Bossed Up: Tatura’s female barber

By Marnie

Jun 26, 2023

In the throne: A little guy tries the big chair. Pictured are Charlie Richardson and Jodie Newell.

Welcome all.

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Last week I was in Tatura to meet Jodie Newell and have a chat about her new business. I had heard, on the grapevine that is my network, that a woman had opened a barber shop — and that the décor was unusual.

Jodie’s personality filled the small room — and physical representations of it decorated the walls. Old telephones, photos of a long-gone post-office building, the butter factory as it once was and Hogan St as it used to be. A comfy-looking barber’s chair, a high chair for the little ones, a couple of chairs for waiting customers and a counter indicated Jodie’s professional skills.

I wandered into an even smaller space, which was decorated to keep children happily occupied, with a large blackboard, toys, a guitar and a lolly machine. I laughed when Jodie explained: “We have no wi-fi — talk to each other!”

She is a fully qualified hairdresser, for men and women, and a barber, so I asked the obvious questions: Why a barber shop? Why Tatura?

Jodie’s story begins in Tat, where she was born and raised. In her teen years, for four years, her boyfriend was a local boy named Kyle. However, around 18 years of age, they went their separate ways. She had a variety of jobs but always wanted to be a hairdresser, and eventually was just that; working in barber shops in Melbourne, which she enjoyed a great deal. “There was always a laugh!” she said. “Always a good story! It was fun.”

Then, along came COVID-19. A past relationship had left her with two daughters and now, no employment. The fortnightly government payment was enough to pay the rent and not much else, so — online — she advertised haircuts at her apartment. “My thoughts were: come and get me, if you want to, Dan Andrews — I’ve got to feed my children,” she said. The first week, she had 55 customers, including two policemen, indicating — she hoped — no future problems with the police force. And she and her family survived.

Eventually she came home, to the warmth and friendliness of Tatura — and, 32 years later, there was, and is, Kyle.

At this stage, our chat was interrupted by a tall, smiling man with a small, frightened kitten. Jodie had seen the newborn four weeks before and had been looking to rescue her ever since. And now Kyle, with the help of two passersby, had done the job, to Jodie’s obvious delight. Kyle later reported that the kitten was settling in well; she was on one of the beds, purring loudly.

We returned to the story, which is almost complete. My opening questions are answered. “I’m good at this and there is nowhere quite like Tatura,” Jodie said. She is proud of her small business and excited about the future. She wants her customers to look and feel good and hopes she can brighten their day. With her charm and warm smile, I’m sure she’ll do just that — and I wish her every possible success.

The Grand Central Barber has irregular opening times at present. Within a couple of weeks, the opening hours will settle into the most appropriate times for her customers.

All about aesthetics: The fascinating interior of Jodie’s barbershop.

That’s not quite all

My husband and I lived in Tatura for almost five years, during which time two of our boys were born. I found Tat to be as warm and friendly as Jodie describes, with helpful and kind local shopkeepers. I had expected to be lonely but wasn’t — due to everyone’s kindness and some wonderful neighbours.

Vince and Rhonda lived nearby and we spent a great deal of time with them. They were just like us; struggling on one wage, with a new home mortgage, and — after a while — two babies each, to share. Rhonda and I learnt about mothering, together. Leaving Tat, to go into business in Shepparton, was difficult; leaving Vince and Rhonda was painful. We knew there’d be no more afternoon teas, waiting for the baker to deliver the ‘best bread in the world’ at three o’clock — and few opportunities for a shared dinner. My husband and I had taken on a seven-days-a-week business and Tatura seemed further away than it does now. Our lifestyles were going to be very different.

However, I was aware when two more of Rhonda’s children were born — and, last week, I met Kyle, her fourth child. You won’t be surprised that, when I heard his surname, my eyes filled with tears. I hadn’t seen him since he was a baby.

I found myself absolutely delighted that Jodie, this bubbly and cheerful lady, having had difficult years, had again met up with her man — this gentle man from this particular family.

Any ideas?

I am very much missing our history and longing to research and write more of it. Two people have now suggested Canberra House as a subject, but I wrote about that some time ago. I know you enjoy being reminded of our past. “Oh yes!” you tell me, “I remember when 3SR was upstairs in Maude St” (or something similar). So I’d really welcome any ideas you have.

Furphy’s Foundry is an obvious one, but it has been so well documented that there is nothing I could add to the story.

I did have an interesting phone call last week, which began with a man’s voice saying “You might have forgotten me. It is 12 months since we spoke.”

I couldn’t possibly forget John Avram, when he had gone out of his way to help me through the birth, life and death of the Shepparton Hotel. He was calling on the anniversary of the publication — for this reason. When we had been working together on this project, he had suggested that he take me on a tour of Shepparton, so he could give me the history of the Greek community in the area. Now, he had suddenly realised that a year had passed, and he wanted to know if I was still interested. He had thought it was only a few months. I assured him that our readers would enjoy his suggestion and I would be available when he was next in town.

Never too old to learn

Recently I learnt something about myself – that I didn’t like much.

I had received an email from a supermarket to tell me that delivery charges were increasing, delivery customers would have to spend more and their ‘rewards points’ were decreasing. I read the email and shrugged. Everything is costing more, no real surprises there.

That night, watching a news broadcast, I saw a bunch of people protesting; they were all very angry, waving posters, and I found myself remembering that the supermarket’s substantial profit this year has improved on 2022. How greedy was the world becoming? Some of these people had no option but home delivery. They couldn’t afford to spend more. I was truly angry by the time the report finished and decided I would cancel my subscription. Until I remembered something else.

When I was researching the beginnings of AI, I came across some info about YouTube. It had discovered that its viewers responded to words such as ‘rage’, ‘fear’ and ‘destruction’. I remember thinking that is how mobs are formed. I absolutely know that many people respond to a smile, a cheerful word, a small compliment; and laughter is contagious. At that point, I wondered what sort of people responded to ‘rage’.

What sort of people? People like me and perhaps you too. There is even a possibility that this protest was organised by the competition and I had been hooked. I have to be careful; I have to look for a trigger and discover what is real for me. I remain a customer of both supermarkets.

A short note from one of our readers

“Marnie, just to let you know we are feeling much more ourselves — seems we turned the corner quickly! Am taking some zinc and vit D as suggested — must have done the trick!”