Wilson Transformer Company

Jack Wilson
Born	1905-05-16 Batley, Yorkshire, England
Died	1972-03-30 Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia
Occupation(s)	Engineer, Businessman
Years active	1929–1972
Known for	Founder of Wilson Transformer Company

Jack Wilson (1905–1972) was an Australian engineer renowned for founding the Wilson Transformer Company, a prominent manufacturer of electrical transformers within Australia.

Early life

Wilson was born on 16 May 1905 in Batley, Yorkshire, England. He completed his training in electrical and mechanical engineering at Ward & Co and subsequently gained experience as a draftsman and designer at the Yorkshire Electric Transformer Company. In 1929, he relocated to Victoria, Australia, where he joined the Australian division of the British Electric Transformer Co. based in South Melbourne. By 1933, he had launched his own enterprise, which by 1938 became established as Wilson Electric Transformer Co. Pty Ltd, operating out of Port Melbourne.

Wilson Transformer Company

Following the conclusion of World War II, Wilson oversaw the company’s growth and moved operations in 1950 to a larger site located in Glen Waverley, Victoria. He fostered international collaborations with companies such as Ferranti, frequently traveling to England, New Zealand, and Canada to maintain these relationships. The business further expanded with the opening of a second manufacturing plant in Clovelly Park, Adelaide in 1963, specializing in distribution transformers, and later added a facility in Wodonga, Victoria in 1981. Currently, Wilson Transformer Company stands as Australia's leading producer of large transformers and is managed by Jack Wilson’s eldest son, Robert.

Personal life

In 1939, Wilson married Dulcie Dorothy Ann Howard; the couple divorced in 1946. That same year, he wed Betty Evelyn Webster, with whom he had two sons and one daughter. During World War II, Wilson served as a major within the Australian Army Ordnance Corps and Electrical and Mechanical Engineers units, including deployment alongside the British 1st Armoured Division in the Middle East.

Wilson also engaged in local governance as a councillor for Mulgrave Shire from 1954 to 1957 and held the position of president between 1956 and 1957. He supported industrial education initiatives through his involvement with Monash University’s Department of Electrical Engineering; the department honoured him by naming its high voltage laboratory after him.

From 1966 onward, Wilson experienced declining health until he passed away due to coronary occlusion on 30 March 1972 at Glen Waverley.