Mowbray Real Estate in Launceston, Tasmania | Estate agent

Mowbray Real Estate

Locality: Launceston, Tasmania

Phone: +61 419 386 945

Address: 117 Cimitiere Street 7250 Launceston, TAS, Australia

Website: http://www.richardbailey.com.au

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22.01.2022 This week at The Star... https://www.startheatre.com.au/

20.01.2022 We currently have some vests available to purchase from the school office $25 each. Sizes available are: 3 size 4, 2 size 6 and 1 size 10.

19.01.2022 ~ John "Our son was riding his motorbike up Hillside Crescent in West Launceston. The gentleman in the car was taking his young daughter to the library to get ...a book she wanted and turned into Canning Street and hit our son head on and Leighton died instantly. It was simply a tragic accident. And here’s the strange thing about God’s grace, we asked the man who killed him to sit next to us at our son’s funeral. And he did. Forgiving him was a huge step for us in our time of grief". "I turn 92 this weekend. Not a bad innings really. And my wife has her birthday the next day. So we have a big weekend coming up. Life for us has had it's ups and downs, but we have always got through it together. I was born in 1925 up in Winkleigh near Beaconsfield. Every day I would ride my bike to Beaconsfield to get a better education. Twenty miles a day with huge rocks on the road. There’s was no bitumen in them days so she was a bumpy ride I can assure you. My parents had a 200 acre farm in Winkleigh and when they sold it, we all moved to 85 Bathurst Street. Opposite Brickfields Park where the BMW dealership is now. I started going to school at Launceston High School but I left at the age of 14 in 1940. I got a job as a commercial compositor at The Examiner. Then the war started to heat up and I had by then become a member of the army reserves and we were the first to get the call up. So, we went down to Hobart for a few months training. I wasn’t too enamoured with the idea of going to war. I don’t mind admitting I’m a bit of a coward. But I’d rather be an alive coward than a dead hero. (Laughs) So, during this time, my mother had a heart attack and I got leave from the army training and also had to apply for compassionate leave from The Examiner. Then strangely enough I had a yearning to join the air force. I showed the papers to my boss Stan at the Examiner. He said You didn’t tell me you applied for the air force. I said Well I’m telling you now He said Well we are a protected industry. And he picked up the phone and told them to withdraw that application immediately. So that was what stopped me going to the war. I met my wife in Scottsdale when I was a piper in the Caledonian Pipe Band. We were putting on a concert and my wife was performing as a soloist. She was a wonderful singer. My mother knew her family. My mum said to me one day 'You should marry a girl like Rae Brown'. Then I met her again at a concert in Lilydale and we start seeing each other and we married in 1947. Rae worked in the cosmetics department at Mackinlays. We married at the Salvation Army in Galvin Street. After 7 years, and completing my apprenticeship, I left the Examiner. Now, although I worked very hard over the next few decades, I was very lucky in a few business ventures. I bought an old 1933 Chevrolet truck for 150 pounds. I managed to get a contract with the massive clothing and merchandise store McKinlay’s and they paid me 12 quid a week to deliver their goods which only took up two hours a day. I built it up to four trucks. Delivering everything and anything. I ended getting a contract with Ansett Airlines and would meet the plane at 3 a.m. every morning, pick up the freight and deliver it. I was given a very lucrative offer to sell the business that would have been crazy to knock back, so I sold it in 1952. I used the finances from the sale to start a milk delivery business and it was the greatest day when I started that job. Up early and you were finished by 10a.m. I started doing home deliveries pouring milk from a 10-gallon drum of raw milk into domestic billy cans, and I progressed to a bulk run for the milk, delivering to places like Monaghan’s, Cornwall Hotel, Coles and the girls home on the corner of Galvin and Wellington Street. I was making 50 pounds a week, when the average wage for a tradie was about 5 pounds ‘8. So, it was a very profitable business and I worked hard and employed four locals full time. It was really good actually. My truck was the first in Tasmania to be refrigerated and have a deep freeze in the back also. (See photo of John in the truck at top of comments) I ended up buying a small grocers shop on the corner of Hill Street and Brougham Street in West Launceston and I had the idea of delivering groceries in my truck, straight to the homes of my customers. I had the freezer and fridge in the truck so it was perfect. It did really well and then a mate of mine offered me a larger shop to rent at 198 Wellington Street opposite Galvin Street. I decided to call that shop S.O.S (Shop-One-Stop). You get it for less at S.O.S I used to say. (Laughs) It was all about timing and I only had 1500 quid plus another 500 quid I borrowed off my uncle. On my opening day, there were 50 people lined up outside before I even opened. It was one of the first self-serve grocery store and people were fascinated. (See photo of our first day of trading) Within a few years, I had to build a 5000-square foot shop next door and had other chain stores throughout the city and suburbs. I employed 60 staff at one stage, including my amazing wife Rae, who worked for nothing stacking shelves or on the tills if we got busy. I ended up with stores in Deloraine, Mowbray, Kings Meadows, Brisbane Street and Wellington Street. My main competitor was Rolf Vos Supermarkets. We were very competitive actually. Funnily enough, we were great friends. When he was near the end of his life with cancer, Rae was also in hospital at the time and I visited him in hospital and we gave him a beautiful book called 7 days in Hospital. He and I walked around the hospital and he held me by the arm and poured his heart out to me. He then shook my hand and said John, I’m now going home to die. And he did just that. And he passed away 3 weeks later at home, surrounded by his loved ones. He was a pivotal person in the history of Launceston. He also built Grindelwald. Rolf was a very smart man. I was always a big believer in aggressive advertising and low prices and it worked brilliantly. The thing with advertising is half of it works, the other half doesn’t. You just don’t know which half works (laughs). TV advertising is the key. One time I did put an ad on tv and the next morning they were lined up around the corner. I ended up selling the S.O.S chain to Basil Fitch, who went onto become a city council alderman. Then, in the early 70’s, we decided to move down to Hobart for a while and I worked in real estate. Michael Morrisby Real Estate. That was my favourite job that I have ever done. I once sold 24 houses in one month. I stayed four years. Then Rae and I caravanned around Europe for two years and it was just fantastic. We have done that twice actually. Once I was home in Tassie, I was asked to help establish Roberts Real Estate. We had 31% of the market in Launceston after a few years. It was a very successful agency. I also started up one of the first Hire n Drive businesses here in Launceston. Hiring standard cars and I had a few Rolls Royces too. Rae and I had two boys Leighton and Craig. We haven’t had much success with our children unfortunately. Craig was a very successful lawyer here in Launceston and had his own office in Charles Street. Tragically, he had contracted meningitis and hepatitis all within 12 months at the age of 20. He had a lot of pain throughout his life. He went on to have his own family fortunately but his life was mired by pain, surgery and illness. He had open heart surgery about 12 months prior to his passing. He lived with us for the last 15 years of his life and he couldn’t lie down so spent the last year of his life in a big chair. We went in one morning six months ago. We found him dead in his chair. He was 68 years old when he died. He was an eccentric intellectual and a very funny man. He has left behind a fantastic legacy and also four pretty amazing children. Our youngest son Leighton asked us for a motorbike at the age of 17. We were very hesitant about this, but relented as parents are sometimes prone to do when their children are keen on something. My parents didn’t allow me to have a motorbike and I went behind their back and got one. Hid it at a neighbours house. I didn’t want him to be deceitful like I had been. I did the wrong thing and bought him one. I organised the papers for Leighton to sign and I said to him ‘I hope you’re not signing your death warrant'. His death shook us to our core. About ten years later, after no contact with him, the driver who killed our son rang us and asked us if we would mind if he moved from Launceston to Western Australia. I don’t know why he did that. Strange, isn’t it? Guilt is a funny thing. But something even stranger that I cannot explain is this. A few days before his accident, Leighton said to his mum I don’t want to get any older than this. I want to be 17 forever and he also asked What do they do with bodies once they die? It was strange that he said something like that so close to his death. He had a premonition I think. I was on the board of the Launceston Retailers Association there at one stage and I said that I believed Brisbane Street should be shut off to traffic and turned into a pedestrian mall, and they all laughed at me. But it ended up happening a few years later. The Salvation Army rang me one day and told me they were losing money hand over fist. In other words, someone was ripping them off. They asked me if I could come in and help them out. They said that if I can buy a new premise and get it turning a profit again, then I could stay the manager for as long as I like. Within a couple of months, I had it turning a profit. I bought the Beaurepaires building in Invermay Road and set it all up ready to go. The council said you can do it but not as a retail shop. I said that Beaurepaires have been selling tyres there for years. That’s retail. (Laughs) Then the council said ‘Ok you can do it but just don’t call it retail’. Very strange way of doing things. But anyway, I used to advertise it as Come to the biggest garage sale in Launceston. And that brought the people in very nicely. The Salvos had 190 stores nationwide and we won the Store of the Year two years running. Top for sales. I put the prices up 20% for a start. That helped of course. I was quite good at pricing. I retired in 1988 so I have enjoyed taking it easy after so many years of working hard. I played lawn bowls for forty years and was a Rotarian for 14 years also. I was a founding member of South Launceston Probus which is an off shoot of Rotary for those who were retired. Our lives have been full of family and travel since then. We love living here and always have. Launceston is an amazing place. Rae and I have now been married for 70 years. And I'm very proud of that. She has been the most wonderful companion and I love her so very much. Being 92 should be good I think. I've had a great life so far and have served God and my community to the best of my abilities. Finding the lord in 1951 gave me a better outlook on life and death. I've found that living to an old age takes away what you've inherited, and gives you what you've earned. And a bit of hard work never hurt anyone". 2021 update- Rae passed away in 2018 after 72 years of marriage and John passed away the day after finding a hidden letter from his beloved wife. R.I.P. #humansoflaunceston

19.01.2022 Special for the weekend, on both the dinner and lunch menu. Heirloom tomato, zucchini, burrata, red onion, basil, fennel flowers, vincotto Felds Farm - Tomatoes and Zucchini Seven Springs Farm - Red onion and fennel flowers

16.01.2022 Some important medical advice for pet rabbit owners . Thank you Mowbray Veterinary Clinic for this useful information .

11.01.2022 Supporting a great cause, the team at Mowbray Veterinary Clinic are raising funds to support the wonderful work undertaken by the Rescue Cats Safe Haven Inc. Next time you visit, check out these items they have for sale

10.01.2022 Due to current expansion plans we are seeking an experienced superstar to join our team. What you will need: Have experience in a fast paced environment ... Have cooking experience (fish and chips,take away) Be able to lead and motivate a small crew Have some experience on how business operate Be an organised and motivated person. Be available to work on a Tuesday to Saturday roster. This is a full time position $45-55k pa. If this sounds like you we want to hear from you. Email [email protected] Or drop into the store at 297 invermay road and speak to Chris or Rania.

09.01.2022 WE'RE HIRING: The City of Launceston is seeking four experienced horticulturalists to join our team on a permanent, full-time basis. The City of Launceston mana...ges some of the State's top parks and nature reserves including the iconic City Park and world-renowned Cataract Gorge - for more information and to apply, visit https://bit.ly/3ewVFln APPLICATIONS CLOSE 3PM, MAY 18

07.01.2022 "The Life of Birds, Bees and Flight" exhibition commences Saturday 6 February 2021 at 2 pm. Themed works by artists including Carlton Cox, Helen Wright, Elizabeth Russell-Arnot, Willie Wilson. #blenheimgalleryandgarden #longfordtasmania #tourismtasmania #australianart

05.01.2022 Hand picked, free range, grass fed Tasmanian lamb

05.01.2022 A reminder for our Pre-Kinder excursion to the Inveresk Museum tomorrow morning. Please meet Mrs Brewer, Mrs Trotman and Mrs Cuming at the entrance at 10am. Bring along some morning tea, a drink and a coat. We are looking forward to doing lots of exploring, talking and asking questions

03.01.2022 This amazing piece arrived today... We totally think it would make the perfect outdoor/indoor bar or serving statement in any living area.

02.01.2022 Tomorrow in Pre-Kinder we are planning some box work fun. Please bring along some small boxes eg cereal or biscuit boxes to share. We look forward to seeing our little learners in the morning

01.01.2022 Our Pre-Kinder children had an amazing visit to the Museum this morning. Our focus was on developing oral language skills by drawing children's attention to thi...ngs they could see and engaging in quality conversations. Thank you to everyone who came along. Mrs Brewer, Mrs Trotman and Mrs Cuming. See more