When the Australian DHL Express office opened in Sydney with five employees it was an almost totally female domain. All office workers, operations staff and couriers were women. Their commitment made DHL Australia a market leader overnight.

By this time, Australian DHL Express employee numbers had doubled in size. There were 5-6 x couriers, 2 x operations/ customer service agents taking pickup bookings, 1 x sales representative, 2 x in accounts, 1 x manager, and a ginger cat.

A Teletex machine was used for all international correspondence and all manifesting was done by hand. Also DHL Express Australia's first on board courier was dispatched to New Zealand – after this came San Francisco and then London.

When Australia's entry to the America's Cup yacht race needed a new keel it was up to DHL to ship one from Australia. It was kept under security guard 24 hours a day until it was on the aircraft. At more than a tonne in weight, at the time, it was the heaviest single piece of airfreight to be flown out of Australia.

The first ever dedicated trans-Tasman service was flown solely for DHL. With ever expanding volumes, Asian Air Express was founded to run an in-house aircraft known as The Jedi.

The Customer Service team relocated and became a centralised call centre in Brisbane.

When a tidal wave hit Papua New Guinea, DHL Express Australia flew 20 tonnes of emergency goods out on a DHL plane – this included 1 tonne donated by DHL staff.

A new facility was opened in Melbourne, with the ceremony attended by the Minister of State and Regional Development John Brumby.

DHL Express' successful partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia was established.

After a long journey, including nine years negotiating with Sydney Airport Corporation (SACL) and two years to build, the Oceania Hub (SYD GTW & SSE) opened in Sydney. In the same year a new Perth facility was opened as a collaboration between DHL Express and DHL Global Forwarding. It was a 2,000 square metre facility with the potential to move 9,000 tonnes of freight.

The Oceania Deutsche Post DHL Group Disaster Response team (DRT) was formed with 25 members. OC DRT members have deployed to The Philippines (09), Samoa (09), Pakistan (10) and Christchurch (11).

The Certified International Specialist (CIS) Program launched through the Foundation Program. Every employee is now inducted and trained on DHL policies and procedures, as well as local country shipping rules. The Jedi is retired and a new Boeing 757-200F aircraft (Jedi II) offered even further capacity for our customers.

Three Sydney Service Centers were consolidated into one super centre in Homebush. At the same time, a high speed re-weigh was introduced into the Sydney South East facility. This re-weigh was a 'first' in the Asia Pacific Region.

DHL was the proud naming rights sponsor of the British and Irish Lions tour, which combined the best players across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. DHL Express celebrated its 10 year partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia.

DHL renewed its commitment to delivering safer beaches by signing another three year contract to support Surf Life Saving Australia. A new airport facility at Melbourne opened, marking a AU$20 million investment. Another facility in Victoria, South East Melbourne, also underwent a refurbishment.

A new service centre in Canberra was officially opened. In May, an internal training facility, the CIS Centre of Excellence opened in Brisbane.

To serve the growing e-commerce market, the company officially launched its On Demand Delivery service following a trial in 2015, enabling shippers and receivers globally to select from a range of flexible and convenient delivery options.

The Boeing 757 servicing the trans-Tasman route between Sydney and Auckland was retired in July and a new Boeing 767-300F implemented, providing 50 per cent more cargo capacity. In October, the first purpose built Gold Coast Service Centre was opened to support growing e-commerce businesses in the south east Queensland and northern New South Wales region. DHL Express celebrated 15 years of partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia and re-signed to continue supporting the organisation for another three years. On day 120 of the Global Globe Race, DHL sponsored Susie Goodall arrived in Storm Bay, Tasmania.

The customer contact centre in Brisbane was relocated to a new 3,200 square metre office on George Street to cater to a future 20 per cent expansion in workforce.

A new 8,600 square metre Sydney Service Centre opens, with an investment of AU$50 million in infrastructure. In November, a new trans-Tasman service is launched to directly connect Melbourne and Auckland, New Zealand.