It was not exactly history repeating, but there was huge symbolism in Elders managing director and chief executive officer Mark Allison officially opening Elders new Beverley branch at a sundowner held on site last week.
The tiny town is widely recognised as being home to the first branch opened in WA by the South Australian-founded Elders in 1904, although Northam has also been known to lay claim to the honour.
It's a regional David and Goliath-like rivalry which was highlighted by Elders State general manager WA, Nick Fazekas, when he welcomed more than 140 clients and suppliers, along with several Elders management and staff from across the State, to the milestone event.
"There certainly has been some conjecture about it, but from the memorabilia that Fran (Elders, Beverley product sales manager Fran Owens) has found, it appears Beverley is confirmed as the place where Elders' WA journey began," Mr Fazekas said.
"So this town holds a very special place in the heart of our company.
"Elders is one of Australia's oldest and longest serving rural service providers, currently in our 184th year of continuous service to rural communities and we are proud and excited that we have been recognised as one of Australia's most trusted agribusiness partners.
"The company is currently in a growth phase and we pride ourselves in reinvesting back into rural communities to provide a high level of service and ongoing support during all the cycles of agriculture."
Mr Fazekas said the new Beverley greenfield site of 4500 square metres, including 600sqm of shop and warehouse space and about 100 kilolitres of dangerous goods storage built by Robust Contracting, Kalamunda, on budget and on time, was part of a significant financial commitment to new builds, upgrades and refurbishments of WA branches.
This included a recently refreshed site at Pingelly, a new build underway in Corrigin and others planned for Moora and Cranbrook.
"Elders understands the significance of agriculture in our daily lives and its role in shaping the economy of our country," Mr Fazekas said.
"Our investment in this new branch signifies our dedication to the growth and development of the agricultural sector in this area.
"Our primary goal is to provide the best possible service and products to you, the growers, to support local communities and the wider agricultural industry.
"We have a suite of products, not only rural, including but not limited to livestock, wool, fertiliser, seed, agronomy, insurance, financial services banking through Rural Bank and grain through our association with Clear Grain Exchange.
"Our staff are the lifeblood of Elders and they work towards one goal in making sure we deliver on your requests and in doing so hopefully to your ongoing growth and success"
Mr Fazekas said although he grew up in South Australia, he too was now a local landholder in the region, with he and his WA-born wife having bought a property in the Dale.
"I have enjoyed showing Mark (Allison) some of the countryside while he has been over here in what is a season of three parts - the northern grainbelt which is doing it tough with some of the lowest rainfall on record, the south which is in many parts too wet and here in the Avon Valley which I call the 'Goldilocks zone' being not too dry and not too wet, but just right.
From a farming background in Queensland, Mr Allison knows well the changeability of agriculture and the value of having quality rural services and strong business relationships based locally.
And equally he recognises the importance of client loyalty to the success of Elders, something he emphasised on the night.
"I do sincerely thank you for coming tonight and for your ongoing support," he said.
"Ten years ago we were almost bankrupt to the point when we would put our company credit card over the counter we would kiss it and hope it worked.
"In this short space of time we have gone from $50 million market capitalisation to $2.2 billion at the peak last year and that is due to the support of people like you and the efforts of our staff and our suppliers.
"Sure we are going to have some challenges in the next 12 months with El Nino, geo-political upsets, government policy and the like.
"But we will continue to invest in rural and regional communities to help you run your farms and businesses better."
Elders, Beverley branch manager William Hull added to that sentiment, saying the new facility would be able to carry a much broader range of products due to an increase in warehousing capacity - and its easy access would further improve a customer's experience.
The Beverley team comprises Mr Hull, livestock agent Noel Morton, agronomist Brett Jenkinson, rural product sales manager Fran Owens and rural products sales representative Keith Hawkins.
