Farewell to an industry veteran

Few people have given more of their life and their work to an industry than Michael James Beirne who died in Brisbane last month (January 14),aged 70.

Born into the Irish family that founded, in the 19th century, the great Queensland department stores of TC Beirne's in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley and Beirne Pty Ltd in Ipswich and Mackay, he was involved in every aspect of the manufacturing and retail clothing industry.

As a schoolboy, Beirne worked in the Mackay store run by his father Mick Beirne, son of the founder MJ Beirne who was the younger brother of TC Beirne and had begun his Australian life as a traveller in North Queensland.

Michael became a trainee executive in Mackay, then moved to the Brisbane store that then had 900 employees. His positions included assistant buyer of silks and cottons, assistant advertising manager, buyer of industrial menswear, controller of women's fashion. When David Jones took over the Beirne empire in 1961, 24-year-old Michael Beirne was appointed manager of the fashion department.

In 1964, now married to journalist Julien McKee, he moved to Rockhampton where he was part of a new management team for the Walter Reid Group that had bought the ES Lucas department store there, Blacks in Bundaberg and smaller stores in Emerald, Longreach, Barcaldine and Springsure.

He was one of six retail executives from around Australia head-hunted by Woolworths to launch and develop the Big W brand and became manager of the newly-converted Chatswood store and then Bankstown in Sydney. His brief was to move Woolworths from its chain-store management and operation to the new Big W image.

Back in Brisbane, and by now well-known in the rag trade nationally, the Beirnes went into partnership with local identity Kurt Huppert to establish a Queensland agency for leading national women's fashion brands.

Later Michael and Julien joined menswear manufacturer Freedmans to establish a uniform design and manufacturing business, designer workwear that became one of the largest in the country, producing their ranges through a number of sub-contracted manufacturers. Customers for their corporate and industrial clothing ranged from government departments to hospitals, hotels and railways. When the company was taken over by global conglomerate SaraLee Clothing, they became consultants for three years and moved to Sydney.

Apart from his industry activities, which included judging for many years the Queensland Retailers Association awards, Michael Beirne was known throughout the State as a former Rugby League star and boating identity. His last adventure was to sail from Papua New Guinea on an island trading vessel that he had restored.

A man of humour and civility, he was said to have derived his unfailing respect for women from his early days in retail working with female buyers and managers.

His son Dominic has followed the family tradition as a director of Australian Fashion Partners, an industry business and marketing consultancy in Sydney. Younger son Justin is a lawyer in Brisbane.