PHILIP MELROSE
Director
Phil had an offshore powerboat racing accident in January 1991 which left him with a complete T9 lesion.  Once home he threw himself into swimming, tennis and basketball as it was an opportunity for him to stay active and associate with other people in wheelchairs.

After a number of frustration’s with his own wheelchair he decided to build one for himself out of Titanium.  This was so successful he gradually had more built as he sold them to friends and acquaintances.

The small part time garage interest has grown over 16 years to a business that designs and fabricates custom wheelchairs, sells imported wheelchairs and mobility products, imports mobility scooters (Shoprider) and offroad buggies (Melrose Motorsport). Phil now employs between 20 to 30 staff in a purpose built factory.

MIKE TURNER
Director
Mike was fabricating yachts and working on specialist projects when he joined Phil to build wheelchairs after work. They had previously met through Motor Racing some years before, and he was keen to get into his own business. Mike is a trained Welder/Fabricator and specialises in tig welding. He is very precise and is very much hands on in running the fabrication workshop.

Mikes special area of interest is Wheelchair Rugby and he has travelled widely to tournaments. Mike has served as the workshop technician for the Wheelchair Rugby at the Paralympics in Sydney as well as other major tournaments around the world. More recently he has worked with various Wheelchair Rugby teams including New Zealand, Australia, Japan and France as mechanic. He is currently working for the Japan and French teams.

Mike is a keen football player and very keen on motorcycles. His two daughters, Keileigh and Brooke compete in motocross.

ANNETTE MELROSE
Manager
Annette is the Manager of Melrose Wheelchairs and ensures a smooth workflow between the office and factory as well as the day to day operations.

LARAINE TIPPINS
Customer Services
If you have a custom made Melrose wheelchair you will have probably already spoken with Laraine. As the customer services agent she will liase with the therapist, client and factory to find solutions for your mobility needs. You can talk to her about the myriad of options, accessories and set up of your next Melrose Wheelchair.

BRENDA EVERETT
Admin Officer
Brenda deals with the normal day to day running of the office with dealer and client enquiries for both Melrose and Shoprider. She is often the first person you will talk to when you contact Melrose Wheelchairs.

PHILLY MELROSE
Admin Officer
Philly deals with customer sales for Melrose Wheelchairs, Mobility products and Melrose Motorsports. Philly also attends and displays at expos and shows throught the country - flying the Melrose flag.

As a Midget car driver for Melrose Motorsports, Philly and her sister Rachael have both won numerous speedway titles and have also competed in North America.

GRANT DACOMBE
Fabricator
Grant is an experienced Tig Welder/Fabricator and has been with Melrose since 2000. Grant has recently moved onto a small farm and will be filling it with livestock soon.

Another race car driver Grant also raced with Melrose Motorsports in a Modified Sprint car for a number of seasons but also races saloon cars.

BERNIE MAHUIKA
Assembly
Bernie has been working for Melrose from the start and is the assembly specialist. Bernie is responsible for the final setup and positioning of the parts on the finished wheelchair. He also runs the wheelchair workshops at Melrose sponsored sporting events

ANDREA DALLOW
Upholstery
Andrea is a trained Machinist and heads up the Upholstery department. All the backs, slings, strap's, impact guards, bags and gloves are produced at Melrose for our custom made wheelchairs. Andrea used to work for Melrose but took a two year break to try out security work, thankfully we managed to 'secure' her back to Melrose.

KELLY FRISBY
Stores / Despatch Manager
Kelly accepts, files and stores all incoming goods/parts as well as despatching your next new Melrose wheelchair. Kelly is a friendly chap with a joke/quote always at the ready, he also loves rugby, listening to rock & roll, blues and country music, and yes ladies, he is single.

GERRY TINKER
Sports Wheelchair Sales
Gerry (Geremy) is the sports chair salesperson. He has been playing Wheelchair Rugby since 1993 after he had a rugby accident playing under 19 grade in Christchurch. Gerry has travelled world wide playing Wheelchair Rugby and has played with American League teams and the New Zealand National Team. He liases with Mike to provide the best solutions for your new Melrose Sports Chair.