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16 December, 2025
Bray family looks back 150 years
Jean and Dick Bray made it their mission to keep the family name in business - literally - for almost 50 years.
THE Bray name is well known across St Arnaud and has been for a long time.
More than 150 years to be exact.
Jean and Dick Bray made it their mission to keep the family name in business - literally - for almost 50 years.
And last week they came back to the store they had run, that is now Trendz on Napier, to celebrate the building’s 150 year milestone.
“There’s a lot of memories here,” Mr Bray said.
“We feel we’re on sacred ground every time we come back in here.”
The couple made the move back to town to take the load off in one of the many businesses the Bray family ran back in the 60s.
But they wanted to be a bigger part of the family business.
“We thought we wanted a newsagents,” Mr Bray said.
“We didn’t even know the shop here was for sale, but we were the right age, in the right place at the right time.”
The couple took over Brays in 1968 and didn’t look back, keeping the legacy of Australia’s oldest drapery store, built by Mr Bray’s great grandfather William Bray in 1972, going until 2014.
“We had ups and downs,” Mr Bray said.
“In the first three months, we had a major robbery, they took a lot, nearly sent us under. But our warehouses helped out and the town helped.
“And then our children grew up here, basically in the back of the shop. “I think the thing we miss most is the people. The people of St Arnaud were so good to us.”
But when the time came to hand on the batton to the next generation, there were no regrets.
“We knew it was time when Kerrie [Cadzow] offered to take over,” Mrs Bray said.
“We couldn’t be happier with what Kerrie has done here. She’s kept the legacy going in her own way.”
Ms Cadzow said she is proud to be in the store with so much history and family love.
“It’s an honour to celebrate with these wonderful people,” she said.
“I haven’t changed much, I’ve renovated a bit over time, but wanted to keep the history in tact. Just a bit of a freshen up.”
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