By CASEY NEILL
THE Grenda name will once again take pride of place in central Dandenong – and Ken Grenda couldn’t be happier.
“It’s an honour to have something named after you, whatever it happens to be,” he said.
City of Greater Dandenong councillors unanimously endorsed the name for a road running north-south between George Street and Halpin Way to be created during the Revitalising Central Dandenong program, immediately east of Rudduck Street.
A Grenda Lane previously existed south of George Street, along the former Grenda bus depot site, but was closed when the CBD rejuvenation process started.
“I guess I sort of quite enjoyed it last time, so the situation’s no different,” Ken told The Journal.
He said his family also welcomed the honour.
“We’ve all got a close association with Dandenong. They’d be pretty rapt to see it return,” he said.
Ken’s father George started the business in 1945 in a galvanized shed at 9 Foster Street.
Ken drove buses around Dandenong during his youth, including the school run from Scoresby to Dandenong.
“Every winter the Dandenong Creek used to flood in three spots,” he said.
“I had to learn all the ways to detour around it. The kids loved it.”
Ken sold the transport monolith for $500 million last year and shared $15 million among his employees.
“We have been lucky to grow with Dandenong and the surrounding area,” he said.
“We have expanded, bought other companies and diversified, but we’ve only been able to do that because we had very good people the entire time.”
Ken was named the City of Greater Dandenong Corporate Citizen of the Year on Australia Day last year and joined the Honour Roll of the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
Councillor John Kelly said the family had been part of the city for a long time.
“My dad’s 90 and he recalls the day they started in this city,” he said.
“I think this is really appropriate.”
