Hello and welcome.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
This week, I had a chat with Trevor O’Dea about the history of O’Dea’s Saddlery — and about his dad.
A couple of years after the end of World War II, Andrew and Patricia O’Dea arrived in Shepparton. Andy, as he was known, opened a pet shop on High St and leased the property next door, where he set up a number of billiard tables. This premises had a large, sliding green door.
Am I the only one who remembers a song by Shakin Stevens called Green Door? It is not irrelevant to this story.
Andy’s War
Andy didn’t talk much about his war experiences. He told Trevor that he signed up early and it was necessary to adjust his age a bit. However, he spent the war years in Australia and, only just before it was all over, he was sent to Singapore. He also talked about jumping from planes as low as 400ft. “If the parachute failed to open, the emergency chute was of little use. No time.” However, he was proud of his red beret.
This is the story of Australia’s first parachute battalion, of which Andy was a part.
It was a parachute infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was raised for service during World War II.
This was an elite group, and membership required extensive training. From Tocumwal to the northern forests, the men were trained. From 1942 to 1944, they trained — and were, finally, declared ready. The battalion was told to begin training for operations in Borneo. The paratroopers also began training for a role in the amphibious landing at Balikpapan. The battalion was not used.
The elite soldiers were then told to prepare for a mission to rescue thousands of Allied prisoners held by the Japanese at Sandakan in North Borneo.
This operation was cancelled, and the Japanese killed the prisoners in the Sandakan Death Marches.
The paratroopers were fed up, with many of them requesting transfers. These requests were denied because the battalion had been instructed to operate alongside British paratroopers in the planned liberation of Singapore.
The war ended before this took place, and the battalion was ordered to Singapore — for garrison duties. The unit contributed an honour guard to the main surrender ceremony.
These young men must have been the most frustrated and disappointed soldiers in World War II.
There’s money in Shepparton
Trevor told me that the pet shop (and the billiard tables with the green door) was situated about where Target’s door is today. This would put it close to Canberra House. However, the store was likely used as a ‘cover’ for the real business. Andy was an S.P. bookie. Shepparton had been recommended to him as a fruitful place to do business because “there’s money in Shepparton”.
It was a risky business, the punishment for which was extensive jail time. It was also unreliable. Trevor says they lived well indeed, at times. In between, “we ate a lot of rabbits”. Prospective clients would knock on the green door, which would slide open — just a fraction. And the client would be assessed as welcome or not.
There were several occasions when the family were packed into the car — to spend the weekend elsewhere. Andy usually managed to be informed when a raid was about to happen.
One Friday night, Andy packed up his family and went away for the weekend. When the family returned on a Sunday evening, the large green door was on the front lawn of their home. It would have taken some time and effort to relocate the door, and Andy realised he had received a warning.
I asked Trevor if there would have been evidence in the billiard room about Andy’s true occupation. He told me there was a large board on which starting prices were listed. However, this board disappeared into the ceiling, and a light would come down over a billiard table. It would all have looked perfectly legal.
Roughly 20 years after Andy arrived in Shepparton, the pet shop burned down. We don’t know the fate of the billiard tables!
So, Andy leased a shop across the street. It became O’Dea’s Saddlery, where it remains today. The shop was owned by Mr McMillan and had been occupied by Smythe and Dainton (grocers). It was auctioned three years later. Andy purchased the shop and land, which extended to Rowe St. He also bought land to the east of the shop, facing Rowe St. (The land behind the shop and the parcel next door were later requisitioned by the council to become a part of the existing car park.)
Anyway, by the time of the relocation, Patricia had had enough. She was the mother of four children, a respectable lady — at one time, running a small make-up business of her own. I remember meeting her around this time.
She would no longer tolerate the illegal operations.
The straight and narrow
So, Andy turned his attention to running a successful retail business — and his beloved greyhounds. The saddlery part of the shop was growing. He began importing western saddlery, boots and hats from the United States. The business continued to expand; Andy rented a space upstairs in Gray’s Arcade for the leather workshop and saddlery making. At one point, he employed seven saddlers, as well as machinists to make horse rugs.
He was a keen sportsman and became a life member of the Shepparton Pony Club, GV Racing (Tatura) and the Shepparton Club.
Andy and Patricia had a long and successful marriage; they are quoted as talking about tolerance and being able to “talk things out”.
Andy O’Dea was a colourful character, busy with sports and well-liked. He had many friends.
Life and death
Andy was born in Burramine in 1923 and died in Shepparton in 2009. He was born into a Catholic family but was never a practising member of the church family. Despite this, he had been adamant that he wanted to be buried a Catholic. When Trevor explained this to the priest, the answer was no. Andy had never been seen in or around the church. Attempting to meet his father’s wishes, Trevor mentioned Burramine and J.J. Now, the priest knew of a family of O’Deas in Burramine, who were good church attendees — but he didn’t know what J.J. represented. Trevor explained that when the paratroopers jumped from a plane, their pastor jumped with them. He was known as Jumping Jesus.
The priest was impressed by the jumping pastor, or perhaps it was Andy’s Burramine relatives, and eventually, he gave in. Andy had his dying wish and was buried a Catholic.
O’Dea’s Saddlery is situated at 92 High St (next door to free parking — where the Astor Theatre used to be) and these days is managed by Andy’s son, Trevor. Trevor’s daughter Holly, a part-time teacher, gives him a hand. There, you will find everything you and your horse need, plus great gift ideas. Why not call in and say hi to Trevor and Holly?
And I’m still singing Green Door — I don’t know what they’re doing, but they laugh a lot behind the green door.
International Women’s Day
In 2022, I received a note from Lynette, surprised that I hadn’t written about a special day for women.
My response began like this:
I’m sorry if this offends some of you, but I don’t see half the planet as an ‘underprivileged group’. Do we really need a special day to celebrate our achievements or write about injustice? I noted that one of the women, putting their fingers to a keypad, is known to earn over $300,000 per annum. I’m wondering what a ‘fair go’ looks like to her. And many of these women don’t like men, do they? I mean, they really don’t like men.
There was much more — and it ended like this:
Sorry Lynette, that was just one exclamation mark short of a rant, wasn’t it? And that’s exactly why I didn’t write about it last week!
Well, two years later, my response is a little different. Absolute proof that you are never too old to change an opinion! Next week, and the following one — as bookends to International Women’s Day on March 8 — I would like to feature some of the women of Greater Shepparton and focus on the contributions they have made, and continue to make, to our community. They are all friends of mine; some I have got to know through this column, and a couple of long-term friends — ‘keepers’, if you like.
Many of you will know these ladies, but if not, I hope you’ll enjoy meeting them.
Have a good week, and may it be easy, my friends.
Marnie,
Email: towntalk@sheppnews.com.au
Letter: Town Talk. Shepparton News. P.O. Box 204. Shepparton 3631.
Phone: Send a text to 0418 962 507. (Note: text only. I will call you back if you wish.)
Town Talk