General News
20 December, 2023
Building Dreams and Weathering Storms: A Half-Century Journey in Business and Community"
Reflecting on five decades of triumphs and challenges at T. Ismay & Co. From the 1967 drought to lean years and triumphs, Ron Ismay's captivating tale unfolds.
Thank you so much to the Argus for covering our Centenary, the fickle finger of fate has been kind.
Just thought I should reflect on my fifty four years in the business.
It all started well before then of course, I would screw all the galvanised pipe fittings together and play with the asbestos rope, used in the day for insulating hot water pipes, before I started prep grade. Operated all the buzzers, band saws and saw benches in my primary school days, unsupervised of course. In those early years my grandfather was still building houses with a workforce of about fifteen men.
My vision at that time was to be part of the building team. My father, bringing the timber, ten tonne loads, onto site from Stawell every fortnight.
I was in high school, not wanting to be there and along came the 1967 drought.
It was a devastating event that saw many people leave the district never to return.
My grandfather had to put off all his men leaving only my grandmother, father and the hardware store.
I left school two years later, half way through form four (Year 10) and started work for Tom. My wage was $1.00 per hour $40.00 a week which was fairly good money at the time but it was physically demanding, something I am paying for now. The hard work was the way it was back then, there weren't any fork lifts or front end loaders. Working in the front shop was not enjoyable in the early years as I suffered shyness and low self esteem. Being a yard man, out the back suited much better.
The seventy's was a great time to be in Rainbow, Albacutya filled in '74 and the businesses all thrived. I must mention the 70's music, nothing to do with the story but how fortunate we were to grow up with those sounds. Played loud of course.
Rainbow boomed, then came the bust. The 1982 drought, everything ground to a halt, well almost.
Most businesses either laid off staff or reduced hours, some closed their doors, again, never to return.
One of those businesses, L.G. (Joe) McKenzie who employed twenty to thirty staff fabricating field bins and silos, a story in its self that should be told, fell victim to the devastation.
In the late seventy's I upgraded our truck to a "semi" with a tipper contract carting grain and gravel for the shire. This was sold in 82 due, again, to the drought.
1983, when the drought broke the farmers were blessed with a massive harvest.
So, I bought another truck and trailer and resumed the contract cartage.
The hardware side of the business was struggling, the shop was not very fit for purpose and in 1985 I purchased McKenzie's as a case of have to. I was close to broke and saw the building as a grain storage opportunity and room to expand the hardware offering.
I still sailed very close to the wind as they say, in quite a few of the following years.
Lean years, 22.5% interest rates, 40 degree show day heatwave in 2004, the millennium drought, freight costs all make for interesting, think outside the square, times.
Thirty eight years on I continue to rebuild "Joe's" or Dawsons, the original owners.
It has certainly been a labour of love, will financial reward follow, who knows, at the moment I am optimistic of the future. Another '67/'82 could drag us all down again, I hope not, but we will bounce back.
Over the past month there has been articles written about Tom Ismay's business.
Two people that have made huge contributions to T. Ismay & Co continuing to exist are Vera, my grandmother and Michelle.
Firstly Vera, what an amazing lady, I grew up with her and spent more time at her place than I did at home. There wasn't much of her but what a dynamo.
She unpacked most of the stock, served customers, collated all the dockets, wrote the statements and copied them all to a general ledger this was all done standing at a bench in the office. All in fountain pen and without a calculator. They didn't exist back then. Bagged all the sawdust and shavings from the saw benches, sold them to the butcher shop for 1/- (10c).
She weeded both the shop yard and her house yard regularly all by hand. Cut Mallee stumps with an axe. All the washing, sewing and cooking, including the yummiest biscuits and cakes were part of her life. Even found time to go to church on Sundays. I was very much blessed with such a great mentor in my early years.
Last but not least, Michelle. Michelle came to Rainbow in the early 70's with her family, her dad was the policeman, transferred here from Campbells Creek. Needless to say, but he wasn't all that fond of me back then. Michelle was still in high school at the time. After leaving school she worked for us in the hardware store, then moved on to a secretarial position at the Secondary College where she remained up until her passing early this year.
Like my grandmother, what an amazing lady. I have never compared the two before but they had the same work ethic.
She worked thirteen years straight without a day's sick leave, and totally dedicated to her job. Michelle also became a great cook, not so much in the early days but learnt along the way. I would always tease her when she made a batch of biscuits that they were "nearly as good as "Granny's".
Michelle, while not being up front in the store is a huge reason why the doors are still open today.
I was close to broke in 1985 when I bought McKenzie's and have ploughed everything, time and money, into the place since. Somehow she put up with my indulgence, more than anyone should have to.
We went without any floor coverings in our less than humble little house for at least ten years, she bought a lot of her clothes from the salvo's although I think she enjoyed the bargains.
Our children, Bridget and Thomas came late in life as we were forced into the IVF program due to some earlier problems.
Now there were three of us to look after. She did so very well without much of the requested assistance from me, I was still very much focused on the hardware store.
Michelle was never interested in the limelight be it Shire, Hospital or the store but totally supported me in all my endeavour's.
She raised our two children to be, I am fraction biased here, respectful, caring adults.
The milestone I have achieved is a little hollow without her here, everyone has been deprived of the biscuits and cakes I have no doubt that would have been provided with so much pride.
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