7 minute read
Phil Serra is here to help
Phil's flat-out in semi-retirement
Phil Serra has rocketed into semi-retirement with a new handyman business.
By DANEKA HILL “I moved into Tatura from the farm and I thought, what does this town need? No-one was doing odd-job stuff so I got started,” Phil said. Soon after launching Serra's Handyman Services in September he was running flat out. “I was hoping it would be two to three days work a week and every weekend was a long one, but I'm running seven days.” With enough clients to keep him busy until Christmas, Phil puts the overnight success of his little business down to the Serra name.
“People trust us, they know the Serras,” he said. “I go to jobs where people have left their keys on the table, they leave money in the mailbox. There is a real hometown trust.”
The Serras came out from Italy in 1928 and got their start growing tomatoes before moving into dairy. “At one stage there was five Serras playing footy in Tat,” Phil said. “My father and uncle are pitching in, my daughter is doing the books. Without a doubt it's a family business and I don't want it to change.” Phil is trying to tempt his tradequalified sons into the business, but he says there's “too much money in footy at the moment”. “We'll see what's happening around Christmas.
“I might have to hire some local blokes. Then I can actually start working three days a week.” Phil discovered there was massive untapped demand for a local, affordable handyman.
Phil Serra started a handyman business to keep him busy in semi-retirement. “I bought everything for the trailer brand new,” he said. “It’s easy to get things new sometimes, there is less to worry about.”
“No-one was looking after the pensioners. Especially with this COVID, the families weren't coming up and hanging a painting or putting up a shelf for them,” he said. “Some of them just need a pot plant moved and want to have a coffee with you. I'm drinking more coffee now than I've ever drunk in my life, and because it's a little family business we can do that instead of rushing off.” Serra's Handyman Services does everything from tractor slashing, putting latches on gates, fencing, cleaning gutters and fixing sprinklers. Phil has proved so reliable Ray White has him booked as the agency's go-to tradesman for rental property jobs. “I had an emergency job a few days ago. A Ray White rental needed to be Phil has worked across the region as a stock and station agent, dairy farmer and Telstra technician, to name a few of his jobs. As a dairy farmer he ran a 200-head Ayrshire herd that was in the top five per cent of Australia for cell count, winning Dairy Australia milk quality awards in 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Phil and his blue heeler now call Hogan St home, but he still runs beef on 218 hectares and does cattle work for Northern Victoria Livestock.
“There are never enough days in the week,” he said. “After I'm done talking to you, I've got to go out and video some cows for auction.”
Popular bakery gets a makeover
Local icon Tatura Hot Bread Bakery is getting a facelift in the coming months.
By CAITLYN GRANT With more than 12 months of ownership, Sophia and George Wells are looking forward to putting their personal touch onto the bakery. "We're doing bit-by-bit with the store," Sophia said. "The bakery will get a new sign and a few other small renovations throughout the year." To match the bit of a revamp, you may see the workers at Tatura Hot Bread donning some new blue shirts to match their bright demeanour. "We've been really lucky, we have such a great team," Sophia said. "They're really on top of it all, always looking out for each other and the customers."
Tatura Hot Bread Bakery is at 130 Hogan St, Tatura. For more information, visit the Tatura Hot Bread Bakery Facebook page. looked after until the plumber could come along to fix the sewerage. “We do pretty much anything within 40 kilometres of Tatura.” Phil said he was out to do a good, honest job. “I'm very proud of everything I do. I like things to be done well. “I don't walk into a job and think 'let's do this under budget, under time and make as much profit as we can'. On some jobs I'll lose a hundred because I wanted it done right, on others I'll make a hundred.
“To you it's just a pool fence or a brick garden edge, but they'll look at it every time they go outside so you need to be a perfectionist. Otherwise it's 'who did this job? That bloody Serra'.”
New treats and familiar favourites
Ross Street Cafe continues to grow with the help of a new owner.
By GEORGIA ROSSITER Needing a change from the dental industry she'd worked in for 23 years, Murchison's Shannon Ryan took over the business in mid-August. “It's a big change, but a good change,” she said.
“I can employ our children after school and school holidays and home's not far away in Murchison.” Shannon has already begun to make some changes, adding more food options for customers and getting stuck into a few renovations to give the cafe a facelift.
“We've still got the same menu, but we've added a lot more,” she said. Fresh sandwiches, salad rolls, schnitzel rolls and wraps join the range of food already available. “In summer we'll also have fruit salad and the slushie machine,” Shannon said.
Ross Street Cafe's Mia Thongphan and new owner Shannon Ryan.
Locals that knew the previous owners will also be happy to know Mia Thongphan is still in-store, and the signature home-cooked Thai food is available on Thursdays. Shannon thinks the cafe's regulars are beginning to warm to her as the new owner.
“I think they're getting used to me, and Mia's still here.”
Ross Street Cafe is open Monday to Friday from 6am to 2pm.
Find the right fuel for your body
Nutrition has always been an important part of living a healthy lifestyle, but it's only recently that we've realised how food can affect our bodies.
By GEORGIA ROSSITER Diana Miranda has a long personal history with fuelling her body in the right way. That's why she decided to study nutrition to help others along their journey. As a clinical nutritionist and gut health specialist, Diana strives to change how people think about food. “There's been so much misinformation with nutrition and what food is good and what food's not,” she said.
Her clients range from those with metabolic issues and hormonal disorders, to people who just want to eat healthier and lose weight. She said nutrition was something that needed to be tailored to the individual.
Diana recently began offering one of the most individual nutrition plans
Clinical nutritionist Diana Miranda.
available, and the only one in the world for metabolism, called the metabolic balance program. “What it does is rebalances your metabolism according to your biochemistry, your medical history and any current ongoing medical issues or food preferences.”
For more information about the metabolic balance program, email dianamirandanutrition@gmail.com
GATHERCOLE’S, EMPLOYERS OF 120+ LOCALS
Gathercoles commenced operations in Melbourne in 1974 as a domestic meat wholesaler growing to service butchers nationally with beef and lamb. We have moved to Tier Two Export and USA Accreditation for lamb and we are sending our Goulburn Valley lamb Worldwide. We look forward to being able to extend our range of boxed lamb products. • Award wages apply plus incentives. • On the job training provided. • No previous experience is required. • Operating Monday to Friday’s with occasional weekend work. • 8 hour shifts. There has never been a more exciting time to join our business as we unlock new growth potential and take our business global.
