If dedication was a person, his name would be Clint Spence.
Not only was Clint born and bred in Beaudesert, but he has spent 47 years in his current job at Beaudesert Mitre 10 since being hired at the age of 16.
He has spent countless hours honouring the Franklin name through the doors of their hardware shop – you could even say that he is a bit of a workaholic!
“My Dad always said, ‘if you do a job, do it well,’ and that’s why I’m here for 47 years,” Clint joked.
When Clint was 15, he didn’t think his first job working for the Council in the supply section was going to lead him to where he is today.
“There wasn’t a lot of opportunity around town and most of my mates went off to uni or went off further afield to find work,” he said.
“There was a job that came up at the Council supply section – that was my first introduction to the hardware side of it.”
After working with Council for just under 12 months, Clint’s father was approached by Don Franklin to see if Clint could work for their shop, Beaudesert Hardware.
“I went home one night, and Dad said, ‘I believe you may have another job,’ and I said ‘oh, well that’s news to me,’” Clint said.
“On May 25, 1977, I started working for Beaudesert Hardware – it was just before I turned 17 because I was riding my push bike to work.”
Working for Beaudesert Hardware, before it became Mitre 10, not only gave Clint a steady income, but it helped him find his now-wife Nancy.
“I met my wife in the store … she was working in the shop as well – we just struck up a bit of a friendship and then it blossomed from there,” he said.
They soon built their house through Franklin Constructions and their family of two grew into four.
Clint wasn’t limited to working at Mitre 10. He has a strong community focus and has joined community associations such as Beaudesert Chamber of Commerce, Jaycees, the board of Wongaburra, Beaudesert Cycling Club, the board of Beaudesert and District Credit Union (Queensland Country Bank) and the board of the Hardware Association National during his time in Beaudesert.
“It’s been a community town for many years – the fact is that my mentors before me were all Jaycee members or part of the Chamber of Commerce,” Clint said.
“I think it’s that connection – especially in a close community like we have – I believe it is a must in any small, rural community.”
Clint still enjoys working at Beaudesert Mitre 10 and hopes to share his expertise with the next person in line.
