Jack and Audrey Morgan

Jack Morgan grew up in Williamstown and with his brother Roy joined his father’s bakery business as a qualified baker. Audrey Morgan also grew up in Williamstown and met Jack at the Williamstown picture theatre where they both worked on a casual basis to earn extra income.

On the conclusion of the 2nd World War where Jack served in New Guinea, they married and purchased a very small bakery at Ferntree Gully where Jack baked all night and Audrey delivered during the day by horse and cart.

Together they built this business up quite considerably and then sold it. This became their occupation for the next 20 years but not in bakeries. Milk Bars offered many opportunities for a young couple who were prepared to put in long hours and care for their customers and numerous milk bars were the result.

A change occurred during the early 50’s when they purchased a run down country hotel at Kennington just outside Bendigo. After some three years of hard work and long hours when the turnover had doubled and the property had been significantly refurbished it was time to sell and move on - back to milk bars.

Jack became concerned with the future of milk bars in the early 60’s because supermarkets were beginning to emerge and were gathering momentum.



Neal, Roger and Peter Morgan.

About this time eldest son Roger had just completed his 11th year at school and on receiving the offer from his father, they agreed to enter the next business venture together. It was to be a Newsagency but not so. The boy needed an income in the interim and had commenced working in a grocery store and liked it, his father had enjoyed his time in the hotel - the result was a small run down licensed grocery in the inner suburb of East Malvern in Melbourne.

This small Foodland store was soon under attack, Jack wanted to smarten it up as usual and on the rapid completion of a significant refurbishment it was reopened to it’s customers as a Big Star Food Centre.

Shortly afterwards (May '68) Roger was called up for National Service and on his departure brother Peter joined this vigorous family business which was flourishing but due to geographic constraints delivered no opportunities for further expansion.

During Roger’s absence, Jack was seeking the next move, but now with two sons a much larger opportunity was sought. The advice of the day from the “Crystal Ball Gazers” was "Go West!"

A small but growing community that straddled the Western Highway some 25 kms west of Melbourne was investigated. Melton at that stage was a poorly designed and serviced community of 3,500 people. Lacking sewerage, few made roads, almost undrinkable water, virtually no shops, little employment and such a long way (in those days) from the established suburbs of Melbourne.

Prior to making the decision Jack and Audrey with sons Peter and Roger door knocked every house in the town over a number of successive Sundays seeking the necessary feedback that would support the thoughts that perhaps here was an opportunity.

A “paddock” was purchased where a shopping centre was going to be one day and on the 1st December 1971 a 1,060 square metre new Supermarket with Jack, Audrey, Roger and Peter plus six employees was opened.

The council of the day had promised a car park to this largest retail business in the town and delivered it the day before the opening, - a grader and six truckloads of scoria.

Many of Jack’s peers thought he had “lost his marbles” opening such a large store out on the “western frontier”. There was a time when Jack was concerned also, however the population in this emerging suburb blossomed as eventually did this vigorous business.

Over the years the family expanded the business into nearby towns subsequently offering the benefits of Extra Shopping Power to a much wider population. The Extra Shopping Power program was introduced by Roger who had a passion to ensure that the close links and great relationships with the family's customers were not totally lost due to the growth of the business.

In 1987 Jack & Audrey's third son Neal, joined the family business after completing a Degree in Food Retailing at Victoria University and a period of time employed by a national supermarket chain. Neal not only brought a lot of unique skills to the business, but clearly displayed the common trait of having his parent's retailing blood in his veins like his brothers.

Jack and Audrey also have a daughter Rosemary, who left the family business on the occasion of her marriage and subsequently moved into another family business, that of her new husband. A sheep station in South West Queensland - a great place to holiday.

Jack passed away in October 2001 but has left behind a history of honest hard work and family devotion that any man would be proud of.

With the next generation of Morgan's (both Roger's son Jay and Peter's son William have joined the family business) coming into the business bringing their various skills and some 400 of the finest employees in this industry, my parents, my brothers and I, really do endeavour to deliver more than just....SENSATIONAL SERVICE, but also ESP as well.

In 2005 Roger and Audrey retired from the business and now Peter and Neal operate the businesss