Their Tennant Creek-based business, Wilson Diesel Services, has won the NT Chamber of Commerce’s Mining and Energy award after quadrupling its business over the past couple of years.

“Winning the award was a really proud moment for us,” says Liza, who has just given birth to her fourth child.

“It gave us confidence that a regional family business from Tennant Creek can be recognised as a serious participant in the resources industry.

“It was also recognition of our staff, clients, family and the people who have supported us as we have grown.”

The resources industry enjoys working with Wilson Diesel.

Dave White, chief operating officer of Tennant Mining, which has spent $30 million on gold production and exploration in Tennant since 2025, says: “It’s a fantastic company – they do a great job.”

Wilson Diesel Services, which employs 17 staff, is a family owned and operated business.

“For us, Tennant Creek is not simply where our workshop is located,” says Liza. “It is our home, our community and where we are raising our family.

“We built Wilson Diesel Services together with the support and inspiration of our children.

“What started with a lot of hope, hard work and a belief in what was possible in the Barkly has grown into a business supporting mining, energy, power generation and remote infrastructure across the Northern Territory.”

Max and Liza believe the future is bright for the region.

“We have always believed that the Barkly has a heart of gold. Obviously there is the mineral wealth beneath our feet, but there is also an incredibly resilient community and a group of businesses and people who have kept this region going through the good times and the difficult ones.

“We operate in a very competitive space. Mechanical maintenance and labour hire can see businesses like ours competing against large national and international companies with considerably more resources and much larger recruitment networks.

“We do not expect work because we are local. We want the opportunity to compete for it.

“For us, Barkly first does not mean giving somebody work just because they are local. Businesses still need to be safe, capable and competitive. It means making sure regional businesses are seen and have a genuine opportunity to put their hand up and compete.

“We want companies to look at Wilson Diesel Services because we are capable, responsive, competitive and understand what it takes to work in remote Australia.”

The company’s capability has grown considerably.

“From Tennant Creek we provide heavy and light vehicle mechanical maintenance, workshop support, field service, mechanical labour hire, power generation servicing and repairs, breakdown response and fleet support,” says Liza.

“We have invested heavily back into the business and into Tennant Creek. Our workshop provides a base for our field operations and we have hydraulic hose manufacture and repair capability up to two inches.

“We can also provide mine spec site vehicles, service vehicles and mechanical personnel for projects requiring short term support or longer term site integration.

“We want to be able to offer more than a mechanic to fill a roster. We want to be able to support a project properly, whether that means labour, vehicles, workshop capability, field service, hydraulics, parts or mechanical support.”

Like many businesses operating remotely, Wilson Diesel Services is heavily dependent on a FIFO workforce.

“We have some fantastic people who work this way and they are an important part of our business, but in the long term we would love to see that dependence reduce.

“Our first preference is always to recruit within the Northern Territory where we can.”

“There are real challenges in doing that in a remote region. Housing, skills availability, training, education and liveability all play a part. There also needs to be enough consistent work in the region for people to have confidence that they can move here, build a career and stay.

“We want to see more Territorians taking up the opportunities being created by mining and energy investment. We want our kids and other kids growing up in the Barkly to see that there are good careers and opportunities here.”

Max and Liza want Territorians to be advocates for Territory business.

“Sometimes it is simply having somebody in the room who knows what capability exists in Tennant Creek and is prepared to say, ‘Have you spoken to these guys?’” TQ

CONTACT

Wilson Diesel Services
Lot 918 Paterson Street, Tennant Creek NT 0860
0428 762 208
wilsondiesel.com.au