After 46 years Ron McKinnon bids South Nowra business farewell

Well as of Monday (August 31) it was for Ron and Ruth McKinnon, who closed their electrical tool business RRReal Power Tools at South Nowra after 46 years.

Mr McKinnon started at the business as an apprentice in 1974, then continued to work with Keith Norris.

Mr Norris had started the business which was then on East Street, Nowra near the now vacant block of land opposite the Shoalhaven Ex-Servicemen's Club where circuses regularly set up.

After being qualified Ron continued to work at the business, later managed it and then purchased it.

"Now I've retired at it," he said.

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"Lucky I enjoy my job. It'd be a bugger if I didn't. And unfortunately there are people who go through their lives working at a job they don't really enjoy.

"But this has been absolutely great fun. You could easily count on one hand the number of days in 46 years I haven't actually wanted to go to work.

"I've been very lucky.

"And I've met some wonderful people, made great friends. Customers have become friends, many of them lifelong."

While Ron and Ruth were contemplating retirement at the end of the year, their decision came a "little earlier than expected".

"We were discussing possibly finishing up at the end of the year," Ron said, "but when our two long time employees Geoff Mortlock (who has been with the business for 32 years) and Jimmy Bassett (25 years) came to us and said they were both also ready to retire we thought 'right - it's time'.

"Although sad to be finishing it actually made it easier for us.

"Geoff and Jimmy have both been fantastic. Geoff's the most knowledgeable power tool repairer anywhere - he's already been sounded out to be a consultant for a power tool company, while Jimmy is an electrical fitter and rewinding motors is his specialty. He knows his stuff and is just brilliant.

"We also had Paul Schutz work for us for 10 years - when he started we had about six weeks work for him - he just stayed.

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"We just formed a great team and that's really what it is, a team. Add Ruth in there who joined us about 10 years ago after a career in health as a nurse and it has been wonderful.

"I suppose it is pretty rare to have three guys work together for that long and probably says something about us as bosses.

"When they said they were ready to go, we were ready also."

Mr McKinnon said working with his wife day in day out and then going home together, was easy.

"Ruth's my best friend," he said.

"Working together and spending our lives together has never been a problem.

"She's just my best mate. I never tire of her company. She sits beside me every day and does the books and at the end of the day we go home. She's brilliant, I'd be lost without her."

And for Ruth the feeling is mutual.

"People have said to me 'how are you going to go with him at home under your feet all the time?'

"I won't - I probably won't see him as much as I do now. He'll be off at the sawmill, doing fencing, working with his bullocks, rallying or in the bush. It will be easy but I''ll actually miss him."

Mr McKinnon said although the closure of the business has not been openly advertised, word had quickly spread,

"There's a few people out there who aren't happy," he said.

"Many have questioned 'how or where they will now get their power tools and electric motors fixed'.

"This has been a brilliant ride. I have met so many brilliant people.

"There are not too many tradesmen we haven't worked with."

The secret to success and being able to survive so long - according to Ron is simple - service.

"Our customers have become friends. While upset we are finishing up they understand the situation. They know we want to live our lives too," he said.

"But service is the key - just looking after people.

"It's been amazing - people have been bringing in gifts, bottles of wine, even big hugs. It's emotional.

"It hasn't struck me yet - I think when I turn the key in the lock for the last time it will - I reckon I'll shed a tear.

"It's been a great business for us - and to get to know so many people is special.

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"I know every contractor, every electrician, every builder, carpenter, dairy farmers, the guys in fabrications.

"We've dealt with them all for repairs and their tools. Even in these past few months we've had work come in from Victoria, Queensland and country NSW because there is no-one out there doing what we do. And we do it properly.

"Some have even called us an institution - I don't know about that, but we've been here a long time."

And where some businesses have struggled during COVID, Mr McKinnon said they have been "busier than ever".

"I don't know why but we have been flat out," he said.

"We have been that busy we actually considered taking someone else on to ease the load.

"Why, especially during COVID? I don't know.

"When you consider the year didn't start that great - we had drought, then spent weeks fighting the fires, then floods, then COVID it's been amazing.

"But it has been sweet to be able to finish on our terms, go out when we were still trading well.

"I'd hate to be going out broke."

But he says times have certainly changed.

"Years ago everyone always got electrical tools repaired, now not so much we have become a throw away society," he said.

"But if you buy a good quality brand name people tend to get them repaired.

"There are also a lot more electrical motors out there nowadays.

"We have survived and done well - we probably could have expanded and got bigger like other businesses have but we kept the same workforce and were flat out."

He said when the business stopped taking repairs it still had 140 power tools waiting to be fixed.

"And we still use the same techniques in rewinding motors as when I first started," he said.

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"We still do it the same way. In fact we still use the same old winding machine that has been here when I first started. It still works brilliantly."

And for all those worried about where they will now get their electric motors fixed, Dave Bateman is taking over that side of the business and is setting up a unit at South Nowra.

"We have been available to keep the wheels of industry going," Mr McKinnon said.

"Over the years we've dealt with most of the local dairy farmers, we've worked for Shoalhaven City Council and of course Manildra and their huge operations. We've done the emergency call outs when things break - we've had call outs on Christmas day.

"We've helped with dairy vat pumps, council's submersible sewer pumps and water pumps - you just do what you can to keep people going."

And some of those connections have been there for the whole 46 years.

One of Ron's prized possessions is an account from June 1973, even before he started at the business, for Hookers Milk Products at Bolong, which would later go on to be the giant Manildra operation.

"It was when Keith Norris ran the business from 12 East Street, Nowra, and was to rewind a 20 horse power Brooks motor," he said.

"That repair cost just $218.30 - that'd be around $2000 today.

"It's a great piece of history of the business we've kept."

The businesses' initial cashbook is also still intact with Ron's first paycheck for $47 even listed.

Keith Norris started the business from a little wooden shop on East Street, on land owned by Huntley Grant.

"The likes of Bob Walker's Radiators, Dave Hill Marine and Barry Taylor Surfboards were also there," he said.

"Keith then moved the business to a block of land in Ernest Street, Nowra. We had a little workshop slap bang in the middle of suburbia.

"Eventually, we ended up out here at South Nowra."

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As for retirement Ron intends to spend more time "driving rally cars" where he won state titles "when younger" working with his famous bullock team, running his private sawmill and continuing his work with the Nowra Show Society and the Rural Fire Service.

"I have a fair bit of work still to do at home following the bushfires," he said.

"I've got kilometres of fencing that was damaged in the fires to be repaired and need to rebuild my stockyards - I just haven't got to that yet.

"I think I've got about 12 months work.

"I've got back into my rallying and I love it - Ruth is the team leader and services everything. I love my bullocks and still do a lot of timber cutting for people at the sawmill.

"I suppose I now drive a fast vehicle, drive a slow vehicle in the bullocks and cut timber."

He's also heavily involved with the RFS fireline tree fallers, a specialised local unit that fells dangerous trees during and after fires.

"I don't think I'll be idle," he jokes.

Of course also in between all that the family also prepared their Timberhills property at Tomerong for Nowra Athletic Club cross-country events for 43 years.

The question is how did he fit it all in while still working?

"I had a couple of free hours between 2am and 3am," he laughed.