General News
1 May, 2026
Hard Work and Initiative: Not always taken up with Brian Lennen
Maryborough's Brian Lennen reflects on Australia's pursuit of small business.
I was born to humble parents both of above average intelligence in an age where the common folk were expected to do the mundane jobs.
For a working class family, university wasn’t considered.
My dad was familiar with Melbourne University (the only one in Victoria) as he rode his bicycle from Carlton into the city to go to work.
On the way he took a short cut through the university grounds.
The children of the privileged were expected to become students and graduates.
A country student or the children of the working class rarely considered taking up a university place.
I wonder what thoughts went through Dad’s mind as he thought about his scholarship from Lee Street Carlton that his dad disregarded?
After the war the proletariat saw their future in a different light.
As a result, secondary schools tripled in numbers and a multitude of university campuses emerged.
Amazingly large country centres such as Ballarat, Bendigo, Sale and Geelong and many others, offered degree courses.
Even branches of law to medicine became available.
Today most parents have an expectation that their children will obtain tertiary qualifications, and many do.
This shift in educational opportunities created a problem. Due to under-developed countries competing against the Australian produce with their cheaper labour, the clothing, shoe and light metal operators didn’t survive.
Unemployment became a major problem and all governments had to increase their welfare budgets.
Of course this meant heavier taxes and partially created a class of welfare dependent citizens. Some unkindly referred to them as “dole bludgers”.
A walk down any town’s high street will reveal a dramatic number of empty retail outlets.
Large and formerly highly successful businesses such as Fletcher Jones, Rivers, Katies, etc have closed down.
Even the Solomon Lou’s mainstay, Myer, is having a struggle.
Myer started trading in Bendigo. Sidney Myer, a haberdasher who travelled around the district selling his wares, established the business. He was a fantastic citizen who gave far more than he took.
He established his own superannuation for his workers well before it became universal.
Of course he was instrumental in the Myer Music Bowl establishment.
The Myer Foundation offers assistance for anyone who has enterprising ambitions.
My Nona was visited by his caravan on the farm.
The unemployment rate in Maryborough is unfortunately at record levels.
It is easy to see when you list the major employers who have closed down.
Some of them include Phelan’s houses and hardware, the knitting mill, the wireworks, Nestle, the butter factory, the dairy, the flour mill, the railways maintenance and road gang, six hotels and three fruit shops, to name a few.
The Book Printer has continued the city’s strong printing background.
True Foods took over the Nestle plant and are supplying supermarkets all over with their wraps.
As I mentioned in an early article, milk bars were spread all over the city usually with live-in proprietors.
Most of the milk bars specialised in well patronised products. Max Pattern specialised in ice blocks on a stick. His three penny milk-colas were sell outs, and two penny water ice blocks were equally popular.
Bella Harris and Marty’s produced unforgettable pies, pasties and hamburgers with the lot in thick toast.
Greek emigrants such as Billy and Manual’s were popular spots along with Steve’s. Steak, eggs and onions were all the go.
Manual was a powerful man and I saw him lift a troublesome customer by his collar and deposit him outside.
Those in the know were provided with “frothy pots of tea”.
The demise of six o’clock closing was inevitable and saw the upgrading, or disappearance, of the local pub.
Australians have become addicted to coffee.
Once you might find a quality brew in Lygon Street — now Maryborough can boast over 10 outlets.
Despite the monopolies of American outlets, I can see a re-emergence of local entrepreneurs.
Let’s hope it continues in the future.