“In our sales department, everyone who purchases a new or used car will go into a draw to win $5000 cash.”
“We have never taken our customers for granted, and wholeheartedly support our community in many ways,” he said.
Morrow Motor Group sponsors six football clubs, four bowling clubs, five golf clubs, local schools and events, as well as ongoing support for Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Centre.
“We have been raising money for the cancer centre for 10 years now, and have donated more than $100,000 through doing community events and donating the proceeds of sales from one month each year.
“We want to support it because Dr George Kannourakis and his team provide a vital service for the Wimmera and beyond.”
Gavin said his parents Kevin and Barbara established the business at Amor Motors Aubrey Truck Sales in Warracknabeal, as Holden dealers.
“I started working as soon as I finished school, in December 1983,” he said.
“In 1984 we took on the Mazda dealership, and shortly after that, Suzuki.”
Wade Morrow, the second son, joined eldest son Gavin and their parents at the beginning of 1986.
In July that year, Kevin had the vision that they needed to move to an a higher-populated area, so they opened another dealership in Horsham, with new brand Hyundai initially, before adding Mazda and then Toyota.
“We outgrew the Stawell Road site, so we purchased a large block in Dimboola Road, Horsham, built a new dealership and shifted there in December, 1996,” Gavin said.
“My sister Tanya then started working at the dealership in the service office.”
In the year 2000, Morrow Motor Group added Nissan to their stable.
“In 2003, my youngest brother Shannon started working with us, and eventually took over as service manager, a position he still has today.
“We had to make a tough decision in 2005, and closed the Amor Motors dealership after 31 years. After a run of 12 droughts, it just made it financially unviable to continue.”
Morrow Motor Group has now been a Mazda dealer for 40 years, and is the longest-serving Hyundai dealer in Victoria.
Gavin said Morrow Motor Group’s Prime Market Area, PMA, is the largest in Victoria, at 42,000-square-kilometres.
But it’s not only the badges that have been the longstays of the company – several staff have been with the company for decades.
“In Warracknabeal we had staff work at the dealership for over 50 years, including Noel Tempest, Bruce Hunter and Gordon Daniel.
“At Horsham, our long-term staff include Craig Kemp and Rod Avery, who have worked for us for more than 30 years, and Chris O’Connell was another who worked right up to her retirement.
“Our workmates are like family, and many of our customers have become friends.
“We have even had customers from families that have spanned three generations.
“We have employed a few father and son pairings across the years, and currently employ a grandfather and grandson together, which is great,” he said.
Morrow Motor Group building on the past
As Morrow Motor Group celebrates 50 years in business, the Morrow family is reflecting on a changing industry – they have sold more than 30,000 new and used vehicles, and given hundreds of people the opportunity to work in the motor industry.
The business has also traded from three different premises, growing and changing with technological and customer demand, in Warracknabeal and Horsham.
Morrow Motor Group director Gavin Morrow said they were again moving with the demand of the business – the current premises on Dimboola Road, Horsham would undergo some substantial changes in the near future.
“We’re just about to undertake a pretty significant building extension,” he said.
“We’re refreshing the building and adding a new showroom in the coming months, we will add a four-car showroom onto the six-car showroom we currently have.
“We are also going to add a verandah between the two buildings so people can move between the two and stay out of the weather.”
The showroom on Dimboola Road was purpose-built by Morrow Motor Group in 1996 and officially opened by former AFL footballer Tom Hafey.
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