Business Legends

October 2006 :: Pompei Brothers Boat Builders - October 2006

Jack Pompei

"Excerpt from Mayor's Presentation Speech"

Driving through Mordialloc, you can’t help but notice the Pompei boat yards on Nepean Highway near the Beach Rd roundabout. They are as much a part of the history of Kingston’s unique seaside suburb as their founders, the Pompeii brothers.

Jack, boat builder, fisherman and (surprisingly) non-swimmer was born in Sicily in 1923, but at a young age moved with his family to Mordialloc. Joe on the other hand is Mordialloc born and bred. Their father was a sailor and professional fisherman, which perhaps explains Jack and Joe’s unquenchable love of the sea and boat building. At the age of 13, young Jack built his first boat and at 22 opened his first boat shed on the same site he is today.

Although boat building was always his passion, Joe did have another career as a professional boxer which he got into by accident. When he was 14 or 15 he started going to the Victorian Railways Institute gym in Melbourne just for something to do. After 6 weeks training he was at the stadium one night when a bloke didn’t show up for a prelim bout so Joe told them he was eighteen and had his first fight. He fought professionally from 1951-55.

Since their school days, the Pompei brothers have built and repaired hundreds of boats at their Mordialloc factory. There are Pompei boats at King Island, New Guinea, Queensland, Western Port Bay and, of course, on Port Phillip Bay. Jack estimates that they have built 90 per cent of the clinker built boats on the Bay. Even now, they keep working, building and maintaining boats – and yarning with friends and fellow fishermen about their catches.

Like his father before him, Jack has rescued many people stranded on the bay and although the water police took over the task in the 1970’s, Jack has continued to provide assistance when necessary. Over the years he has rescued more than 600 people. He originally became involved in rescue work because locals valued his knowledge of the bay and because he was willing to take his boat out day or night, no matter what the weather.

Jack has also been continually active in doing his bit to keep the creek clean and safe. He was probably one of Mordialloc’s first conservationists; long before the subject was topical. He has personally built walls, piers, and landings in and around the creek to improve safety, almost always at his own expense; he has been an active campaigner to have the creek cleaned up almost all his adult life, and has some very strong views on how best to treat the Mordialloc Pier in such a way as to eradicate the sand loss problem continually experienced at North Aspendale Beach. His love of and commitment to the creek are obvious to all who know him.

In 1987, Jack was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to marine search and rescue in Port Phillip Bay. He was also twice awarded the former City of Mordialloc’s Citizen of the Year Award.

On a personal note, Jack has been married to Gwen for 52 years and together they have nine children.
December 2005 :: MBA Business Legend Award 2005

Bob Gawne

"Excerpt from MBA Business Legend Award Presentation"

The MBA’s very first Business Legend has been an engineer, a teacher, a CEO, a board member, and a business mentor. He has been a member of countless community committees, a father and a sports coach. I would like him to join me now on stage, along with Elaine and daughters Robyn and Heather and Mayor of the City of Kingston Topsey Petchey. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Bob Gawne.

Bob is a chartered Professional Engineer with a Graduate Diploma in Management. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Management and has taught management at RMIT for 5 years.

He has been Managing Director or Chief Executive Officer of IRCO, Gibbs Bright, Rocla Concrete Industries, Futuris Ltd, Heller Financial Industries and Bytecraft.

He has been a board member of Gibbs Bright, Rocla Concrete Industries, MB John Ltd., Futuris Ltd, Heller Financial Services, Biovend, Medigas and the Triton Foundation.

As a consultant Bob has led the franchising and reconstruction of Brown Gouge.

He is an Emeritus Trustee for the Committee for Economic Development Australia and past President of Probus.

He has been used as a motivational speaker in the business community for Wyndham & Hume Councils, provided a management mentoring role for the Cities of Kingston and Glen Eira, and has assisted the building of the Chinese Herb industry in Victoria

Bob has two daughters, seven grandchildren and has served as President of the Burbank Primary and Banyule Primary School Councils, coaches the School Rounders team at Burbank Primary and the Rosanna Under 8’s Soccer Team.

He is a gentleman and a friend to many, and current Chairman of the Melbourne Business Awards Committee.

I am very pleased to call on Her Worship the Mayor of the City of Kingston, Cr. Topsey Petchey to present the Inaugural MBA Business Legend Award to Mr. Bob Gawne.