General News
7 October, 2022
Wilkens celebrate 40 years
Warracknabeal’s home-grown business, Wilken Group, celebrated 40 years of family business last Friday and invited the whole community to join in.
Warracknabeal’s home-grown business, Wilken Group, celebrated 40 years of family business last Friday and invited the whole community to join in.
In celebration of the event, Richard Wilken invited the Warracknabeal and the surrounding community to the place of business for a free, complex tour of the silos and structures surrounding the business.
The evening was finalised with free drinks and a barbecue as Mr Wilken gave a speech about how his business came to be and its growth.
Owner of McPherson’s CRT General Store and Cafe in Brim, Wavell McPherson said that as Mr Wilken’s first customer, he has learned that Wilken’s Group has not only provided him with a service but the entire community with comfort.
“Richard started his empire and this enterprise as a competitor of GrainCorp and I know that if we had something out of specs, Richard would take it and really look after it,” he said.
“I think all of us here and all the farmers should be really thanking Richard for the number of things he has done to the community and for the community.
“He’s set the business up so we have somewhere to take our grain and we’ve got other alternatives than just having to go to GrainCorp.”
The Wilken Group enterprises consist of the well-known Wilken grain moving business on Warracknabeal-Birchip Road, newly formed Wilken Engineering, the Werrigar Roadhouse and Warrack Home Timber and Hardware.
Mr McPherson said that Mr Wilken has helped him, his business and “everybody else in the community.”
“Thanks to Richard, we can deliver our grain. We can go up the street and get our timber to build a house. We can see one of his daughters and go buy a shovel or fork to dig the garden and the weary traveler can stop at the Werrigar and get his fuel up or eat something,” he said.
“The Wilken Group has really expanded in this area and just made it absolutely marvellous.”
During his speech, Mr Wilken spoke about what life was like as he began his business in 1982.
“The first four guys we ever carted for were Wavell McPherson, Tim Hausler’s dad, Stewie Hausler, Norman Shultz and Ian Zanker. They were the first we ever commercially put a load of grain on for,” Mr Wilken said.
“Back in those days, the rules were if you kept your eyes open, you kept driving. We’d cart 18 tonnes during the day out of Hopetoun and then when the sun went down, we’d cart out of Tarranyurk. They were great days.
“Russell Dart was the one that got us started. Our first truck was a Mack, a single-drive Mack. It carried 18 tonnes at 80 kilometres an hour and we thought it was bloody great. You’d never want any better.
“Today, we put 40 tonnes on and there’s more coming and if you can’t do 100 kilometres, get out of the way. This is also our 40th year with Mack trucks.”
Mr Wilken said that as Wilken Grain grew and evolved, the Mack company and their trucks have also, and he has seen that evolution through his company.
“It’s been good fun to be working with Mack to get over some of their issues. They had different problems, mainly with the engine and we worked through that. It’s been good fun to be a guinea pig a bit,” he said.
“We’ve been lucky to be very close with Mack and help solve those problems. There are a couple of things on some of the trucks around us that were designed in this workshop, and they still come off the production line today.”
In reflecting on his company’s success, Mr Wilken was most grateful to his family and employees who helped to grow the enterprise across each business.
“We talk about the past and there’s a common saying today, where it may be that we’ve seen the best. Well, if we’ve got better coming than all of us have had in the agricultural industry, with people and relationships, we’re going to have a hell of a good time.
“We’ve had a wonderful experience, our family, with the involvement of the people (we work with) have been fantastic.
“We’ve got the best team; I’ll back them against anybody.”