Communal sense
07 Jul 2018
For Dean Solomon, a strong work ethic has always been deeply connected to a strong sense of community. In fact, connections with people have been at the heart of his several careers.
When it comes to his work ethic, Dean Solomon credits his parents, who migrated to Australia from Lebanon in the 1920s. “We had a shop in the front [of our house], Dean recalls. “When I was 13 my father was very sick. We didn’t have a motor vehicle, so, I started my morning at half past four in the morning going to the market, then I’d come home unload the veggies and then I'll be off to school.”
Dean certainly knows how to work.
At the age of 16 he left school and began work at Tip-Top Bakery. He anticipated a short stay, but remained at the company for 45 years. “I started off in the stable, and then I started climbing the ladder.”
Dean spent the past 30 years on the executive staff.
Career number two
But, he had a second career as a cabinet maker.
“When I was delivering bread as a young fella people would ask me to fix up doors and windows, and I used to do little jobs for customers. It just grew, and it turned into a business.”
The business was as enjoyable as it was profitable, and Dean continues to make cabinets to this day.
The secret, he says, is the longevity of handmade, one of a kind pieces.
“You’ve got genuine screws and glue which is not used today. And I cut everything myself. I’ve got no IKEA cabinets at my place. Mine stick together forever.”
Stories and food
Dean says that his sense of community spirit began at his family dining room table. His parents were active members of their community, and a culture of giving was at the heart of their household.
“Nobody came to our house unless they were ready to sit down and eat,” he recalls.
More than 80 years later, Dean’s son and his family live in his father’s childhood home, purchased by his grandfather in 1924. Meanwhile, Dean and his wife Pauline have retained the same sense of community spirit in their own home.
“Our kitchen table is a community table,” he says. “We like visitors.”
It’s easy to see why visitors like them.
Dean’s storytelling abilities have become so in demand that he travels to many clubs, including Probus, as a guest speaker, discussing a variety of humorous topics.
“I never know what I am going to speak about until I get there,” he says. “You look around the hall and see what sort of club it is. I just talk about the community. We laugh for 55 minutes.” But it is not only Dean’s own stories that occupy his time. A JP, Dean says it’s the people who keep him engaged.
“Every day is different and you have people of all denominations of all nationalities. I engage them all in conversation. No one comes into my office unless they are prepared to sit down and talk for at least five minutes. In that time, you learn so much.”
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