In recent weeks we have seen, in this town, two businesses change hands. One at the extreme east end of Henty Street, the other at the western end of the commercial section of Henty Street.Dealing with the eastern end business we find Matthew RICHARDSON become the owner of a panel and paint premises located at the rear of what was ILLINGWORTH Bros, Implement and Coach Factory, in the early days of commerce in Casterton.
The name RICHARDSON is synonymous with Casterton pioneers, John and Ellen being one of the first couples to marry and settle in this embryo village in the mid 1840s.
Moving now to the western end of the commercial section of Henty Street, so named after the first people to settle in this district, the famous HENTY Bros of "Muntham", "Sandford House" and "Merino Downs".
Another family of brothers were also to leave their mark in Henty Street, namely the three COXON brothers, John, Bert and Jim. They were sons of George and Mary COXON, who in 1856 emigrated from England to Australia. In his trade as a mechanical engineer George found work in the gold mines of the Ballarat district. Leaving the goldfields for Numurkah, where George established an engineering works, making among other items a large portable water tank similar to the famous Furphy tank, cast into the convex ends, the COXON name, today very much sought after by descendents. Leaving Numurka the family of six boys and two girls moved to a farming enterprise in the Brimboal area, north of Casterton. In 1884 they moved again to a site north west of the Hummocks at Wando Bridge. All that indicates the site of this farm today is some fruit trees that are still surviving. The next move from the Hummocks farm was to the Casterton township where around 1915 three of the brothers, Jack, Bert and Jim, ran livery stables and buggy hire business from the rear of the Albion Hotel. Their horse drawn cabs serviced the people of Casterton.
It was only natural that these enterprising brothers would enter the emerging motor vehicles trade. They did this by buying their first motor car around 1917, it was an English make, known as a Talbot. Their next business move was to purchase a large vacant block on the corner of Wathen and Henty Streets, where in 1926 they built what they called The Big Garage. From these premises they sold a variety of makes of vehicles, later becoming the authorized General Motors dealers.
An interesting coincidence arises here with the purchase of COXON Bros garage by local lad Neville ROY and his wife Joy. We find that now Neville and Joy are the proprietors of two of the very old businesses in Casterton, their other business being the carrying and fertilizer spreading which was established in 1924 by the late W. J. O’CONNELL.
It is indeed commendable that the old respected name and business of COXON Bros. is now in the hands of local owners, and most sincere wishes of success are extended to them by the general public.
In 1930 the brothers extended their motor vehicle business with the purchase of Charlie THOMAS’ Albion Garage, later in 1953 selling this garage to G. H. HILLIERS. As the brothers were involved in passenger transport of people in the horse and buggy days, so also did they offer this service as the motor care came on the market.
From 1930 onwards they ran a regular twice daily motor coach service from Casterton to Hamilton. R. M. ANSETT was to purchase this run in 1938 to compliment his Mt Gambier to Victorian towns services. Time eventually caught up with Jack and Bert, leaving Jim as the sole surviving brother of the business. In 1954 a family company was formed and ran the business until it was sold in 1985.
Since then the garage has seen several owners, until now in the latter stages of 2003, we see it in the hands of Neville and Joy ROY, descendants of pioneers of Casterton.