From Backyard Beginnings to a Full-Service Operation
1995 One Container, One Idea
It all started with James Ralston Snr, a fully qualified fitter and turner who had enough of working for someone else. Backed by a small business grant, he enrolled in TAFE and spent a year crafting his idea: Foreshore Shipping Containers.
With a single container in the family backyard, he began selling directly to locals—cold calling, taking small jobs, and offering storage to friends. It was slow, steady growth, but it was honest work. Eventually, the backyard filled with containers (which Mum wasn’t thrilled about), and it was time for a proper yard.
2004 The Tilt Tray Era Begins
The move to Beatson Street in Wollongong marked the next chapter. James Snr bought a 1998 Hino pantech and—working with Wollongong Truck Body Builders—converted it into a custom tilt tray. A year later, the truck was on the road. That original tilt tray body? Still working hard today, 20 years later.
With the truck in action, the business became more efficient and profitable—still no loans, just slow, hands-on progress.
2000s Family Labour, Map Books & Rust
As kids, we—James and Jason—were pulled into the business early. Cleaning the yard, scraping rust, priming and painting containers, mowing the lawn (no catcher, of course), and packing the clippings into bags. But nothing was more stressful than navigating Sydney with a map book. One wrong turn and Dad would snap:
“I’m driving a truck, not a car—I can’t just turn around!”
2010s A New Chapter
The business kept growing. In 2016, Jason joined full-time and took on the accounts. Dad was hesitant about modernising but eventually agreed to ditch the paper for cloud accounting. That meant online payments, email invoicing, and a lot fewer lost receipts.
James followed in 2017, driving sales through the roof. Dad wasn’t used to the pace.
“You can’t just sell everything!” he’d say. (He liked to hang on to containers “just in case”)
Everything was starting to look rosy, the business was growing, new clients were outpacing returning customers and then everything was put on stand still.
2019 Loss & Legacy
Tragedy struck when we lost our father unexpectedly. Everything changed overnight. We went from helpers to business owners in an instant.
The support from friends and industry partners got us through. Special thanks to Wollongong Crane Trucks, Malcolm the yard man, Quick Hitch Towing, and Chris & Matt from R&C Automotive. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Jason moved back from Sydney, got his truck licence, and became our new driver. James rode along until he learned manual three years later.
2020–2024 Growth, Bushfires & a New Home
During COVID, we used the quiet times to refine our systems. We began outsourcing long hauls, handled plenty of sticky recoveries, and even donated containers to South Coast Animal Rescue—delivering them through still-smouldering bushland after the fires.
In 2024, we made our biggest move yet: setting up our new yard in Woonona. We brought in 300 tonnes of roadbase, levelled it with a wheeled loader (thanks Gwyn!), and built out our best setup yet—complete with a 16-tonne forklift and container forks for pallet work.
Today Two Brothers, One Goal
Now, we run this business together. We do the quotes, the invoicing, the driving, and the heavy lifting—literally. For larger jobs, we bring in a trusted network of subcontractors who share our values.
We’re proud of what we’ve built. Proud to carry on Dad’s legacy. And proud to keep doing things the right way—no shortcuts, no middlemen, just real people doing honest work.