Beechworth Bakery founder Tom O’Toole is supporting Lifeline, after it helped him many moons ago.
By Melissa Meehan
HAVING played a critical role in the life of the Beechworth Bakery’s founder by providing lifesaving support when he couldn’t see a way out of deep depression back in the ’80s, Tom O’Toole and his bakeries have been great supporters of Lifeline ever since.
Championing Lifeline’s Stress Down Day from the time it started three years ago, the Beechworth Bakery has now decided to make Lifeline its exclusive charity.
From this Friday, every special event run at one of its six bakeries will benefit Lifeline’s 24-hour telephone counselling service for Australians in need.
When it comes to doing things that are out of the box, the Beechworth Bakery has a long and well-documented history to look back on.
Right from the start, Tom O’Toole believed in making his business stand out by being exceptional.
One way to do that was to have the staff come to work dressed in pyjamas for one of the bakery’s early birthdays, a strategy that has since become a tradition and been copied by many businesses – as well as towns – around Australia.
“To get the staff to follow suit, I bought myself a long, red Willy Winkie nightie, took off my socks but left the sneakers on, and ran around the bakehouse like a stick insect, with my skinny white legs, and they thought the bugger means business,” Mr O’Toole said.
“I was really looking forward to our first PJ day because everyone was going to come in their night gear and I thought it was going to be a sexy day.
“Well, the only ones who came in sexy negligees were the bloody bakers – the fellas.”
