so who's who?

Bruce Symons is the third generation of the family business, and is old enough to recall delivering Symons Dairy milk in a horse and cart with his older brother, Rodney.  For many years, Bruce has worked in ‘big food’, developing markets throughout the world for Australian industrial ingredients, during which time he has become a passionate advocate of organic food and agriculture.   Upon returning to Australia, Bruce spent several years running a Co-operative of 25 Organic dairy farmers in Victoria.  Symons Organic Dairy is the next chapter in Bruce’s effort to supply food that is made simply and honestly, according to traditional methods – just like in the old days of his father and grandfather!

Melissa Symons (Bruce’s wife) is a long-time advocate of organic food.  Since her teenage boys were babies, Melissa, with her medical background, has been exploring the benefits an organic diet can have in providing kids with a heathy start to life.

Established the business in 1919.  Known as “The Boss”.  Had a daughter and two sons.  One son Bert served in the Second World War whilst George worked in the family business with his father.

Family matriarch and Bruce’s mum.  Apart from raising 5 children, running a horse stud, raising cattle, being a long term district commissioner at the Pony Club she also kept all the books and did all the administration for the dairy!

Ann is the oldest of George’s 5 children and the only daughter. The apple of her father’s eye she was involved in all parts of the family’s dairy business and can recall the days that we were bottling cream and milk in pint glass bottles. She retained her favoured status by bringing her father his slippers and a cup of tea after a hard day’s work delivering milk.

George left school early to help his dad with the milk runs. He took over the family business in 1953 before retiring in 1993 at the age of 70.

George was a “talented” 2nds footballer, volunteer fireman and polocrosse player.

In later years he became President of his beloved football club Golden Square for 11 years, a committed Rotarian, stud owner and at 60 years of age built on his love of horses by becoming a racehorse trainer.

Within three years  of training (in 1986) he had a runner line up in the Melbourne Cup – still the last Bendigo trained runner in the Cup!

Max Bennett – better known as Barney – was George Symons’ right hand man for more than 20 years. Lean and strong, Max was George’s hardest worker. No job was too hard or too dirty and all were completed quickly and efficiently. Whether it was doing a milk round, cleaning up around the dairy or working on the farm, Maxie could do it all. Each summer Max would work up a quite a sweat throwing bales of hay from the truck into the hay stack. Like most people Maxie had a weakness and in Max’s case it was McWilliams Cream Sherry. Empty bottles could be found in hay stacks around the dairy and on more than one occasion Max was found between the legs of one of the sleeping draught horses (horses can sleep standing up). Flash or Jessie were his preferred sleeping companions but Sir was one horse that didn’t like sharing his stable.

Frank moved back to Bendigo in his late 20’s and worked for his cousin George at Symons Dairy for more than 30 years.

Two years younger than George he was like a brother to George and for obvious reasons his nickname around the Dairy was “Slim”.  He was also nicknamed “Ernie the fastest milkman in the west”.

Initially he rode his bike into work every day from Lockwood – 15 kilometres from the Dairy.  Eventually he moved into a series of houses on High Street Bendigo – all within a couple of hundred metres from the Dairy.

From a family of 11 children (6 girls and 5 boys), Frank had 5 children himself.

In his later years he accompanied George to the races as his driver and helped with the horses since he was also an accomplished horseman.

Jim is the son of a Greek Shepherd from the mountains of Albania.  Way back in 150 BC the Romans got the Greek shepherds (The Vlachs) to follow a Roman Division to supply cheese, yoghurt and milk to sustain the battalions. 

Jim lived a simple life and performed moderately at school.  His illiterate parents were told by Jim’s school; “no need to persevere with school we think he will make a great goat herder!”

His father’s view was that there was “nothing he could do for Jim up there in the mountains - not even the Greek Gods could help him up there” and that they should move to Australia.

At 14 years Jim’s family moved to Australia.  At his father’s insistence he reluctantly went to Fawkner Tech. to “learn a trade”.   He performed better than expected at school and went on to do Aeronautical Engineering at RMIT.  After fixing planes for the Air Force for nearly a decade the lure of his family heritage was too strong and he started milking his own herd of goats.  Eventually he established his own dairy factory to make goat’s cheese and then started cutting and packing cheese of any shape and any size including the Symons Organic Dairy range.

Not bad for a goat herder from the mountains of Albania!

A fourth generation Symons with Bruce his father, George his grandfather and Albert his Great-Grandfather.   Learning the ropes at Trade shows and the like whilst he is completing his University degree.

Another fourth generation Symons with Bruce his father, George his grandfather and Albert his Great-Grandfather.   A lover of all food he was adventurous with his taste buds from a young age eating olive tapenade at the tender age of 12 months.  A passionate advocate of organic food he has been holding his impromptu and popular cheese stores in the main street of Barwon Heads since his early teens.