Maree and Ray McKenna spent much of their time together, both at home and at work.
Many in the Goulburn Valley would have memories of learning to drive with Ray McKenna.
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For more than a quarter of a century, Ray taught teenagers how to drive a car in Shepparton.
He also moved on to teaching truck driving in the last 10 years of his time owning a driving school, with many adults also benefiting from his expertise.
His work as a driving instructor has meant that Ray, who died on August 31 at the age of 80, has left a lasting legacy in the town.
His wife, Maree McKenna, said Ray had been teaching people how to drive at Shepparton’s Driver Education Centre of Australia when he spotted an opportunity to branch out into his own business in 1988.
Ray McKenna taught teens to drive in Shepparton for more than 25 years.
DECA only operated on weekdays, but Ray saw many locals returning from university in Melbourne on the weekends and saw the need for driving instructor work while they were home.
And so, Solar City Driving Academy was born.
Ray and Maree operated the business from 1988 until Ray retired in 2014 at the age of 70.
During that time, as well as teaching teens and others how to drive, he also visited schools to talk to students about road safety issues.
In the last 10 years of the business, Ray also taught people how to drive trucks, with all of his sons-in-law among those to learn from him.
Ray and Maree moved to Shepparton from Melbourne in 1979, after they bought into mixed business Branditt Ave Corner Shop.
The couple ran the shop, which was also a sub-newsagent and post office, for four years before selling.
Before his driving instructor days, Ray also spent time as the first manager of the first McDonald’s restaurant in Shepparton in the early to mid-1980s.
Ray McKenna left a lasting legacy of people who can drive safely thanks to his teaching skills.
Ray and Maree spent much of their lives together — both at work and at home — after meeting in 1963 when Ray was 19 and Maree was 16.
Together they had four children: Jacqui (Wilson), Darrin, Tracey (Simos) and Vicki (Cosgriff).
Ray was also a grandfather of 12, and a great-grandfather of two.
He is remembered by Maree as a man who loved his family, and on trips away with the extended family he was known as the cook and the “best barbecuer”.
Ray also loved sport, and grew up playing cricket with his brother and cousins in Melbourne.
While playing in Melbourne for Malvern YCW, his greatest achievement was dismissing the entire opposition team himself.
He finished with the figures of 9-67, and was also the bowler involved with the 10th wicket, but because the batsman was run-out, the wicket was not counted in his figures.
While living in Kialla, Ray played cricket for Girgarre’s B Reserve for two years, and was part of the team that won the premiership in 1989-90.
Unfortunately, work took up most of his weekends, so he did not play much cricket after moving to the Goulburn Valley.
Ray also enjoyed tennis in his younger days, and was a ball boy at the Kooyong Tennis Courts, which were near his home. He was a ball boy to top Australian players at the time, including Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad.
Ray McKenna taught people how to drive trucks during the last 10 years of his time as a driving instructor.
However, he soon learned that he could make money more easily by selling programs at the tennis, so soon moved into that.
Maree remembers her husband of 58 years as very easygoing, patient and kind.
“He always wanted to do things for people,” she said.
He was also someone who was always striving to do better in everything he did, Maree said.
Jacqui Wilson remembers her dad as someone who was always happy, and said nothing was too hard for him.
“And he never said no,” she said.
“He was always up for a party and had a lot of family and friends who he was often out with.”
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