Fletcher Jones
Encyclopedia
Sir Fletcher Jones OBE
(14 August 1895 - 22 February 1977) was an Australia
n clothing manufacturer and retailer, and a pioneer in workforce participation. It has been claimed that "Arguably, no single person or firm had done more to transform and, for a time, homogenize Australian dress standards, particularly among men, than Fletcher Jones and his staff."
, the son of a Cornish
miner. In his childhood he suffered from a bad stammer, but he practised reading aloud to overcome this. He left school at age 12.
He served with Australian force
s in France
in World War I
where he suffered shell shock
after being buried alive for several hours. On his return his stammer had returned, but he was determined to defeat it so he commenced a door-to-door sales business in Melbourne
. He then decided to become a hawker in the western Victorian region. He purchased a menswear store in Warrnambool in 1924. His business expanded, and in 1941 he decided to form a new wholesale business making nothing but high-quality ready-made trousers. His first store Fletcher Jones Trousers Pty Ltd was located in Melbourne.
In 1946 Fletcher Jones moved to making all trousers from personal fittings, and to deal direct to the public. In 1948 he constructed a clothing factory on the site of a rubbish dump near Warrnambool, which had once been a quarry. The site was extensively renewed with gardens, and became a much-visited tourist site. In the late 1940s he began to turn his business into a co-operative, named Fletcher Jones & Staff Pty Ltd.
He structured his business such that all the employees owned shares in the company. Initially the Jones family had a two-thirds interest and the staff one-third, but the balance gradually swung so that by the 1970s the staff held over 50 per cent of the shares. From the mid 1950s, the business also made women's attire.
At its peak, his company had 55 stores and over 2,700 employees. The company was sold in 1998. The company continues to trade successfully and has over 55 outlets in six states and the Australian Capital Territory
.
Fletcher Jones & Staff was awarded a contract to outfit the Australian women's team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games
.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE) in 1959, and was made a knight bachelor
in 1974 for services to decentralization and the community.
Although he had always expressed Labor
sympathies in word and deed, he publicly renounced his political allegiances when the Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
and his wife Margaret
made it known they were agnostics.
His first wife died in 1970, and he remarried in 1971. He published his autobiography Not By Myself in 1976. Sir Fletcher Jones died in Warrnambool in 1977, and was buried there. He was survived by his second wife, and by the daughter and two sons of his first marriage.
A one-hour Australian documentary The Fabric of a Dream: The Fletcher Jones Story screened on SBS Television on 7 September 2007, and again on 27 March 2009, and again on 10 November 2010, and is available from Film Australia
at www.filmaust.com.au/fabric/.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(14 August 1895 - 22 February 1977) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n clothing manufacturer and retailer, and a pioneer in workforce participation. It has been claimed that "Arguably, no single person or firm had done more to transform and, for a time, homogenize Australian dress standards, particularly among men, than Fletcher Jones and his staff."
Biography
Fletcher Jones was born in Bendigo, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, the son of a Cornish
Cornish Australian
Cornish Australians are citizens of Australia whose ancestry originates in Cornwall, United Kingdom, one of the six Celtic Nations. They form part of the worldwide Cornish diaspora which also includes large numbers of people in the US, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico and many Latin...
miner. In his childhood he suffered from a bad stammer, but he practised reading aloud to overcome this. He left school at age 12.
He served with Australian force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
s in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
where he suffered shell shock
Shell Shock
Shell Shock, also known as 82nd Marines Attack was a 1964 film by B-movie director John Hayes. The film takes place in Italy during World War II, and tells the story of a sergeant with his group of soldiers....
after being buried alive for several hours. On his return his stammer had returned, but he was determined to defeat it so he commenced a door-to-door sales business in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He then decided to become a hawker in the western Victorian region. He purchased a menswear store in Warrnambool in 1924. His business expanded, and in 1941 he decided to form a new wholesale business making nothing but high-quality ready-made trousers. His first store Fletcher Jones Trousers Pty Ltd was located in Melbourne.
In 1946 Fletcher Jones moved to making all trousers from personal fittings, and to deal direct to the public. In 1948 he constructed a clothing factory on the site of a rubbish dump near Warrnambool, which had once been a quarry. The site was extensively renewed with gardens, and became a much-visited tourist site. In the late 1940s he began to turn his business into a co-operative, named Fletcher Jones & Staff Pty Ltd.
He structured his business such that all the employees owned shares in the company. Initially the Jones family had a two-thirds interest and the staff one-third, but the balance gradually swung so that by the 1970s the staff held over 50 per cent of the shares. From the mid 1950s, the business also made women's attire.
At its peak, his company had 55 stores and over 2,700 employees. The company was sold in 1998. The company continues to trade successfully and has over 55 outlets in six states and the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
.
Fletcher Jones & Staff was awarded a contract to outfit the Australian women's team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
.
He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) in 1959, and was made a knight bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1974 for services to decentralization and the community.
Although he had always expressed Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
sympathies in word and deed, he publicly renounced his political allegiances when the Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
and his wife Margaret
Margaret Whitlam
Margaret Whitlam AO is a prominent Australian personality and the wife of former Prime Minister of Australia Gough Whitlam...
made it known they were agnostics.
His first wife died in 1970, and he remarried in 1971. He published his autobiography Not By Myself in 1976. Sir Fletcher Jones died in Warrnambool in 1977, and was buried there. He was survived by his second wife, and by the daughter and two sons of his first marriage.
A one-hour Australian documentary The Fabric of a Dream: The Fletcher Jones Story screened on SBS Television on 7 September 2007, and again on 27 March 2009, and again on 10 November 2010, and is available from Film Australia
Film Australia
Film Australia was a company established by the Government of Australia to produce films about Australia. Its mission was to create an audio-visual record of Australian culture, through the commissioning, distribution and management of programs that deal with matters of national interest or...
at www.filmaust.com.au/fabric/.