STORY 4
O Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.
“It was one hell of a memorable night,” says Eddy Ward, Ramsey Bros Director, recalling the time he witnessed the ultimate triumph of the underdog…
When you think of traditional farm machinery, the name Mercedes Benz – synonymous with upmarket, European-styled cars with a hefty price tag – is not usually front of mind.
But back in the 1980s, Ramsey Bros took up what became a highly successful Mercedes Benz franchise selling the MB Trac (a precursor to the current JCB Fastrac offering higher horsepower & better ride characteristics).
This was a specialist tractor line, built for versatility and well known for its smooth ‘ride’ – almost like driving a car rather than a conventional tractor – something that matters a lot when you’re spending hours out in the paddock.
So, each year, Mercedes Benz hosted an awards presentation to recognise the top dealerships across the country.
This presentation was held in Melbourne. Eddy and wife, Anne, headed across the border from Cleve for what turned out to be a night full of surprises.
To begin, the entertainment for the evening featured a famous Australian jazz and blues singer who arrived very late. By the time she appeared on stage, the guests were “half fuelled”, the mood was already lively, and the party chatter and laughter continued noisily across the tables. Furious by this apparent inattention, the singer did what some temperament arty types do: she stopped her performance midstream, shouted some colourful expletives (which we won’t reprint) and stormed off stage.
No matter. The party was in full swing and the celebrations continued in earnest.
Finally, it was time for the big announcement of the night: SA Mercedes Benz Dealership of the Year…
And the winner is… (drum roll) … Ramsey Bros from Cleve in South Australia.
What? Who? Seriously?
Yes, that’s right!
A humble family owned business based on the Eyre Peninsula selling Mercedes Benz tractors came out of nowhere and won the top gong.
The reaction from the other car dealers, who clearly thought they had the prize in the bag, was cool to say the least.
“Those fellas didn’t have much time for us,” Eddy laughed. “They didn’t even talk to us let alone give us a hard time!”
Back at Cleve, in the Ramsey Bros office, the phone call to the team bearing the good news was received with characteristic understatement: “Well hell, that’s pretty good isn’t it.”
We think so.
