General News
10 November, 2023
A century of trade and family service
Local hardware and home improvement store T. Ismay & Co are celebrating their centenary birthday over the next four weeks, and the Argus is ready to recap the years with them. One hundred years ago, in 1923, George V was the monarch and Henry...
Local hardware and home improvement store T. Ismay & Co are celebrating their centenary birthday over the next four weeks, and the Argus is ready to recap the years with them.
One hundred years ago, in 1923, George V was the monarch and Henry Forster was Governor General; Billy Hughes began the year as prime minister and was later replaced by Stanley Bruce; and Harry Lawson began his second term as Victoria’s premier.
Margaret Molesworth won the Australasian Women’s Tennis Championship and Pat O’Hara Wood won the men’s; Roy Chapman Andrews discovered the first dinosaur eggs, and Time magazine published its first edition.
Meanwhile, Herbert Nicholson Ismay and his son Thomas Nicholson Ismay were well-known carpenters and joiners in the early years of Rainbow’s development, operating out of the Commonwealth Hotel and offering their services across the district.
In 1923, Thomas, who had served as a sergeant in the first world war, saw an opportunity to expand into selling hardware and opened a store in Railway Street.
He was by all accounts a kind man who was quick to lend a hand, a member and volunteer at many local organisations, and often known to write off the debts of those who were unable to pay.
The name, T. Ismay and Co, has remained throughout the generations, and it remains a family-owned business today.
Proprietor Ron Ismay - Thomas’ grandson - employs Roger “Spotty” Aitken, Gabby Fischer and Emma Glen to help with the day-to-day running of the store while he attends to matters as a councillor for Hindmarsh Shire.
In the coming weeks, while the store holds their own celebrations, we will delve back in time to uncover the history of the business, the family, and the town.