ROBYN Mcgrath ‘s catch-up with a couple of friends at a Rosewood cafe was the lure for a surprise reunion.
Robyn and her sister-in-law Sue Krause bought the Rosewood Newsagency in 2004 and sold it in 2019, just before the pandemic.
When Robyn and Sue owned the newsagency, they employed people of all ages and gained a reputation as being ‘wonderful employers’.
So much so that five years after selling the business, some of their former employees planned a surprise reunion.
“Some of our [past] staff were very sneaky and organised the get together,” Robyn explained.
“It was just the older group, Kim, Sharon, Sue and me who’d have regular catch-ups.
“Then when Sue and I walked into the pub the other day all the ladies who were our juniors were there, too.
“It was a delightful and wonderful surprise.”
It was also a chance to catch up with women who were teenagers when they worked for the duo.
Some are married and have children of their own.
“Some are registered nurses, there’s one who will be a qualified psychologist by the end of the year and a couple have joined the Royal Air Force,” Robyn said.
“To think they cared enough about a couple of old girls, to come and celebrate with us was wonderful.”
Robyn said a memory that stands out is being nominated in a national competition for their large sales of magazines.
The awards are run by Bauer Media Group, a large publishing company.
“That was in 2015 and at first we were in the top 10 newsagencies in Australia,” she said.
“We ended up in the top five in Australia.
“It was all very exciting because there was an award ceremony and we were presented with a trophy.”
Another memory is when they sold the first winning $15 scratchie that had a top prize of a million dollars.
“The first million-dollar winner bought their scratchie from Rosewood Newsagency,” she said.
“We don’t know who the winner was, but I had my suspicions.
“We also received a beautiful bunch of flowers, chocolates, movies tickets for all of our staff and a card that said ‘a million thanks’ but with no name.”
There has been a lot of change over the past two decades to the newsagency industry.
When Robyn and Sue owned the newsagency it was a bustling place.
They knew customers by name and ordered in magazines or materials for many of them.
Staff were treated like family and every year there were Christmas parties with gifts for everyone.
“We’d even meet the boyfriends of our young employees and were invited to a couple of weddings,” she said.
“While I miss the newsagency days, I don’t want to go back to it.
“I am pleased we still have the connections to the kids who worked for us even though they’re not kids anymore.
“Actually, that’s what shocked me the other day, they’re all young adults now and I am the old one.”
Sue and Robyn bought the newsagency when Robyn’s husband decided it would be a good idea to buy a business.
“I was working in the dental industry at the time and my husband heard the Rosewood Newsagency was for sale,” Robyn said.
“We must have visited it about half a dozen times and I realised working alongside my husband probably wouldn’t work that well.
“I asked my sister-in-law Sue if she was interested in going into the business with me and she was. So, that’s how it all started.
“We were thrown together 24/7 running this business and we worked really well together.”
They arrived at the shop at 4.30am and opened the doors at 5am.
“That was the time the previous owners opened up and we continued doing the same,” she explained.
“Opening early was important because quite a few people were up early too and commuting to work in the coal mining industry.
“People bought newspapers, magazines and scratchies.”
There was a bench in front of the shop’s doors where regulars would sit and wait for it to open.
“Two of our regulars, Bob and Ian, arrived early and sat on the seat having a good old chinwag until we opened up,” she said.
“One day Bob arrived at the shop and sat outside waiting for almost an hour before realising it was Christmas Day and we were shut.”
In reflecting on their time as newsagents, Robyn reflected: “The days were long and running the shop was hard work, but the staff and customers made it worthwhile.”
