My Life with Ford Tractor Operations: Rob Bridger's Story

This week Rob Bridger has shared his story of his time with Ford Tractors. When I first read this I was amazed at just how much Rob fitted into a few short years and how the industry has now changed. Tractor companies still have people based in Singapore treading the same paths as Rob pioneered. Rob is still involved with farming and machinery and we the readers are richer for him telling us his history.

Today I have received a call from Rob pointing out that some of my edits have caused a couple of errors in the text of his story and made parts of it inaccurate. Therefore I have removed this post for the time being and over the next few days we will rework it and repost it then. I appologise to Rob and you the readers for this inconvenience.

The Tanunda Tractor Man

When I remember Geoff Schmidt I think of my cousin Doug Barton who came home from his apprenticeship training in Adelaide waxing lyrical about this bloke he’d met from Eckerman’s in Tanunda. Doug was excited about his new friend and after a week I think I knew as much about Geoff as Doug did. Their friendship grew during their training and I believe they even shared a couple of weekends together getting up to stuff seventeen year olds get up to.

I first met Geoff when I spent time with the Ford T&E demo team and spent two fabulous weeks with Eckerman’s of Tanunda. Geoff took me to demo tractors in most of the now famous vineyards. Places like Jacob’s Creek, Seppeltsfield and Angaston, I had one of the most memorable times of my career with Geoff and his friendship was valued. Geoff is not with us to tell his own story but thankfully his wife Maureen has graciously taken time to record Geoff’s life as a tractor man.

The Geoff Schmidt Glema Services story shouldn’t end here, as Maureen herself has played a big part in our machinery history and I can only hope that one day she too will tell more of her story.

 
Geoff Schmidt's involvement with Ford Tractors & Machinery.

 

From an early age growing up on a property in the iconic Barossa Valley, Geoff Schmidt had an appreciation of the needs of the grape grower and always desired to make life easier. He loved to tinker with old machinery and innovate where he could, using very limited resources.

Initially the property was run by horsepower alone, quite literally. But soon he convinced his Dad to buy a Fordson Major tractor. This revolutionised life on the farm and Geoff soon realised the potential of, and became fascinated by, tractors and all things mechanical.

Looking for greater challenges than were available on the farm, at the age of sixteen he started as an apprentice diesel mechanic at the Ford dealership, C.T Eckermann & Co., Tanunda.

Whilst completing his apprenticeship, an opportunity arose at Eckermanns for Geoff to try his hand at  sales, mainly tractors but cars & machinery also. He enjoyed the personal contact with farmers and grapegrowers.

In 1971 Geoff was offered an opportunity to join National Mutual Insurance as a sales consultant. Whilst the training undoubtedly assisted Geoff in his marketing skills, he soon found himself on the side of the road watching tractors working in the fields when he was supposed to be selling insurance.

 

Recognising that he missed his beloved tractors and especially the Ford badge on the front of them, he decided in April 1973 to start his own mechanical repair business. Newly married to Maureen and with their first child on the way, this was in retrospect, quite an ambitious, or some would say bravely foolish, thing to do.

We started out in a renovated old farm shed at Nain near Greenock, servicing all types of vehicles including tractors and trucks. Trading as Glema Services we built a clientele which included some of Geoff's previous customers and contacts from his time at Eckermanns.

In May 1975 we moved the business to a more central location at Kroemer's Crossing, Tanunda.
We added a new workshop.

Around that time Eckermanns had sold the Ford dealership to Rob Ladd Motors. Although at the time it was normal for the cars and tractor dealerships to operate as one, Rob Ladd Motors  were not interested in continuing the tractor side of the business.

Seeing an opportunity, we met with John McPherson, the Ford Tractors & Equipment rep. who helped  us obtain the  Ford Tractor Dealership in May 1977

Trading as Glema Services Pty Ltd., we were initially given a target of twelve new tractor sales for the first twelve months. We managed thirteen!  During 1980 a new showroom complemented the dealership.

That was the beginning of a great and long relationship with “Ford Tractors & Equipment”.

Many changes in the business occurred over the years. Mechanical harvesters replaced grape pickers and vineyard tractors needed to adapt also from their more traditional roles. Open air 2-wheel drive tractors with vine-dodgers gave way to 4-WD, air conditioned cabs with low-speed creeper gearboxes and spray equipment. Geoff was an innovator in matching combinations of tractor gearboxes, tyres sizes and P.T.O ratios to achieve optimum grape harvester efficiency.

The workshop also had to evolve to accommodate the increasingly sophisticated equipment.

We went through some very challenging times:

Company changes.  Ford Tractors & Equip became Ford New Holland  and then New Holland when Fiat bought the company.

Droughts came and went, vine-pulls and boom times for vignerons all were reflected in our business too. We were fortunately somewhat insulated from the vagaries of climate and economic fluctuations as our franchise area incorporated both vineyards and cereal cropping.

 
We were very fortunate to win some wonderful memorable holidays as incentives offered by the Ford Tractor Company. It was very exciting to be able to achieve these.

Due to Geoff’s ill health, regretfully we had to sell the business in 1998 to Ivan Limb who is still now trading as B.M.S (Barossa Machinery Services) in Tanunda, S.A.

In his retirement Geoff’s love of tractors continued, collecting 23 of various Ford models,

to play with.

 

Sadly, Geoff died in a car accident in August, 2003.

David Beak's Story

I remember when I first met David Beak I was sweeping the floor in my father’s workshop in Orroroo. It was after school and this sharply dressed young man driving a Mk Three Zephyr was extolling the virtues of carrying at least one new tractor in stock. Not being privy to the negotiations, I do remember tractors arriving and going to farms but not in the same numbers as the Chamberlains from my uncle’s business down the street.

David was polite and did his best to enthuse my somewhat cautious father to make more sales. For him it was a tough gig but he persevered with us and Fordsons waved a blue flag among the sea of orange spreading through the district.

 Our paths would cross many times in the future. David has taught many machinery reps the value of perseverance and hard work during tough times. An ally of small and large dealers while remaining a loyal company man is a difficult task but one he managed admirably.

 

Here is David's story:

 

Born 1940 in Birkdale, 21 Kms from Brisbane, I grew up in the Brisbane “Salad Bowl” small crop farming area, working on farms for pocket money.  Life was one great fun time. I wanted to be a RAAF fighter pilot, but this was scuttled after being told I was hopeless at maths.

By default, I then attended Gatton Agricultural College 1956-58 doing an Ag.Diploma.  It was during 1958 my future was locked and loaded, travel being the objective. 

A Ford Motor Company demo team of five guys, two semis, two tractors and implements and, a pink, blue and white Customline sedan visited the college.  This was the Australia wide travel job for me!  The demo team- Harvey Coombe, Les Glover, Les Graham, Peter Neuman and boss Frank Carr – painted a glowing account of the Australia-wide, all expenses paid job.   Sadly, the demo team did not operate the following year, however, in 1961 Ford were again hiring demonstrators.  At that time I worked for the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Station in Mackay where I started on a salary of nine hundred and sixty nine pounds per annum and paid ten pounds per week board.  I quickly utilized the inside running, viz. Ford tractor boss, Norm Logie, grew up opposite my grandparents in Greenslopes, so meetings were quickly arranged and I won one of the five positions being offered.  After six months with trainer, Lindsay Lamb, at a farm near Geelong, we five demonstrators could make Fordson Dexta and Major tractors virtually talk.  After that my travel involved all Queensland, central and southern New South Wales and western Victoria.

I then did an administrative stint at Broadmeadows plant, then Shell House in Melbourne, under Luke Lazarides, until mid 1962.  At that point each demonstrator was issued with an F250 truck, low loader trailer, Dexta tractor and several implements, to allow mobile on-farm demos.  My post was to South Australia to conduct demos over the following twelve months.

Then I was appointed Admin Assistant to John Blyth at the old Largs Bay plant and subsequently King William Street office in Adelaide.  Living in Area Manager Robyn Sexton’s half built house, nick named “Afghan Flat,” was an experience and a half.

In 1964 I was promoted to S.A. Product Trainer and launched (red-faced) the Ford 6000 (or Greyhound as it was called because it had no guts!).  Talk about being flogged by Chamberlain Countryman!!!  Other introductions were the Ford USA hay range and Horwood Bagshaw sourced “Blue Line” broad acre implements.  I was instructed to tell Gordon Abbott of Streaky Bay to choose – John Shearer or the Ford/Blue Line franchise.  Gordon’s instant reply was “Shearer” needless to say we capitulated.

1967 saw me transferred to north Queensland, replacing the Area Manager who was terminated for holding numerous champagne parties and bouncing cheques on a regular basis.  Lionel List was a tough but good boss and rode me mercilessly to sell Ford 2000 offset tractors (at twice a competitive price).  When the price was cut in almost half, Mareeba salesman, Neil Harry, and I sold fourteen of them to Italian tobacco farmers in two weeks.  We were almost drunk daily due to “drinking to the trac” with the new owners.

North Queensland was great but short lived with a transfer to Brisbane in 1968.  It was then that I earned the dubious title “the Red Line Rep” due to having to catch tourist buses on territory as a result of a one month licence loss for a traffic infringement.

 In late 1971, shortly after the loss of my father, I was promoted to Head Office in Melbourne as second in charge to Bruce “Jowls” Taylor in the market rep area that involved dealer placement and upgrading activities Australia wide.

1974 saw me back with John Blyth on advertising, and I enjoyed busting the myth that those who appeared in product brochures left Ford.  I appeared in every 7A Range tractor catalogue and on a worldwide Ford Tractor calendar.

In 1976, I was promoted to Market Rep and Business Management Manager.  I recall having one assigned and one leased vehicle and eating in the inner sanctum dining room with the Ford Australia elite as a career high point.  One function of this job was Director Secretary of the only Ford Tractor Dealer Development Dealer at Dandenong.  This involved an annual financial audit as per Ford Australia requirements.  In 1978 Ford, on my recommendation, sold Dandenong to operator Geoff Thacker at an agreed discounted price to enable the dealership to compete better financially.  The dealership prospered.

In 1980 there was a promotion to Southern District Sales Manager, and I stayed in this role until 1984 when the higher grade marketing manager position became available.   I applied for this job but missed out and decided that was the end of promotion opportunities so I accepted a job as Sales Manager with the Geoff Fowler/Russell Skerman Brisbane-based Ford tractor dealership, Agquip Metro.  For the 1985-year we won the top dealer sales for Australia.

I was then promoted to Agquip Metro General Manager in 1986 but that did not work out, so I went on the labour market that year.  I then spent 8 months managing the Dwyer Group Mackay Branch and in the tough year of 1986/87 brought the branch from a loss into profit before returning to Brisbane.

Then I wrote to over 20 agricultural companies applying for a job.  Only 3 replied and Massey Ferguson Australia offered me a job as Branch Manager starting in July 1987.   Unfortunately, due to industry problems (drought etc), and AGCO operating policies, the job was gradually down graded to what would become area manager, so I took redundancy in November 2002 and have lived the good life of retirement and overseas travel with my wife Pam since then.  That included 7 years part-time with Rob Wruck at North Pine Motors in Petrie doing the advertising.

In all the 41 years in the business I consider the Fendt Vario range of tractors, acquired by ACGO in 2001, to be an amazing advance in technology, providing huge forward steps in efficiency and quality engineering.  Pat Baird and I launched the 960 Vario model throughout north Queensland doing 50 kph demos throughout from Cairns to Mackay.  I’ll never forget the look on the faces of the farmers we took as passengers, when I told them I was going to change into reverse direction at 50kph with a flick of the joystick. North Queensland dry cleaners must have made a fortune during the programme.

The Australian travel afforded by both Ford and M.F. was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and provided an untold variety of farm and business contacts.

Every one of the companies I have worked for involved good times, great staff and some amazing characters and their activities.  I consider I could not have run a more satisfying race.  If there was a downside to the travel it was time away from home, so the support of a great family made it all possible.

There will always be an Ag Machinery industry, but I feel the types and numbers of opportunities will sadly diminish in Australia as time goes by.  However, top men will hold top jobs as usual.

Finally, an interesting statistic, in almost 24 years as a Ford Australia employee, I had 53 assigned vehicles and 11 leased vehicles – total 64.  The models and number plates of all 64 vehicles are recorded for posterity

Happy Easter

Hello and Happy Easter,

It has been over a month since I last posted an interview on the blog and this is completely my doing, I have been busy trying to get my novel Kundela completed and into print. Now the final proofs are signed and with the printer it is time to get back on track with the AgList Anthology.

Over the last month I have had e-mails from across Australia and New Zealand and these are from people with quite diverse backgrounds. Colin Woods worked at Massey Ferguson in Sunshine for many years and his is an interesting story he will share with us. Renown author Graeme Quick contacted me too and reminded me that he has written several books about the machinery industry, with in a few days I hope to include a link that will direct you to where his books can be sourced from.

Coming up in April, larger than life personality Norm Feigert will tell his story and in May, I hope that I have completed transcribing Ian O'Rourke's tome. Both of these men have a well developed yarn spinning technique to keep us entertained.

For now have a happy and safe Easter.

PS. If you or someone you know would like to include a life story or machinery yarn, contact me and  to include it.

Cheers,

Terry

Geoff Moore the story of a fourth generation windmill man

How did you get started in the machinery game?

As the fourth generation of a 150 year old business, I was born into the business and it has been my life’s work for the past 45 years.

What name does your business trade under and what was your first role?

The company is W.D. Moore & Co. and I began my career in a division outside the Ag industry. But Windmills and water pumping were a part of what I grew up with. As a youngster (about aged 6) I would go with my father when he went out on jobs.

Tell me a bit about it, anything interesting happen

Even from an early age I was involved in making decisions for the business particularly regarding the Windmill. In 1969, father and I discussed the future of windmills held. He told me that in 1949, he believed the business might only have had 20 years left before something replaced them. Again in 1969, we both agreed that our firm might have another20 years left in the windmill business. 1989 and 2009 both pasted, and my feeling today is that we might still have another 20 years left in the windmill business.

Did you have a career plan at all or did it just evolve?

I have never deviated from the earliest childhood belief that I would spend my life in the family business.

Do you remember a worst day at work and if you can, tell me what happened?

Life has changed. For more than forty years I have worked with the belief that you come to work for two reasons - to make a living (we have never wanted for much other than sustenance and coverage), but the second reason is the most important - you must have fun. Today times are tough, and we have sold half the business. The second reason is no longer valid. We have had tough days before caused by drought and floods, low commodity prices and even government interference. But nothing compares to lack of job satisfaction.

And to balance things, what about the best day at work, what happened and when?

Better than 14,600 days have been the best days at work - enjoying the people who work with you, and the customers you have. Add to this the loyalty of suppliers who stick with you despite the hard times.

Was this your first career choice?

Yes, as I said earlier I was born into this business. I never thought about anything else.

How many different jobs have you held during your career?

I have only worked in the one company as I said but I really did everything.

The positions involved floor sweeper, office boy, technical writer, manager, general manager, managing director, teacher, mentor, public relations, and motivator

Describe the best role you held in the company.

Any of the above, each position led me on to the next role. Grooming me for the job I hold today.

Tell us about any favourite times you can recall during your career?

Two times stand out. The first being the development of the Solar Water Pumping Division of our company, and the second is the work I’ve done to support the Windmill Contractors and helping them to build better businesses.

What was the best product or service you ever owned, sold, or worked on?

It's still the windmill.

And the most important innovation you’ve seen or been part of what would that be?

The development of the "Australian Windmill Contractor Association", has offered a strong voice to individuals and a combined strength to tackle the larger issues of regulation as a united voice. The other innovation which has revolutionised our industry in my opinion is the Poly-Rod Borehole system for Windmills. For us it is proving to be more robust, more cost efficient and easier to maintain than the traditional system of steel pipes and rods.

Now about school, how far did you go and have you done any study after leaving?

I completed Year 12, and then spent one year at uni studying engineering but left at the end of that year only being successful at snooker. Then as and when my role demanded I completed various business studies.

What is that you are doing today, and who do you work for?

Same as always, I am still here at W.D. Moore & Co.

Can you tell us what you see any challenges the industry will face over the next few years?

Greed will emerge and the biggest problem for all business. What comes after China?

That’s a great question and every business is asking it. I hope our readers open up with their comments and thoughts on it.

Finally is there any advice you can give to anyone considering a similar career?

There is plenty of room in the renewable energy water pumping industry. A good living can be made, and all are welcome. You have to be prepared to work hard, be honest, and seek advice from others in the industry - if others are willing to help, embrace them as mentors. If they are unwilling they will become your competitors

Thanks Geoff for taking some time out of your day to participate in the project. The Farm machinery industry relies on so many different facets and trades that serve our needs. Your story helps to shed some light on the windmill and pumping side of our business.

Thank you.

John Henchy

I was bought up in Kenya, East Africa.

My Dad became the manager of a sisal estate and that was my first brush with Agriculture at around 11 years of age. Soon after he leased a small farm where we grew pyrethrum (a natural insecticide), wheat, barley and milked a few cows and sold the milk to the local Indians from which they made ghee (widely used in Indian cuisine).

Most of my education was at boarding school and as was the norm sport and extracurricular activities were encouraged to fill the gap, being away from home. Sport played a big part but I was also involved with the Young Farmers’ Club of which I was the chairman in the latter years. Young farmers gave us an opportunity to visit different farms and agribusinesses and of course the opportunity to get away from school at any opportunity was welcomed.

When I left school my parents thought that I should be exposed to how others lived and being of English extract suggested I go to England! My Mum had an uncle who worked at Ransome Sims and Jefferies in Ipswich, Suffolk, manufacturers of farm machinery, and he was able to get me enrolled in  what they called a special apprenticeship. It meant that we were exposed to all the different departments in the factory and it gave me a good rounding of what was involved with manufacturing, marketing and sales.

Sandwiched in-between my time at Ransomes I went to an Ag college in Writtle, near Chelmsford, and became a Graduate of the Institute of Agricultural Engineers.

When I finished at college I went back to Ransomes and worked in the technical sales department and as a result became very familiar with the joint venture they had with the Ford Motor Company where they made implements to complement the Fordson Tractor range.

My parents had written to me (no email in those days!!) to say that the future, for Europeans, in Kenya was not looking good so they suggested I look to settle in another country. As my Dad had a brother in Horsham, Victoria, he had made the decision he and Mum would come to Australia so it made sense for me to follow, I arrived in 1962 – I never did go back home to Kenya!!

Because I knew a number of the Ford tractor folk in England, when I was at Ransomes, and they knew I was moving to Australia they suggested that I contact Ford Australia because they were looking for young people, I followed that up and it was agreed that we should meet when I arrived in Melbourne.

We met in Melbourne, I think it was the Shell building in the City in those days, but was told that all vacancies had been filled – it was disappointing but as I had not seen my parents for a few years I decided I would go to Horsham where they had settled and see where it would take me.

I was offered a job with the International Harvester dealer in Warrnambool, McConnell Truck and Tractor as a salesman, so I hitch hiked down there and started.

It was not to last long because I was inexperienced but apart from that I was not impressed with the way they treated Customers so I left.

I got a job washing cars at Young’s Horsham Garage, the Ford car and tractor Dealer, and that lasted a few months before I helped out in the workshop before being offed a job looking after the sales of Fordson Tractors in the Wimmera.

The year was 1964 and the Super Major was a good seller and we did well. It was at that time that I first met Noel Howard when he offered me a job with the Company in Tractor Division. Because things were going well and I was enjoying the job I declined his offer.

Things continued to go well but in 1968 I was at a demo and was approached by a person from J.I.Case who offered me a job as a Territory Manager in Queensland. I moved to Toowoomba.

This was my first move into the corporate world and it was clearly different to retail. I’d moved from a relatively conservative area, in the Wimmera, to one which had two seasons in a year and machinery was higher up the shopping list and the volume of tractors and harvesters moving through was something that really hit me, it was vibrant and exciting.

My territory covered from Gayndah in the north, south to Inverell across to Moree and up though St George and Roma. A good variety of country covering broadacre cereals, vegies in Gatton to peanuts in Kingaroy and the start of cotton growing in St George.

After 12 months I was asked to move to Moree in NW New South Wales as the company store manager for J.I.Case. I enjoyed the return to retailing but the timing was not good. It was 1969 and wheat quotas had been enforced, country wide, and that caused all sorts of problems and put the kibosh on sales. Even the harvesting contractors were finding it hard to get work with the reduction in grain production.

My time in Moree was before the advent of cotton - when I was there they were building the Copeton dam but the land out west was still being grazed and not much machinery was sold, a bit different now with cotton planted from fence to fence.

In 1971 I was again contacted by Noel Howard who offered me a job back in Horsham as a Zone manager and given the time we had had with the problems with wheat quotas etc I thought a change would be nice so I moved back.

This job was relatively short in duration before I was asked to move to the Ford Tractor Operations office in Broadmeadows where I worked on various jobs from training to working in the marketing department.

In 1974 I was offered, and accepted, a position as manager for Western Australia and did that until 1981 when I was approached by Chamberlain John Deere for a similar role - after ten years with Ford I made the move.

I stayed with John Deere for over 25 years and had numerous positions, ranging from state manager, dealer development manager, national product support manager, division marketing manager for Southern Australia and New Zealand and my last position was product development manager for Australia and New Zealand.

The interesting aspect of this part of my career was that although I had responsibility nationally and in parts internationally with New Zealand, and I was based at all times in Perth. This arose back in 1992 when an earlier John Deere market manager made the comment that in future the trend would be for more employees to work from home rather than in an office, this was at the start of the communication technology evolution.

So instead of moving at every promotion I stayed put in the one place, clearly it worked well for John Deere because if it hadn’t I would have been moved back to an office. However the trend was confined to me, it seemed the era of working from home didn’t take off for many others in management.

My departure from John Deere in 2007 signalled a new era for me where I made the decision to change direction and have more flexibility in my life and spend more time with Claire, my wife, who had been living, all our married life with a fly-in fly-out husband!!!

It’s interesting that I started my career in the farm mechanisation industry at Dealer level and as I enter my twilight years I am again back working back with Dealers as the Executive Officer of the Farm Machinery & Industry Association of WA (Inc).

I look back on my life with pride having been fortunate to work in such a wonderful industry, as I tell people if I had my time again I would do the same thing.

One of the many highlights of my career was to represent the industry, though the TMA (Tractor & Machinery Association of Australia), which I considered a privilege and an honour, I was fortunate to be the Chairman for 5 years in the early nineties.

The future of mankind relies on food and without us, the farm mechanisation industry, productivity would be nowhere near what it is today, in fact if it were not for us agriculture, horticulture, viticulture  and all the other ‘cultures’ would stop.

It is an absolute pleasure to reflect on all the people I have met and continue to keep in contact with around the country and around the world, I can’t think of another industry where as competitors, we can have such respect for each other and enjoy each other’s company when work is done.

I plan to keep working in this industry while I believe I can make a contribution and it is a focus of mine to encourage as many young people as I can to be part of Agriculture directly or indirectly in Agribusiness. Agriculture is not only  about farming but about being part of the largest industry in the world with the vital responsibility of feeding the world.

What more noble career can one have?

John Blyth - Marketing Manager Ford Tractors

Blokes like John Blyth probably have no idea of the impression they leave on a kid hanging around his dad's ankles but from the age of about ten John seemed to me the epitome of a company manager at the top of his game. Later I was lucky enough to be part of the Ford Motor Company's tractor demo team and John was there guiding the marketing ship setting a great example in both appearance and attitude.

When John emailed through his story I was enchanted and grateful that he agreed to put in the time to reply to my request.

Here is the story he sent in. I feel there is a book in John and if we could ever get everything down in print I'm sure it would be of interest to many.

THE LIFE OF BLYTH

For a kid of fourteen, leaving primary school in 1940, with a war under way and the necessity to get a job, I did nothing. Whilst the existence of a war tended to concentrate your attention on the fact that men could now kill one another legally, it managed to eliminate other things of importance such as getting a job. My mother did that for me. She was not the sort of person to do this kind of thing but I guess she felt compelled to launch me into life after school.

I was employed by the firm that had a gentleman by the name of Offord whose job it was to provide the company’s workforce with new labour. The fact that he was the brother of our headmaster Pip Offord was unknown to me at the time but I eventually realised this and saw how my mother had approached the problem.

For the next four years I laboured for Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries and in 1944 joined the RAF as, what else, a future hero. Going in as an air crew trainee ready to give his time to shooting down a large number of German planes, I was soon to be disappointed by being told that the only job among aircrew trainees was as an air-gunner. My intention to be a pilot was never considered. As a result I re-mustered to ground staff and became a radar mechanic.

Another three years were to pass before I enjoy the freedoms which came with being a civilian. A twelve month course training me to become a draughtsman enabled me to get a job in the old firm. So, by 1949 I was back in the old firm with only a small amount of self confidence having developed over the years.

Life was not good. Clothing was still rationed, as was food and sweets and just about everything that made life bearable. So I decided to migrate if I could get a partner to go with me. No one in the office wanted to join me but I did meet a girl at a dance who was perfectly willing. As a result we eventually got married and left for Australia on the motor vessel New Australia. We arrived in Melbourne six weeks later and were greeted by all my relatives who had spent their lives here. It all seemed very wonderful, especially the sweet shops, which were laden with sweets of all shapes and sizes and types.

I eventually got a job with a small agricultural firm as a draughtsman. This lasted about nine months when Ford advertised a position known as Implement Specialist. The job it was to find implement manufacturers, who were prepared to supply Ford with all types of implements for them for sale through their dealer organisation. The fact that I had worked for Ransomes who, in turn, had supplied Ford with implements put me into the right place at the right time. They gave me the job. So in late 1952 Ford employed me, and I stayed with them for the rest of my working life.

I spent six years working in this role before I was offered the job of working for Ford in South Australia. Of course I refused immediately, because I did enjoy the work I was doing and I felt totally incapable of selling tractors and farm machinery. Especially to that tough lot of dealers who would quickly realise that I was without any experience at all in their kind of business. Ewan Scott-Mackenzie was the new man taking over the Tractor Department and he informed me that if I did not take the job I was likely to be dispensed with all together. Needless to say I accepted...unwillingly.

Ford had ceased assembling tractors in Adelaide and the office of the company was still the front office of the factory. The branch Manager was Alf Brooker and my staff comprised Les Salotti the only field man, a temporary loan of David Beak who was a very young lad at the time and dear old Jack Nankervis who was a vehicle service rep who, on a part time basis looked after the tractor side of things. I imagine my appointment offended Les Salotti who would have expected promotion to the position. A point of view, I could both understand and sympathise with. For a few weeks we soldiered on until I got to know the place, and then I moved into an office in the factory which helped me to feel a little more independent.

The factory was not the place in which I could feel important but it was a stepping stone. Unknown to me negotiations were under way to move the entire Ford organisation from there to the city. Along with others I eventually moved to an upper floor of a building in the city and for a short time I felt a little more important. I managed to earn more staff including a secretary and for a while this kept me happy.

Eventually I felt the necessity to have our tractor operation situated in the kind of building that identified us as a separate business. A place that carried some stock, provided a place for dealers to visit and somewhere for us to provide the kind of service that the dealers needed. To cut a long story short we were lucky enough to find an empty vehicle dealer premises which was big enough to handle our business. I put up a proposition to head office which was an attempt to illustrate the kind of place we needed and the kind of results that we felt were achievable. Mr Scott-Mackenzie gave me an immediate go ahead and we were on our way to building a bigger and better penetration of the market in the state of South Australia.

Most of the dealers who still exist will recall the company’s policy of increasing the importance of a dealership where the market was large enough to increase our penetration. This in fact applied to most dealerships in the state. Places like Streaky Bay, Farrell Flat, and more dealers on the river. Dealers all over the state were given a better chance of competing for business and our sales penetration grew. We also appointed sub dealers such as Tumby Bay and Mount Barker, and in general lifted the efforts of our dealers to a point where the South Australian Ford Tractor dealers eventually led the sales penetration statistics.

Perhaps at this point I should thank the staff that I had managed to get together for what was a really great job for the company. The most senior Field Manager was Les Salotti for whom I was always very grateful. In addition Max Kuseff and Ralph Kirkmoe covered two thirds of the state. An appointment that I made was engaging a Business Manager Representative and I have to say that this was the best decision I ever made. Reg Flanagan was the man, and he also got me playing golf on Sunday mornings. He was a great Representative and a real comic. In addition to David Beak who has remained a good friend to this day, and who was another comic rather like Reg. Finally my field staff was complete with the appointment full time of Jack Nankervis.

In the office I had my secretary Elsie Grant who was a very competent lady and two other staff members, the first was Jim Green and the other Col Parker. I am afraid that I have also forgotten the names of the two older men who handled all the stock.

Looking back I wonder if I was as good a boss to them as they were good workers for me.

Probably the most memorable part of my time in Adelaide was not in Adelaide itself. I refer to a trip to America and England for the release of the new Ford tractor models. It was a great flight with an organiser operating the trip for us. Some of the tricks that those South Australian dealers got up to were hilarious. It was a wonderful trip for me marked seriously by the death of my Father some two weeks before we took off. New York was a great experience as was the trip up to the north including the Niagara Falls and the plant in Detroit.

Looking back, I like to believe that I had hosted a higher percentage of dealers who qualified to join the trip than any other State branch’ and If I am wrong don’t tell me. One of my favourite memories is of Gordon Abbot of Streaky Bay ambling around New York dressed in the same clothes he wore at home. This is a trip that I could go on about for pages but I think I had better stop at this point.

Shortly after returning to Australia I was told that I was being promoted and would have to go back to Melbourne. Despite the fact that the job I was given was as Marketing Manager I didn’t want to go, and told the boss so. He, as usual, told me to come over or suffer an end to the job. I had to go of course. I cannot remember exactly when this was but I was so sorry to leave. My old friend Don Mason took my job over and I’m glad to say that we still see one another regularly

I do not think it worthwhile to continue with a brief picture of the rest of my life in Ford, but the next four years or so were both a challenge and a delight for me. I would like to thank every dealer who we represented, and every member of the staff who took part in running the branch.

John Blyth