Jack left school at 13 unable to read. He taught himself, and by 19, had bought his first truck. During the construction of the Ōpōtiki Dam he ran the truck seven days a week.

Each morning he fitted a canopy to carry men to the site, removed the canopy so the truck could haul concrete during the day, then cleaned and prepared at night for the next shift.

With Aileen beside him, he grew from weekend furniture removals into a substantial Tauranga transport business. Together, they secured new contracts and established a depot on Courtney Road. They bought old buses to move Kaimai Tunnel shift workers, added a quarry, and later
developed other parcels of land.

Jack disliked downtime and continually reinvested to keep trucks and staff busy; even in his 80s he still stopped in for a coffee and a catch-up at the depot.

Their shared commitment to hard work, family and quiet giving spanned decades. The Jack Shaw Fund supports Waipuna Hospice, Hato Hone St John - Tauranga & Mount Maunganui, Coastguard Tauranga and the Philips Search & Rescue helicopter.