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AAKKUUBBRRAA P.O. Box 287, Kempsey. 2440 • Phone (02) 6562.6177 • Fax (02) 6562.8726 • www.akubra.com.au SEPTEMBER 2013 Vol. 32 No. 7

AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER

TERRY’S COMMITMENT TO KEMPSEYOFFICIALLY RECOGNISED

AND THE WINNER IS …ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS!

VVaassssiiee CCoommiinnoo aanndd LLyynnLLaawwttoonn aarree ttwwoo wweellllkknnoowwnn bbuussiinneessss wwoommeenniinn tthhee QQuueeeennssllaanndd cciittyy ooffMMaacckkaayy wwhhoo aarree aallssooggoooodd ffrriieennddss..

A raffle prize has now

brought them even closer.

Vassie is the managing

partner of P. Comino and

Sons, a long established

and well known store in

Mackay specializing in

country wear and particu-

larly Akubra and R. M.

Williams products.

Lyn is the managing

director of Payne Print and

Vassie’s 81-year-old com-

pany is one of her longest

running clients.

The pair then were enti-

tled to a combined double

take when the winning tick-

et in the lucky gate prize

was drawn at the Mackay

Canegrowers’AG.Trade

Show, where Vassie spon-

sored Akubra Tablelands

hats worn by the officials.

P. Comino and Sons also

donated a $500 voucher for

the gate prize and out of the

3,000 who attended, the

winner was Lyn.

“No one deserves that

win more than Lyn,” Vassie

said.

“She works tirelessly toraise funds for the FlyingDoctor service and nevermakes a fuss about it.

“She goes about the task

very quietly but very effec-

tively.

“Lyn had been intending

to come into our store for

months to buy Akubras for

her family but they are all so

busy with the business they

weren’t getting time.”

Last month the family did

finally come together and

the winning voucher was

used to buy Akubras for

Lyn, her son Jack, her

daughter Jaime and Jaime’s

partner, Patrick.

“Vassie and I are goodfriends and often chat andwe certainly have one thingin common,” “Lyn said.

“We both love our jobs.

“We have a great busi-ness but we are so busythat finding time to geteveryone together is almostimpossible.

“However we finally allgot together then we had todecide what styles ofAkubras we wanted.

“There is such a Iargerange but I opted for onefrom the ladies range.”

Lyn and her family werenot the only group that daytrying on Akubras.

“We have been flat outand the hats have been fly-ing out the store,” Vassiesaid.

“There has not been aproper winter up here thisyear and with the warmerweather coming on peopleare getting ready for sum-mer earlier than normal.”

AKUBRA NEWS

Brett, even you look a spunk in that Akubra

PPeetteerr RRoosseetthhoorrnn,, KKiimm’’ss

hheennppeecckkeedd hhuussbbaanndd BBrreetttt

ffrroomm tthhee KKaatthh aanndd KKiimm

sseerriieess,, wwaass hhaavviinngg tthhee

ttiimmee ooff hhiiss lliiffee aatt SSaaiillss iinn

tthhee DDeesseerrtt AAyyrreess RRoocckk

RReessoorrtt..

After all, Kim wasn’t

there to nag him.

One of Akubra’s signifi-cant clients entertainedmore than 200 staff as an

incentives and awards pro-gram at the resort

Peter (right) was the MC

for the celebrations while

Dugal McIntyre and Hamish

McLeod from Akubra’s

Corporate Direct ran an

Akubra Fitting Station.

Dugal and Hamish fitted

the more than 200 guests

each with the gift of an

Akubra.

Brett… sorry Peter…

found a new best friend in

Hamish (left) after the fitting

was completed.

TTeerrrryy HHuunntt,, aalloonnggwwiitthh tthhee llaattee SStteevveennKKeeiirr nnuummbbeerr tthhrreeee,, wwaassrreessppoonnssiibbllee ffoorr AAkkuubbrraammoovviinngg ffrroomm SSyyddnneeyy ttooKKeemmppsseeyy iinn 11997744 aannddTTeerrrryy hhaass ssiinncceeeemmbbrraacceedd tthhee ttoowwnnwwiitthh ssuucchh aa ppaassssiioonntthhaatt iitt hhaass bbeeeenn ooffffiicciiaall--llyy rreeccooggnniizzeedd..

Terry, a former long time

company secretary of

Akubra and still a member

of the company’s board,

was awarded an OAM in the

last honours list for services

to the community of

Kempsey.

And although 78 he has

no plans to slow down.

After retiring from Akubra

in 1999 Terry ran for and

was elected to Kempsey

Shire Council and remained

a councillor for nine years.

“I wanted to put some-

thing back into a communi-

ty which had welcomed

Akubra and done so much

to make us successful,”

Terry said.

“Akubra has been good

for Kempsey but Kempsey

has been great for Akubra.

“I was the only person on

council with a financial

background and that was

where I was able to make a

real contribution.

“The others looked to mefor advice in those areas.

“Budget time was alwaysparticularly interesting.”

Terry retired from councilin 2008 so he could con-centrate on his roles in anumber of community orga-nizations.

Apart from his role on the

board of Akubra he is presi-

dent of the Kempsey RSL

sub branch, president of the

RSL club, chairman of the

Kempsey Correctional

Centre Consultative

Committee, president of

Kempsey Advisory Training

Enterprises which distrib-

utes $12,000 each year to

Kempsey students to help

defray their costs to pursue

tertiary studies, treasurer of

the Anglican parish and

president and treasurer of

the Mooneba Bushfire

Brigade.

He is also a past presi-

dent of Legacy and in 1997

was voted Kempsey Shire

Council’s Citizen Of The

Year.

“I feel flattered to havebeen awarded an OAM,”Terry said.

“I do these thingsbecause I enjoy them andwant to help the communitywhile I still can.”

In the early 1970’sSteven Keir number threeand Terry were sent northby Steven number two andthe Akubra board to look for

a suitable site for the com-pany to relocate to.

“We looked at five townsalong the coast and recom-mended Kempsey becauseit had everything we werelooking for including goodroad and rail access and anairport,” Terry said.

“It was a big event whenthe first hat came out of thenew factory.”

Terry joined Akubra ascompany secretary inFebruary 1961 when thefactory was in the Sydneysuburb of Waterloo.

The offer came while hewas working in England.

“I had been working withthe firm of accountants thatdid the audit at Akubra so Ihad spent quite a bit of timein the Akubra office,” Terrysaid.

“Later I left and went toEngland but I received a let-ter from the then companysecretary, Dick Day, whosaid he was getting ready toretire and would I like hisjob.

“I was keen to comehome and grabbed theopportunity.

“Akubra was a greatorganization to work for butI never dreamed when Itook the job it would takeme to such a wonderfulcommunity as Kempsey.”

Terry Hunt, Akubra's former long time company secretary and now an OAM forservices to Kempsey.

BEST FRIENDS: Lyn Lawton (left) about to claim part of her her prize fromVassie Comino.

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TOUGH TIMES CONTINUE

BABY TOBY DOING IT REALLY ROUGH

THIS GAMBLE BECAMEA BIG WINNERSeveral outlets that Akubra had significant accounts with have

either closed recently or been placed in liquidation. Akubra’smanaging director, Stephen Keir, looks at the impact on the business.

HHaavviinngg jjuusstt ffiinniisshheeddllooookkiinngg aatt oouurr ttrraaddiinngg aannddrreessuullttss ffoorr tthhee llaasstt ffiinnaann--cciiaall yyeeaarr II tthhoouugghhtt II mmiigghhttsshhaarree mmyy tthhoouugghhttss oonnwwhhaatt hhaass bbeeeenn oonnee ooff oouurrttoouugghheesstt ttrraaddiinngg yyeeaarrss ffoorrssoommee ttiimmee..

You read the paper andwatch the news and itseems like every day anoth-er business fails because ofthe economic climate.

It is as if the global finan-cial crisis skipped a coupleof years and is now upon uswith gusto!

Akubra has lost threesignificant accounts in thepast 12 months, Top Hattersin Perth (a specialty hatshop), Trims in Adelaide (afamily owned enterprise thatwe have supplied for morethan 75 years) and morerecently part of the Blowesfamily group operating retailoutlets in Dubbo, Tamworth,Armidale and PortMacquarie.

These are very difficulttimes and our thoughts are

with the proprietors andemployees of these busi-nesses. Of course there is aflow on effect to supplierssuch as ourselves, not onlyin lost future trade but alsoin the write off of debts thatgo directly to our bottomline. So I guess everybody issuffering.

We continue to supplymore than 1,000 indepen-dent retailers in Australiaand we firmly believe thatretail has an important placein the Australian economiclandscape.

Our discussions withbusinesses indicates a lackof consumer spend which istightening cash flow alongwith the global environmentdriven by internet businessplacing pressure on retailtrade.

This, coupled with lockedin lease agreements, is hurt-ing what is acknowledged asthe largest employment sec-tor in the country.

This partly comes downto confidence and I hopethat with the impendingelection the country canmove on for the bettermentof us all.

Whilst I don’t believe weare through the worst of thepoor trading conditions, Iam optimistic that businesswill eventually improve.

What I have noticed is aresurgence in the demandfor locally made qualityproducts. People are sup-porting the efforts of ethicalemployers particularly afterthe horrific scenes inBangladesh.

My job is to keep ourbrand strong and to contin-ue to supply you with aquality product that you canreliably offer your cus-tomers.

When you have been inbusiness for 130 years cur-rent times should be seenas a small bump in the road.

Yet the pace of changeto move the company for-ward will probably meansome changes. Our Boardof Directors (including mytwo sisters) are workinghard to identify opportuni-ties that will benefit all of us.

Our range of belts areproving to be well receivedin the marketplace withsales growing in this cate-gory. I encourage you tocontact your Akubra agent ifyou have not seen our beltsyet.

Our brand remains wellrespected and trusted andthis is a credit to our 85employees who work hardto deliver a quality product. Iam committed to manufac-turing in Australia and whilstthe road forward may havesome obstacles I am hope-ful that with prudent deci-sion making and the seizingof opportunities me and mysisters can pass the busi-ness to the next generationof the Keir family.

FFiiffttyy yyeeaarrss aaggoo tthhee llaatteeCCllaauuddee CCaatteerr,, tthheenn aaggeedd2200 aanndd hhiiss 1199 yyeeaarr oolldd wwiiffeePPaamm ttooookk aa bbuussiinneessss ggaamm--bbllee tthhaatt ffeeww wwoouulldd eevveennccoonntteemmppllaattee ttooddaayy aatt ssuucchhaa yyoouunngg aaggee,, ooppeenniinngg aammeennsswweeaarr ssttoorree iinnMMaarreeeebbaa iinn ffaarr nnoorrtthhQQuueeeennssllaanndd..

This year Claude CaterMensland celebrates its50th anniversary anddespite a rocky start themotto of “customer servicefirst and foremost” carriedthem through.

The young couple bor-rowed five thousand poundsfrom their parents, lost agood deal of that to a fraud-ster only a month after theshop opened and stockedthe shelves with empty shirtboxes to make it appearthey had more stock thanactually existed.

“We had the boxes dis-played in such a way thatcustomers could not seethat they were empty,” Pamsaid.

“If someone asked for asize 42 shirt we would tellthem we did not have it instock but could get it in inthree or four days.

“Even today, if we don’thave something a customerwants we will do everythingwe can to get it for them.

“Thirty people up anddown the Queensland coastlost money to that fraudster.

“We had him checkedout, found he owned aclothing factory on the GoldCoast and paid for beachwear which never arrived.

“He closed the factoryand disappeared.”

The town boasted sevenother clothing stores at thetime and the young couplewere certainly not wel-comed.

In fact two of the otherbusiness owners did every-thing they could to makesure the tiny new storewould not survive.

Life became even morecomplicated when sons,Raymond and Robert,arrived.

“We had a play pen outthe back and customers andstaff from other businesseswould often wander out andtalk to the boys,” Pam said.

Despite this the businessflourished and in 1983moved into much largerpremises and later took overanother shop to open itsDiscount Workwear section.

Three generations of theCater family are nowinvolved in the business.

Pam still plays an activerole, Raymond and Robertrun the store andRaymond’s son Steven hasjoined the business.

Twelve years ago Claudedied, at the age of 58, after along battle with cancer.

“The business was doingwell and Dad was able tostart to relax and spend timewith his grand children whenhe died,” Raymond andRobert said.

“It seemed so unfair afterall that he and Mum wentthrough to make the busi-ness successful.”

Akubra hats have alwaysplayed an important role inthe success of the business,given that Mareeba lies onthe Atherton Tablelands onehour inland from Cairns.

And the town becomes asea of Akubras when theannual Mareeba Rodeo isrun every July.

Mareeba even had itsown Akubras at one stage,Akubra The Cater & morerecently Cater CountryMareeba

“Akubra made it exclu-sively for us and the originalThe Cater was very popular30 years ago” Pam said.

“The original The Caterhad a very high crown andeveryone wore those sortsof hats then, but eventuallythey went out of fashion,demand fell away and itbecame uneconomical tokeep making it.

“We stock nearly all thevast Akubra range so wecan cater for virtually everywish when it comes to a hat.

“And yes, in keeping withour tradition if we haven’tgot it we will get it in.”

WWiitthh aappoollooggiieess ttoo DDrr

SSeeuussss aanndd TThhee CCaatt IInn TThhee

HHaatt,, tthhiiss iiss oouurr bbaabbyy iinn aann

AAkkuubbrraa.. IInn ffaacctt,, oouurr bbaabbyy iinn

aa RRoouugghh RRiiddeerr..

Try as we might we couldnot find any way to rhymebaby with Akubra, hat orRough Rider but we are sureyou get the meaning.

Ashleigh and ScottRidgley from Hervey Bay inQueensland were goingthrough their baby photosand found this one, takentwo years ago, of Toby whenhe was just six days old.

“We were having profes-sional photographs taken ofToby and our photographer,Dana Taylor, was looking forsomething different and

suggested we see if hewould fit into Scott’s hat,”Ashleigh said.

“He was a perfect fit andshe got some great shots.

“When we came acrossthe pictures again we decid-ed to send them off toAkubra and share the expe-rience with everyone.

“Since then we have hadanother son, Duke, who isnow nine months old.

“He was exactly the samesize and weight as Toby atsix days but would not fitinto his Dad’s Akubra.”

Scott is a carpenter andis never without his Akubra

at work while Ashleigh isalso the proud owner of aRough Rider.

“We want to get anAkubra for Toby but are hav-ing trouble finding one smallenough but we will keeplooking,” Ashleigh said.

“And, when Duke is olderwe will get him one as well.

“My parents and Scott’sparents have properties out-side Harvey Bay and thechildren love visiting but webelieve it is important theyhave proper head wear.

“There is no better sunprotection than an Akubra”.

Adelaide's iconic store Trims, which has been placed in liquidation.

FAMILY AFFAIR: The Cater family (from left) Raymond, Lina (Raymond'swife), Steven, Pam, Leah (Robert's wife) and Robert.

A PERFECT FIT: Baby Toby Ridgeley

fits snugly into his Dad's Rough Rider.

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TOUGH TIMES CONTINUE

BABY TOBY DOING IT REALLY ROUGH

THIS GAMBLE BECAMEA BIG WINNERSeveral outlets that Akubra had significant accounts with have

either closed recently or been placed in liquidation. Akubra’smanaging director, Steven Keir, looks at the impact on the business.

HHaavviinngg jjuusstt ffiinniisshheeddllooookkiinngg aatt oouurr ttrraaddiinngg aannddrreessuullttss ffoorr tthhee llaasstt ffiinnaann--cciiaall yyeeaarr II tthhoouugghhtt II mmiigghhttsshhaarree mmyy tthhoouugghhttss oonnwwhhaatt hhaass bbeeeenn oonnee ooff oouurrttoouugghheesstt ttrraaddiinngg yyeeaarrss ffoorrssoommee ttiimmee..

You read the paper andwatch the news and itseems like every day anoth-er business fails because ofthe economic climate.

It is as if the global finan-cial crisis skipped a coupleof years and is now upon uswith gusto!

Akubra has lost threesignificant accounts in thepast 12 months, Top Hattersin Perth (a specialty hatshop), Trims in Adelaide (afamily owned enterprise thatwe have supplied for morethan 75 years) and morerecently part of the Blowesfamily group operating retailoutlets in Dubbo, Tamworth,Armidale and PortMacquarie.

These are very difficulttimes and our thoughts are

with the proprietors andemployees of these busi-nesses. Of course there is aflow on effect to supplierssuch as ourselves, not onlyin lost future trade but alsoin the write off of debts thatgo directly to our bottomline. So I guess everybody issuffering.

We continue to supplymore than 1,000 indepen-dent retailers in Australiaand we firmly believe thatretail has an important placein the Australian economiclandscape.

Our discussions withbusinesses indicates a lackof consumer spend which istightening cash flow alongwith the global environmentdriven by internet businessplacing pressure on retailtrade.

This, coupled with lockedin lease agreements, is hurt-ing what is acknowledged asthe largest employment sec-tor in the country.

This partly comes downto confidence and I hopethat with the impendingelection the country canmove on for the bettermentof us all.

Whilst I don’t believe weare through the worst of thepoor trading conditions, Iam optimistic that businesswill eventually improve.

What I have noticed is aresurgence in the demandfor locally made qualityproducts. People are sup-porting the efforts of ethicalemployers particularly afterthe horrific scenes inBangladesh.

My job is to keep ourbrand strong and to contin-ue to supply you with aquality product that you canreliably offer your cus-tomers.

When you have been inbusiness for 130 years cur-rent times should be seenas a small bump in the road.

Yet the pace of changeto move the company for-ward will probably meansome changes. Our Boardof Directors (including mytwo sisters) are workinghard to identify opportuni-ties that will benefit all of us.

Our range of belts areproving to be well receivedin the marketplace withsales growing in this cate-gory. I encourage you tocontact your Akubra agent ifyou have not seen our beltsyet.

Our brand remains wellrespected and trusted andthis is a credit to our 85employees who work hardto deliver a quality product. Iam committed to manufac-turing in Australia and whilstthe road forward may havesome obstacles I am hope-ful that with prudent deci-sion making and the seizingof opportunities me and mysisters can pass the busi-ness to the next generationof the Keir family.

FFiiffttyy yyeeaarrss aaggoo tthhee llaatteeCCllaauuddee CCaatteerr,, tthheenn aaggeedd2200 aanndd hhiiss 1199 yyeeaarr oolldd wwiiffeePPaamm ttooookk aa bbuussiinneessss ggaamm--bbllee tthhaatt ffeeww wwoouulldd eevveennccoonntteemmppllaattee ttooddaayy aatt ssuucchhaa yyoouunngg aaggee,, ooppeenniinngg aammeennsswweeaarr ssttoorree iinnMMaarreeeebbaa iinn ffaarr nnoorrtthhQQuueeeennssllaanndd..

This year Claude CaterMensland celebrates its50th anniversary anddespite a rocky start themotto of “customer servicefirst and foremost” carriedthem through.

The young couple bor-rowed five thousand poundsfrom their parents, lost agood deal of that to a fraud-ster only a month after theshop opened and stockedthe shelves with empty shirtboxes to make it appearthey had more stock thanactually existed.

“We had the boxes dis-played in such a way thatcustomers could not seethat they were empty,” Pamsaid.

“If someone asked for asize 42 shirt we would tellthem we did not have it instock but could get it in inthree or four days.

“Even today, if we don’thave something a customerwants we will do everythingwe can to get it for them.

“Thirty people up anddown the Queensland coastlost money to that fraudster.

“We had him checkedout, found he owned aclothing factory on the GoldCoast and paid for beachwear which never arrived.

“He closed the factoryand disappeared.”

The town boasted sevenother clothing stores at thetime and the young couplewere certainly not wel-comed.

In fact two of the otherbusiness owners did every-thing they could to makesure the tiny new storewould not survive.

Life became even morecomplicated when sons,Raymond and Robert,arrived.

“We had a play pen outthe back and customers andstaff from other businesseswould often wander out andtalk to the boys,” Pam said.

Despite this the businessflourished and in 1983moved into much largerpremises and later took overanother shop to open itsDiscount Workwear section.

Three generations of theCater family are nowinvolved in the business.

Pam still plays an activerole, Raymond and Robertrun the store andRaymond’s son Steven hasjoined the business.

Twelve years ago Claudedied, at the age of 58, after along battle with cancer.

“The business was doingwell and Dad was able tostart to relax and spend timewith his grand children whenhe died,” Raymond andRobert said.

“It seemed so unfair afterall that he and Mum wentthrough to make the busi-ness successful.”

Akubra hats have alwaysplayed an important role inthe success of the business,given that Mareeba lies onthe Atherton Tablelands onehour inland from Cairns.

And the town becomes asea of Akubras when theannual Mareeba Rodeo isrun every July.

Mareeba even had itsown Akubras at one stage,Akubra The Cater & morerecently Cater CountryMareeba

“Akubra made it exclu-sively for us and the originalThe Cater was very popular30 years ago” Pam said.

“The original The Caterhad a very high crown andeveryone wore those sortsof hats then, but eventuallythey went out of fashion,demand fell away and itbecame uneconomical tokeep making it.

“We stock nearly all thevast Akubra range so wecan cater for virtually everywish when it comes to a hat.

“And yes, in keeping withour tradition if we haven’tgot it we will get it in.”

WWiitthh aappoollooggiieess ttoo DDrr

SSeeuussss aanndd TThhee CCaatt IInn TThhee

HHaatt,, tthhiiss iiss oouurr bbaabbyy iinn aann

AAkkuubbrraa.. IInn ffaacctt,, oouurr bbaabbyy iinn

aa RRoouugghh RRiiddeerr..

Try as we might we couldnot find any way to rhymebaby with Akubra, hat orRough Rider but we are sureyou get the meaning.

Ashleigh and ScottRidgley from Hervey Bay inQueensland were goingthrough their baby photosand found this one, takentwo years ago, of Toby whenhe was just six days old.

“We were having profes-sional photographs taken ofToby and our photographer,Dana Taylor, was looking forsomething different and

suggested we see if hewould fit into Scott’s hat,”Ashleigh said.

“He was a perfect fit andshe got some great shots.

“When we came acrossthe pictures again we decid-ed to send them off toAkubra and share the expe-rience with everyone.

“Since then we have hadanother son, Duke, who isnow nine months old.

“He was exactly the samesize and weight as Toby atsix days but would not fitinto his Dad’s Akubra.”

Scott is a carpenter andis never without his Akubra

at work while Ashleigh isalso the proud owner of aRough Rider.

“We want to get anAkubra for Toby but are hav-ing trouble finding one smallenough but we will keeplooking,” Ashleigh said.

“And, when Duke is olderwe will get him one as well.

“My parents and Scott’sparents have properties out-side Harvey Bay and thechildren love visiting but webelieve it is important theyhave proper head wear.

“There is no better sunprotection than an Akubra”.

Adelaide's iconic store Trims, which has been placed in liquidation.

FAMILY AFFAIR: The Cater family (from left) Raymond, Lina (Raymond'swife), Steven, Pam, Leah (Robert's wife) and Robert.

A PERFECT FIT: Baby Toby Ridgeleyfits snugly into his Dad's Rough Rider.

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AAKKUUBBRRAA P.O. Box 287, Kempsey. 2440 • Phone (02) 6562.6177 • Fax (02) 6562.8726 • www.akubra.com.au SEPTEMBER 2013 Vol. 32 No. 7

AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER

TERRY’S COMMITMENT TO KEMPSEYOFFICIALLY RECOGNISED

AND THE WINNER IS …ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS!

VVaassssiiee CCoommiinnoo aanndd LLyynnLLaawwttoonn aarree ttwwoo wweellllkknnoowwnn bbuussiinneessss wwoommeenniinn tthhee QQuueeeennssllaanndd cciittyy ooffMMaacckkaayy wwhhoo aarree aallssooggoooodd ffrriieennddss..

A raffle prize has nowbrought them even closer.

Vassie is the managingpartner of P. Comino andSons, a long establishedand well known store inMackay specializing incountry wear and particu-larly Akubra and R. M.Williams products.

Lyn is the managingdirector of Payne Print andVassie’s 81-year-old com-pany is one of her longestrunning clients.

The pair then were enti-tled to a combined doubletake when the winning tick-et in the lucky gate prizewas drawn at the MackayCanegrowers’AG.TradeShow, where Vassie spon-sored Akubra Tablelandshats worn by the officials.

P. Comino and Sons also

donated a $500 voucher forthe gate prize and out of the3,000 who attended, thewinner was Lyn.

“No one deserves thatwin more than Lyn,” Vassiesaid.

“She works tirelessly toraise funds for the FlyingDoctor service and nevermakes a fuss about it.

“She goes about the task

very quietly but very effec-tively.

“Lyn had been intendingto come into our store formonths to buy Akubras forher family but they are all sobusy with the business theyweren’t getting time.”

Last month the family didfinally come together andthe winning voucher wasused to buy Akubras for

Lyn, her son Jack, herdaughter Jaime and Jaime’spartner, Patrick.

“Vassie and I are goodfriends and often chat andwe certainly have one thingin common,” “Lyn said.

“We both love our jobs.“We have a great busi-

ness but we are so busythat finding time to geteveryone together is almostimpossible.

“However we finally allgot together then we had todecide what styles ofAkubras we wanted.

“There is such a Iargerange but I opted for onefrom the ladies range.”

Lyn and her family werenot the only group that daytrying on Akubras.

“We have been flat outand the hats have been fly-ing out the store,” Vassiesaid.

“There has not been aproper winter up here thisyear and with the warmerweather coming on peopleare getting ready for sum-mer earlier than normal.”

AKUBRA NEWS

Brett, even you look a spunk in that Akubra

PPeetteerr RRoosseetthhoorrnn,, KKiimm’’sshheennppeecckkeedd hhuussbbaanndd BBrreettttffrroomm tthhee KKaatthh aanndd KKiimmsseerriieess,, wwaass hhaavviinngg tthhee

ttiimmee ooff hhiiss lliiffee aatt SSaaiillss iinntthhee DDeesseerrtt AAyyrreess RRoocckkRReessoorrtt..

After all, Kim wasn’t

there to nag him. One of Akubra’s signifi-

cant clients entertainedmore than 200 staff as an

incentives and awards pro-gram at the resort

Peter (right) was the MCfor the celebrations whileDugal McIntyre and HamishMcLeod from Akubra’sCorporate Direct ran anAkubra Fitting Station.

Dugal and Hamish fittedthe more than 200 guestseach with the gift of anAkubra.

Brett… sorry Peter…found a new best friend inHamish (left) after the fittingwas completed.

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Terry, a former long timecompany secretary ofAkubra and still a memberof the company’s board,was awarded an OAM in thelast honours list for servicesto the community ofKempsey.

And although 78 he hasno plans to slow down.

After retiring from Akubrain 1999 Terry ran for andwas elected to KempseyShire Council and remaineda councillor for nine years.

“I wanted to put some-thing back into a communi-ty which had welcomedAkubra and done so muchto make us successful,”Terry said.

“Akubra has been goodfor Kempsey but Kempseyhas been great for Akubra.

“I was the only person oncouncil with a financialbackground and that waswhere I was able to make areal contribution.

“The others looked to mefor advice in those areas.

“Budget time was alwaysparticularly interesting.”

Terry retired from councilin 2008 so he could con-centrate on his roles in anumber of community orga-nizations.

Apart from his role on the

board of Akubra he is presi-dent of the Kempsey RSLsub branch, president of theRSL club, chairman of theKempsey CorrectionalCentre ConsultativeCommittee, president ofKempsey Advisory TrainingEnterprises which distrib-utes $12,000 each year toKempsey students to helpdefray their costs to pursue

tertiary studies, treasurer ofthe Anglican parish andpresident and treasurer ofthe Mooneba BushfireBrigade.

He is also a past presi-dent of Legacy and in 1997was voted Kempsey ShireCouncil’s Citizen Of TheYear.

“I feel flattered to havebeen awarded an OAM,”Terry said.

“I do these thingsbecause I enjoy them andwant to help the communitywhile I still can.”

In the early 1970’sSteven Keir number threeand Terry were sent northby Steven number two andthe Akubra board to look for

a suitable site for the com-pany to relocate to.

“We looked at five townsalong the coast and recom-mended Kempsey becauseit had everything we werelooking for including goodroad and rail access and anairport,” Terry said.

“It was a big event whenthe first hat came out of thenew factory.”

Terry joined Akubra ascompany secretary inFebruary 1961 when thefactory was in the Sydneysuburb of Waterloo.

The offer came while hewas working in England.

“I had been working withthe firm of accountants thatdid the audit at Akubra so Ihad spent quite a bit of timein the Akubra office,” Terrysaid.

“Later I left and went toEngland but I received a let-ter from the then companysecretary, Dick Day, whosaid he was getting ready toretire and would I like hisjob.

“I was keen to comehome and grabbed theopportunity.

“Akubra was a greatorganization to work for butI never dreamed when Itook the job it would takeme to such a wonderfulcommunity as Kempsey.”

Terry Hunt, Akubra's former long time company secretary and now an OAM forservices to Kempsey.

BEST FRIENDS: Lyn Lawton (left) about to claim part of her her prize fromVassie Comino.