Placeholder for the AGFA DigiControl wedge

AAKKUUBBRRAA P.O. Box 287, Kempsey. 2440 • Phone (02) 6562.6177 • Fax (02) 6562.8726 • www.akubra.com.au DECEMBER 2012 Vol. 29 No. 4

AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER

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DIGGERS SALUTEAKUBRANew long term slouch hat contract signed

LITTLE BOY WITH A BIG HEARTTThhee aannnnuuaall OOuuttbbaacckk TTrreekk

ffoorr tthhee RRooyyaall FFllyyiinngg DDooccttoorrSSeerrvviiccee hhaass rraaiisseedd mmoorree tthhaann$$2200 mmiilllliioonn iinn iittss 2233 yyeeaarr hhiissttoorryywwiitthh tthhiiss yyeeaarr’’ss ttrreekk eexxppeecctteeddttoo rraaiissee mmoorree tthhaann $$11..55 mmiilllliioonn..

That’s the big picture.But it was a tiny chapter in

this year’s trek that exemplifiesthe spirit of the trekkers andunderlines the importance thatresidents of the outback, evenyoung ones, place in the RoyalFlying Doctor Service.

The trekkers had coveredmore than 3500kms along bushroads from Yarrawonga toBourke then up through centralQueensland for their penultimatenight camping on the outskirts ofTwin Hills, a remote spot severalhundred kilometres inland fromMackay.

Locals joined the 340trekkers for a campdraft and dur-ing the celebrations it wasdiscovered that one of the young

horse riders, 10 year old BenWilkinson, had lost his treasuredAkubra.

The trekkers did a quick whiparound and raised enoughmoney to buy Ben a new hat.

The shy young boy and hismother Tegan approached themicrophone.

“Ben feels bad that he lost hishat and he’s really grateful thatyou’ve given him the money to

buy a new one but he wants todonate that money to the FlyingDoctor,” Tegan said.

“Ben reckons the work theydo matters more than his hat.”The trekkers were so impressedthat they contacted Akubra, asponsor for the CX Team, andhad a new hat sent to Ben.

When the new Akubra arrivedBen wrote to thank the trekkersand his letter and his story werepublished in the South EasternFlyer Newsletter, an official pub-lication for the Royal FlyingDoctor Service.

“I absolutely love my newhat,” Ben wrote. “It will be mygood hat

“I gave the money backbecause I thought it was wrongto take it.

“Seeing as the car rally is afund raiser I thought the FlyingDoctor needed it more than Idid.”

AKUBRA NEWS

PLEASED AS PUNCH: Ben Wilkinson shows off his new Akubrawith his dog Eli.

AN AKUBRA FIT FOR A PRINCE

Prince Charles and hiswife Camilla, the Duchessof Cornwall, started theQueensland leg of theirrecent Australian tour inLongreach and the firstthing presented to the

Prince when he steppedoff the plane was anAkubra.

The hat immediately went onhis head and stayed therethroughout the couple’s stay inthe famous outback town. It was

supposed to be a two hour visitbut so many people wanted tomeet the royal couple, shaketheir hands and offer up thefamous outback welcome that itwas extended by an houraccording to the local paper, the

Longreach Leader.One of the first ports of call

for Charles and Camilla was thefamous Stockman’s Hall ofFame and hundreds of peoplelined the route from there to thenearby Cattleman’s Bar and Grillfor a royal barbecue.

Prince Charles recountedsome of his time in Australiawhen a student here.

“I can’t remember much ofwhat I learned but I rememberlong treks through the searingheat battling bull ants, leechesand snakes and the kangaroosthat over took us on long dis-tance runs,” the Prince said.

“It’s 15,500 kilometres fromLondon to the Stockman’s Hallof Fame and jet lag means I’m afew sausages short of a barbe-cue.” The State Governor ofQueensland, Penelope Wensleysaid the royal couple hadmade a good choice to starttheir tour in Longreach. “Itexemplifies the spirit thatdefines Queensland,” she said.

AN AUSSIE CROWN: Prince Charles in his Akubra greeting part of the crowd in Longreach.Picture courtesy of The Longreach Leader.

MMoorree tthhaann hhaallff tthhee iiccoonn--iicc sslloouucchh hhaattss wwoorrnn bbyyssoollddiieerrss iinn tthhee AAuussttrraalliiaannAArrmmyy wwiillll bbee mmaaddee aattAAkkuubbrraa’’ss KKeemmppsseeyy ffaaccttoo--rryy ffoorr aatt lleeaasstt tthhee nneexxtt ffiivveeyyeeaarrss aanndd hhooppeeffuullllyy ffoorrssoommee yyeeaarrss bbeeyyoonndd tthhaatt..

The new contract morethan doubles the previousproduction and could leadto more jobs for Kempseyand the Macleay Valley.

In October Akubra signeda contract with theAustralian Government toprovide 60 percent of theslouch hats for the next fiveyears with four single yearoptions after that.

The contract comes afterthe Minister for DefenceMateriel, Jason Clare andthe Defence ClothingSystem Program Director,Colonel Haydn Kohl,inspected the Akubra facto-ry towards the end of lastyear.

Minister Clare was partic-ularly impressed with theskills of the workers and themanufacturing systems thatAkubra has in place.

His visit had followed ear-lier discussions betweenMinister Clare and the CEOof the NSW BusinessChamber, Stephen Cartwright.

Part of the chamber’s roleis to encourage manufactur-ing in NSW and it was keenfor the slouch hat to be con-

tinued to be made byAkubra.

“Until we signed thiscontract Akubra was mak-ing between 3000 and 5000slouch hats annually,”Akubra’s company secre-tary, Roy Wilkinson, said.

“This contract increasesthat to 12,000 each year andwhile we have more thanenough capacity in the fac-tory to meet that demandwe may have to employ

some extra staff.“The contract is not only

a win for Akubra but it is awin for our local economy.

“Just as importantly nine-ty eight percent of thematerials we use are fromAustralia and the flow oneffects for the Australianeconomy are obvious.

“The slouch hat is a veryimportant part of our com-pany history and our linkwith the Australian Army

and Australia’s history.” The company has been

making the slouch hat sincebefore the First World Warand the distinctive slouchhat became a symbol of theAustralian Digger in theatresof war throughout the world.

However Akubra fell offthe contract loop in the1990’s until 15 years agowhen it again started pro-duction on a limited basis.

Akubra Hats, made in the true spirit of Australia. www.akubra.com.au

Still proudly fl ying our Flag.

Placeholder for the AGFA DigiControl wedge

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AAuussttrraalliiaa’’ss iiccoonniiccAAkkuubbrraa aanndd iittss hhoommee ttoowwnnooff KKeemmppsseeyy aarree wwoorrllddbbeeaatteerrss –– aanndd iitt’’ss iinn tthheeGGuuiinnnneessss BBooookk ooffRReeccoorrddss..

Early last month 1912people gathered in a parkon the banks of theMacleay River at Kempseyto try and set the worldrecord for the most peopleassembled in the one placewearing the world famousAkubra.

Set it they did, easilyexceeding the 1000 neces-sary to set the record.

It was the start of a bigday for Kempsey with theKempsey Cup, sponsoredby Akubra, run that after-noon and attracting a hugecrowd.

Kempsey’s MacleayArgus and Kempsey ShireCouncil joined forces toorganise the successful bidon the record.

Channel 7's Sunrise pro-

gram dispatched weather-man Grant Denyer to pre-sent live links fromRiverside Park.

There were the familiarbrown stockmen's Akubras,

military ones, purple ones,red ones, sombrero-brimmed ones and even adapper black top hat.

Akubra’s ManagingDirector, Steve Keir, wore asmile as broad as the brimof his hat.

"It's a proud day for thefamily and for the town," hesaid.

"I'm so grateful to thepeople who've come out soearly to get behind thisworld record.

"There's a fair few stylesI don't even remember usmaking.”

Grant Denyer was happywith his visit. “Thank Godthe rain came,” he said.

"There's nothing aweatherman likes betterthan the rain after a dryspell.”

22001122 hhaass bbeeeenn aammiixxeedd yyeeaarr bbootthh iinn bbuussii--nneessss aanndd ppeerrssoonnaallllyy.. MMyyffaatthheerr ppaasssseedd aawwaayy iinnMMaayy aafftteerr aa lloonngg iillllnneessss..HHee wwiillll bbee ssoorreellyy mmiisssseeddbbyy aallll ooff mmyy ffaammiillyy aannddooff ccoouurrssee nnooww II ddoonn’’tthhaavvee tthhee ooppppoorrttuunniittyy ttoottaallkk ttoo hhiimm aabboouutt aallllaassppeeccttss ooff tthhee AAkkuubbrraabbuussiinneessss.. HHee wwaass vveerryymmuucchh mmyy mmeennttoorr..

Increasingly busi-ness is becoming more

complex. We are alwaysaccessible with smarttechnology, we have thegrowth of internet salesputting direct pressureon retail and manufac-turing overall is becom-ing more difficult. Wejust seem to be gettingbusier and busier.

Whilst our trade hasbeen steady we haverecognised that someretailers are doing ittough. The two speedeconomy is a reality and

I believe that con-sumers are tighteningtheir belts and buildingsavings, which is notgood for both retailersand manufacturers.However it is not alldoom and gloom.

We were a success-ful tenderer with theDepartment of Defenceand have secured alarger proportion of theSlouch hat contract.This is great news forour business, our

employees and our sup-pliers.

Finally Government isstarting to recognisethe importance of sup-porting AustralianManufacturing.

I hope you all enjoy aprofitable Christmasperiod and hope thateconomic conditionsimprove in 2013. Pleasebe safe during yourtravels.

Stephen Keir IV

EEvveerryy ggiirrll lloovveess ppiinnkk,,wwhheetthheerr sshhee ssppeennddss hheerr lliiffeeiinn tthhee hhuurrllyy bbuurrllyy ooff tthheerrooddeeoo cciirrccuuiitt oorr ggeettttiinngg hheerrhheeaadd sshhaavveedd.. IInn bbootthh tthheesseeccaasseess tthheeyy aarree ppiinnkkAAkkuubbrraass..

Remember our ute girl,Amanda Polonski?

Unfortunately Amanda isbattling breast cancer andshe had to put that beast of aute in the shed while sheundergoes chemotherapy.While her best friend, KylieBradley, could not fixAmanda she could do some-thing to help find a cure.

The chemotherapy has

robbed Amanda of her hairso Kylie decided to raisefunds by having her headshaved, to match her friend,prior to the recent B and SBall at Ariah Park in southernNew South Wales. Amandawas there to support Kylie,wearing a pink wig while bothgirls were sporting their pinkAkubras. The hair came off,the pink Akubras went backon and so far Kylie has raisedmore than $12,000.

You can go towww.everydayhero.com.au/kylie_bradley to boost thattotal further. MeanwhileBobbie-Jo Geisler, 26, has

been in Canada to representthe Australian ProfessionalRodeo Association (APRA)before going to Las Vegas inthe same role for theAmerican rodeo finals. Oneof the talking points on thetour has been her pinkAkubra. “Everyone loves thehat and wants to know moreabout Akubra,” Bobbie-Josaid. Bobbie-Jo, from TheRock, a small town nearWagga Wagga in southernNSW, has been involved withhorses nearly all her life. “AsMiss Rodeo Australia I assistthe APRA by getting out and

about with public appear-ances to get the word outthat the rodeo is in town,”Bobbie-Jo said. “I alsospend time with sponsorsand VIPs, mingle with thecrowd and carry theAustralian flag during thegrand entry and while thenational anthem is played.”While in Canada Bobbie-Jodid appearances with MissRodeo Canada 2012 ArletaBowhay and their currentrodeo queen Gillian Shields.“They both just fell in lovewith the pink Akubra,” shesaid.

WE ARE WORLD BEATERSAND THAT’S OFFICIAL

IT’S A RECORD: Part of the Akubra wearing crowd in Kempsey.Picture courtesy of Kempsey’s Macleay Argus.

IN THE PINK: (Top) Kylie Bradley (left) just before she lost her hair and Amanda Polonski who wore a pink wig to theshave while (right) Bobbie-Jo Geisler wearing her pink Akubra with Miss Rodeo Canada 2012 Arleta Bowhay.

EVERY GIRL WANTSA PINK AKUBRA

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE

HOLIDAY CLOSING TIMESPPrroodduuccttiioonn wwiillll cceeaassee oonn TThhuurrssddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 2200,, aatt 44..3300ppmm..

TThhee ccuutt ooffff ppeerriioodd ffoorr ssttoocckk oorrddeerrss wwiillll bbee TThhuurrssddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 2200,, aatt 1100..3300 aamm..TThhee ooffffiiccee aanndd ssttoocckkrroooomm wwiillll cclloossee oonn FFrriiddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 2211 aanndd wwiillll rree--ooppeenn oonn WWeeddnneessddaayy,, JJaannuuaarryy 22,, 22001133

FFOORR SSMMAALLLL OORRDDEERRSS OONNLLYY..TThhee ffaaccttoorryy wwiillll rreettuurrnn ttoo pprroodduuccttiioonn oonn TTuueessddaayy,, JJaannuuaarryy 1155,, 22001133..

Placeholder for the AGFA DigiControl wedge

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AAuussttrraalliiaa’’ss iiccoonniiccAAkkuubbrraa aanndd iittss hhoommee ttoowwnnooff KKeemmppsseeyy aarree wwoorrllddbbeeaatteerrss –– aanndd iitt’’ss iinn tthheeGGuuiinnnneessss BBooookk ooffRReeccoorrddss..

Early last month 1912people gathered in a parkon the banks of theMacleay River at Kempseyto try and set the worldrecord for the most peopleassembled in the one placewearing the world famousAkubra.

Set it they did, easilyexceeding the 1000 neces-sary to set the record.

It was the start of a bigday for Kempsey with theKempsey Cup, sponsoredby Akubra, run that after-noon and attracting a hugecrowd.

Kempsey’s MacleayArgus and Kempsey ShireCouncil joined forces toorganise the successful bidon the record.

Channel 7's Sunrise pro-

gram dispatched weather-man Grant Denyer to pre-sent live links fromRiverside Park.

There were the familiarbrown stockmen's Akubras,

military ones, purple ones,red ones, sombrero-brimmed ones and even adapper black top hat.

Akubra’s ManagingDirector, Steve Keir, wore asmile as broad as the brimof his hat.

"It's a proud day for thefamily and for the town," hesaid.

"I'm so grateful to thepeople who've come out soearly to get behind thisworld record.

"There's a fair few stylesI don't even remember usmaking.”

Grant Denyer was happywith his visit. “Thank Godthe rain came,” he said.

"There's nothing aweatherman likes betterthan the rain after a dryspell.”

22001122 hhaass bbeeeenn aammiixxeedd yyeeaarr bbootthh iinn bbuussii--nneessss aanndd ppeerrssoonnaallllyy.. MMyyffaatthheerr ppaasssseedd aawwaayy iinnMMaayy aafftteerr aa lloonngg iillllnneessss..HHee wwiillll bbee ssoorreellyy mmiisssseeddbbyy aallll ooff mmyy ffaammiillyy aannddooff ccoouurrssee nnooww II ddoonn’’tthhaavvee tthhee ooppppoorrttuunniittyy ttoottaallkk ttoo hhiimm aabboouutt aallllaassppeeccttss ooff tthhee AAkkuubbrraabbuussiinneessss.. HHee wwaass vveerryymmuucchh mmyy mmeennttoorr..

Increasingly busi-ness is becoming more

complex. We are alwaysaccessible with smarttechnology, we have thegrowth of internet salesputting direct pressureon retail and manufac-turing overall is becom-ing more difficult. Wejust seem to be gettingbusier and busier.

Whilst our trade hasbeen steady we haverecognised that someretailers are doing ittough. The two speedeconomy is a reality and

I believe that con-sumers are tighteningtheir belts and buildingsavings, which is notgood for both retailersand manufacturers.However it is not alldoom and gloom.

We were a success-ful tenderer with theDepartment of Defenceand have secured alarger proportion of theSlouch hat contract.This is great news forour business, our

employees and our sup-pliers.

Finally Government isstarting to recognisethe importance of sup-porting AustralianManufacturing.

I hope you all enjoy aprofitable Christmasperiod and hope thateconomic conditionsimprove in 2013. Pleasebe safe during yourtravels.

Stephen Keir IV

EEvveerryy ggiirrll lloovveess ppiinnkk,,wwhheetthheerr sshhee ssppeennddss hheerr lliiffeeiinn tthhee hhuurrllyy bbuurrllyy ooff tthheerrooddeeoo cciirrccuuiitt oorr ggeettttiinngg hheerrhheeaadd sshhaavveedd.. IInn bbootthh tthheesseeccaasseess tthheeyy aarree ppiinnkkAAkkuubbrraass..

Remember our ute girl,Amanda Polonski?

Unfortunately Amanda isbattling breast cancer andshe had to put that beast of aute in the shed while sheundergoes chemotherapy.While her best friend, KylieBradley, could not fixAmanda she could do some-thing to help find a cure.

The chemotherapy has

robbed Amanda of her hairso Kylie decided to raisefunds by having her headshaved, to match her friend,prior to the recent B and SBall at Ariah Park in southernNew South Wales. Amandawas there to support Kylie,wearing a pink wig while bothgirls were sporting their pinkAkubras. The hair came off,the pink Akubras went backon and so far Kylie has raisedmore than $12,000.

You can go towww.everydayhero.com.au/kylie_bradley to boost thattotal further. MeanwhileBobbie-Jo Geisler, 26, has

been in Canada to representthe Australian ProfessionalRodeo Association (APRA)before going to Las Vegas inthe same role for theAmerican rodeo finals. Oneof the talking points on thetour has been her pinkAkubra. “Everyone loves thehat and wants to know moreabout Akubra,” Bobbie-Josaid. Bobbie-Jo, from TheRock, a small town nearWagga Wagga in southernNSW, has been involved withhorses nearly all her life. “AsMiss Rodeo Australia I assistthe APRA by getting out and

about with public appear-ances to get the word outthat the rodeo is in town,”Bobbie-Jo said. “I alsospend time with sponsorsand VIPs, mingle with thecrowd and carry theAustralian flag during thegrand entry and while thenational anthem is played.”While in Canada Bobbie-Jodid appearances with MissRodeo Canada 2012 ArletaBowhay and their currentrodeo queen Gillian Shields.“They both just fell in lovewith the pink Akubra,” shesaid.

WE ARE WORLD BEATERSAND THAT’S OFFICIAL

IT’S A RECORD: Part of the Akubra wearing crowd in Kempsey.Picture courtesy of Kempsey’s Macleay Argus.

IN THE PINK: (Top) Kylie Bradley (left) just before she lost her hair and Amanda Polonski who wore a pink wig to theshave while (right) Bobbie-Jo Geisler wearing her pink Akubra with Miss Rodeo Canada 2012 Arleta Bowhay.

EVERY GIRL WANTSA PINK AKUBRA

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE

HOLIDAY CLOSING TIMESPPrroodduuccttiioonn wwiillll cceeaassee oonn TThhuurrssddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 2200,, aatt 44..3300ppmm..

TThhee ccuutt ooffff ppeerriioodd ffoorr ssttoocckk oorrddeerrss wwiillll bbee TThhuurrssddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 2200,, aatt 1100..3300 aamm..TThhee ooffffiiccee aanndd ssttoocckkrroooomm wwiillll cclloossee oonn FFrriiddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 2211 aanndd wwiillll rree--ooppeenn oonn WWeeddnneessddaayy,, JJaannuuaarryy 22,, 22001133

FFOORR SSMMAALLLL OORRDDEERRSS OONNLLYY..TThhee ffaaccttoorryy wwiillll rreettuurrnn ttoo pprroodduuccttiioonn oonn TTuueessddaayy,, JJaannuuaarryy 1155,, 22001133..

Placeholder for the AGFA DigiControl wedge

AAKKUUBBRRAA P.O. Box 287, Kempsey. 2440 • Phone (02) 6562.6177 • Fax (02) 6562.8726 • www.akubra.com.au DECEMBER 2012 Vol. 29 No. 4

AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER AKUBRA – ON TOP DOWN UNDER

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DIGGERS SALUTEAKUBRANew long term slouch hat contract signed

LITTLE BOY WITH A BIG HEARTTThhee aannnnuuaall OOuuttbbaacckk TTrreekk

ffoorr tthhee RRooyyaall FFllyyiinngg DDooccttoorrSSeerrvviiccee hhaass rraaiisseedd mmoorree tthhaann$$2200 mmiilllliioonn iinn iittss 2233 yyeeaarr hhiissttoorryywwiitthh tthhiiss yyeeaarr’’ss ttrreekk eexxppeecctteeddttoo rraaiissee mmoorree tthhaann $$11..55 mmiilllliioonn..

That’s the big picture.But it was a tiny chapter in

this year’s trek that exemplifiesthe spirit of the trekkers andunderlines the importance thatresidents of the outback, evenyoung ones, place in the RoyalFlying Doctor Service.

The trekkers had coveredmore than 3500kms along bushroads from Yarrawonga toBourke then up through centralQueensland for their penultimatenight camping on the outskirts ofTwin Hills, a remote spot severalhundred kilometres inland fromMackay.

Locals joined the 340trekkers for a campdraft and dur-ing the celebrations it wasdiscovered that one of the young

horse riders, 10 year old BenWilkinson, had lost his treasuredAkubra.

The trekkers did a quick whiparound and raised enoughmoney to buy Ben a new hat.

The shy young boy and hismother Tegan approached themicrophone.

“Ben feels bad that he lost hishat and he’s really grateful thatyou’ve given him the money to

buy a new one but he wants todonate that money to the FlyingDoctor,” Tegan said.

“Ben reckons the work theydo matters more than his hat.”The trekkers were so impressedthat they contacted Akubra, asponsor for the CX Team, andhad a new hat sent to Ben.

When the new Akubra arrivedBen wrote to thank the trekkersand his letter and his story werepublished in the South EasternFlyer Newsletter, an official pub-lication for the Royal FlyingDoctor Service.

“I absolutely love my newhat,” Ben wrote. “It will be mygood hat

“I gave the money backbecause I thought it was wrongto take it.

“Seeing as the car rally is afund raiser I thought the FlyingDoctor needed it more than Idid.”

AKUBRA NEWS

PLEASED AS PUNCH: Ben Wilkinson shows off his new Akubrawith his dog Eli.

AN AKUBRA FIT FOR A PRINCE

Prince Charles and hiswife Camilla, the Duchessof Cornwall, started theQueensland leg of theirrecent Australian tour inLongreach and the firstthing presented to the

Prince when he steppedoff the plane was anAkubra.

The hat immediately went onhis head and stayed therethroughout the couple’s stay inthe famous outback town. It was

supposed to be a two hour visitbut so many people wanted tomeet the royal couple, shaketheir hands and offer up thefamous outback welcome that itwas extended by an houraccording to the local paper, the

Longreach Leader.One of the first ports of call

for Charles and Camilla was thefamous Stockman’s Hall ofFame and hundreds of peoplelined the route from there to thenearby Cattleman’s Bar and Grillfor a royal barbecue.

Prince Charles recountedsome of his time in Australiawhen a student here.

“I can’t remember much ofwhat I learned but I rememberlong treks through the searingheat battling bull ants, leechesand snakes and the kangaroosthat over took us on long dis-tance runs,” the Prince said.

“It’s 15,500 kilometres fromLondon to the Stockman’s Hallof Fame and jet lag means I’m afew sausages short of a barbe-cue.” The State Governor ofQueensland, Penelope Wensleysaid the royal couple hadmade a good choice to starttheir tour in Longreach. “Itexemplifies the spirit thatdefines Queensland,” she said.

AN AUSSIE CROWN: Prince Charles in his Akubra greeting part of the crowd in Longreach.Picture courtesy of The Longreach Leader.

MMoorree tthhaann hhaallff tthhee iiccoonn--iicc sslloouucchh hhaattss wwoorrnn bbyyssoollddiieerrss iinn tthhee AAuussttrraalliiaannAArrmmyy wwiillll bbee mmaaddee aattAAkkuubbrraa’’ss KKeemmppsseeyy ffaaccttoo--rryy ffoorr aatt lleeaasstt tthhee nneexxtt ffiivveeyyeeaarrss aanndd hhooppeeffuullllyy ffoorrssoommee yyeeaarrss bbeeyyoonndd tthhaatt..

The new contract morethan doubles the previousproduction and could leadto more jobs for Kempseyand the Macleay Valley.

In October Akubra signeda contract with theAustralian Government toprovide 60 percent of theslouch hats for the next fiveyears with four single yearoptions after that.

The contract comes afterthe Minister for DefenceMateriel, Jason Clare andthe Defence ClothingSystem Program Director,Colonel Haydn Kohl,inspected the Akubra facto-ry towards the end of lastyear.

Minister Clare was partic-ularly impressed with theskills of the workers and themanufacturing systems thatAkubra has in place.

His visit had followed ear-lier discussions betweenMinister Clare and the CEOof the NSW BusinessChamber, Stephen Cartwright.

Part of the chamber’s roleis to encourage manufactur-ing in NSW and it was keenfor the slouch hat to be con-

tinued to be made byAkubra.

“Until we signed thiscontract Akubra was mak-ing between 3000 and 5000slouch hats annually,”Akubra’s company secre-tary, Roy Wilkinson, said.

“This contract increasesthat to 12,000 each year andwhile we have more thanenough capacity in the fac-tory to meet that demandwe may have to employ

some extra staff.“The contract is not only

a win for Akubra but it is awin for our local economy.

“Just as importantly nine-ty eight percent of thematerials we use are fromAustralia and the flow oneffects for the Australianeconomy are obvious.

“The slouch hat is a veryimportant part of our com-pany history and our linkwith the Australian Army

and Australia’s history.” The company has been

making the slouch hat sincebefore the First World Warand the distinctive slouchhat became a symbol of theAustralian Digger in theatresof war throughout the world.

However Akubra fell offthe contract loop in the1990’s until 15 years agowhen it again started pro-duction on a limited basis.

Akubra Hats, made in the true spirit of Australia. www.akubra.com.au

Still proudly fl ying our Flag.