YEARS CEL
TING EBRA
More than just blinds… The year was 1942. The world was at war, George VI sat on the throne of England and John Curtin was the Prime Minister of Australia – at the time a nation of just over 7 million people. The year was marked by the fall of Singapore, the bombing of Darwin, the battles on the Kokoda Trail and the construction of the Burma Railway. It was the year that David Williamson was born, as well as Ita Buttrose, George Negus and Quentin Bryce. And down the road from Melbourne, in Sleepy Hollow Geelong, a small business was born. Frank Paxton Bryant started Brax, making useful things out of wood, including Hobby Horses, rulers, set squares and knitting counters. Seeing an opportunity, he branched out into the manufacturing of timber venetian blinds. It was the beginning of a business that would go from strength to strength for more than seven decades… and counting. In 1945, Allan Stewart began working with Frank, and in 1952 Allan bought into the business, along with his long-term business partner and good friend George Pyle. Allan and George took over the business in 1958 before selling to Melbourne firm, Gair Evans Pty Ltd, in 1971. When Gair Evans was taken over by Sunshine Australia, better known as Sunshine Biscuits, it became part of a conglomerate of small blind manufacturing businesses in Victoria, with Allan in the role of area manager. But by 1979, the business was in trouble, and rather than see the business they had built close down and take with it around 40 local jobs, Allan and George re-purchased what was then Brax Window Treatments – although the old name of Brax Blinds stuck around. By 1990, Allan was ready to retire and handed over the management of the business to his eldest son, David. Having spent years working across different parts of the business, David was joined by his wife Cal as owners and operators.