A gem of a team

I went from being extremely nervous when I had to propose a toast to the mayor to becoming the Victorian president of Soroptimist for 2000/01.
-Kay Drysdale
BERWICK jewellers Jim and Kay Drysdale are celebrating 25 years in business at Blackburne Square. They took over the clockmaker’s shop in the square during February 1984.
Kay said she recalled the Berwick Show was on when they were setting up their new business.
They soon changed the business profile from a clockmaker’s shop to a jewellery store with clocks for sale.
Their lives together started when they were asked individually to work as a team with Jim as best man for his brother Malcolm’s wedding and Kay as bridesmaid to close friend June Baker.
They met for the wedding and remained a team for evermore in life and in business, including strong support for each other in community service commitments.
People say: “I’ll meet you near the jeweller’s shop in Blackburne Square”.
Kay Cassell was born at Dandenong and Jim Drysdale at Bright and as life went on they both chose well for marriage partners.
Jim’s father worked as a State Electricity Commission linesman, and also ran his own concreting and plaster business.
He also worked for McEwans Hardware Dandenong and nights as projectionist for the Panoramic Drive-in Theatre at Dandenong.
Jim’s grandparents lived in Berwick and Berwick became a place he liked.
“We were living at Cranbourne and I went to the Cranbourne State School and Oakleigh Technical School.
“We would go off to tech in the ‘Cranny Caller’ a special rail motor train put on for students.
“I got to know Berwick while on visits to my grandparents and I loved to go down along the Cardinia Creek to play.” he said.
Kay went to Dandenong West State School and on to Dandenong High School.
She worked as a receptionist secretary for Murray House Clinic in Dandenong and ironically Murray House also came to Berwick.
“I worked for the doctor who brought me in to the world,” she said.
Kay said her family lived on the Princes Highway Dandenong and were pushed out when the highway was duplicated and the council brought in industrial rating on the area.”
Jim and Kay met in the mid-1960s, married in March 1968 and lived at Yarraman Park for 19 years before moving to Berwick.
They have two children Alison and Ray.
Jim said he worked for an inner city jeweller after getting his ticket.
But there was an economic slump during the 1970s and he was cut back to half hours.
“I decided I could earn as much by working for myself at home and did contract work for private customers and other jewellers,” he said.
During those years his mind turned to the possibility that his eyesight could deteriorate and he would need a back up.
He found the best pathway was to add retail to his skills as a manufacturing jeweller.
Kay said they saw an advertisement for purchase of the clockmaker’s business in Blackburne Square, Berwick, and took it on.
Jim was a manufacturing jeweller so his skills were of fairly immediate use to the community because of the Ash Wednesday fires.
They make jewellery to order and re-fashion and repair jewellery on site.
Kay said: “We can repair and specialise and I believe this brings a lot of people into our shop.
“We started just one year after the Ash Wednesday fires and found that people were coming in with pieces of melted or twisted jewellery.
“We were able to restore some and some we made into something else. Some was beyond salvage.”
So business went well and they now employ one other manufacturing jeweller Simone Van der Schoot.
Kay became involved in pre-school, primary school, and the Emerson school committees.
They were new to retailing so what better than to join a business group.
This was the Berwick Village Chamber of Commerce to which they have been backbone members.
Both worked hard for the chamber and at times their advice and leadership sought after and found to be extremely valuable.
With their business well on the way they moved to live in Berwick during 1988.
Jim’s parents Norma and Gordon Drysdale built a home in Berwick for their retirement but later moved on to live at Loch Sport.
Then Kay’s parents Graff and Edna Cassell bought the Drysdale’s Berwick home.
Kay felt the need to meet and mix with other women besides business contacts so joined Soroptimist.
“The idea of meeting with other women in this charitable group appealed to me. I went from being extremely nervous when I had to propose a toast to the mayor to becoming the Victorian president of Soroptimist for 2000/01.
“That coincided with a difficult time in business because they had just introduced the goods and services tax and sadly my mother died,” she said.
Jim became involved with the Australian Plants Society, serving two years as president, and they both joined the Friends of Wilson Botanic Park.
The plant society maintains the garden around the Wilson Botanic Park car parking area.
He also takes a keen interest in the Mackintosh Users Group at Cranbourne and is a member of the Ulysses Motorbike Club and owns and rides a BMW 100 RT.
“Our motto is ‘grow old disgracefully’,” he said.
The club provides fellowship for older motorcyclists, conducts rides on most Sundays, and weekend trips.
Night socials are held on the first and third Friday of each month at the Tower Hotel, Hawthorn East and the Grand View Hotel, Fairfield.
Saturday Morning Coffee meetings are held at the Tall Ship Cafe, Bay Street, Port Melbourne from 9am for coffee and/or breakfast and a chat.
Kay has been a major leader in the Soroptimist movement, which is an international volunteer organisation for business and professional women.
The group works to better the lives of women and girls throughout the world and for equality, peace, and international goodwill.