Town Talk | Meet Des O’Shea: the man behind the legend

It was one of those names that kept coming up in conversation.

However, of recent times, it was raised with a purpose: “You must have coffee with Des O’Shea, he’s a good bloke.”

For sure, our paths would have crossed when I was working full-time at this newspaper.

We had a regular dinner with the real estate fraternity, and I remember several good conversations on these occasions.

But not with Desmond O’Shea.

However, I’m not averse to having a coffee with a good bloke, so I gave him a call.

I could hear the hesitation; a definite lack of enthusiasm for self-promotion.

However, he is also a polite man and unwilling to say ‘no’ to catching up with me.

So, we met at my favourite meeting place, where he drank water and I didn’t.

Shepparton 1960

His family moved to Shepp, from Brunswick, when Des was in his early teens.

His father had been contracted to build a factory, in Wheeler St, for Gadsens (now Visy Board).

Gadsens supplied cans to SPC and several other factories.

In Shepp, he went to school at St Colman’s, and spent a year at Assumption College in Kilmore.

He wanted to be a vet, but wasn’t smart enough — so I was told.

Ted Grace was a good mate, and this led to Ted’s parents, Mary and Bill, recommending Des to John McNamara & Co, and Des began his career as a stock agent in 1964.

Des says he didn’t know a cow from a steer, let alone a Hereford from a Friesian, and he needed to learn quickly.

Bryan and Gerald McNamara made sure this happened, along with their stockman Kevin Murray.

There was just an auctioneer and a booking clerk involved on sale day and, when the auctioneer felt a young chap was ready, he’d swap jobs.

After the sale, Bryan and Gerald would hop off to Phillips’ pub and Des quickly became efficient at putting a report together — how many lambs were sold, at how much per head, which butchers to invoice, which farmers were to be paid — and chasing up any bad debts.

Change in the wind

McNamara’s was purchased by Australian Estates, which became Elders.

As Des talked, it became apparent to me that he had made himself very useful to this company — in various ways.

His colleagues liked him, but he wasn’t happy with the way large companies operated or the way in which they treated his “lovely customers”.

He saw bundles of “pay-up-or-else letters”, threw them in the bin, and went home.

He decided to buy some scales, sell by weight (a new method) and send meat directly to Melbourne butchers.

He met up with another former employee of the big guys, Colin Moore, and ‘O’Shea and Moore’ was formed; they decided to go back into the sale yards.

Selling by weight was the way to go.

Tough time for farmers

The two ‘little’ guys did very well indeed; the big companies didn’t like them any more, but the farmers did. The late 1970s were hard years for people on the land.

The negative effects of the Whitlam Government on food production were long-lasting.

Des remembers selling 35 good cattle for $5 the lot (not each). Some 10,000 Victorian cattle were shot by their owners.

Des knew that if they could survive this, they could survive just about anything — and he went looking for “a good kid” to be their booking clerk.

He visited St Colman’s and the principal said “I’ve got just the right one, a redhead with a farming background, named Kevin Hicks”.

This has been an important, valued and long-lasting friendship for Des.

They worked well together — and still do.

Des employed several people to help him on sale day, including Joe Farrell, Bob Mathieson and Stevie Holmes.

But the work was long and hard.

When Des arrived home, he had to call the farmers to tell them how much they had received for their stock.

One night, there were 104 phone calls and Des had had enough.

He knew just the right people to buy him out; he offered the business to Kevin Hicks and Charlie Medland.

They traded as Medland & Hicks.

In his new real estate business, Des O’Shea & Co, Des personally focused on selling rural land — mostly by auction, which hadn’t been used much in this area.

Clearing sales were also a large part of the business and Des had some good help here, including from Malcolm Blake.

However, at one stage, he was without a residential salesperson and Geoff Dobson was available.

Geoff suggested a partnership and Des offered him the entire business.

At this stage, Medland & Hicks had been in operation for 24 years, and Kevin felt much of what Des had experienced some years earlier.

The workload was immense. So he sold his share of the business to Charles Medland around 2005.

Geoff Dobson now wanted to focus on mayoral and civic duties and sold his business to Kevin Hicks — and Des then went to work for him along with Barry Jones, Chelsea McKay, Paul Durden and Malcolm Blake.

This team has now completed more than 650 clearing sales together.

The merry-go-round goes round and round!

As I concluded my ‘coffee and water’ chat with Des, I realised why this conversation had taken place.

Des is not a person to wave his own flag — but he did want to acknowledge and thank the many people who shared his journey over the past 60 years, particularly the redhead kid with a farming background, Kevin Hicks.

My turn now!

I have followed Des’ wishes and written this article much as he would want it.

However, it’s my turn now.

If you catch up with Des — and if you haven’t heard the story — ask him to tell you about the pigeons.

I’m still laughing!

Bye for now.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

I mention this because I’ve been doing that for some time now.

And I should know better.

Let’s find the joy instead, and may it be easy, my friends

Marnie

Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au

Letter: Town Talk. The News. P.O. Box 204. Shepparton 3631.

Phone: Text or call 0409 317 187