b"Left Brian McInerney with his Holden X2, 1963.NEW ZEALAND, SOUTH A country boy by birth and at heart, Brian McInerney was born in 1941 in Port Pirie and grew up in Melrose, BRITISH AND UNITED South Australia, the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. 14 He started his working life as an apprentice fitter and The insurance industry is in permanentturner in Whyalla and then went on to work with BHP.flux. Mergers and acquisitions mean thatIt was solid work, but not what he wanted to do forever.companies often change names. Brian worked for New Zealand Insurance (NZI), established inAfter a few years with BHP, he looked at his options. 1859 in Auckland. John worked for a companySpeaking one day to his MLC Life Insurance agent, commonly called United, or South BritishBrian was convinced to give selling insurance a go. Two years later, in 1965, a friend who worked at New United. That company resulted from a mergerZealand Insurance said the company had a job openin the mid-1960s between South Britishin its Port Pirie general insurance office.Fire and Marine Insurance and the United Insurance Company. In 1981, NZI mergedHe said the magic words: Theres a car supplied. with South British Insurance. The NZI nameThats why I joined the insurance industry! I got there lives on as part of the IAG Group.and its an old Kingswood. It was the worst car youd ever seen in your life, but it still went.'I remember a farmer telling me one day, If you evercome out here wearing a suit, Ill never do businesswith you again.' BRIAN MCINERNEY"