How important is history to Akubra?
It's one of the biggest things that we dwell on, to be honest. There's not a lot of us left in manufacturing for as long as we have been, and history has a lot to do with what we talk about and what we put our values into the business with.
My great grandfather married Benjamin Dunkerley's daughter. It was called Dunkerley Hat Mills at the time.
And Stephen Keirs have been involved ever since. I'm the 5th generation in the business, the 4th Stephen Keir.
I've been with the business for 27 years. I worked with my father for a long time. We probably had two arguments the whole time we were together. Unfortunately, he passed away about five years ago and he was my mentor so to speak, but we worked really well together, and my sisters are directors of the company now as well myself, and it's evolved that way and it's worked really well.
What have been some of the main challenges the business has faced since you've been involved?
When we moved in 1974, the company was struggling. We didn't own the premises and rents were killing the business and hats weren't popular. In the 80s, we really took off - Paul Hogan, Crocodile Dundee, The Man From Snowy River film and Pharlap and all that, and everyone wanted a piece of Australia - that was what kicked us off.
We've been very fortunate that the Government had given us a contract for the military for five years. We're in the fifth year of that contract which has been an amazing help.
At the moment, three and half thousand hats a week we're making to sell and for us that's busy. We're not a big factory so we have the capacity to make more but obviously, we need more employees to do that.
Is it hard to train staff or retain staff?
Staffing is a difficult one for us. It wasn't ten years ago. It is now. I think the mining boom 10 -15 years ago created our problem because they could go and earn a lot more money in the mines - what would they want to work in a factory for.
Is the rural community a big part of your market?
It is. The rural community has been a major part of our business all our lives. Nothing's changed there and we try and support them as best we can and it's been a good working relationship. We've got customers who've been with us for 50, 60, 70 years, generational customers, which is terrific.
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