The resurgence of a cuddly Aussie icon

In the 1990s, following the decline of the wool industry and the demand for sheepskin products around the country, many small country towns found themselves with dwindling populations and a surplus of wool.

Tambo in Central West Queensland was one such town. In 1992, after a two-day government-run workshop in the town hall, Mary Sutherland, Charm Ryrie, and Helen Sargood alighted on the idea of making teddy bears to help the struggling wool industry.

“They were also generating a bit of interest for tourists to come to the town,” says Alison Shaw, one of the current co-owners of Tambo Teddies.

“In February 1993, they eventually made their first bear and had their first bears ready for sale. They went to a market in Charleville and sold out of what they had and came home with a big line of orders. “It’s grown from there.”

However, as the years went on, Tambo Teddies suffered a decline in customers, and this was where Alison and her business partners, Tammy Johnson and Kiralee Sanderson (who has since left the business to spend time with her growing family), stepped in.

With only one of the original founders, Mary Sutherland, left running the business in 2013, it was put up for sale and Alison, Tammy, and Kiralee purchased it in 2014.

“Our goal straight away was to grow the business that was just ticking along,” Alison says.

“But we knew we had a good product; we knew it had something about it. Wherever you went and mentioned you were from Tambo, people would say, ‘Oh, how’s Tambo Teddies going?’.

“People knew about it [and] they knew about these teddies.”

For Alison, Tammy, and Kiralee, two teachers and a council worker by day, Tambo Teddies became an after-work activity.

“After our day jobs, we were going in at night and getting cut-outs, skins, and everything ready for the next day. We implemented a digital strategy straight away, we upgraded the website, set up a social media presence,” Alison says.

All of this activity to grow the business was a resounding success, but then the Tambo Teddies team ran into another problem—supply.

With the increase in orders, they didn’t have the ability to produce enough teddies to go around.

“When we bought the business, there was one lady—Mary herself—who sewed a bit, and she had a part-time sewer!” Alison laughs.

In response, Tambo Teddies looked towards setting up a regional sewing hub to enable them to produce teddies and meet their growing demand. 

They participated in the Queensland Government Mentoring for Growth program, which led them to Multicultural Australia, formerly Multicultural Development Australia. 

“We’ve worked with them to employ migrant refugees in Toowoomba. So, we leased a place down there to start with, to see if it would work. And then after 12 months, we’ve outgrown that place,” Alison says. 

This success has meant that the backlog of demand is no longer something the business has to contend with. Additionally, for the refugees working for Tambo Teddies, it has helped them to integrate into the community and find a sense of place in Australia. 

“It’s made a big difference to their lives. They’re displaced people, and now they have a job as part of the resettlement process. They’re really part of their community down there,” Alison says. 

Now, the owners are celebrating three decades of business, and it is just as beloved as ever, something that Alison attributes to the exclusive quality and nature of the hand-made items Tambo Teddies produces. 

“They’re very unique,” she says. “One person makes the product. Every bear is individual, but they’re absolutely very well made. In this day and age of mass-produced products, people are actually still looking for quality products.” 

Ultimately, Alison says, she and Tammy as the co-owners of the business feel like they are the custodians of a true Aussie icon. 

“Tambo Teddies really is an icon of Tambo. The town and the community are very proud of Tambo Teddies—it really has put the town on the map,” she says.

This article is featured in National Seniors Australia’s quarterly member magazine, Our Generation. 

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