Herbie a man of his era
When young William John Herbert (aka Herbie) was born in 1947, it appeared he was destined for a life on the land. It became his passion, it was all he ever wanted to do.
Herbie attended Yarra Glen Primary School and Lilydale High School, but when he turned 15, it was time to leave school behind and learn about life. However, the cheeky lad who was full of life had some great times at school with his mates, racing alongside the school bus when riding his horse to school, (sometimes resulting in the strap from the principal) and playing a variety of sports, which he did particularly well at.
Leaving school behind, it was now time for an education in life and some serious farming. The family ran a top milking herd of Holstein, Friesian/Jersey and Jersey on 50 acres of prime land in the heart of Yarra Glen. The cows were milked by hand and the milk collected in large milk cans at the front gate by Model Dairy and the Perfect Cheese factory.
Besides the milking herd, the family grew crossbred sheep on a further 24 acres nearby which Herbie came to love.
“I liked milking cows, but I really loved the sheep. I learnt to shear our family’s herd and then I’d shear our neighbours’ sheep as well,” he said.
Herbie became quite a sportsman as he grew and played football for Yarra Glen all his life. He was named the best-and-fairest one year, runner-up another and claimed five most consistent player awards. He was a big, strong ruckman at 190cm tall.
In the 1990s, with Melbourne’s urban sprawl increasing, areas such as Yarra Glen were in high demand and the family made the decision to sell the farm and move to Cobram, where Herbie and his siblings purchased a dairy farm and ran a small herd of sheep.
In contrast to hand milking, the Cobram operation had a 15-a-side milking machine and supplied Murray Goulburn.
“Everything changed so much, but I just loved working on the farm. It was my life,” Herbie said.
Herbie has numerous scars to show for a life on the land. The most impactful was the loss of his son James in a freak accident. James was out hunting foxes with his two best mates when the truck the three lads were in rolled over in a ditch, killing the two 20-year-old passengers. The trio was just out together protecting the sheep from foxes.
In recent years there was nothing more horrendous for Herbie than losing his left leg, the result of a fall and a Bathurst spur penetrating his leg in three places, causing insurmountable issues which required radical surgery.
“I have worked hard all my life and been kicked in the head by a horse, bitten by a snake and experienced all sorts of injuries, yet losing my leg I felt no pain at all,” he said.
“My family, my siblings and my daughter Louise, her husband James and my grandchildren Jamie, Luke and Samuel have been my rock and have all helped me every step of the way since I lost my leg and moved into Irvin House.”
Today, as a resident of Irvin House, this delightful, happy man needs specialised care at the age of 73 due to his amputation, but he remains in good spirits.
“It’s fantastic here. Everyone looks after me very well,” Herbie said.
“The staff are wonderful and I can’t fault the meals. Meat and vegetables, particularly beef and lamb, are my favourites and I always eat my dessert.”
On the lighter side of life. Why? Why? Why?
Let me ask you this?
1. Why does the sun lighten our hair, yet darken our skin?
2. Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
3. Why don’t you see the headline ‘psychic wins the lottery’?
4. Why is abbreviated such a long word?
5. Why is a boxing ring square?
6. Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?
7. Why is it that doctors call what they do practice?
8. Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
9. Why is it that to stop Windows on your computer, you have to click on start?
10. Why is it that when you are driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?
Recopak directors attend trade fair in Dusseldorf
Recopak directors Bill and Luke Dopper are currently attending INTERPAK 2023 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
INTERPAK is the largest international trade fair event in the world and enables professionals to network, complete important business and share new and progressive ideas in the manufacturing, processing and packaging industry.
With an anticipated 2500 exhibitors and more than 125,000 German visitors and 45,000 international visitors, it is a world-class event.
Recopak is a Cobram manufacturing business that is right up there with innovative ideas and recognised nationally today as a leader in design and manufacture of new packaging machinery for the food and beverage industries. It has kept ahead of change and advancement in technology which has enabled the company to win a wine industry award for developing a unique machine to produce carry packs for wine, ciders and craft beers.
However, Recopak comes from humble beginnings, firstly in a workshop at the rear of the Katamatite Bakery, then later, as the business progressed, Bill and his wife Debbie worked together for many years after building a factory and house in Chapel Rd. Still the business continued to grow, necessitating further extensions.
In 2015, Recopak was the first factory built in Schubert St, Cobram,its and demand for their innovative manufacturing and quality continued, necessitating the decision to go even bigger.
Bill and Debbie have two sons. Luke is a director of the company who has been at Recopak for more than 15 years. He has proven to be instrumental in its continuing success while also overseeing development of the impressive state-of-the-art 4900-square-metre modern factory to enable it to take on even larger projects in the future. Elder son Ryan, previously in the hotel and hospitality industry, is now a project manager in Bowen in the Whitsunday region of Queensland.
There will be an official opening later in the year of the fantastic new multi-million-dollar investment in plant and equipment, which today employs 30 skilled local staff who make and design product equipment owned by a Cobram company.
As a young man, Bill began his working life as an apprentice instrument technician at the Australian Paper Mills in Fairfield and later transferred to a packing machine division in South Melbourne. Bill’s determination, knowledge and belief showed he could mix it with the best in the industry and that’s exactly what he has done since making the move to Cobram in 1986.
Today, Luke is ready to take the business further, while Bill, after 33 years in the industry, is considering retiring in the not too distant future.