Preamble
Why dedicate a page to a competitor?
The short reply is Lumberjack bought Bestoys from the Bonaretti family in 1985.
But the history is far more complex than a simple sentence.
The story of the original Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd runs parallel to that of Bestoys Pty Ltd: both were set up as family enterprises: Lumberjack by Don and Del Windus with daughter Julie joining the company full time upon leaving school in 1978, and Bestoys by Jim and Ebe Bonaretti with their eldest daughter joining the company upon leaving school in 1965.
The short reply is Lumberjack bought Bestoys from the Bonaretti family in 1985.
But the history is far more complex than a simple sentence.
The story of the original Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd runs parallel to that of Bestoys Pty Ltd: both were set up as family enterprises: Lumberjack by Don and Del Windus with daughter Julie joining the company full time upon leaving school in 1978, and Bestoys by Jim and Ebe Bonaretti with their eldest daughter joining the company upon leaving school in 1965.
The Original Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd
Lumberjack commenced operations in July, 1975 in Sydney and moved into its factory and head office in Gosford (New South Wales) the same year. By October 1976, Lumberjack Toys was advertising in the Australasian Sportsgoods and Toy Retailer (aka “The Retailer”), giving the address for Lumberjack Toy & Gift Company as 13 Hills Street, Gosford, NSW 2250.
By 1977, Lumberjack Toys advertised a different address: 8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford, retaining the same telephone number, (043) 24 1230. |
Don Windus was born in Cudal (NSW) in 1941 and Del in Coffs Harbour (NSW) a year before. In 1962, the first of two daughters were born, Sandra in Coffs Harbour, followed by Julie in Orange (NSW) in 1964.
Julie was 12 in 1976 when she started working in the Lumberjack toy factory and, upon leaving school in 1978, became a full-time employee with the company, working alongside her mother and father and other employees such as Charlie and her Uncle Adrian. Her main functions at the beginning were just keeping things tidy, preparing meals and fetching parts for the assemblers. These were some of her “induction” tasks. She gradually moved up the production ladder assembling doll’s houses and garages, and eventually doing some of the silk screen printing. Once she attained her driver’s licence, Julie made small deliveries in her Kombi van.
Del was a doer of all things: as a mother, cooking and cleaning, and as an employee, assembling products. Don remembers her as being unrivalled in gluing—the fastest of all employees and the most accurate. Most of the product range was fully assembled in the factory with only a few items needing minimal assembly by the end-user or shopkeeper. Del also assisted with silk screening and packing.
Julie was 12 in 1976 when she started working in the Lumberjack toy factory and, upon leaving school in 1978, became a full-time employee with the company, working alongside her mother and father and other employees such as Charlie and her Uncle Adrian. Her main functions at the beginning were just keeping things tidy, preparing meals and fetching parts for the assemblers. These were some of her “induction” tasks. She gradually moved up the production ladder assembling doll’s houses and garages, and eventually doing some of the silk screen printing. Once she attained her driver’s licence, Julie made small deliveries in her Kombi van.
Del was a doer of all things: as a mother, cooking and cleaning, and as an employee, assembling products. Don remembers her as being unrivalled in gluing—the fastest of all employees and the most accurate. Most of the product range was fully assembled in the factory with only a few items needing minimal assembly by the end-user or shopkeeper. Del also assisted with silk screening and packing.
Don did all of the machine work—cutting and using the overhead router, woodturning on the lathe—and most of the silk screening. All of the spray painting also was performed by Don using the spray booth which extracted the overspray and vapours given off by the paints. Of course, Don also assisted in packing and made the larger deliveries himself. The largest deliveries, when the van was simply too small, were made by Adrians Transport and Peter Barry in his V8 truck.
Gosford Premises
8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford
8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford
By 1976, it was an extended family affair with Don and Del producing the toys in Gosford NSW and Don’s brother, Adrian Windus, distributing them through his company, Lumberjack Toy Wholesalers. Lumberjack products were sold through toy shops in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Trade Fairs
Exhibiting at Toy Fairs was a must for any Australian toy manufacturer and Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd participated enthusiastically.
Don Windus, Frank Marsh and Charlie installed, attended and ultimately dismantled them while young Julie remembers attending at least one of them.
In 1979, Lumberjack Pty Ltd displayed their products at the Toys and Games Manufacturers of Australia (TAGMA) Toy Fair held in March at Centrepoint Tower in Sydney. The photographs below are from a 1979 publication of “The Retailer”.
Exhibiting at Toy Fairs was a must for any Australian toy manufacturer and Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd participated enthusiastically.
Don Windus, Frank Marsh and Charlie installed, attended and ultimately dismantled them while young Julie remembers attending at least one of them.
In 1979, Lumberjack Pty Ltd displayed their products at the Toys and Games Manufacturers of Australia (TAGMA) Toy Fair held in March at Centrepoint Tower in Sydney. The photographs below are from a 1979 publication of “The Retailer”.
The caption reads: "Lumberjack: Popular wooden toys including dolls houses with much interest in the limited edition 2-story colonial dolls house; chalk boards; garages; block wagons and blocks; cradles; nursery furniture; play castle and play fort; stilts; billiard table; games table; table tennis table, dartboard cabinets, etc. Number of new releases inc. a Car Yard and Roadhouse in WOODY WOODPECKER items; Space Station with space buildings; Cape Cod house and single storey Colonial house." Don Windus is seated on the left and his good friend, Don Marsh, on the right.
These photos are from the personal collection of Don, Del and Julie Windus. They show most of the range of wooden toys and nursery furniture that was produced by Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd prior to 1983 and all of which were presented at the TAGMA Fair of 1979.
Service Stations... in many configurations
This model Service Station was featured in Toyworld's Christmas Catalogue of 1980
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...and, of course, Doll's Houses...
...and a Fort ...
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...a Toy Box ...
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...a Bobs Set ...
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...a Picnic Table and Benches for the kiddies ...
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...and a Folding Table Tennis Table ...
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...Blackboards, Chalkboards, Magnetic Boards ...
Also promoted at the 1979 trade fair but not separately illustrated above, were play castle; stilts; billiard table (see below); games table; dartboard cabinets, and their new releases for 1979, which included a car yard and roadhouse with WOODY WOODPECKER theme; a space station with space buildings; a Cape Cod house and single storey colonial house. (The search continues...)
In 1977, Lumberjack Toys introduced a novel, space-saving device: the Q-Table, a convertible, quarter-size flip-over billiard table. Invite your guests to brunch then "Hustle" them after all the tea and scones had been scoffed.
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March 1978 in the machinery section of the factory
c1977-1978 Making Deliveries
1978 Proposed move to Orange
The business started by Don and Del Windus was growing quickly. They found it necessary to relocate (again) and determined that Orange (New South Wales) was more convenient and cost effective to supply their products to the major centres on the east coast.
These newspaper articles of 1978 and 1979 show their expectations and ultimate disappointment in being abandoned by the Bathurst-Orange Development Corporation. More can be read here: https://researchdata.edu.au/agy-1133-bathurst-development-corporation/164974 |
1979 to 1981 Punchbowl Warehouse
Storage space being limited in Gosford, a warehouse in Punchbowl was shared between 1979 and 1981, facilitating deliveries to the Sydney Metropolitan area.
Storage space being limited in Gosford, a warehouse in Punchbowl was shared between 1979 and 1981, facilitating deliveries to the Sydney Metropolitan area.
May 1981 snaps taken in the Lumberjack Toys factory in Asquith (NSW)
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Finds and Collections from 1976 to 1983
These Lumberjack Toys are some of the survivors of children's play - a little worn but testament to the care taken by Del, Charlie and Jules in assembling and gluing them.
These Lumberjack Toys are some of the survivors of children's play - a little worn but testament to the care taken by Del, Charlie and Jules in assembling and gluing them.
By 1983 Don and Del Windus sold Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd.
New Owners of Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd
This is where the history of Lumberjack Toys and the company's new owners are obscure. What is definitely known is that, on 10th May 1985, Lumberjack Toys purchased Bestoys Pty Ltd and N.E.S.Toys. What happened next is subject to further investigation.
The following snippets of information solve very little of the mystery and, in reality, seem only to add to the confusion.
The following snippets of information solve very little of the mystery and, in reality, seem only to add to the confusion.
The company that purchased Bestoys in 1985 may have been known as Lumberjack-Bestoys however…
In December 1998, Allan Jackson, a carpenter, was associated with a company called Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd, situated at The Old Cheese Factory, on the Illawarra Highway, Robertson, NSW 2577 (https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19981203024200/http://www.theguide.com.au/sh_nsw/oldcheese/)
Interestingly, a snapshot of that page, taken on 3rd December 1998, shows a N.E.S.Toy product, “Ukky” Duckling, which would indicate that this is the company that bought Bestoys in 1985.
At the Old Cheese Factory, "you can watch our working wooden toy factory." This factory is noted as being Lumberjack Wood Products and Toys.
In December 1998, Allan Jackson, a carpenter, was associated with a company called Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd, situated at The Old Cheese Factory, on the Illawarra Highway, Robertson, NSW 2577 (https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19981203024200/http://www.theguide.com.au/sh_nsw/oldcheese/)
Interestingly, a snapshot of that page, taken on 3rd December 1998, shows a N.E.S.Toy product, “Ukky” Duckling, which would indicate that this is the company that bought Bestoys in 1985.
At the Old Cheese Factory, "you can watch our working wooden toy factory." This factory is noted as being Lumberjack Wood Products and Toys.
In July 2003, Lumberjack Toy Shop is still listed at the Old Cheese Factory (https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20030724045339/http://robertson-nsw.com.au/Shopping.htm) with the same telephone number:
Contradictorily…
Up until 2010, Lumberjack-Bestoys is listed in the Cronulla Business Directory as being in Engadine:
On 17th May 2011, Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd (another nuance to the company name!) is wound up as the directors of the company are of the opinion that the company will not be able to pay its debts within twelve (12) months. The address of this Lumberjack is not listed, and the liquidators are listed as being in Wagga Wagga.
This coincides with an entry in ASIC's (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) register deregistering a company of the same name. The date of the original registration is 20th May1985, the same year Bestoys Pty Ltd is sold. The former name of Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd is listed as Brevasi Pty Ltd. The deregistration date is 1st July 2012.
Up until 2010, Lumberjack-Bestoys is listed in the Cronulla Business Directory as being in Engadine:
- Lumberjack-Bestoys, 25 Engadine Crt, Engadine - Phone: 9520 7421
On 17th May 2011, Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd (another nuance to the company name!) is wound up as the directors of the company are of the opinion that the company will not be able to pay its debts within twelve (12) months. The address of this Lumberjack is not listed, and the liquidators are listed as being in Wagga Wagga.
This coincides with an entry in ASIC's (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) register deregistering a company of the same name. The date of the original registration is 20th May1985, the same year Bestoys Pty Ltd is sold. The former name of Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd is listed as Brevasi Pty Ltd. The deregistration date is 1st July 2012.
However…
In 2014, The Coffs Harbour Business Directory still listed Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd at 1 Illawarra Highway, Robertson NSW 2577 – (02) 4885 1133 - the same Old Cheese Factory address and telephone number.
Confused?
There appears to be no later mention of Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd, Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd or Lumberjack-Bestoys but the search continues…
In 2014, The Coffs Harbour Business Directory still listed Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd at 1 Illawarra Highway, Robertson NSW 2577 – (02) 4885 1133 - the same Old Cheese Factory address and telephone number.
Confused?
There appears to be no later mention of Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd, Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd or Lumberjack-Bestoys but the search continues…