PAYMENT METHODS
Our Story SUNSHINE MITRE 10
Since 1910
1910 to 1940
W. LANHAM & SONS SAWMILL WALTER LANHAM ERA
Image: W. Lanham & Sons Sawmill (foreground with chimney) was built by Walter Lanham in Price Street in 1910. W. Lanham & Sons sawmill was powered by a large steam boiler with the water pumped from a nearby well. Having passed along Currrie Street, the bullock teams deliverd logs via the railway underpass. Other landmarks are the grassy banks of Petrie Creek, the Chronicle Office, the Commmercial Hotel, Whalleys Universal Stores, the cattle loading yards, the back of the Alhambra Hall and the Royal Hotel. The wooden churches on Church Hill can be seen in the background
Walter Lanham
WALTER LANHAM WAS A BUILDER BY TRADE
He selected, cut and milled his own timber for building many historic buildings and homes in Nambour and the surrounding region. Some of them are still standing today! Walter died in 1940 at age 83. The mill was continued for a time by Walter’s sons Arthur and Ted
Over Walter’s 83 years he BUILT AND OWNED many properties throughout NAMBOUR. On his passing he put all the names of the PROPERTIES INTO A HAT for his children to select at random for ownership.
Walter’s sons were a TURNING POINT for the business!
W. LANHAM & SONS SAWMILL
was built by Walter Lanham in 1910. It was situated in Price Street, Nambour and was powered by a large Steam Boiler with the water pumped from an onsite well. Bullock teams delivered logs via the railway underpass.
Town Hall
In 1930 Walter Lanham built the two-story Town Hall/Diggers Hall fronted by two retail shops. Diggers Hall became the scene of many of Nambour’s social events. During WWII it was requisitioned by the Army.
WALTER REMEMBERS
I recall that before the opening of Nambour’s First General Store, early settlers were sometimes kept waiting for four to six weeks for a boat to cross the bar with their provisions. Barter was the usual mode of payment. For meat, the settlers sometimes shot local wildlife, wallabies or birds.
W.LANHAM & SONS SAWMILL
From 1940 ‘TED’ EDWARD ALFRED LANHAM ERA
Ted (Edward Alfred) Lanham
LANHAMS.
‘PRIVATE’ TED LANHAM (Carpenter) was part of the landing party in Gallipoli – WWI aged 21 as a Sniper. (9th Infantry Battalion – Dec 1914 to Sept 1915) His first and only embarkment was on ‘HMAS Themistocles A32’ from Melbourne.
LANHAM BROS & CO were commissioned to CUT TIMBER FOR THE ARMY IN WWII. Items such as 2 x 2 Army Pegs for use with barb-wire entanglements. Ted had to use what labour he could get at the time.
After Ted returned from WWI he moved from Stanthorpe back to Nambour to combine manpower with his Father Walter and Brother George to build up the W. Lanham & Sons Sawmill business in Price Street, Nambour.
A PARTNERSHIP WAS FORMED at Price Street Sawmill between Tom Egglington (George Lanham’s Brother-in-Law) and the business was renamed Lanham Bros & Co. This business was not a real success because of the 1930’s Depression.
Tom and George left the Lanham Bros & Co business during the Depression. Meanwhile Ted remained and his sons Wilfred ‘Wilf’ & David ‘Dave’ joined the sawmilling business after finishing school.
LANHAM BROS & CO.
1945 to 1960 ‘TED’ EDWARD ALFRED, DAVID SNR AND WILF (WILFRED) LANHAM ERA
Dave (David) Lanham
If you asked DAVE Snr how many people worked in the business, he would reply “ABOUT HALF”.
Wilf (Wilfred) & Jess (Jessica) Lanham
EA LANHAM AND SONS.
NEW PREMISES
1945 Lanham and Sons moved from Price Street to Court Road, Nambour and renamed EA Lanham and Sons. This new partnership included Ted Lanham, Wilf Lanham and Dave Lanham.
TED RETIRES
Upon Ted’s retirement, he left the EA Lanham and Sons business to his sons in the mid 1940’s. Shortly after, Wilf’s wife Jess and Dave’s wife Peggy joined the Lanham Family business.
POST WAR DEMANDS
After WWII there was a need to supply a complete building service. This led to the building of a Kiln for Timber drying and the installation of Planers and Moulders to process the dried boards into Flooring, Decking, Chamfers and Mouldings.
1960 to 1990 DAVID Snr & DAVID Jnr ERA
THE HIGHEST stands on the LOWEST. – Dave Lanham Jnr
Dave & Peggy Lanham with Scott Cam
Dave (David) Lanham Jnr
LANHAMS.
LANHAMS TIMBER,& HARDWARE
MID 1970’S
Dave and Wilf Lanham rename the business Lanhams.
1974
Dave Jnr (Dave Snr and Peggy’s son) joined the Lanham Family Business. During this time the business expanded their supply of Building Materials and Hardware.
LATE 1970’S
Wilf and Jess Lanham retired from the business. Dave and Peggy Lanham buy out their brothers’ shares.
1980’S
The sawmill ceased production due to shortages of Hardwood logs. The Lanham family built an extension on the Planing Shed which became the new Hardware Showroom. This soon highlighted the fact that the business needed a larger Warehouse and Office facility.
1989 Dave Snr reached retirement age and Dave Snr’s second son Paul Lanham joined the business after 12 years of Teaching. Paul became the Business Manager alongside his brother Dave Jnr who was the Operations Manager.
LANHAMS Works for me! 10+ STAFF employed
1990 to 2005 LANHAM SONS “LANHAMS HOME TIMBER & HARDWARE”
LANHAMS HOME TIMBER & HARDWARE
In the 1980’s notorious businessman CHRISTOPHER SKAISE tried to invest in Lanhams Hardware.
1000% GROWTH was achieved in 2 years in what was a 5 year plan. “THE LOCALS REALLY TOOK TO IT!”
From left: Dave Snr, Paul, Luke, Dave Jnr, Mark and Tim Lanham
1991
Lanhams becomes Lanhams Home Timber & Hardware and celebrated the opening of their new premises built using early Portal Frame construction methods at Nambour, Court Road.
STORE OF THE YEAR
1991 Lanhams Home Timber and Hardware wins ‘Store of the Year’ in Category A (Businesses with > 20 employees)
THE TRADE OFFER
became a growth point that played a heavy part in securing the future of Lanhams Home Hardware.
EARLY 2000’S:
Renovation of the Court Road premises was completed with the addition of an undercover Trade department and drive through.
2003
Darren Jordison was employed as CEO of Lanhams Home Timber and Hardware by the Lanham Family.
2004 FIRST ACQUISITION OCCURRED:
Lanhams acquired 18 Maple Street, Cooroy.
2005
Tim Lanham (Brother) joined the business and became the Store Manager after a career in Teaching.
30+ Staff Employed
LANHAMS MITRE 10 HOME & TRADE
MelcoLanhams.
2005 to 2015 2 Local Families in Hardware Join Forces
Darren Jordison was employed as CEO of Lanham
The Lanham family has always had a fantastic ethos about SERVING THE COMMUNITY , they feel the community has been good to them, so they (Lanham Family) have always GIVEN BACK. - Darren Jordison CEO
STORE OF THE YEAR 2006
November 2006 Lanhams Mitre 10 is named Store of the Year at the Hardware Association Annual Awards for a 3rd consecutive year (large format store). For the first time the Nambour store was named Grand Champion overall.
MOVING WITH THE TIMES
Nambour Store introduces a Makita Shop, Appliance Centre with displays of Kitchens, Air Conditioning & Appliances. The concept was to broaden the offer for Tradespeople. The introduction to these categories brought in the ever growing DIY market.
2007 MELCOLANHAMS MERGER BEGAN
Discussions began between 2 locally owned family businesses: Melco and Lanhams. The business had to expand to be able to compete in a developing Hardware market.
2008 MELCOLANHAMS
The discussions between Lanhams and Melco eventuated in a merger of the businesses. Mitre 10 Australia also bought in to the business which became known as MelcoLanhams Mitre 10. This saw the business become one of the largest independent hardware groups in Australia within the Mitre 10 network.
IAN NISBET AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE 2014
Sunshine Mitre 10 was honoured with the ‘Ian Nisbet Award’ for excellence. The Ian Nisbet Award recognizes ‘a business that shows continuous support and contribution to the Mitre 10 group showing leadership within Mitre 10 and shaping the broader Independent hardware market’. The award is the longest running and most prestigious of the National Mitre 10 awards. The event was attended by around 1,700 Mitre 10 Members and Suppliers from around Australia.
We are focused on SUSTAINABILITY and it’s all about the long haul for us. When you implement things that won’t bear fruit straight away it can be pretty nerve-wracking, but the company has a culture of having faith – the more you give, the more YOU GET!
DARREN JORDISON CEO Unfortunately lost his short battle with cancer in May 2014.
80+ STAFF Employed Early 2000’s
SUNSHINE HARDWARE AND RURAL
2005 to 2015
2011 MelcoLanhams (Sunshine Hardware Pty Ltd.) was REBRANDED SUNSHINE MITRE 10 . As the hardware and building market in Australia was rapidly growing there was a need to create a brand that was recognisable throughout QUEENSLAND .
November 2009 CHANCELLOR PARK STORE OPENED
February 2010 BUDERIM STORE ACQUISITION
August 2010 KINGAROY STORE ACQUISITION
March 2011 HERVEY BAY STORE OPENED
September 2011 CALOUNDRA STORE ACQUISITION
November 2011 DALBY STORE ACQUISITION
SUNSHINE MITRE 10
THE COMPANY’S DREAM
of building a Flagship Store in Gympie at 3 Langton Road became reality in September 2012. Thousands of people walked through the door on opening day. “It’s fair to say it exceeded expectations”.
ROMA
March 2013 - An acquisition in Roma was made which included Rural and Steel components along with a traditional Hardware business. The Mitre 10 and CRT businesses combined under the one roof and welcomed Sunshine Hardware & Rural and Sunshine Steel & Tube.
Late 2010’s 300+ STAFF employed
JUNE 2013
Suncoast Building Centre was acquired with an established Locks Department and Qualified Locksmiths, this further enhanced the Sunshine Mitre 10 Trade Offer. This site was later merged with the Kunda Park Store.
2015 to 2019 SUNSHINE MITRE 10 CONTINUING THE GROWTH OF THE NETWORK
400+ locally EMPLOYED staff
2015
Travis Cunnane appointed General Manager of Sunshine Mitre 10. The Melville Family withdrew part ownership from the Sunshine Mitre 10 business.
SAPPHIRE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE
June 2016 Gympie undergoes a huge refurbishment and opened its doors as a Mitre 10 “Sapphire” standard of excellence store. MAY 2018 - Bundaberg store opening. A massive renovation of this site transformed the premises into Sunshine Mitre 10’s 2nd “Sapphire” store.
FEBRUARY 2017
Due to increased demand in Building and Construction around the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Mitre 10 officially opened its first Trade dedicated store in Main Drive, Kawana.
FRAME & TRUSS
August 2018 - Ipswich and Coolum Frame & Truss acquisition. An established Frame & Truss plant allowed Sunshine Mitre 10 to manufacture their own Frames and Trusses rather than sourcing externally, expanding further on the Trade Offer.
NORTH QLD ACQUISITIONS
March 2016 saw Sunshine Mitre 10 Hardware business acquire the Smithfield, Mareeba and Weipa Mitre 10 stores. This was another defining moment for the business as the network spread to Far North Qld. Due to its location, Weipa became the first store in our network to have stock delivered by sea on a barge due to weather and road restraints. During the wet season, this can take up to several weeks to arrive.
TRUCK TRACKER
In 2019 the business introduced Truck Tracker which is an App for Trade Customers. By using SMS and Map Tracking, it allowed customers to track the delivery of their orders to site. This equated to 25,000 Trade Deliveries annually, covering about 1.5 million kilometers.
TRADE PORTAL ONLINE
The business shifted further towards modern technology to communicate with their customers. Trade customers gained online access 24/7 via a Trade Portal with access to their Products, Statements and Invoices.
Trade Centre
WEIPA became the first store in our network to have STOCK DELIVERED BY SEA on a barge.
TRADE EXPO
Sunshine Mitre 10 hosts an annual ‘Trade Expo’. It is a highly anticipated event coming from humble beginnings initiated by Melco many years ago. It is now an event that welcomes a crowd of over 1,000+ Tradies, 70+ Suppliers and 60+ Staff at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre.
2019, 2020 & Beyond A NEW DECADE OF GROWTH BEGINS
Sunshine Mitre 10
MAY 2019
Sunshine Mitre 10 opened a Trade Distribution Centre at Eagle Farm. This extended the service offer in the Brisbane market.
JULY 2019
St George became our most Western store in Queensland for Sunshine Mitre 10. Hardware stores such as this are a vital lifeline in Rural communities.
FEBRUARY 2020
Brisbane City was welcomed into the Sunshine Hardware network. This store was a unique acquisition as it is in the heart of the Brisbane CBD.
THIS TOO SHALL PASS
Neil Hutchins General Manager
March 2020
Neil Hutchins appointed General Manager of Sunshine Mitre 10 after 4 years as Sunshine Mitre 10 CFO.
In March 2020, the business navigated through unprecedented times with the Covid-19 Pandemic. Sunshine Mitre 10 saw an increase in Retail and Trade sales as people were spending time close to home.
450+ locally employed STAFF
FLAGSHIP STORE
February 2021 - The Nambour Connection Road Project is announced. The need was identified to have a ‘Flagship store’ on the Sunshine Coast. Nambour became one the largest stores in the network with a 13,000m2 site and 4,000m2 under roof with the latest products in Retail & Trade Building Hardware.
The new location in Nambour was important because it not only met the increasing demand of the Retail and Trade customer base, but it also supported the town of Nambour and payed respect to the heritage where the company was started by Walter Lanham in 1910.
24TH JULY 2021
Nambour Connection Road opened its doors for the first time.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT THE LEGACY CONTINUES….
