This week, we celebrate the opening of the Ramsey Bros dealership in Wudinna by recalling how we proudly served local families with arguably the most eclectic collection of goods and services from this very spot. Originally constructed by local builder, Ray Price, you’ll now find Elders and the Wudinna Telecentre trading here. But step back in time to 1986 and let us help you shop.
You’d be hard pushed to do your weekly grocery shop in one store these days, but back in 1986, times were different.
Need a new tractor, parts, or a brand-spanking Mitsubishi? You could find them here and get a service to boot. How about a new stove, a fridge, TV, furniture or lighting? We could help with that too. But it didn’t stop there!
Ramsey Bros sold RM Williams clothing, camping gear, floor coverings and more. It was the go-to for families and local sporting clubs to grab their basketballs, footy boots, team uniforms, tennis racquet, cricket bats, with a full range of sporting equipment on offer.
This one-stop-shop also brought movie nights into the homes of locals, even renting out the latest flicks on VHS tapes. Now, that’s an 80s memory if ever there was one!
How on earth such a diverse range of products and services came to be under one roof is a pivotal part of Ramsey Bros tale.
The original Ramsey Bros formed when brothers Lloyd and Fred combined their areas of expertise. At the time, Fred was a guru of selling furniture and electrical in Cleve; while Lloyd was involved in the trucking business, motor vehicles, agricultural equipment and fuel.
By the eighties, Fred and Lloyd’s families were running their respective businesses when they decided to expand into to Wudinna. The result? This hot pot of goods and services.
As history shows, the move was a great one — with the strong farming community and others embracing this one-stop-shop. Even local government backed what was a prosperous development for the little country town.
As Brent Ramsey recalls, this slice of our history was a quirky and bountiful one.
“Nothing ever stays the same and Ramsey Bros in Wudinna evolved over time as it needed to. It was a big move and one that we can proudly say paved the way for who we are today. The community embraced us and the names and faces that walked through those doors became an important part of our story.”
So, next time you find yourself racing from store to store looking for sporting equipment for the kids, a new washing machine or a tractor, think of simpler times when that would’ve meant parking on the side of the Wudinna highway and popping into Ramsey Bros to get the lot.
