THERE’S a long association between wool broker, Don Macdonald and Brewarrina.
When the big livestock and rural agencies left the town and region Mr Macdonald was one of many who believed the gap left in stock and property agency work and merchandise requirements needed to be filled.
So in November 2013 Macdonald Rural – CRT Brewarrina opened and began an expansion from the large Dubbo wool firm Don Macdonald had began from his wool growing enterprises years before.
The person behind the business is Ros Press, who moved into the wool business after 25 years experience in rural merchandising with Landmark, Dubbo.
“Don wanted to open a rural store in Brewarrina, but needed someone with merchandising experience to give some guidance and budgeting for the core Macdonald Rural business which had started and needed to grow to be successful,” Ms Press said.
“So I started working on that project and it’s continued from there.
“Most of the past three years I have worked mainly in Brewarrina on the business and now a few days a fortnight.”
The rural business has gone so well it is employing two permanent staff members and one casual with Ms Press the general manager.
Mrs Press said she thought the thing that keeped her in Brewarrina was seeing the town grow.
“Providing these rural merchandising opportunities for the people out here is very satisfactory,” she said.
“Bre didn’t have a rural merchandise business at all, and so people were going off to Walgett, Bourke or Nyngan for their supplies. It was not a good thing for the town.”
Human nature is simple. If you have to go somewhere for something you combine the trip and do all the shopping needed.
“When they go to town they end up spending money on other things and that spend was not in Brewarrina and was a drain the local economy.”
Ms Press said there were other business people who thought the same as her, so they combined their ideas.
They formed the “three birds and a bloke” group to give back to the community that supported their businesses.
“The four of us seemed to be in agreement that we didn’t want to do anything like giving handouts,” she said.
“We aren’t into homecare packs and other things like that.
“It’s all very good in its place, but these guys (farmers) have been in this drought for a lot longer that most other regions.
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“They have been hand-feeding their stock for more than two years, most of them, and what feed and grain they had in reserves had been eaten a long time ago.”
Ms Press said while the western and northwest country is like that, it wasn’t until the dry hit closer-in regions like the Hunter and Tablelands that alarm bells started to ring in Sydney.
“So our people out here have gone a long time and felt they hadn’t been heard until the flasher areas and towns started to be in trouble.”
She said the group of four didn’t want to embarrass people.
“But we just want them to understand that those four business leaders in town do want to help and repay in some way the support the community has given.”
