail in far-flung parts of Australia.
In Roy’s old age, the radar training came in handy as he recycled donated televisions for the Lions Club, even going back for a refresher course at TAFE.
Article Credit: featured Saturday December 31, 2016 in the Weekend Extra – Tributes in The Advertiser