Preamble
The short reply is Lumberjack bought Bestoys from the Bonaretti family in 1985.
But the history is far more complex than a simple sentence.
The story of the original Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd runs parallel to that of Bestoys Pty Ltd: both were set up as family enterprises: Lumberjack by Don and Del Windus with daughter Julie joining the company full time upon leaving school in 1978, and Bestoys by Jim and Ebe Bonaretti with their eldest daughter joining the company upon leaving school in 1965.
The Original Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd
By 1977, Lumberjack Toys advertised a different address: 8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford, retaining the same telephone number, (043) 24 1230.
Julie was 12 in 1976 when she started working in the Lumberjack toy factory and, upon leaving school in 1978, became a full-time employee with the company, working alongside her mother and father and other employees such as Charlie and her Uncle Adrian. Her main functions at the beginning were just keeping things tidy, preparing meals and fetching parts for the assemblers. These were some of her “induction” tasks. She gradually moved up the production ladder assembling doll’s houses and garages, and eventually doing some of the silk screen printing. Once she attained her driver’s licence, Julie made small deliveries in her Kombi van.
Del was a doer of all things: as a mother, cooking and cleaning, and as an employee, assembling products. Don remembers her as being unrivalled in gluing—the fastest of all employees and the most accurate. Most of the product range was fully assembled in the factory with only a few items needing minimal assembly by the end-user or shopkeeper. Del also assisted with silk screening and packing.
8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford
Lumberjack Toys at 8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford
Lumberjack Toys at 8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford with delivery truck
Lumberjack Toys at 8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford
October 1976 ad in "The Retailer". Products illustrated are a doll’s house, a service station with a carwash and a magnetic blackboard. The address is Gosford with a Newcastle (NSW) wholesale distributor also listed.
An undated ad featuring Lumberjack's Doll's House.
The original design of Lumberjack's Large Service Station and Carwash as illustrated in various ads
A later version of Lumberjack's Large Service Station and Carwash with revised bowsers
Three gabled dormer windows are featured in this two-storeyed 5-room plus garage doll's house by Lumberjack. Various versions of it were decorated in different colour combinations, with the windows screen-printed with different muntins
October 26, 1977 ad in the Central Coast Express illustrating the Large Service Station and Carwash being available from Caseys Toyworld and Doreen's Toyworld in the Central Coast. Note Lumberjack's address being 8-10 Kirrawee Road, North Gosford.
The back was open for easy play
Exhibiting at Toy Fairs was a must for any Australian toy manufacturer and Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd participated enthusiastically.
Don Windus, Frank Marsh and Charlie installed, attended and ultimately dismantled them while young Julie remembers attending at least one of them.
In 1979, Lumberjack Pty Ltd displayed their products at the Toys and Games Manufacturers of Australia (TAGMA) Toy Fair held in March at Centrepoint Tower in Sydney. The photographs below are from a 1979 publication of “The Retailer”.
The caption reads: "Lumberjack: Popular wooden toys including dolls houses with much interest in the limited edition 2-story colonial dolls house; chalk boards; garages; block wagons and blocks; cradles; nursery furniture; play castle and play fort; stilts; billiard table; games table; table tennis table, dartboard cabinets, etc. Number of new releases inc. a Car Yard and Roadhouse in WOODY WOODPECKER items; Space Station with space buildings; Cape Cod house and single storey Colonial house." Don Windus is seated on the left and his good friend, Don Marsh, on the right.
Another photo shows a closeup of the superb limited edition Colonial dolls house, with Frank Marsh on the left, and Don Windus standing on the right. Seated on the right is John Bassingthwaighte, who had a sports and toy store in Dubbo.
Lumberjack Service Station with car wash
A different variation of Lumberjack's Service Station
Lumberjack Service Station with car wash
Detail of another variation of Lumberjack's Service Station
Lumberjack's Service Station in the Toyworld Christmas catalogue of 1980
Another smaller version of Lumberjack's Service Station
A larger version of Lumberjack's Service Station
Lumberjack Toys' exquisite Colonial Doll's House promoted at the 1979 Trade Fair
Lumberjack Toys' Fort
Lumberjack Toys' Doll's Swinging Cradle
Lumberjack Toys' Toy Box
Lumberjack Toys' Toy Box
Lumberjack Toys' Bobs Set
Lumberjack Toys' Xylophone
Lumberjack Toys' Kiddies' Picnic Table and Benches
Lumberjack Toys' Fold-away Table Tennis Table being demonstrated by Don Windus
Lumberjack Toys' Single-sided Chalkboard
Lumberjack Toys' Double-sided Chalkboard
Lumberjack Toys' Magnetic Chalkboard
Newspaper advertisement listing retail outlets
September 1977 – Flip Over Pool Table – Seated around the table, from front left-to-right, Del (Dellie), Carville, Peter, Charlie and Bruce Goudie
September 1977 – Flip Over Pool Table – Seated around the table, from front left-to-right, Bruce Goudie, Carville, Peter and Charlie
September 1977 – Flip Over Pool Table – Seated around the table, from front left-to-right, Bruc e Goudie, Carville, Peter and Charlie
September 1977 - Del Windus demonstrating the ease of converting a dining table to a pool table
September 1977 - Del Windus making the break
September 1977 - Bruce Goudie making the break
Working the lathe making billiard balls
Working the lathe making billiard balls
Two overhead routers
c1977 - Adrian's Transport engaged to transport large volume deliveries for Lumberjack Toys
c1977 - Adrian's Transport outside the Albany Street, Gosford home of the Windus family, a truck and trailer loaded up for Melbourne and ready to go
1978 - Peter Barry's V8 truck laden with Lumberjack products
1978 - Peter Barry's truck parked behind the Lumberjack factory
Del Windus in a newspaper article before the proposed move to Orange c1978
Del Windus with caption reading, "Mrs. Colleen Windus"
These newspaper articles of 1978 and 1979 show their expectations and ultimate disappointment in being abandoned by the Bathurst-Orange Development Corporation.
More can be read here: https://researchdata.edu.au/agy-1133-bathurst-development-corporation/164974
Newpaper article announcing Lumberjack Toys' intended move to Orange
Another newspaper article detailing the progress of Lumberjack Toys' impending move to Orange
Lumberjack Toys' open invitation to visit their factory/showroom in Gosford
Newpaper article explaining the reasons Lumberjack Toys did not move to Orange
Storage space being limited in Gosford, a warehouse in Punchbowl was shared between 1979 and 1981, facilitating deliveries to the Sydney Metropolitan area.
More Lumberjack stock ready for distribution overseen by Del Windus
Del Windus and Lumberjack stock ready for distribution
From left to right, Don Windus, Charlie Sorenson and Frank Marsh
Shared warehouse in Punchbowl between 1979 and 1981
About May 1981 - Charlie Sorenson and Jules Windus at Lumberjack's Asquith factory. In the background can be seen an assembled 4-room doll's house while in the foreground is a box of newly-cut frames for the gabled dormer windows
About May 1981 - Charlie Sorenson and Jules Windus at Lumberjack's Asquith factory. In the background can be seen an assembled 4-room doll's house while in the foreground is a box of newly-cut frames for the gabled dormer windows
About May 1981 - Jules hard at work, surrounded by parts to be glued together at Lumberjack's Asquith factory. In the foreground is an overhead drill
About May 1981 - Jules hard at work, surrounded by parts to be glued together at Lumberjack's Asquith factory. On the right of the photo is racking with bases to either doll's houses or service stations
About May 1981 - Charlie at Lumberjack's Asquith factory
About May 1981 - Charlie at Lumberjack's Asquith factory
About May 1981 - Charlie at Lumberjack's Asquith factory
About May 1981 - Charlie at Lumberjack's Asquith factory
About May 1981 - Charlie at Lumberjack's Asquith factory
About May 1981 - Charlie at Lumberjack's Asquith factory. In the foreground are some of the completed doll's houses ready for packing and despatch
About May 1981 - Charlie at Lumberjack's Asquith factory enjoying a well-earned tea break
These Lumberjack Toys are some of the survivors of children's play - a little worn but testament to the care taken by Del, Charlie and Jules in assembling and gluing them.
This example is in play worn condition with its petrol bowsers missing. The cars, of course, were not supplied originally.
With thanks to Facebook Marketplace and the seller and with no intention to infringe copyright. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1023405146400389/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A2184b2d9-38ca-4b6b-b2c6-8a7b93b01794
Lumberjack's Esso Service Station on offer through Facebook Marketplace in April 2025
1977 - The Windus children at Molong Road
New Owners of Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd
Allan was well-versed in the toys and hobbies retail trade being the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson who had a long-established toy retail business and who, by only two degrees of separation, had been customers of Bestoys as far back as 1964 when Allan himself was a lad of 8 years of age.
By 1976, the Jackson’s had a fantastically successful business but, also by 1976, a change in the way toys, hobbies, sports and gifts were retailed swept through the industry affecting all involved from manufacturer, importer, wholesaler and retailer: Toyworld. The buying co-operative was formed in 1971 and was slow to start but built momentum until, by the mid-seventies, had retailers clamouring to join. Toyworld became very selective in membership approvals, leaving the remaining toy retailers to either manage on their own – if they were big enough, as was the case for White’s Toyland in Stanmore – or form similar alternative alliances. Uncle Pete’s was one such group and the A.B.C. Toy Shops another. The Jacksons joined the latter and, with the purchasing power of a group, were supplied product by the Windus family’s Lumberjack Toys Pty Ltd as seen in the 1978 A.B.C. Toy Shops catalogue below.
Lumberjack Doll's House ABC catalogue 1978
The Jacksons opened another toy store which needed a trustworthy manager. Allan, now in his early twenties, was just the man but it meant abandoning his dream.
The buying power of the two stores, and being in a buying co-operative, meant larger quantities could be bought and larger discounts negotiated with suppliers. The close proximity of the two stores also meant that customers could easily be satisfied should one item run short in one store; it would be a quick overnight transfer from one to the other.
The young Jackson family ran the factory from their Engadine home, but within a few years, soon outgrew the limited outer-suburban property. More space, and the call of the countryside saw Allan and Liz purchase a small dairy farm with lots of open acreage in Robertson, a rural village nestled in the green heart of the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, 140 kms south-west of Sydney and 47 kms south-west of Wollongong and the coast. There, they continued to make a selected range of Lumberjack products, distributing them to retailers in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
Allan built a mud-brick cottage to accommodate the toy-making factory—an edifice that still stands today and serves as a venue for hire. There was plenty of room on the farm and ample buildings to house the manufactory, store raw materials, and finished goods awaiting despatch.
Local youths were employed as woodworking apprentices, one eventually opening his own woodworking factory in Robertson to make gazebos. (See The Village Woodworks - https://thevillagewoodworks.com.au/)
He also had ready-made assistants on hand to help with the simpler tasks of counting out packets of screws: his children, just as the Bonaretti and Windus kids had done in their respective childhood roles.
By the end of 1985 both businesses had been sold to two different buyers, both of whom operated from the Byrnes Street premises.
In 1987, the original purchaser of the Bestoys manufactory went into liquidation, leaving many of the goods, machinery and raw materials to be sold at auction to satisfy creditors, including the Bonaretti family who were owed a considerable amount in rent.
On 16th July, Allan drove up to Botany and successfully bid on a large quantity of Masonite as well numerous screen-printing frames, flatbed trolleys and a trolley jack, and the custom-made screen-printing drying rack trolleys made by Quality Wrought Iron. He brought these back with him to Robertson; he was quickly outgrowing the allocated buildings on the farm. Wingecarribee Shire Council was concerned about this growth and eventually required Allan find new premises to accommodate this burgeoning enterprise.
Allan was now the owner of a large factory on extensive grounds on an escarpment overlooking the picturesque Kangaroo Valley.
He set about emptying the premises, selling off the stainless-steel vats, removing shelving from the cool rooms, disposing of the sundry equipment, storing the hundreds of cheese boxes, which would later be made into souvenirs of one’s visit to the “Old Cheese Factory”, and remodelling the interior into segregated areas for machinery, spray-painting, silkscreen printing, assembly and storage. Sections of the old cheese factory were walled off and others opened out.
Production of wooden toys and rocking horses would now be carried out in spacious efficiency, much like that he had been shown by Jim Bonaretti during his visit to the Bestoys factory in Botany less than two years prior.
“But where’s the cheese?”
Any cheese factory – old or new – without cheese was an obvious misnomer. To satisfy those guests looking for cheese, Allan provided a range of local and imported cheeses through a new outlet in his café run by an independent retailer.
Babe, the piglet that stole our hearts and made so many new vegetarians
The Big Potato in Robertson - perfect for vegetarians
The Robertson Pie Shop surely with vegetarian pies
Another snap of The Old Cheese Factory posted on Trip Advisor showing rocking horses - with thanks
And another posted on Trip Advisor showing a rocking horse and overlooking the valley - with thanks
The “Old Cheese Factory” was now a destination in itself, offering food, antiques, old wares, and, of course, the range of Lumberjack Toys all under one roof with ample parking and outside dining.
Allan set up a gelateria to make and sell not only traditional Italian ice cream but also frozen yoghurts, now known as SoHi Gelato and still located in the Old Cheese Factory. Mumma’s Country Kitchen continues to offer these as well as a good selection of cheese, preserves and condiments as set up originally by Allan Jackson.
Snapshot of "The Guide" listing of Lumberjack's Toys taken on 3rd December 1998
This image of the wooden products offered shows cart and blocks, a doll's house and "Ukky" Duckling Rockaway on the bottom left-hand corner
Lumberjack's Toys also offered a range of cane products and soft toys
N.E.S.Toy's "Ukky Duckling Rockaway when it was produced in the Bestoys factory
Snapshot of the Robertson Guide taken 24th July 2003
On 4th September, 2017, the Southern Highlands News announced that, “after 28 years of the Robertson Cheese Factory, owners Liz and Allan Jackson are calling it a day.”
Indeed, it was not only the “end of an era for family,” but also the end of an era in wooden toy-making in Australia. No longer would Lumberjack, Bestoys or N.E.S.Toy products be made.
Amendments and more information will be posted soon.
In the meantime, my sincere thanks to Allan Jackson, Judy Fisk of CTC in Robertson who pointed me in the right direction, to Jenny Kenna of Robertson News who published my request for information, to Scott Thomas who took the time to contact me regarding his association with Allan, to Pamela Griffiths-Clarke, archivist, who gave me very helpful hints on where to find further information and, generally, to the wonderful residents of Robertson - their attitude is as beautiful as the countryside they inhabit.
Date unknown
Date unknown
Taken by Felicity W on 8th January 2016
On 17th May 2011, Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd is wound up as the directors of the company are of the opinion that the company will not be able to pay its debts within twelve (12) months. The address of this Lumberjack is not listed, and the liquidators are listed as being in Wagga Wagga.
This coincides with an entry in ASIC's (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) register deregistering a company of the same name. The date of the original registration is 20th May1985, the same year Bestoys Pty Ltd is sold. The former name of Lumberjack Toys Australia Pty Ltd is listed as Brevasi Pty Ltd. The deregistration date is 1st July 2012.
