The
Fletcher Jones Story
Born in 1895 in Bendigo, David Fletcher
Jones left school just before his thirteenth birthday and started
work in an auction rooms before moving on to grow tomatoes on
a small plot of land on the outskirts of Bendigo . He joined
the Australian army in 1915 and served in Egypt and then on
to the Western front in France. A shell burst just meter's away
left him with severe injuries and he was invalided home with
a C3 (Totally and Permanently Incapacitated) classification,
and never expected to work again. He refused to accept the pension
and started to look for work. His doctor suggested that a sales
job might be good for him |
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with his severe stammer, and he eventually found work selling
soap door to door. After some success he then decided to set
up his own business selling drapery and manchester door to door
and purchased a small horse drawn hawkers van and set off around
the Western district of Victoria. This proved to be even more
successful and despite his severe stutter, his honesty and integrity
shone through and he quickly built the business to a point where
he had several trucks and a staff of six. To boost sales he
began renting temporary premises and held one and two days sales
in towns around the countryside and in 1924 he rented the Oddfellows
hall in Warrnambool and held a sale that proved to be so successful
he was persuaded to settle in |
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| Warrnambool
and lease three shops in the main street. The next
few years the business struggled as the shops were at the wrong
end of the street and FJ was severely under capitalised, however
in 1928 he moved to a shop near the corner of Liebig and Koroit
St and the business became know as "The Mans Shop"
and at this time he commenced making men's suits and trousers.
The next change occurred in 1931 when the Methodist church on
the corner of Liebig and Koroit St was demolished to make way
a new shop and FJ agreed to take the lease. The new shop was
built to FJ's specifications with a |
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| modern retail shop at the cities
busiest intersection at street level and large upstairs area
for his growing workforce of tailors. During the next decade,
despite the financial hardships of the depression years the
business continued to prosper, and It was at this stage FJ began
to question the distribution of wealth between the rich and
the poor and he looked for a way to address the imbalance. His
reading and research eventually led him to the writings of Dr
Toyohiro Kagawa ( who had often been described as Japan's Ghandi
) and his work with setting up cooperative projects in |
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| Japan. In 1935 Kagawa
visited Melbourne and after numerous letters, FJ managed to
convince Kagawa to visit Warrnambool and speak at the local
town hall and then in 1936 FJ visited Japan to study Kagawa's
social innovations first hand, and he returned convinced to
set up a similar structure in Warrnambool. The Second World
War intervened before FJ could put his plan into action and
it was at this stage that another major expansion occurred in
the business. Under direction from the Federal Government, FJ
was directed to make army trousers, which they were not set
up to do, but in typical FJ style he managed to convince the
Government Clothing Dept. that it would be better to make quality
trousers for primary producers. Thus was born the famous FJ
plus 8 trousers, which came in four different colours and one
style . At the end of W.W.II the |
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increase in demand
put a huge strain on resources and the lack of any suitable
premises to relocate to, prompted Fletcher Jones to build a
purpose built factory, and in early 1947 he agreed to buy a
large block of land on the highway, part of which included a
disused quarry which had been used as a rubbish dump. Work began
immediately , with the site being cleared and ex army huts erected
to accommodate machinists cutters etc. and by 1948 production
of men's trousers commenced on the newly named "Pleasant
Hill " site. This new factory was more than just expansion
to Fletcher Jones but was the opportunity to realise his dream
of allowing |
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his employee's to
become part owners in the company and to share in the profits.
He also wanted to create a pleasurable working environment for
everyone who worked in the factory - something that had never
been attempted before.
He then approached Neil Symons, a local solicitor to help in
setting up the business structure for this new company, and
Neil promptly told FJ that "he didn't need a business
advisor, he needed a psychiatrist" , but FJ's dream
was so infectious than not only did Neil Symons set up the new
business but he left his job and went to work for FJ, eventually
becoming Managing Director and continued in that capacity until
his retirement some twenty five years later. When the new company,
"Fletcher Jones and Staff.was finally put in place ( 1951)
the staff owned 51% of the shares and Fletcher Jones had become
a minority shareholder in the company he had created and by
the mid 1970's staff ownership had grown to over 75%. Not only
did the staff benefit financially from the FJ's vision, they
were also taking part in a workplace revolution as employees
were given more control over their jobs and sections within
the factory were run on a team cooperative basis while outside
the factory site the rubbish tip was being transformed into
landscaped gardens. |
The next 20 years were the Golden years for the FJ organisation
with a rapid expansion in the company, starting with just
140 employees in the Warrnambool factory in 1948, to well
1100 in 1960's, plus another 900 employed in factories in
Brunswick and Mt Gambier. Apart from expanding his manufacturing
facilities Fletcher Jones also opened a chain of retail
stores right across Australia with stores in nearly even
major town across the country.
In 1970, following the death of Fletchers beloved wife,
Rena, Fletcher's scaled back his involvement with the running
of the company. Fletcher was honoured in the 1974 New Years
honours list with a Knighthood and in 1976 and autobiography
entitled "Not by Myself" was published.
In February of 1977 David Fletcher Jones passed away, ending
an extraordinary life
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The Epilogue
At that time of his death, Fletcher Jones and Staff was one
of the largest clothing manufacturers in the world, with almost
three thousand employed in four factories and thirty-three stores
through every Australian state and capital city.
Arguably, no single person or firm had done more to transform
the clothing sector and, to change Australian dress standards,
particularly among men, than Fletcher Jones and his staff
It took another 20 years after FJ's death for the company to
succumb to the same fate. The abolition of tariffs and cheap
imports are often cited as reason for the failure of the company
and although the factories |
have been closed
for the past decade, the chain of retail stores, brand name
and label still live on, although under new ownership.
In an age where accolades are handed out like lollies and sportsmen
and actors are lauded as heroes, it is easy to overlook this
genuinely modest man who overcame a scant education, serious
war injuries and a profound stammer to build an world class
organisation that set standards in manufacturing that even today
are not duplicated, at the same time doing it with honesty and
great integrity |
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Grampians
in Bloom
If you are planning a weekend escape then a short spring break
in the Grampians might be the answer - Sunny spring days (
ideal for bushwalking ) and cool nights - curled up in front
of an open fire.
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If that sounds like the sort of spring holiday you would like,
then follow the links to the Grampians
Accommodation Page |
| Apollo
Bay Apollo Bay seems
to have become the new "in" place to visit, as seaside
towns close to Melbourne become increasingly crowded and very
expensive over the summer months. |
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| More people
are now looking for a quiet holiday beside the sea and Apollo
bay is becoming the destination of choice for International
and domestic traveler's alike. If you are looking for accommodation
in Apollo Bay then read our Apollo Bay
Accommodation Guide |
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Lake
Pertobe
Mini Golf
open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 4 PM
close to the beach on Pertobe Road Warrnambool
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Port
Campbell one travel writer described
Port Campbell as a windswept village with one pub and a few
take away food places that catered to passing tourists!!
Was he having a bad day or did someone in the town offend him??
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| To find
out more about this historic little coastal township you need
to read our Port Campbell / Peterborough accommodation page
to find out when and where to stay |
| Robe
- a picturesque , historic fishing village
with great beaches in the middle of Australia's premier wine
growing region. It is a little bit off the beaten track which
means that you don't have fight your way through crowds of tourists. |
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| Robe also has great seafood
restaurants, lots of local wineries and loads of history - so
if you are planning a relaxing spring holiday then visit our
Robe Accommodation page |
| Port
Fairy a small historic fishing village
and one of Victoria's earliest settlements. The town has over
50 historically listed buildings and a lot of the town remains
substantially unchanged over the last century |
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| In recent times a lot
of "top end of town" investment money has poured in
the township creating some up market accommodation that has
added to the towns existing motels, B&B's and caravan parks.
So to find out where to stay and how much you will pay then
you should look at out Port Fairy Accommodation
page |
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