Hawkesbury Independent IND 168 May 2024 | Page 16

LOCAL LIFE

Need tyres ? Make your dates with Tate ’ s

by Greg Martin

“ You load sixteen tons , what do you get - another day older and deeper in debt ”.

So sang Tennessee Ernie Ford in his blockbuster hit , Sixteen Tons , way back in 1956 .

On the other side of the coin , Ron Sammut got two flat tyres and what did he get ? No debt , just one of the most successful tyres and brakes businesses in the state .

Was back in early 2005 when Ron ’ s swaying car revealed a flat tyre as he drove through Box Hill .

“ I pulled over , walked around , opened the boot and discovered my spare was as flat as a tack ,” Ron laughed .

Which took Ron and his wife , Annette , who had come to his rescue , to Tate ’ s Tyres at Riverstone . And a turning point in their lives ! Those two flat tyres were the catalysts for the Sammuts , well , while certainly getting a few days older over the years , but unlike old Ernie , the exact opposite of getting deeper in debt .

Tate ’ s Tyre and Brake Service is a major player in the industry , serving a growing band of clients from all over Western Sydney , the Hawkesbury and the Blue Mountains .

“ I grew up and lived in Riverstone and was always aware of Tate ’ s Tyres but had never called on its services until getting those two flats ,” Ron explained .

“ During the time I was waiting for the flats to be repaired , I had a good gander around the business and took note that there were several areas in which it could be improved , and in doing so , bolster clientele .”

At the time , Ron , who had completed an apprenticeship in Riverstone as a cabinet maker , had switched horses and saddled up for 18 years at Unilever , in various tasks other than cabinetmaking .

“ Those flat tyres came at an opportune time because for around a year or so I had been putting plenty of thought into getting my own business ,” Ron said .

“ After the car was ready to go that day , I walked out of the waiting area , stopped , did a U-turn , went back into the office and asked the manager if the owner would be willing to sell the business .

“ He told me the owner , Peter Tate , was up in Queensland on a break , so I left my number and lo-and-behold , Peter contacted me the following week .

“ He told me he was willing to sell the business on two provisos – that the name of the business remain unchanged and that I wouldn ’ t link it to a franchise .”

Ron agreed , taking a redundancy package at Unilever and sank it into purchasing Tate ’ s Tyres from Peter , who had kicked off the business back in 1984 . Back then , Tate ’ s Tyres had a staff of seven and primarily worked on trucks – 80 per cent of business centred on the larger vehicles , with just 20 per cent of business done on cars .

“ It was obvious that there was a lot of business out there to be lured to Tate ’ s , and the number of small changes we made in the office and in the workshop allowed us to attract car owners ,” Ron said .

“ Forty years since the business began , car owners now provide 60 per cent of our business , and trucks and other larger vehicles , 40 per cent and business has tripled .”

Whilst being shown around the office and workshops , your writer fathomed that each and every one of the 13 member staff woke every workday morning looking forward to getting to Tate ’ s .

Tate ’ s Tyre and Brake Service is truly a family affair . In the early days , Annette chucked in her job as a purchasing officer and took over Tate ’ s administration , a job she now shares with eldest daughter , Yasmin . Yasmin previously worked in the hospitality industry with part-time shifts at Tate ’ s , before linking with her parents full-time in 2019 .

Her brother , Cameron , got his hands dirty in the workshop working parttime but he ’ s now up in Queensland

completing a degree in psychology at the University of Southern Queensland .

Ron and Annette ’ s youngest daughter , Corinne , also chipped in at the office but a keen horsewoman , she is currently establishing an equine agistment business

What a rubbery team ! Team Tate ’ s pictured ( l-r ) are Bob Malone ( supervisor ), Yasmin , Ron and Annette Sammut , and manager , Dave Robinson . in the Hills district . I asked Ron the reasons why Tate ’ s had established itself as the go-to place for anyone wanting tyres or their brakes checked .

“ Our objective is to provide an exemplary level of customer service and reliability for our customers ,” he said .

“ We have a strong focus on our customers , giving them a careful explanation of work and costs upfront , providing confidence and trust . All of our staff are fully qualified and partake in ongoing training to stay ahead of the ever-changing tyre industry .

“ We are committed to always being thorough , trustworthy and informative to our customers in the conduct of our business .”

‘ nuff said !

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14 ISSUE 168 // MAY 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT