Sturgessesturn the pageafter 26 years

After more than 26 years as proprietors of the Gunnedah Newsagency, John and Ann Sturgess have decided to call it a day, handing their business over to new owner Hsing Sung, a Tamworth-based pharmacist.

The family connection will not be lost, however, as John and Ann’s daughter Ellen will manage the newsagency.

Ellen has been working with her parents for the past 26 years and brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and customer focus to her new position.

Also the owner of West Tamworth Newsagency, Mr Sung is no stranger to the business and credits his loyal staff with its success.

“It will be business as usual at Gunnedah Newsagency as we will retain the existing staff,” he said.

“They have all the knowledge and know our customers and their needs.”

Mr Sung’s Northgate Pharmacy is in Tamworth while the local chemist at Kootingal is included in his business interests.

Married with three daughters, Mr Sung was born in Vietnam of Chinese descent. He came to Australia at the age of four and grew up in a family of seven children at Cabramatta.

His father died when he was only seven and he lost his mother when he was 26 and settling into his career in pharmacy.

After completing his studies, Mr Sung’s first placement was at Manilla where he stayed for a year and developed a love for country towns. Further placements at Moree and Yass convinced him to move out of the city.

For John and Ann, life will take on a much slower pace after almost 27 years at the helm of Gunnedah Newsagency.

“I was working as general manager of Barraba Shire when we decided to purchase the newsagency from Rozzie and David Torrens,” John said.

“We had another couple as business partners originally but when they retired, we became sole owners.

“As we were a family-owned business, the only downside was missing out on lots of family gatherings and celebrations because of the store’s opening hours.”

After taking on their new venture, the couple soon became part of the community, with John enjoying Rotary and Lions and both celebrating the joy of grandchildren who have all been born since John and Ann came to Gunnedah.

Their children and grandchildren have grown up with and worked in the newsagency. Claire is their youngest employee and is Ellen’s daughter.

John and Ann have seen many changes over the years, including the computerisation of Lotto and lotteries and the introduction of online subscriptions and, sadly, a decline in newspaper sales.

They no longer see the number of reps calling as this is mainly done by phone or the internet. This also includes the downloading of invoices electronically.

Since purchasing the business, John and Ann have endeavoured to change with the times by expanding the range and variety of products offered. Part of this involved closing the Civic Newsagency and moving both stores into one location.

“This allowed us to provide better service to customers with more variety and quantity of product,” John said.

“We are also pleased to have given many young people the chance to gain experience in the workforce and earn money after school and in the holidays.”

Ann commented that through this employment the money earned by the students has often enabled them to purchase their first car and assist with tertiary studies.

“The support of our customers, however, has been our greatest asset,” John said.

“It is only through their loyalty that the business has been such a success and we have been able to service the needs of residents and businesses of Gunnedah and the surrounding shires.

“We would like to sincerely thank our customers for their support during our ownership of the newsagency. We also thank our exceptional staff, both current and past, for their dedication and loyalty.

“The hardest part will be missing the friendship and banter with customers on a daily basis.

“We wish Hsing and his staff all the very best with the agency.”