Former Kyabram cannery managers Nelson Beatty and Ross Mudford returned to the town on the weekend to officially declare the Kyabram Cannery Centenary celebrations open at Kyabram Town Hall on Saturday.
Mr Beatty was director of operations for more than a decade in the 1990s, while Mr Mudford was manufacturing manager at the cannery — launching a career which saw him eventually become the managing director of SPC in Shepparton.
The pair, along with co-authors of the centenary book Geoff Allemand and Peter Matthews, shared the stage with master of ceremonies Peter Nelson and centenary committee chair Barry Churches.
Mr Beatty said the celebration highlighted the hard-working, diligent and loyal workers of the cannery.
“The town sustained the business through its growers, workers and connected community.
“The community was very important to us,” he said.
Mr Beatty shared a story of the day before he started work at the cannery, when he was on a walk attempting to work out how best to get from the caravan park where he was staying to the cannery.
“A car pulled up alongside me, the driver wound the window down and a voice introduced himself saying ‘I am Gary Frizzell and I work at the cannery’.
“He asked me to come home with him and meet the family,” he said.
Mr Mudford said he spent the first half of his working life connected to the Ky cannery.
“It was September 1979 when I first drove through the gates and the first person I met was Marg Richards. I was connected until 2004 and I think she was the last one I saw,” he said.
He explained the role of Ron McArthrur and Wally Laidlaw, teaching him about ripe pears and the intricacies of tins.
“I joined in the days of John Elliott, when our product was the number one jam in the retail market, great memories,” he said.
June Steele, the daughter of Tom McMaster-Smith, Fred and Bev Sullivan (representing long-time cannery partner Sullivan's Transport), Joy Kohn (daughter of Ralph Gardiner), third-generation orchadist Kelvin west, Isobel Hunter (wife of former orchadist Jack Hunter), Isobel Attwood and Hilda Tottenham were other special guests.
The only surviving director of the cannery, 93-year-old Don Cooper, was unable to attend. He lives in Queensland.
Barry Churches recognised the work of Marg Richards, Pauline Laidlaw, Tracey McArthur, Nicole Fraser and Sandra Brown in organising the event.
He also acknowledged the role of the town hall committee in co-ordinating the event, and Maria Radanov’s role in setting up the exhibition.
Co-author of the centenary book, Geoff Allemand, explained how his parents had met at the cannery.
He and Peter Matthews explained the book started out at 80 pages and then it extended on a further four occasions before ending up at 138 pages.
"There are 55,000 words in the book, from several different sources including the Kyabram Free Press, the national archives and from those who worked at the cannery,“ he said.
He told the story of how the pair included a photo only days before the book’s contents were signed off.
“It was of the last person on the jam line and the last can to come off the line,” he said.