Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to acknowledge an exceptional local family run business celebrating its 60th birthday. In 1964, at just 18, Northern Tasmanian Dick Beckett started Becketts Mining and Civil. Sixty years later, Dick's business is still going strong, with his two sons, Jason and Scott, largely at the helm.

Dick grew up in Liffey, just outside of Launceston, turning his love of bulldozers into a prosperous business. 'All I ever wanted to do was drive bulldozers,' Dick said last year. 'I was able to buy one very early in my life and started doing jobs around for different people.' A love for all things made by machinery manufacturer Cat has led to quite a prolific collection of their machinery and memorabilia that has to be seen to be believed. Dick also has an encyclopaedic knowledge of every machine. 'All I am doing is trying to collect, maintain and put Tasmania's history and save it for generations,' he said.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Dick for several years now, and I always enjoy our conversations and my visit to that shed. I've always found him to be a real gentleman and engaging and interesting to talk to, and I've always valued his advice. You don't get to 60 years in business without learning a thing or two. Running a small business requires so much grit, and to see Becketts Mining and Civil Contractors still thriving today is extraordinary and is a testament to the hard work and resilience of Dick and his family. Happy 60th birthday to this legendary local business.