- David Moyes
- Nov 26, 2023
- 4 min read
Hi there and welcome to Van Life Devotions where in season two we are sharing about ordinary Aussies of faith who have made an impact on many. Last weekend it was announced that the Australia’s own Akubra Hat brand has been sold. It has been an Australian fashion staple for almost 150 years.
The Akubra hat came about when in the 1870s Benjamin Dunkerley, a hatter saw a business opportunity with Australia's rabbit problem. With the increasing population of rabbits and their destructiveness on farms, Dunkerley invented a machine that could remove the fur from rabbit skin and used that fur to make hats. Before then the job had been done tediously by hand. In the late 1880’s Dunkerley moved his business from Tasmania to Sydney and set up a small hat factory in Crown Street, Surrey Hills. Soon to join him was Stephen Keir. Stephen married Benjamin’s daughter Ada in 1905 at the Paddington Methodist Church. Benjamin was so impressed with his son-in-law that he made him general manager and then eventually Manager Director of Dunkerley Hat Mills. It was during this period that the name Akubra came into use. Akubra is an Aboriginal word for head-covering. When Dunkerley died in 1925 ownership of the business was transferred to Stephen Keir and for the next 98 years the business was owned and led by the Keir family.
Today I want to pay tribute to Stephen Keir I. Stephen led the business from 1925 to his retirement in 1952. The first years were tough as the great depression took it’s told. As many of his competitors collapsed, Stephen came up with an idea and took it to his staff for a vote. They voted for all staff to take a 10% pay cut and with that decision no one was made redundant.
The business flourished in the 1940s as the company underwent a period of rapid expansion, they moved into new larger premises in Waterloo, Sydney, and staff peaked at 500. This was largely due to a military contract to supply diggers with Akubra slouch hats. In 1950 Stephen approached the John B. Stetson company in the USA about producing Stetsons hats under license in Australia which took the company to new heights. When Stephen retired in 1952 production was at a record high.
Margaret Stevens wrote in the Australian Dictionary of Biography that Stephen was, “a pillar (and trustee) of Burwood Methodist Church who delighted in extending his strong, sound voice in hymn-singing”. Faith was important to Stephen who, according to Margert Steven, “ran his business according to his Christian principles”.
I wonder if his idea of the 10% pay cut across all staff to save jobs came from the biblical principle of giving to God 10% from our income? Stephen established the Akubra cricket team which was enjoyed by many. In addition to an annual picnic, a dinner for employees was held every year which included a band, singing and dancing. More practically, a provident society made generous allowance for employees' sickness benefits. Staff who enlisted during World War 2 had their military pay augmented by the firm to preserve their normal wage level.
Stephen Keir also developed the company as a family business. Each succeeding generation has had to spend considerable time learning the craft. According to Company Secretary Roy Wilkinson, “It is important to understand that the manufacture of a fur felt hat is a craft, hence each generation of Keir family has had to work at each point in the manufacturing process. This can take up to two years before they are then moved to the office to understand all aspects of management.” Probably the success of Akubra is in part due to the commitment of the Keir family to quality, to their staff and customers.
Over the years the Akubra brand has been worn from our diggers, to Olympians, Royalty, the famous, and in movies. It is estimated that over 21 million hats have been made, each one taken around six weeks using the same process that Stephen Keir I used over 100 years ago.
Times do change and last week’s announcement by Stephen Keir IV that mining magnates Andrew and Nicola Forrest have acquired Akubra after 147 years of his family ownership was a hard decision for the family, but they know it is the right decision as it remains in Australia’s hands, poised for a new chapter for this iconic Aussie brand.
There’s something about running a business along biblical principles. My father-in-law and his brother took over a business from their father when he retired and witnessed continual growth over the next 50 years through the hard and good times. He taught me the biblical principle from 1 Samuel 2:30, “Those who honour me I will honour” (1 Samuel 2:30 NIV). It is a principle to be applied by those who own and run a business and for all who follow the Lord.
Please pray.
Heavenly Father. Thank you for businesses that seek to honour you by looking after their staff and customers. Thank you for the promise that You honour those who honour You. In our workplaces, on the sporting field, at school, and in our homes, help us to honour You. O God, preserve us who travel; surround us with your loving care; protect us from every danger; and bring us in safety to our journey’s end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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