{"id":4808,"date":"2016-08-03T17:50:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-03T17:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/?p=4808"},"modified":"2021-08-02T08:55:13","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T08:55:13","slug":"aspree-participants-70-year-commitment-to-footwear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/aspree-participants-70-year-commitment-to-footwear\/","title":{"rendered":"ASPREE participant\u2019s 70 year commitment to footwear"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Pease\u2019s well trodden trade<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With thanks to North West Tasmanian ASPREE participant, Mr John Pease, we are pleased to share an article on his life published on 20th July 2016 in the \u2018The Advocate\u2019<\/a>.\u00a0 Our thanks also to \u2018The Advocate\u2019 for permission to reproduce the story here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

(by Baz Ruddick)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One of the first things John Pease notices when he meets a person is what they are wearing on their feet. It\u2019s a habit he holds from a lifelong involvement with footwear.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This week the National Footwear Retailers Association inducted Mr Pease into their hall of fame for his significant impact to the industry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n
\"An\r\n
Above: Sales with a smile: John Pease said his 70 years as a shoe retailer and his involvement in the community were driven by an interest for Burnie. Picture: Cordell Richardson.<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

At 87-years-old, Mr Pease has spent over 70 years working full time as a shoe retailer, and the first 17 years of his life running deliveries, cleaning the shop and being around AH Pease Shoe Store.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cI remember when our shipments came on horse and cart,\u201d Mr Pease said.
While things may have changed in the industry, AH Pease Shoe Store has remained a mainstay in the community and Mr Pease one of the pillars of the business community.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A clock pictured in a photograph taken in the store in the late 1950s still ticks along today as staff bustle about fitting shoes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Mr Pease\u2019s father Aldred-Henry started the store in 1925 with borrowed money from his seamstress sister.\u00a0The family business grew from strength to strength and 91 years later still has branches in Burnie, Ulverstone and Devonport.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Mr Pease said when he first started working, most shoes were made in Melbourne or imported from Europe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With Gough Whitlam\u2019s time as Prime Minister and the reduction of trade tariffs, the Australian manufacture of shoes dropped from holding 80 to 85 percent of the market to just 5 per cent, Mr Pease said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While the shoe manufacturing industry in Australia died and cheaper shoes came from Asia, retailing was still a profitable business and has remained so.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n
\"Black\r\n
Above: A community man: Margaret and John Pease in 1984. At the time Mr Pease was President Elect of the Burnie Rotary Club.<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cThose shoes fall apart in months. We sell quality not quantity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Over the last 40 years the leather upper and leather sole shoes have taken a backseat for synthetic made pairs, however an unwelcome by-product of the shoes after some use is smelliness.
\u201cOlder shoes didn\u2019t smell. But now the perspiration gets into the cushioning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While some may swear on home remedies to deal with smelly feet, Mr Pease believes there is no substitute for washing your feet and a clean pair of socks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

With few mainstays in the fashion world, bar the Dunlop Volley, Mr Pease said styles come and go in 30 year cycles.
\u201cPlatforms are back in. We saw them in the 60s and then in the 90s again,\u201d he said.
Having shod up to four generations of some families, Mr Pease said that feet sizes have generally gotten larger.
\u201cWe used to stock men\u2019s shoes down to size four and we rarely sold above size 11. Now we stock from seven to 16,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Mr Pease said he has never found a reason to retire and still heads to work most days, even doing the odd shoe fitting despite being a bit stiffer in the knees.
\u201cI enjoy the people. I have good staff who look after me,\u201d he said.
\u201cThere is a 90-year-old [retailer] in Melbourne working so it must be something about the industry.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

No stranger to a ladder, heading up to fetch a high pair of shoes will instantly get Mr Pease roused on by a staff member.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A father of five, Mr Pease\u2019s youngest son David now manages the three stores.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n
\"A\r\n
Above: A family affair: John Pease, Reg Wilson, Gwyn R, Dollen Cullen, Janet Pease, Ray Pease, Cyril White and Alfred Henry Pease in the late 1950s.<\/em><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

While his impact on generations of shoe wearers through the care for Coaster\u2019s feet are undeniable, Mr Pease\u2019s commitment to the town and community is what he takes most pride in.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

He has served as the President of the Burnie Chamber of Commerce and Industry, President of the Marine Board, President of Burnie Rotary Cub and has been heavily involved in the PCYC.
\u201cI always thought if you make a living out of a community you should give back to the community,\u201d he said<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the things Burnie ASPREE participant and veteran shoe retailer, John Pease notices about you is what’s on your feet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4811,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1200","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[58],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4808"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4808"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8314,"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4808\/revisions\/8314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4811"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aspree.org\/aus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}