Loving market life for 40 years

In this edition, Fresh Perspectives caught up with the 2021 40 Year Service Award winners to gather their reflections on their time at Brisbane Produce Market.

For those who have spent more than 40 years at the Brisbane Produce Market, there’s no denying that the biggest attraction to the job is the people: the characters that you get to meet every day and the friendships that are built over time. “You get all types, it is the interaction with the people that attracts you to this business,” Gary Lavender, wholesaler principal at Lavender and Sons, said. “I love the camaraderie, there’s competition but 98% of the people can let work go and socialise. A lot of good friendships have been built over time with people you would have never met without the market. It’s so much fun to work with the growers, even if they send to someone else, I place a lot of value on those friendships,” Cameron Armstrong, wholesaler principal at Armstrong Bros, said. There’s something about the atmosphere of the Brisbane Produce Market that makes people want to come to work each day and the diversity of roles and responsibilities is also a big drawcard. “There are a lot of good people, a lot of larrikins, but everyone helps each other in times of trouble. It’s such a beautiful business that way. Even though we’re all competitors, everyone still pulls together when there’s a problem,” John Potter, retired wholesaler, said. “Every day is different because you get to talk to different people about different things. I enjoy the people I get to work with every day. I never wake up thinking I don’t want to go to work today,” Steve Aistrope, salesperson at Murray Bros, said. While it is difficult for people outside of the market to understand why people enjoy coming to work so early in the morning, most of the 2021 40 Year Service Award recipients appreciated the work life balance that the business hours provided. “I love the lifestyle you get when you work at Brisbane Produce Market: I love the early mornings and getting the afternoons to myself, it’s great,” Julia DeSilva, H.E. Heather and Co’s office manager, said. “If you can handle the hours then it’s a good lifestyle for the family, which is great,” Trevor Broadbent, vegetable salesperson at Montague, said. Many acknowledged that it was one of the few work environments that allows you to find your niche and thrive or work your way up from a labourer to a business owner with hard work and determination. For Steph West, it was a knack for cashiering that made her stick with her career and has ensured she has never been without a job, while Julia DeSilva grabbed the opportunity to increase her skill set, and job responsibilities, along the way. For Alwyn Weier - a retired retailer, wholesaler and transporter - a childhood dream of owning a fruit and vegetable shop became a reality, while for Country Road Produce principal, Mark Cruse, a stop-gap job turned into a career. According to Mr Armstrong, there came a realisation that “if you work hard at the fruit game you can build up a solid business and make a quality living. You won’t become a billionaire but you can live comfortably, buy your own home and educate your children”. Mr Potter agreed, saying, “It’s one of the few businesses where a person with limited education, but who is street-wise, honest and ethical, can make a name for themselves and build up to the point where they can get a partnership and eventually own their own business”. It doesn’t hurt that those who work in the Brisbane Produce Market are proud of their position in the horticulture supply chain with a common goal of ensuring that Australian families have access to the fresh fruit and vegetables they need to be healthy. “From the growers to the logistics companies, the forklift operators and the labourers to the wholesalers and retailers: it’s important that everything flows right the way through to the consumer,” Mr Weier said. While some are nostalgic for the past, most recognise the benefits that change has brought over time. “The markets are a lot safer today and there have been a lot of improvements to the roads so it is less dangerous. Having a yearly induction has been a great improvement too, because it provides a regular refresher of the rules,” forklift operator John Colman said. “Everything has been modernised now and it’s great. I’ve grown with the times and not fought it, I’ve liked the change,” Mrs DeSilva said. With sales slowly moving from face-toface interactions to telephone orders in the middle of the night, the once-hectic Central Trading Area has settled into a new rhythm. “Technology and the way we do business has changed since I started. There’s a lot more involved now. We take orders at midnight, whereas you would never do that in the past,” Mr Lavender said.

According to Mr Aistrope, the move to phone orders has changed the way the sales team operates. “It’s not as easy to upsell anymore, because you’re not always talking to people face-to-face to be able to provide suggestions,” Mr Aistrope said. Mrs West praised Brismark’s Credit Service as being a drawcard of the Brisbane Produce Market. “The introduction of the Credit Service in 1973 was absolutely fabulous, the system is brilliant and totally changed the way we worked,” Mrs West said. Along with praising the Credit Service, O’Toole Produce principal, Paul O’Toole, also praised Brismark’s Business Services, saying that it was impossible for a small business to employ extra staff solely to provide specialised services such as workplace health and safety training, human resources or even debt collection. “It’s nearly impossible to keep up with all the government requirements yourself and having that working knowledge, which is always updated and fresh, only a phone call away is wonderful. Being able to hand all those services over to a trusted party is very effective for us,” Mr O’Toole said.

Alwyn Weier

Retired

Alwyn Weier was born and bred in the Lockyer Valley and by 1970 was working on farms and for a produce company in Gatton. “The first time I ever drove into the Brisbane Produce Market gate was a Sunday morning in 1972 when I was 17. I was on my learners licence and I had a load of potatoes from the Lockyer Valley in the back,” Mr Weier said. From there, he started working for Geoff Meharg, buying produce and transporting it to northern Queensland. When Geoff took over a struggling fruit shop in Armidale, NSW, Mr Weier headed down to manage it, eventually buying the business for himself and fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning his own fruit and vegetable shop in the process. After 20 years with very little time off, Mr Weier needed a break so moved up to the Sunshine Coast and took a few months off before finally returning to the markets and becoming a partner in Pershouse Produce and Peter Kedwell Enterprises until his recent retirement.

Drew and Cameron Armstrong

Principals, Armstrong Bros

Milton Armstrong, father of Cameron and Drew, had three pharmacies when the boys finished high school in the mid-70s and purchased Cut Price stores in Ipswich and started selling fruit lines. The brothers would head to the Brisbane Produce Market during school holidays to buy fruit for the stores. Drew and Cameron were given the opportunity to operate a Fruit Barn in Woodridge in 1977 and when they sold that business, they both started working in the markets, Cameron at COD Bananas and Drew for Doug Staples. When Ian and Rob Robson started Interharvest, the brothers joined them and took up an opportunity to run their three fruit shops. Drew and Cameron worked there until 1984, when they joined with Peter Kedwell to purchase FC Gesler from Ian Mallice and created Armstrong Bros. “Eventually, dad purchased Peter Kedwell’s share of the business so Armstrong Bros became Drew, Cameron and Milton Armstrong until dad retired in 2000,” Cameron said.

Gary Lavender

Principal, Lavender & Sons

As a 19-year-old, Gary Lavender worked at the Brisbane Markets Club, serving drinks to the men from the markets from 6am to 10pm. The owner of J. Allen at the time, Peter Scott, offered Mr Lavender a job and that was his big start. “My first job was weighing beans and peas. They used to be in 20/40 kg bags,” Mr Lavender said. After J. Allen’s, he went to W.M. Guttormsen and then branched into retail with Bill George during his partnership with Don Alroe at Alroe and George. When Mr George purchased Ireland’s 18, Mr Lavender ran the business for him and eventually purchased the business outright. G.W. Lavender and Sons then merged with Barry Smith’s B.V. Smith Pty Ltd to become S and L Fruit and Vegetable Trading Company. S and L was disbanded and Mr Lavender started Lavender and Sons, a business that continues to this day.

John Colman

Forklift Operator, Alfred E Chave

John Colman has worked at Brisbane Produce Market since he was 15 years old, when his father got him a job at a ‘pick it over’ shed at Building P. “Trucks used to pull up and we used to unload potatoes and onions by hand. Then we’d run them through the ‘pick it over’ machine that would pick out the bad ones before rebagging and stacking them on pallets,” Mr Colman said. Once forklifts became a regular feature in the markets, Mr Colman became an operator, driving for M.J. Devaney (now Favco), Wilson’s Fresh (now It’s Fresh), Cocos, Ireland Vegetable Specialists, Direct Produce and Central Park Produce. After leaving the market for a period to become a full-time carer for his wife and children, Mr Colman made his way back, returning to work for Bob Wilson. After that, John worked for Garden Verde and Gibb Bros for three years each before finally settling into his current role at Alfred E. Chave.

John Potter

Retired

John Potter started at the markets in 1966 as a labourer on the COD’s selling floor, where he stayed for over ten years. From there, he moved to United Fruit, working his way up to become a partner and shareholder and started United Lettuce on behalf of the company. Following that, he went into business with Ian and Rob Robson starting John Potter Lettuce. After many years, Mr Potter took on the role of manager for Ted Beaton at H.E. Heather and Co for well over 10 years, eventually becoming a shareholder. “I had a great partnership with Ted. Then I ended up taking over one and a half sections, starting John Potter Pty Ltd, which ended up being purchased by Mark Murphy,” Mr Potter said. After selling his business, Mr Potter continued his relationship with the market through his work as a volunteer for Foodbank and as a shareholder of Brisbane Markets Limited. “Working at Brisbane Markets is the greatest thing in my life. I’m proud to still be associated with the markets. What a great industry to be involved in,” Mr Potter said.

Julia DeSilva

Office Manager, H.E. Heather & Co

Julia DeSilva started at the market when she was 16, after being recommended to Baird Produce by her neighbour, Maurie Goffman. The very next day she started as a cashier. While at Baird’s she worked her way up until she was working directly for the company’s accountant and completed her Advanced Diploma in Accounting – then taking on the role as accountant herself. “It’s a different world at Brisbane Produce Market and it’s changed massively since I’ve been here. At the beginning, everything was done on paper and we used to have one computer for the whole business. It was all very manual and hands on,” Mrs DeSilva said. When the business was sold to a company based in Sydney, she moved to H.E. Heather and Co where she has been for 11 years.

Lesley Bowers

Administration, M & D Vegetable Specialists

Lesley Bowers started working in accounts for J.E. Tipper when she was 21. “I’d been working in the city, and when you turned 21 you were classified as senior, so businesses would put on a junior instead. I found the job through an employment agency at Moorooka and I stayed there for five years,” Ms Bowers said. She then worked for Comino Bros before leaving the market for a year. On her return, she worked at Ireland Vegetable Specialist and then moved to Ross & Co for 23 years before starting her current position with M & D Vegetable Specialists. “Being in an office in the Brisbane Produce Market is really good, because you don’t focus on only one area - you do a bit of everything and it’s quite varied,” Ms Bowers said.

DID YOU KNOW?

117 Brisbane Produce Market identities have been presented with 40 Year Service Awards.

Mark Cruse

Principal, Country Road Produce

Mark Cruse had just come back from travelling overseas with Theo Comino and was looking for a job after spending a decade in the insurance industry. Theo’s father Stavri offered him a job at Comino Bros, pushing a barrow a few days a week to tie him over until he discovered what he wanted to do. “As usually happens when you get into the markets, I never left!” Mr Cruse said. After sticking with Comino for a few years, Mr Cruse worked in sales roles at Shamrock Marketing and J.E. Tipper before establishing his own business fulfilling country orders for three retail shops. Almost 25 years later and the business has grown to service customers throughout NSW and Queensland, as well as exporting to Papua New Guinea and suppling the US Navy when they are in port.

Paul Alroe

Principal, Don Alroe & Sons

Paul Alroe followed in his father’s footsteps to join the family business in the Brisbane Produce Market and was put to work learning the ropes. “I first started labouring, with the blue apron. I did all the office work and accounts, in those days it was all pen and paper. Then I was a forklift operator, and then, in my third year, he got me on the floor selling. My favourite has always been on the floor selling,” Mr Alroe said. Other than running a business on the Gold Coast supplying restaurants in the late 70s, Paul has spent his whole career based in the Brisbane Produce Market.

Paul O’Toole

Director, O’Toole Produce

Hailing from the Illowa region of Victoria, Paul O’Toole’s family were trading merchants in an area known for its vegetables due to the rich, volcanic soil. When the yields from local growers reduced from 30 trailers a week to only three trailers a week, Mr O’Toole started making inquiries about becoming a primary wholesaler within a Central Market. “I chose Brisbane because over 30% of our sales were already going into Queensland. When I brought up the move with my other clients, they felt I could serve them better within the Brisbane Markets because I could get a better feel for the pricing and compare with competing produce. It has been a wonderful move for us,” Mr O’Toole said.

Steph West

Accounts, Rising Sun Produce

When Steph West finished Year 12 in 1966, a girlfriend arranged for her to get a job in the markets and in 1967 she started at R. Profke Produce. She has worked in a lot of different businesses over her time at Brisbane Produce Market, including W.S. Williams and H.E. Heather and Co. In 2015, Mrs West retired and travelled overseas for a while but on her return she received a call from Rising Sun Produce and took up their offer of returning to the markets. Mrs West is semi-retired and only works one day a week, an arrangement that suits her lifestyle.

Stephen Jory

Vegetable & Sales Manager, Montague

Stephen Jory was working in a supermarket when his boss, Tony Sirianni, said “you’re a good talker, we’re going to take you to the market to be a salesman”. “I was about 14 and I came out to a company called G.H Shaw. I was selling pawpaws, but was also bagging potatoes and onions,” Mr Jory said. Mr Siriani bought the business and Mr Jory continued with the company as it changed hands a number of times before eventually becoming M & D Vegetable Specialists, where he worked for 18 years. He returned to work for Sun Citrus and when they closed, Mr Jory went to work for Montague, where he has been comfortably settled for over six years.

Steve Aistrope

Sales, Murray Bros

Steve Aistrope first came to the market with his father who had a door-to-door fruit truck and Ireland’s Fruit Exchange asked if he would like to give working at the market a go. Mr Aistrope started sweeping the floor and picking orders, and he was asked to look after the picking operations from the shed. From there he wrote to Peter Ireland, asking if he could become a salesman on the selling floor. “When I first started there, there were no pallets, no pump jacks, no forklift, no coldrooms, no warehouses – nothing like what there is today,” Mr Aistrope said. “Each salesman was in charge of his own barrow, and I remember waking up in the middle of the night worried because I couldn’t remember where I’d put mine. I was worried about losing my trolley!” He has now been at Murray Bros for 25 years.

Trevor Broadbent

Sales - Vegetables, Montague

Trevor Broadbent’s connection with Brisbane Produce Market began when he was 22 and started a couple of fruit shops in Ipswich. “I really enjoyed the market side of the operation, and got out of the fruit shops and came here,” Mr Broadbent said. After doing the buying for Jojo’s Restaurant, he started at BG Brisbane with Bill George. From there he worked at the COD through its change to Sunshine Produce. He worked at M & D Vegetable Specialists for about 18 years, before working at Sun Citrus, LaManna and, for the past six years, Montague.

Willem Feenstra

Director, Paradise Point Fruit Mart

Willem Feenstra’s father Jack was in fruit before him, so he followed his dad into the markets when he was 16 and has stayed in the game ever since. First, his father had a shop in Strathpine before they moved to Redcliffe. From there the business shifted to the Gold Coast and Mr Feenstra has now had the same shop for 32 years. “It is the character of the market that keeps you going back and enjoying it. The day I lose that spring in my step and don’t feel like going to the market anymore, that’s when I’ll give it away.”