ENTERPRISE , SELF-BELIEF AND
HARD WORK
LEFT TO RIGHT : ROGER GILLESPIE (’ 68 ), DAVID CHRISTIE , ELISE GILLESPIE , LESLEY GILLESPIE , IN FRONT OF THE PLAQUE IN THE KEON-COHEN DINING HALL
Director of Development , Tim Shearer (’ 85 ) was delighted to welcome Roger OAM (’ 68 ) and Lesley Gillespie OAM , their daughter , Elise Gillespie , and Elise ’ s husband , David Christie , to Scotch on 12 February to inspect the new Keon-Cohen Dining Hall .
The Gillespies were exuberant in their praise of the new facility , noting how long it had taken for the School to address this much-needed amenity , as Roger recalled queuing up at the old Tuckshop ( now classroom 19 ).
In recognition of the Gillespies ’ longstanding commitment to Scotch , a plaque outlining the inspirational story of the Gillespies ’ Bakers Delight business has been fixed to an interior wall of the dining hall , to inspire current and future Scotch boys that anything is possible . The plaque ’ s inscription reads : Bakers Delight is one of Australia ’ s truly great business successes . It is a story built from equal parts passion and an unwavering commitment to making the most of every opportunity . Founded in 1980 by Roger Gillespie OAM and his wife , Lesley Gillespie OAM , Bakers Delight has become a household name , with more than 700 locations across Australia , Canada , the United States of America , and New Zealand .
As a third generation baker , opening a bakery of his own was perhaps Roger ’ s destiny . After founding the Old Style Bread Centre ( later to become Brumby ’ s ) in the
1970s , Roger and Lesley opened the first Bakers Delight outlet in Glenferrie Road , Hawthorn in 1980 .
Roger and Lesley passionately believed in what they were doing and committed themselves to delivering delicious products and excellent service at every opportunity . Soon , the business gathered momentum . One bakery became two , then three , then more , and by 1988 there were 15 bakeries operating under the brand .
By 1989 , Roger , Lesley and their children ( Aaron and Elise ) were living in America where they were exposed to the possibilities of franchising . Franchising was still a new concept in Australia , but having seen what it could do for business growth , they returned home to apply their new-found knowledge to Bakers Delight .
Creating perfect bread every day in hundreds of locations is not easy … if it were , everyone would do it . However , when dogged determination and the pursuit of excellence are combined , success generally follows . Overseas expansion eventually beckoned – initially in New Zealand ( 1995 ), then in Canada ( 2003 ) where the name is different ( COBS Bread ), but the promise of delight remains the same . COBS Bread is now North America ’ s most successful bakery franchise business .
More than 40 years on , Bakers Delight is still proudly family owned . Driven by a spirit of enterprise , self-belief and hard work , the Bakers Delight story inspires everyone to follow their dreams and never give up .
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 51