By BRIDGET SCOTT
THE retiring owner of the Beaconsfield Mower and Tractor Centre said he couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for his auction last Saturday.
Peter Willis referred to it as a “great finale” and was blown away by the crowd the auction attracted on Saturday 12 April.
After 30 years at the helm of this Beaconsfield business, the Clyde North resident has shut up shop and said he was thrilled to see all his stock go at the auction.
“It was like Grand Final day at the MCG,” he said.
“It was a massive crowd – you couldn’t move in the place.”
The auction at the store on the Old Princes Highway kicked off at 8am and Mr Willis said he was still there at 7.30pm that night.
“It was a great outcome, there is no doubt about that,” he said.
“It was exactly what I wanted and a great team effort.”
With his immediate family by his side, the retiring owner said he felt mixed emotions throughout the day.
“It was a bit sad tidying up,” he said.
Sad to say goodbye, Mr Willis said he will leave behind an extremely loyal customer base and was grateful for the support he had received.
“People have spent time to come out and wish me well all across the last month,” he said.
“Some people are still finding out and they’re a bit shell shocked.”
Mr Willis said he has serviced a variety of people from the average home gardener, who needed a backyard lawn mower, to huge businesses.
“I’ve had a great customer base for 30 years who have been very supportive of a local business,” he said.
“It’s been an absolute wonderful blast and I have no regrets.”
