Long time Kyabram businessman Rob Varcoe will turn 90 in a couple of months, so the way I am about to describe him may seem a little ridiculous to begin with.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
By the time you’ve finished reading his story though, however, a tale which is far from in its final pages, I am sure that you’ll find the tagline of “busy bee” being added to his name as more than acceptable.
In December last year Rob shut the doors of his, and his late wife Jean’s, haberdashery and gift business after 25 years of service to the community from the well known Allan St location that became known as Rob’s Bee Hive.
His assessment of the situation was typical of a man confident in his own skin who belies his almost nine-decade existence.
He simply told me “lots of people are working from home now, so I decided I would do just that”.
“I thought there is no rent and I had so much stock to get rid of. Closing wasn’t an option,” he said.
When people noticed the doors of the renowned business, located alongside popular Kyabram coffee shop Wickedly Deevine, closed for the start of 2024 there were plenty of questions asked when Rob encountered acquaintances in the main street.
He assured them he was by no means retired, “just tired, I told them”.
Rob’s business, which in its true form is registered as J & R Manchester & China Promotion, is now trading from the soon to be transformed carport and garage of the Union St home his father had built almost 60 years ago.
For many years the Varcoe family was neighbours with another extremely revered figure of Kyabram business, the late Clive Coventry — that was until Woolworths developed its car park on the site of the funeral director’s former location.
Rob has enlisted the support of his daughter Janet, who is herself involved in a major project to build an off the grid home, to relocate the extraordinary amount of stock that was on the shelves of the Kyabram business.
“My grandfather had the house built in 1965. We have relocated most stock from the store here, but still plenty more in a shipping container,” Janet said.
Eventually the Union St location will offer Rob’s established clientele a similar amount of “shopping” space that existed in Allan St.
And the same signs, featuring the title Rob’s Bee Hive that were created by long time Kyabram business leader Dee Stagg and the staff from AJ’s Shoes, will have pride of place as the garage roller door is lifted to welcome the same people that used to frequent his business — ironically, only a few hundred metres to the south east.
“The two business owners to the left side of me used to call it Rob’s Bee Hive because they said it was that busy,” Rob said.
It was nothing for dozens of customers to be coming and going in bursts from the store — each carrying balls of wool, knitting needles, buttons or other tiny purchases that fitted in the palm of their hands.
“A lot of people probably don’t know the real title of the business,” Janet said, saying she will announce when the relocation of Rob’s Bee Hive is ready for business.
“All I said was Rob’s Bee Hive is moving, on the Kyabram Community Facebook page.”
The pair has spent a month getting things partially sorted at the new location and expect it to be another month before the tradesmen have everything finalised.
As for the history of the business, it was borne out of Jean Varcoe’s passion for her church and the Stanhope community.
“My wife started the business in Stanhope. Back then it was known as Stanhope Bric ‘a’ Brac.
“It was located in a building next door to Emmetts. She started it as an op shop style operation for the church to get funds to send overseas.
“They couldn’t afford to do it themselves, so she started it,” Rob said, explaining that while he was operating the family dairy farm his wife was starting out in small business.
“That was back in the early 1980s and not long after she opened another one in Girgarre.
“Jean thought she’d sell some bric a brac and give it to the church.
“Eventually she started selling pottery and other items — haberdashery and Royal Doulton (for those unaware an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815).
“We didn’t come into Kyabram until 1999 and opened a shop where Wickedly Deevine is now,” Rob said.
Then moved next door where it remained until the business closed on Christmas Day last year.
The long time Girgarre dairy farmer was one of three brothers who grew up on the family’s Cloverlea property, his brothers Les and Maurice also worked on the farm.
“Les took over another farm and we took over the another one; the Ponderosa. Eventually all three of us had our own dairy farms,” Rob said.
Jean came to the district after her father died in 1954, to live with her two sisters, who lived at Girgarre.
“She got a job at the Vaughans supermarket in Girgarre. I played tennis and I met her for the first time at the courts,’’ Rob said.
“I invited her to the pictures and we were married on May 18, 1958,” Rob recalled, with Janet’s help.
Rob’s business is known for providing Kyabram with several key products — none more so than moccasins, wool, Royal Dalton China and just about everything anyone would ever need for craftwork.
Rob’s business has thrived on word of mouth and nobody understands that more than me.
When we decided to feature Rob’s story in the Free Press it was a nightmare to find him.
Because the business operates under a nom de plume, and pretty much by word of mouth and muscle memory for regular customers, finding him was a nightmare.
There has been little need for Rob to advertise and he operates in a close knit — forgive the pun — environment which involved only a couple of sewing professionals that have spent a decade doing work for him and his regular clients.
As for Rob, his admits to only a couple of specific skill sets.
Among them shortening steel zips for the ladies — something he says people say can’t be done, but it can.
The Varcoe name has been a strong part of this region since 1932, Rob’s father originally came up in a horse and gig to Kyvalley before settling on one of the settlement blocks being offered at Girgarre.
‘’The great granddaughter of the man who wrote that recommendation now owns a Kyabram coffee shop. I found the letter that was written by him, giving Dad the 100-acre title,“ he said.
The Varcoes were one of half-a-dozen families that kick started the Girgarre community and the only school Rob ever attended was Girgarre and served on as a school councillor when his children attended the school and for many years later.
Rob will continue to offer the sewing services that have long been a part of his business, along with the all the other quirky products that have made the business a staple of the Kyabram craft community.
“I will work for as long as I can. I have a lot of fun with people,” Rob said.
And people love the store, as evidenced by the 100 comments in response to the Facebook post announcing the Allan St store front was closing.
Rob played tennis for 50 years and was forced into retirement by a surgery.
Now he continues his sporting adventures with his great passion for bowls, on the greens and the carpet.
Early on Les and I played cricket together briefly.
“Because there is 16 years between the three brothers we never got to play together,” he said, explaining that the decorated career of Maurie on the cricket field was something of which he has always been proud of.
Rob has been involved with many charities.
He was involved with Warramunda then was part of the steering committee to set up Henley. This then became Henley Friends.
As for Girgarre he is super proud of the work done by the likes of Jan Smith and Athol “Doc” McDonald.
“It’s been a big turnaround at Girgarre,” he said.
And, of that Girgarre Primary School class of the late 1940s and early 1950s, there are still some familiar names in the community.
“Frank Casey (Laurie’s father), Colin Linke, George Flamer and Wilma Bergin were all in my class. Neil Jackson only passed away the other day and Merrick Usher lives at Wangaratta,” Rob said.
The bottom line is that those people who are awaiting the roller door to lift and reveal the new J & R Manchester & China Promotion — the Union St version — don’t have long to wait.
Rob expects to be open well and truly before his 90th birthday, in April.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor