Fifty years is a long time to do anything, let alone the same job.
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Fortunately for hairdressers Sue Ottrey and Toni Ridge of Hakkas, each day of those more than 50 years has offered something new, from fresh faces to timely trends and everything in between.
Hakkas started, as all good ideas do, after a few too many glasses of champagne between best friends.
It was 1979 and Toni, who was born and raised in Sale, had just relocated to Echuca for her husband’s work.
She quickly found a job and, within a few weeks, a new best friend in Joanne Monahan.
After the aforementioned champagne, a business idea was born, and the pair secured themselves a lease in an arcade on Hare St, opening Hakkas Hair Design.
Within a year, Sue had joined the team, filling a maternity vacancy left by Toni.
“It was lucky Toni got knocked up and they needed someone,” she laughed.
“The timing was perfect.”
Sue and Toni hit it off instantly, building a rapport which extended far beyond that of regular co-workers.
“It’s like we’re married,” Sue joked.
“We know each other so well, we can tell what the other person’s thinking.
“In 46 years of working together, we’ve never had a fight.”
In 1982, the young business was struck by tragedy when co-founder Joanne died after a battle with cancer.
Even more than 40 years later, her loss is still deeply felt, with a tribute to the late hairdresser having pride of place on the wall by the door.
It’s a tribute emblematic of the family-like workplace culture Toni and Sue have cultivated over the decades.
“So many faces come through our doors,” Toni said.
“We’ve had some clients we’ve been looking after for 47 years, and we’ve got staff who’ve been there nearly as long, too.
“It’s really like a family ... sometimes it’s a bit too close.”
Having staff you can trust and lean on is always important, especially for a job like hairdressing, where Sue and Toni find themselves wearing multiple hats a day.
The duo serve as beauticians, amateur therapists, hype people, stand-up comedians and much more before they even have lunch most days, variety they usually enjoy.
“We’ve made some beautiful friends,” Sue said.
“But the downside is sometimes people aren’t always having a great day.
“We do occasionally get told things we’d rather not hear.”
But as they do with everything, the duo take it in their stride, understanding the connection they provide means the world to some of their clients.
“We had a woman who came here every Thursday to get her hair done,” Toni said.
“Every single week for 47 years, and we’ve just been to her funeral.
“It’s really sad, but we’re also really lucky we get to form these kinds of bonds with our clients.”
Sue said most days they would have someone in their chair every half hour.
“If we need to find something out about what’s going on in town, we get to chat to such a good cross-section of the community every day we usually know what’s happened by six o’clock,” she said.
Those connections are one of Sue and Toni’s favourite parts of the job, perhaps only topped by getting to witness the impact their work has on the confidence of their clients.
“It’s just the best,” Sue said.
“I’ve had some clients who love our services so much they ring up from places like Hong Kong to book in with us.”
Toni also has a roster of international clients, but for her, her most meaningful work comes from a place closer to home.
“I have a lot of people with cancer I look after,” she said.
“I’ve been doing it for 30 years, helping them out with wigs and whatever I can do to give them some sort of control during a really challenging period of their life.
“Hair is so personal, it’s just incredible to watch the transformation in confidence someone can go through in just an hour in the chair.”
After 50 and 55 years with the scissors in hand for Sue and Toni respectively, they still aren’t quite ready to throw in the dye-soaked towel just yet.
“We’re both slowing down, but who knows when we’ll finish,” Toni said.
“I’ll cut hair forever, it’s what I love. Sue’s got a lot of different interests which is lovely, but for me, this is my biggest passion and I want to do it for as long as I possibly can.”