The original founder of O’Gormans traded cigarette s to secure the timber needed to build blind s when he first started in business in 1947, shortly after World War II had ended. His g rand-dau ghter, Donna Cully, a thi rd generation family member who has continued the business’ legacy, recounts the story. “The American ships would of fload timber onto the beach,” she says.

“My gran dfather [Leo O’Gorman] gave cigarettes to the sailors to drop the timber off at his place.” Leo O’Gorman had become involved in blind mak ing as a hobby; he was among the first to produce timber cedar blinds, mad e by hand in a shed in the backyard of his home in St Kilda.

That original handcraf ted timber venetian blind was sold for 84 shillings at the time, the equivalent of around $8.40 today. By 1960, when Leo moved into new premises at 836 Sydney Road in the Melbourne suburb of North Coburg, his son Dennis had already joined the business. A tradition was fou nded then, w hich continues today with each n ew generation: Dennis was not allowed to join the company immediately after he finished school.

“He was expecte d to do something else first, so h e did an apprenticeship in carpentry,” Donna says.

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