As the editor of a publication which operates to daily, weekly and fortnightly deadlines, I thought I understood the virtues of good pace.
Fresh news is our currency, so ensuring a smooth workflow from the outset can minimise stress for more nail biting, up-to-the-minute copy.
There’s nothing quite like 42.195km of endless, burning tarmac to put this “understanding” into brutal use.
Two months ago, I ran my first marathon in the city of Sydney.
I followed this act of sadism by hitting the Melbourne marathon a few weeks later, stripping 31 minutes off my original time in the process.
I did this because I felt I had guts and gas left in my guzzler. Ah the g’s of youth. I am now entirely carbon neutral and have neither gas nor guzzler to fill. Just a strange and constant longing for ibuprofen.
All of this has made me more appreciative of those who go that extra distance – and there are some notable industry examples this month. The first is Debi Rolle, who has just celebrated 30 years as design director for retail powerhouse Cue.
It’s a particularly important milestone for Rolle, not just because she has occupied the position for three decades but because she has done so conquering trends season after season. How’s that for consistency under changing terrain?
Then there’s the ultra-marathon effort from David Holmes, who will soon retire after 50 years at wholesale giant Gazal.
As the letter from Gazal’s chief operating officer will attest (see below), Holmes is a consistent performer across the workwear, intimates and menswear departments. Never a hill too steep or a river to wide.
We hope to bring you profiles of these two stalwarts (and more) in coming issues. In the meantime, it’s almost enough to make me slip on those racing shoes.
Almost...
Letter to the editor
Dear Assia,
Re : Retirement of a living legend – David Holmes
It’s not too often that I would write to you about the retirement of a Gazal employee but this one’s very special.
David Holmes started with Joe Gazal on December 8th, 1959, as Joe’s second employee. He’ll retire this December after more than 50 years of service to Gazal and the industry he loves.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of working with, for, or alongside David, will no doubt espouse what a wonderful, terrific-natured, patient and understanding person he is, and an absolute gentleman.
It’s rare to see someone, equally as highly admired by supplier, employee and customers alike. The industry is full of managers who gladly point-back to being mentored and guided through their careers by David.
David has seen more change in this industry than we can imagine. Alongside Daniel Chen and Joe Gazal, he was one of the very first Westerners to be actually ‘let in’ to do business with China. Doing business back then wasn’t simply a case of flying into Shanghai and staying in a five-star hotel.
Apart from seeing almost every fashion trend reinvented several times, David has managed through several recessions, managed with the Aussie dollar trading from 49 cents to 99 cents US, ridden the elimination of quotas, the deregulation of the industry and progressive elimination of duties, the Button Plan, the introduction of GST and the everchanging ownership structure of major Australian retailers.
In his time with Gazal, David has held a number of senior management roles. He has run Lovable, launched Bisley workwear, reinvented Van Heusen, managed the Trent Nathan licensed business, and managed every category of apparel from women’s lingerie to men’s workwear in the process. The Van Heusen brand is now more than double the size it was when David took it over 7 years ago.
Nobody at Gazal works harder than David. At 67, he’s still the first manager on the premises every morning and the last out the door each evening. His enthusiasm and vitality is an inspiration to even the 20-year-olds working in our business.
I’m COO at Gazal, but it’s still a little intimidating to know that David was creating apparel at Gazal before I was born. It has been my absolute privilege to have been able to call him a colleague and a friend for the last 10 years, and I, along with about 1100 other Gazaliers, will miss him and his counsel dearly.
David isn’t even thinking of stopping. He’s leaving us to help his lovely wife Pamela in their growing family food business ... and a little travelling. We wish them every happiness and success.
So, there goes someone very special and irreplaceable, a foundation Australian Ragtrader my friends. They don’t make them like that anymore!
Sincerely,
Craig Barnett
Chief Operating Officer
Gazal Apparel P/L