FROM TOP ‘The
Caley’ git box, by
Yalumba; a horse
and dray loaded
up in front of the
winery in the 1920s.
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Yalumba is one of
only four wineries
worldwide to have
its own cooperage.MAY 2017 VIRGIN AUSTRALIA 113When Bob Menzies founded
Adina in Queensland in 1971,
his goal was simple: to create
timepieces that withstood
rough living in regional and
remote areas. Menzies remains
managing director to this day,
while Adina produces 40,000
watches per year and is the
only company to design and
assemble its entire range in
Australia. Son Grant looks after
the brand’s sales and marketing
— we ask him the secrets of
the company’s success.What are your earliest
watch-related memories?
“Dad started the business when
Mum was pregnant with me, so
Adina and I are the same age:
46 this year. From a very young
age I used to see Dad putting
together the watches of
a night-time and then head
out in the daytime to sell them.
The man had a huge capacity
for work. Ater assisting my
dad throughout my school
years I thought I had a pretty
good understanding of the
watch business — but it wasn’t
until I joined the company at
age 25 that I got a real appraisal
of how complicated the whole
game actually is.”The company grew very
quickly in the late 1990s,
shortly ater you joined as
a travelling sales rep. Did
you have the magic touch?
“When I started, my dad said to
me, ‘It’s ideal timing because
there are a lot of young people
coming into their parents’
jewellery shops around the
country. You’ll probably relate
to them a bit better than myself.’
Dad was right: it was a time of
generational change. I was one
of the youngest reps on the road,
and I could relate to the retailers
very well. It preceded a period
of huge expansion for us.”(^2) ADINA WATCHES
“HE ARRIVED INAdelaide
in 1847 with his family
after sailing on board the
Chinafrom Plymouth,”
says Robert Hill-Smith, the
fifth-generation chairman
of winemakers Yalumba.
The Smiths decamped
to a small settlement called
Angaston, where Samuel
worked as a gardener for the
town’s eponymous family.
“In 1849, John Angas, the
son of George Fife Angas,
leased him the 30 acres [12
hectares] that Samuel planted
with vines before heading east
to the goldfields to seek his
fortune,” Hill-Smith says.
“After finding gold, he
bought [32 hectares of] land
and started his winemaking.
(^1) YALUMBA
An instantly recognisable label
in premium Australian wine,
Yalumba was established by
Samuel Smith on farmland
in the Barossa Valley in the
mid-1800s and, staying true to
its roots, is now the country’s
oldest family-owned winery.
He named his
farm ‘Yalumba’,
which translates
to ‘all the land
around’ in the
language of the
local Peramangk
people.”
Today, Hill-Smith tries to
stay true to the family name
by living on site and hiring
locally. And although the
fortunes of Australian wine
has waned slightly in recent
years, he is confident that
Yalumba will endure.
“These things are beyond
our direct control so putting
any profits back in or setting
aside for the rainy day are
paramount,” he explains.
Today, Hill-Smith is
focused on broadening
Yalumba’s scope through
new additions to its Rare
& Fine collection and greater
involvement in activities
such as the Barossa Gourmet
Weekend. Downtime is not
an option. “To be honest, it is
a 24/7 involvement,” he says.