T. S. McQuinn and Son
This plaque is located at 58 Curdie St.
1902: Alexander and wife Frances McQuinn arrived in Cobden from Minyip with three year-old Stan to begin a cartage and droving business.
1927: The plumbing dynasty began when Thomas Stanley (Stan) McQuinn and wife Bertha acquired the plumbing business from Stan’s employer, Tinny Wilson.
Early 1940s: Son Bernie (1926-2015) began working for Stan on a weekly apprentice wage of five shillings and, in June 1948, was registered as a plumber, class 3. The business carried out general plumbing, made galvanised rainwater tanks and milk cans, and installed and repaired windmills.
Late 1950s: A new shopfront was constructed, adjoining the existing workshop and the business began selling plumbing supplies.
Stan had been gassed during World War 1 and suffered from emphysema which cut short his life. In 1969, just before Stan’s passing,
Bernie and wife Joan who was doing the bookwork took over the business and it was registered as T.S. McQuinn and Son.
Bernie’s first apprentice was Peter ‘Plumber’ Walsh who later started his own business and, in 2011, became Australia’s first hand
transplant recipient. Over the years, the business trained and employed many plumbers and labourers including Bob Andrews who was the resident windmill expert.
In 1975, Bernie’s eldest son Greg started his apprenticeship, followed by his second son Michael two years later. The boys took over
the business in the mid-1990s with Greg’s wife, Leanne, doing accounts and working in the shop. Michael moved to Apollo Bay in 2003 and, subsequently, began his own plumbing business, while Greg and Leanne continued to run T.S. McQuinn and Son.
Greg’s first interest in a Telecom career quickly gave way to plumbing – he didn’t really want to leave Cobden. As an apprentice in
1975, his weekly wage was $32. After paying $5 board to his parents, he was still able to save for a car by age 18.
In 2008, Greg and Leanne’s son, Stephen, joined the business and completed his plumbing apprenticeship in 2012, becoming the fourth
generation of the McQuinn family to carry on the plumbing tradition. Born in 1989, he took up plumbing because it was in his blood!
Over 90 years, the family has witnessed many changes to the industry. Gone are the days of the milk cans, galvanised tanks and miles
of galvanised pipe cut and threaded by hand. The plumbing side of the business has seen sanitary systems progress from the night man who emptied the cans to septic tanks and town sewerage systems. Many homes had a rainwater tank which became obsolete when reticulated town water supplies became available. Ironically, homes are now encouraged to install tanks to be more environmentally proactive.
Oil, wood and LPG heaters were popular forms of heating, along with combustion and LPG stoves for cooking but, in 1996, natural gas
came to Cobden, opening up new opportunities in appliance installation and servicing.
T.S. McQuinn and Son still sells plumbing supplies but to a lesser extent due to the proliferation of the larger plumbing suppliers
and major hardware chain stores. The manufacturing of galvanised tanks has given way to the sale of more popular poly varieties.
If Stan was alive today, we are sure he would be very proud of the legacy he left behind.
Beyond Plumbing . . .
Originally from Scotland where the family surname was probably pronounced ‘McQueen’, Stan McQuinn and brother Hec served in World War 1. Unfortunately, Hec did not return but money earned by the brothers helped pay for the first McQuinn home in Cemetery Road.
The McQuinn family has contributed greatly to the Cobden community since its arrival in 1902 – in both sporting and service organisations.
Stan received a medallion when awarded life-membership of the Cobden Football Netball Club. During World War 2, he coached the club and organised a competition involving Cobden, Camperdown and Terang while many menfolk were at war. Son Bernie actually won the best and fairest in that competition, as a 19 year-old, in 1945.
Bernie also tied with Jim McKinnon in the 1946 best and fairest when normal Hampden Football League competition resumed. An excellent tennis player, he and his brother Kevin competed in tournaments all over the state. Many times, they played with a 0-40 handicap. The opposition had a three-point start in every game!
Wife Joan volunteered much time to organisations like the health centre, the kindergarten, the technical school and the guide and
scouting groups.
Greg, born in 1958, attended both Cobden schools while Michael, two years younger, went to Camperdown High. Both Greg (guitar) and Michael (drums) were involved in a band that played at many cabarets, birthdays, Miss Australia functions and the Cobden Rotaract Charter Night. Others involved included Arthur Anson, John Currell, Don Swanson, Fiona Crawford, Diane Ovens, Linda Lee and many more.
Apart from 36 years as a Rotarian, father, Bernie, was secretary of the local scouts for seven years, an involvement that saw his children follow suit. Greg worked through the ranks as a cub, scout and venturer before becoming a Queen’s Scout at age 18. He was both a scout leader and a group leader – about 35 years’ service.
All siblings were involved when brother, Michael, and younger sister, Barbara, also took on scout leadership. Barbara was Cobden’s first female leader . . . after much encouragement from young Becky McCann who desperately wanted to join. She was also a champion highland dancer who competed in the world championships in Scotland. Barbara married Peter Mason.
Greg married Leanne (Searle) of Camperdown and Michael married Maria (Olexander). He joined the Cobden Fire Brigade in 1996.
Stephen, son of Greg and Leanne, grandson of Bernie and Joan, and great grandson of Stan and Bertha, is the fourth generation McQuinn plumber. The former Cobden Technical School student is also a keen shooter and fisherman.
Steve, who was a fire brigade runner from age 11 to 16, is now an active brigade member. He is living in the original McQuinn home at 7 Cemetery Road. Constructed of original Cobden bricks, it stands proudly between the house formerly occupied by his grandparents and his parents’ home.
Greg and Leanne’s elder son, Andrew, was on the board of the Cobden Golf Club before leaving town for employment – as an accountant, not a plumber.
