Godfrey (Gough) Gay established G. Gay & Co in Ballarat in 1918 with Bill Valpied and George Norris. In 1918 mining was a declining industry and the business sold second hand mining equipment and building supplies.
The business grew steadily during the 1920s and in 1932 Gough’s son Ed joined the firm at about the time they expanded to include new building materials.
The third generation, Rebecca and Jim joined in the 1950s when there were still restrictions on product availability following WW11.
All materials came to Ballarat via rail until the late 1960s and all loading and unloading was done by hand.
Trading was transferred to a new large site in Howitt St Wendouree in 1977 – the largest timber & hardware store in Ballarat.
Fourth generation David and Ross came to the company and helped Dad Jim set up a second store in Gillies St Sth in 1991.
2001 saw Jim retire and the company purchase Ballarat Building Supplies in Main Rd.
In June 2014, G. Gay & Co entered into a joint venture with Mitre 10 Australia. As a result of this partnership, David and Ross initiated a store refurbishment program, the most significant of these upgrades saw the Ballarat Building Supplies business relocating to Sebastopol and the creation of Mitre 10’s first “Sapphire Standard” store.
In 2022, Wilsons Mitre 10 joined the G. Gay & Co business. Wilsons was established in 1923 and is one of the longest running businesses in Bacchus Marsh.
In August 2023, G Gay & Co was purchased & merged with Fagg’s Group Pty Ltd. The newly merged company will retain the well-known trading name G. Gay & Co Mitre 10, to honour their rich history and strong community connections.
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