All good things must come to an end.
For three generations, the Browns have operated their family business, leaving a legacy that has helped shape Shepparton’s industrial fabric.
This chapter of the region’s heritage is now drawing to a close as the doors of the local plaster business prepare to shut for the final time.
The nearly century-old story begins with an ambitious young man, William John Brown.
Not a stranger to risk-taking, William originally ran a chaff business, eyeing a potential fortune from the army’s need for horse feed post-World War I.
However, his entrepreneurial spirit quickly led him elsewhere.
“Around 1921, he also bought the brickworks, ran it for five years, then sold it to the Erskine family,” William’s grandson and the current owner of Browns Shepparton Plaster Works, Jamie Brown, said.
William’s venture into the plaster business commenced in 1926 when he purchased an existing plaster operation with his nephew, Willy Anderson.
The partnership was crucial in launching the Browns into the industry, with Willy contributing vital plaster expertise that would be passed down to the next generation of Browns.
“He (Willy) was the one that brought the plaster expertise, and my father (Ray) and his brothers (Ian and Eric) learned from him,” Jamie said.
However, it was the property at the heart of their operations, a former soap factory, that held an intriguing past.
Built in 1898, the structure was a soap factory before it was sold and became vacant during the war.
Charles Begg Irvin bought the property and leased it to a plaster-making business.
In 1926, William and Willy bought the plaster business, which eventually became W.J. Brown and Sons, Fibrous Plaster Manufacturer.
Although the business was theirs, the property still belonged to Charles until William bought it in 1932.
Within the next eight years, the business became known as Shepparton Plaster Works.
The property, located on the outskirts of town at the time, initially lured its occupants with its access to water, a crucial element in soap manufacturing.
This feature proved to be pivotal when the building transitioned into plaster sheet production under the Brown family.
The Brown family’s business nous and industrious nature led the company to flourish.
Jamie fondly recalls the heyday of the business.
“During the ’60s, we had 70 people working,” he said.
The business eventually became the largest manufacturer of fibrous sheets in Victoria outside metropolitan Melbourne.
Its products adorned numerous local homes and even found prominence in iconic establishments such as the Bank of NSW premises and the Paramount Palais de Danse.
Over the decades, the family faced numerous challenges, including ceasing their plaster sheet manufacturing in the mid-1980s.
Yet, the Browns pivoted, focusing on supplying the public and trade, showcasing their business’s resilience.
As the current custodian of the family legacy, Jamie, who started working at the factory in 1978, oversees the impending closure with a mix of nostalgia and acceptance.
“We’ve got no date on it as such,” he said.
“We’ll hopefully sell it to a developer.
“It’s been a big part of my life for a long time. But that’s part of life. So, you move on to the next best thing.
“We have four children and they’re all doing their own thing.”
As the final curtain descends on the Browns Shepparton Plaster Works, Shepparton loses not just a beloved local business but a piece of its own identity etched in plaster and grit.
But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.