Joe Van Dommele, Vados Furniture Barns co-founder, celebrates 100th birthday

With his brothers, Jack and Koos, Joe Van Dommele co-founded Vados Furniture Barns, and owned stores in Ballina, Lismore and Byron Bay for 30 years.

The last surviving co-founder of popular furniture business Vados Furniture Barns has celebrated his 100th birthday.

Former businessman and Northern Rivers resident Joe Van Dommele celebrated the occasion with his family in Ballina.

The Dutch man arrived to Australia in the 1950s with his late wife Jenny.

Joe and his late brothers, Jack and Koos, brought their skills from Rotterdam to Ballina and soon after arriving, they began repairing furniture.

The business grew into selling locally-made products through Vados Furniture between the 1960s and 1990s.

By the 1990s, Vados Furniture had stores in Ballina, Lismore and Byron Bay and employed about 50 staff.

These days, Mr Van Dommele still keeps busy with woodwork at his home workshop, while keeping his mind active.

He said his secret to longevity was treating people well.

“I didn’t drink, smoke or gamble,” he said.

“Honesty, treat people well and there is no secret really, just good hard work and be happy.”

The former businessman said the key to a happy life was about family.

“Have plenty of patience and always love your children.”

Mr Van Dommele had happy memories of working in the successful business.

“In the early years, I concentrated on making furniture like kitchen cupboards and display cabinets,” he said
“ As the business expanded, we introduced carpets.

“I filled a van full of carpet samples, drove around the district drumming up business by going door to door to households, building sites, commercial premises.

“We then moved into the retail sale of new furniture and I remained as a carpet salesman in the store until my retirement in 1986.”

From five children, Joe now has 14 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

The family has always been connected to the community outside the business.

Joe’s love for singing has been part of that, according to eldest daughter Cobie Van Dommele.

“Dad has always loved singing,” she said.

“He harmonises everything.”

Music had long been part of Joe’s life, she said.

“He was in a men’s choir in Holland before he and mum migrated to Australia, and he enjoyed many years as a member of local choirs,” she said.

“He took great pleasure in announcing from time to time that he was off with the choir to ‘sing to the old people’.”

Joe and Jenny were also connected to the community via the local Presbyterian church.

Cobie said her most precious memories of the Vados stores as a child were the Vados trucks.

“Our very first ‘camping ’ holiday was a trip to the Gold Coast in the Vados truck,” she said.

“We camped in the truck, mum, dad and the whole family. That was awesome.”

Youngest daughter Maria Heaton also had fond memories of the stores as a child.

“(I remember) As a preschooler, playing on my three-wheeler tricycle out the front of my father’s cabinetry workshop in Cherry Street, and then later the store in River Street was a giant playground for me,” she said.

“If I was allowed to go back to the store after dinner with my father, that was a treat.

“Dad would cut carpet upstairs ready for the carpet layers to collect in the morning, while I got to explore and play in the roof where carpet rolls and masses of foam rubber were stored.”

Joe and his brother Jack also ran a canoe and paddle boat hire business, daughter Cobie said.

“They built a large fleet of canoes and paddle boats and established a canoe and paddle boat hire business at Shaw’s Bay and Lennox Head that they ran on the weekends, often with family in tow,” she said.

“Dad has always been an attentive and loving parent. His love of boats has influenced much of our lives.

“There have been lots of homemade canoes and sailing boats, beautifully crafted, model ships and then there was the trailer sailor, which provided us all with many pleasurable hours on the river.”

Joe said he was humbled to receive a card from the Queen to mark his 100th birthday.