Quiet achievers win Small Business of the Year!

Congratulations Peter and Margaret Grant and team on winning at the Gympie Business Awards. Saturn Antennas is a wonderful Rainbow Beach business, quietly providing an essential service across Australia!

And they have done the miles to warrant it. Peter and Marg regularly load up their van, attending Caravanning and RV shows all over. This year they were in Darwin, Perth,  Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne and now Goondiwindi as we write!

I would hate to know how many times Pete has driven across the Nullabor.

And the judges’ comments?

A long-standing business committed to manufacturing Australian-made antennas, despite extreme pressure to manufacture overseas, and supplying these products nationally.

Even though this business has been established for many years, management and staff are very motivated and innovative – particularly in relation to new technologies for the use of their products.

They are quiet achievers but are a valuable part of the fabric of our regional business network. This recognition is very well deserved.

For Peter, the award is bittersweet, “This last month has been a month of highs and lows. My dad turned 95 and we celebrated in grand style. Dad is an amazing man for his 95 years Then my mum passed away a few days after.

“These two events made me stop and remember my time with dad as an electrician and a TV antenna installer. Dad did his apprenticeship with the Gayndah powerhouse in the days when each town had its own power station.

“In 1952, they moved to Mundubbera with a contract from the Wide Bay Regional Electricity Board in preparation for the transition to power coming from the Howard power station.

“Prior to 1965, when the Wide Bay television tower was erected on Mount Goonaneman, Dad and I were putting up TV antennas on a 50-foot (15 meters) mast to capture the signal from Brisbane first and then Toowoomba in 1963. My sister and I would watch Felix the Cat through the ‘snow’.

“When I first started installing antennas, I was too young to have a licence so I would put all my gear (along with a TV antenna and mast) in a wheelbarrow to go to each job. How times have changed!”

For Margaret, it is an opportunity to express gratitude to all those who have been a part of the 20-year life of Saturn Antennas.

“Yes, we are very excited about our award but we are just part of the team at Saturn Antennas. Peter and I want to say a huge thank you to our team that is now, as well as two other people who gave us 10 years each of outstanding service.

“The team now is Tony Grant, Rob Bourne and Rebecca Conway-Jones. Without you as part of our company, we would find it impossible to operate. You are very valuable to us and we really appreciate your hard work and dedication.

“To Lauri Spencer and Rodney Farr, we cannot express our gratitude for your years of service to us. You made the workplace such a happy environment with your eager willingness to adapt to whatever was asked of you.

“Your promptness and efficiency was remarkable. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

They thank their stockists, family and friends, and customers – “the lifeblood of all businesses” and their belief in an Australian-made product.

“And last of all, I want to say to my darling husband thank you for designing this great antenna. Your passion for your ‘baby’ was contagious and made it easy for me to help you build this business to where it is today – recognised as Small Business of the Year for the Gympie Region 2017.”

Rainbow Beach Horse Rides  were also crowned Winner of the Tourism Award, second year in a row.

Judges were impressed that the business attracted not only local, but international tourists to their unique horse rides which include riding in the ocean or beaches, to mustering and campdrafting.

They stated that management and staff are wonderful ambassadors of our region, and that the passion was evident for them to become Australia’s premier riding tour specialist for beginners through to experienced riders.

Well done, everyone!