Denny Hughes leaves Drouin
A “character” of the town and operator of Drouin Antique Market, Mr Hughes cleared out his large premises that stretched from Princes Way to the entrance road from Bank Place to Commercial Place two months ago.
With major help from a couple of strong backed friends tonnes of antique and used furniture, equipment and a massive assortment of odds and ends was moved out in a matter of days not the weeks Mr Hughes says would have been a reasonable time given the size of the task.
He has sold the premises to Drouin businessman and developer Leigh Rees.
Mr Hughes landed in Drouin “18 to 20 years ago” after running similar businesses in much smaller premises at Dandenong and Hallam.
“Run ins” with Baw Baw Shire became common but in the final couple of years, after telling shire officers he intended “selling up”, Mr Hughes said “things eased up a bit” and he and the shire finished on good terms.
He described the relationship with the shire over the years as a “love-hate” one that landed him in court at least “two to three times” and saddled him with fines totalling about $10,000.
“The main issues the shire had was that it saw the amount of goods stored in the shop and the lack of a sprinkler system as a fire hazard.
“There were orders put on me to do various things, such as install a sprinkler system, but at $30,000 I couldn’t afford that,” Mr Hughes said.
He rankles at any comparison with Albert Steptoe, the father in the British TV comedy series Steptoe and Son of the 1960s and 1970s.
“I’m a furniture-holic, a wheeler and dealer.
“It’s been a disease,” Mr Hughes says.
At present it looks likes he’s in “remission”.
He and wife Jean are living in Melbourne and plan to eventually move to Geelong.
The “collection” is now out of his hands.
Frank Brown, a scrap metal merchant who with Baw Baw shire councillor Terry Williamson did most of the heavy lifting to clean out the premises in Drouin, has much of it.
The rest is in storage, Mr Brown said.