Stronger Together For 50 Years Croydens Success – Driven By Community

Image: Celebrating 50 years of Croydens. L-R: Glen Croker, Ross Kynaston, Jason Cross, John Croyden, Patricia Croyden, Stefan Tomerini, Don McAlpine, Justin Donovan, Steve Knight, Nathan Fahl and Iain Allison

“We’ve managed to ride the ups and downs – there were some trying times, but also plenty of good times.”

A household name throughout Sarina and beyond for 50 years, JT & PA Croyden Pty Ltd celebrated hauling for half a century and reflected on how their business had evolved through the decades.

Owners John and Patricia Croyden established the “Croydens” business in 1972 with the purchase of their first truck from a local business formerly Crokers Truck Centre, to service the Sarina community with landscaping and quarry supplies.

Before the beach communities around Sarina had water installed, carting water was a big part of the business. People would ring in the middle of the night because someone was having a party and they’d run out of water. They would want Croydens to do a load of water immediately.

That’s how the Croyden name became woven throughout the fabric of the community.

The business quickly established a reputation for customer focus, which was based on a “make it happen” approach, and always being prepared to “have a go”. The result – being able to hold long-standing contracts with some of the region’s biggest players, including more than 45 years with BMA Hay Point Services and some 30 years with Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal.

John and Pat regularly talked with their customers to stay in touch with their requirements.

John’s perspective was that if something was wrong, they would fix it.

“It also helped that we looked after our gear with preventative maintenance, even before that became a ‘thing’,” John said.

“It was also significant at the time that we established a business office and weren’t operating from the driver’s seat of a truck.”

The 24-hour nature of the business meant both John and Pat were on call all hours of the day and night. At night, John and Pat would sleep with the telephone on one side of the bed and the two-way radio on the other. As Pat says, if you’ve got trucks out working, you’ve got to be on call – in case they get bogged, break down, or they’re having trouble finding a delivery point.

Since the heady days of employing more than 80 permanent staff, with a long list of casuals and approximately 150 pieces of equipment, some divisions of the business have been sold off, including quarrying, biodunder, cattle feed transport and water truck contracts with the mines.

Along the way, John and Pat have managed to transition to retirement, however easing the transition has been the steady hand of trusted, long-time employee, Stefan Tomerini.

Croydens General Manager Stefan Tomerini stepped into the role in 2007 to “help steer the transformation of Croydens”.

“John and Pat have supported the local community and been part of developing so many local charities and clubs financially, and it humbles me to manage the Croyden empire,” Mr Tomerini said.

A business turning 50 is an appropriate time to take a helicopter view of past achievements and impact on the community. John may have had the big picture view, but make no mistake – Pat was instrumental in making it happen.

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