At 4.30 every morning, long before the first customers arrive and before the roller doors roll up at Emu Park Automotive and Tyre Service, Melinda Bossley is starting her day.
With husband Matt, she begins with a workout, followed by a quick swim, before getting their young son ready for school. By 7am they’re at the workshop, prepping for another busy day in the small coastal town 40km east of Rockhampton.
And it almost certainly will be a busy day.
As co-owner of Emu Park Automotive and Tyre Service, Melinda is always on the go. While Matt oversees the workshop’s technical operations, she is driving the elements that every business must have – marketing, human resources, business development, workplace culture and strategic planning are all part of her role, as is helping out in the front office when needed.
And, if required, she’ll step in to help run the workshop too.
“I’m not on the spanners but do everything else. If my husband steps out, I run the workshop and assist wherever I can,” she says.
A business owner wearing multiple hats is not uncommon, of course, but in Melinda’s case it is a reflection too of the business she has helped, and is helping, to build. The workshop has earned a reputation for being able to tackle any job that rolls through its doors.
“We do everything from puncture repair to engine rebuilds services,” she says. “And there’s no limit to what type of cars we do. We do European cars. We do from Toyotas to Porsches to Mercedes. We cover everything and all our staff members get the same experience. Gearboxes, services, anything you can think of, we cover it.”
For most people, running and developing a successful business might be enough, but Melinda’s enthusiasm for the automotive industry sees her influence extend well beyond the workshop. In addition to co-owning Emu Park Automotive and Tyre Service, she serves as MTA Queensland’s Central Queensland representative on the Board, helping her give regional automotive businesses a voice at the state level. Passionate about strengthening the industry, she is a strong advocate for workforce development, business improvement and encouraging more women to pursue careers in automotive.
A DIFFERENT ROAD
Melinda’s path to the automotive industry was unconventional, bringing together experience in accounting, business development, fleet management and project management before combining her skills with her husband’s automotive expertise.
Born in Brisbane, she spent much of her childhood in the Netherlands after her parents moved overseas when she was six years old. Returning to Australia as a young adult, she initially pursued a career in accounting before moving into business development and eventually fleet management with Boom Logistics, overseeing vehicles operating throughout Queensland’s Bowen Basin.
From there she became a project manager involved in transitioning assets to the Fairbairn Irrigation Network near Emerald.
It was while doing this role that she would meet Matt – an encounter that not only changed her personal life but her professional one as well with the duo combining their respective strengths seven years ago to grow Emu Park Automotive and Tyre Service into one of Central Queensland’s most respected independent workshops.
Looking back, however, perhaps automotive had always been in Melinda’s future.
Cars fascinated her from an early age. Growing up, weekends often meant visiting dealerships with her father to look at new vehicles, and if there were ever an issue with a car and something needed repairing, she was never far away, keen to understand how things worked.
That curiosity gradually evolved into a genuine passion for the industry itself.
Today, while she isn’t the one with her head buried in an engine bay, Melinda has become every bit as passionate about the broader business of automotive – working to help businesses grow, build strong teams and create workplaces where people genuinely enjoy coming to work.
BUILDING MORE THAN A BUSINESS
Ask Melinda what business development means, and she doesn’t begin by talking about profit, as important as that is.
Instead, she talks about people. For her, growing a business means creating a workplace where staff feel valued, customers feel welcome and continuous improvement becomes part of everyday life.
That philosophy is evident at Emu Park Automotive and Tyre Service. Recently, driven by Melinda, the business has undergone a complete rebrand, installing new signage and refining its systems and workplace culture. For anyone who needs work done and finds themselves in Emu Park – it’s the big blue shed on the edge of town.
The objective is simple: keep improving and ensuring that everything contributes to the customer experience.
The workshop serves a small town of about 2,500 people, yet its reputation extends well beyond Emu Park itself. Many customers have been returning for years, creating real, personal relationships.
For Melinda, that’s part of running a genuine community business. They know generations of some families and those relationships are a large part of the reason Melinda and Matt genuinely enjoy what they do.
“We love running our own business,” says Melinda. “We love coming to work in the morning and opening the roller doors. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and what we’re working towards. We always strive to improve ourselves and it’s very rewarding when you hit those points.
“And it’s rewarding when a customer leaves and you get great feedback . . . it’s a great feeling to know that you can contribute to the community in such an impactful way.”
That level of customer satisfaction, Melinda believes, comes partly from the quality of the team delivering the service, and the search and development of staff is something Melinda takes seriously. The industry-wide skills shortage is felt as keenly in Emu Park as it is everywhere else in the state.
“We have tried to implement different ways to resolve that,” she says. “And our hiring process is very focused on finding the right person who is driven and eager to learn and enthusiastic.”
There have been times, she says, when finding people from industry has not worked out because while seem right, the don’t have the required skill set or the passion.
“. . . They just don’t have the drive but maybe the experience on paper,” says Melinda. “So we focus very much on the person themselves and hire because we can teach them. And we have the time to teach them.”
It’s a system that clearly works.
HELPING SHAPE THE FUTURE
While building a successful regional workshop is a rewarding challenge, Melinda is equally passionate about helping strengthen the automotive industry beyond the boundaries of Emu Park.
That commitment led her to seek election as Central Queensland’s representative on the MTA Queensland Board, where she seeks to help ensure regional businesses have a stronger voice in decisions affecting the industry.
Having worked in large corporate organisations in a variety of roles, Melinda understands the different challenges faced by smaller automotive businesses. Many are run by small family teams juggling everything from customer service and staffing to workplace health and safety, human resources and compliance, often without dedicated administrative support.
For Melinda, sharing her experience across all those areas is one way she can help those businesses continue to thrive, and being part of the MTA Queensland Board provides an opportunity to advocate for them.
Her appointment to the MTA Queensland Board is also personally significant. It is recognition that women have an increasingly important role to play in shaping the future of Australia’s automotive industry.
“You can have real impact,” says Melinda of her position on the MTA Queensland board. “It gives me the opportunity to be a voice for other businesses about their concerns and about our region.
“It is one of the most rewarding parts for me within my career in the automotive industry,” she adds. “To be able to have that voice, as a female, I’m very, very proud. I love everything they stand for, and it’s a great opportunity.”
CHANGING PERCEPTIONS
Melinda has spent much of her working life in industries traditionally dominated by men and has never allowed gender to her career. Instead, she has focused on doing her job well and building a reputation based on performance.
From coordinating heavy equipment across Queensland’s mining regions to helping lead a thriving automotive business, her confidence comes from preparation, professionalism and a willingness to keep improving. Looking back, she says she simply refused to doubt herself, and having women working across all aspects of the automotive industry just makes sense.
She is quick to point out that diversity isn’t about replacing one perspective with another, but about strengthening businesses by bringing together different experiences, different approaches and different ways of solving problems.
“Females and males look at things differently . . .” she says. “I think that you see that a lot within businesses where you can say the female touch has come in and it’s made that bit of difference.
“And I think that’s something women can be very proud of – of being able to contribute to such a large industry, have a strong voice, and also show the change flowing through the industry.”
Her advice to young women considering automotive is straightforward. She emphasises the amazing variety of roles in the industry and also insists that there is a place for everyone in the workshop and ‘on the spanners.’
“If I could give my younger self any advice, it would be just to go for it. Don’t let anything hold you back. And if you feel that you don’t know everything, just be open to learn it. Be eager to learn and realize that the traditional way is not always the only way,” she says.
“I definitely encourage young women to look at the automotive industry as a career choice . . . if it’s something you’re passionate about, just don’t let anything stop you and go for it.”
Melinda is equally enthusiastic about initiatives such as MTA Queensland’s Auto Women program, believing they provide valuable opportunities for women to connect, learn from one another and build supportive professional networks.
“I think the initiatives that MTA Queensland has put out there such as Auto Women are fantastic,” she says. “It is a great way to get women within the industry to have events and seminars, to support each other, and learn from each other. It’s a fantastic initiative. “
A PASSION THAT CONTINUES TO GROW
Spend enough time around the automotive industry and you’ll eventually find yourself around the exotic and the expensive – cars that anyone would love to own.
Melinda admits that if money were no object, a Bugatti would be hard to resist, but her years working with Matt on building their business and working with vehicles have also taught her that practicality matters. That’s why her own driveway is home to a 2025 Kia Carnival – a family mover that doubles as the workshop’s customer courtesy vehicle. With just one child, she laughs that they should own a people mover, but it’s perfect for ferrying customers around town and it’s a pretty smart and stylish bit of kit.
“I actually feel a little bit like gangster in it, even though it is a ‘mummy’ car,” Melinda says with a laugh.
This down-to-earth approach perhaps says much about Melinda. Practical and innovative thinking are principles she uses when choosing a vehicle and in the way she approaches business.
And seven years after Melinda and Matt began building Emu Park Automotive and Tyre Service together, the business continues to evolve. The workshop has expanded, been rebranded and steadily grown alongside the community it serves, and Melinda has, through her relationship with MTA Queensland, stretched to become a voice for the industry in her region.
Her passion for automotive is obvious, and she believes the industry offers opportunities unlike almost any other.
“I think that is an extremely versatile industry, and I think that’s why I love it so much,” she says. “No one day is the same, and you can implement any skill you have and contribute massively to the industry. You don’t have that in all industries.
“I think everybody should, if they’re passionate about the industry, just give it a go and just keep going.”