IN the mid-1970s, well-known Moree car traders Les and Pam Hill shifted gears.

They started in the motor dealership game in the very early 1960s, selling Ford cars and related products from their Hill Fitzsimmons Frome Street headquarters, formerly the Southside Service Station.

By the early 1970s, they were selling Audis and Volkswagens, but let the franchises go – European cars were simply not suited to the harsh conditions that went with the Moree territory – and started looking around for new players in the competitive, global car market.

In 1975, Les chose emerging car brand Subaru, made by a Japanese company with an aircraft manufacturing background.

At the time, Subaru had only been in the car-making business for 22 years. The company spread its wings to Australia in 1973 and quickly established a nationwide dealership network.

Les Hill was waiting for them, it seems.

He liked what he saw, signed a franchise agreement, and in 1975 hoisted up the Subaru dealership sign and started selling Leone four-wheel-drive wagons.

In 1978, the Australian motoring industry was turned on its ear when Subaru launched the now-iconic Brumby, a light-duty, four-wheel-drive utility based on the Leone station wagon blueprint.

In the early days, the popular little car, known for its toughness and reliability, was sold as the A-68 ute.

The A-68 was fully branded as the Brumby in 1981 and for the next 13 years was Subaru’s flagship vehicle.

The Brumby was known for its on-demand four-wheel-drive, lightweight design, and simple, reliable Boxer engine.

Les Hill passed away in 2011, 18 years after losing Pam, and the well-known and respected Moree family business was handed to sons Doug and John, and daughter Lauren.

Hill Fitzsimmons Moree is now largely managed by Doug and his wife, Gwanita, with Dean Griffiths in charge of sales.

On Friday night at Moree Services Club, more than 120 guests came together to celebrate Hill Fitzsimmons’ 50th anniversary as a Subaru dealership in Moree.

What makes the golden anniversary exclusively special, is that Hill Fitzsimmons is the longest-serving Subaru dealership in Australia.

Guests included Sydney-based Subaru Australia general manager, Scott Lawrence, and Daisuke Sawada, Australasia factory representative from Subaru Corporation.

Both were on hand to help Doug, Gwanita, John and Lauren blow out 50 candles.

Mr Lawrence said holding the mantel as the longest-serving Subaru dealership in Australia was an incredible milestone for Hill Fitzsimmons.

“This is such an important occasion for us,” Mr Lawrence said.

“We at Subaru get up every morning to get Australians across the country safely to where they’re going, and people like Doug, Gwanita and their family are the face of Subaru.

“They support customers every single day of the week, and make sure they’re on the road and that they’re happy and safe.

“Having a family like the Hill family representing the Subaru brand for 50 years is so special for us, and we’re super-excited to be here as part of it all.

“Les and Pam started it all, and I believe Les was quite a character – and I can see a lot of that in Doug, too,” Mr Lawrence chuckled.

“I’ve been working at Subaru for 15 years, and whenever I’ve talked to Doug and Gwanita during that time, I’m reminded how important they are in the local community – not just selling the Subaru brand, but looking after the many people who own them.

“There is such an important link between Subaru and the Hill family – Doug and Gwanita genuinely care about people.

“We couldn’t ask for a better family to represent Subaru in Moree, and that’s why we are so excited to be here to celebrate with them,” he said.

Doug Hill said his father was a visionary, well ahead of his time.

In the early days, Les completed a mechanical apprenticeship in 1955. He put the spanners away for a couple of years and bought a stock truck, with finance arranged privately – banks were wary of lending a 20-year-old money to start a business.

Around this time, Les met Pamela Gordon, and they married in 1960.

Les and Pam went into partnership with Cec Fitzsimmons and purchased the local Caltex Fuels franchise. Shortly afterwards, they bought the business outright and started selling new Fords. Business boomed, thanks to sheer hard work and smart thinking.

In 1968, Moree Tyre Service, where the Hill Fitzsimmons service department now stands, was added to the holdings.

Les also dabbled in the pub game, and had middies invested – so to speak – at different times in watering holes across New South Wales, including the Royal Hotel at Bellata, Max Hotel in Moree, Inverell’s Imperial Hotel, Lennox Head Hotel, Queanbeyan Hotel and the Oasis Hotel at Tamworth.

He also had a crack at melon farming, bred game birds, dug for opals at Lightning Ridge, share-farmed at Terlings, did a bit of grain trading, ran a livestock and general carrying business, and at one point, owned an airway charter company.

And then there were the companies, including Lajodo Farming, Lawhill Investments, Llangollan Partnership and Milray Pocket Land Development.

The kid the banks wouldn’t touch in the late 1950s, was doing pretty well for himself and his family by the 1980s.

Along the way, NRMA roadside service was added to the burgeoning empire, and it’s a branch of Hill Fitzsimmons still only a phone-call away today.

“Our business has certainly evolved since dad started in the early 1960s,” Mr Hill said.

“He added the Subaru franchise in 1975. Dad was a visionary and set the platform for a business that is still selling Subarus 50 years later.

“With good staff and plenty of people supporting our products, we’ll keep it going in Moree for quite a few more years yet.

“It’s fantastic to see so many people here to celebrate this milestone, and it’s an honour to have Daisuke and Scott from Subaru with us as well,” Mr Hill said.

For Doug and Gwanita, customer service is a priority.

“We’re proud to say, if a car belonging to one of our customers has a technical issue, it can be repaired locally,” Mr Hill said.

“I believe it’s imperative that if people buy a car in Moree, it should be repaired in Moree, not taken away on a tilt-tray to Tamworth, Toowoomba or Sydney – that only creates unnecessary downtime, especially with travel.”

Hill Fitzsimmons’ head of sales, Dean Griffiths, has been with the company for 10 years, nearly to the day.

“When I joined, ‘Hill Fitz’ was celebrating 40 years with Subaru – now it’s 50 years,” Mr Griffiths smiled.

“This is testament not only to the Hill family, but the Moree community for all the continued support.”

Mr Griffiths said working with a family-owned business and dealing with a brand that has been voted by motoring critics and industry magazines as the most reliable car multiple times, means more than just working for a dealership.

“Working for a family business offers a more personal and inclusive experience,” he said.

“We’ve shared good times and bad, and relied on each other to get through them – from droughts to lock-downs – without that uncaring, corporate feel.”

Mr Griffiths said having Mr Lawrence and Mr Sawada in Moree at the weekend to celebrate the golden anniversary further validated the Hill Fitzsimmons brand.

“Even though we are a small cog, we are valued by Subaru as part of their success. Having Daisuke and Scott here to celebrate with us is proof of that,” Mr Griffiths said.

“Daisuke explained that at the Subaru factory in Japan, a high percentage of the workers are generational, which of course relates to the pride and quality the brand delivers to the world.

“It’s no wonder Subaru is the most reliable vehicle on the market, and is the epitome of value for money.

“Come and test drive a Subaru today, and join our happy, extended family,” he smiled.

Words: Bill Poulos