Tom Leslie Byers - Master Tailor and Businessman

Just over a century ago this year, a young returned serviceman arrived in Proserpine and set about establishing a tailoring business - a business that would flourish and serve the community with a standard of excellence for a period of 42 years. Tom Leslie Byers went on to become one of our most respected and successful businessmen, creating a substantial pool of employment locally and servicing clientele from near and far. There was no tailor in either Bowen or Collinsville at the time so Tom also serviced their tailoring needs.

Tom was born in Charters Towers on October 3, 1894. He moved to Ayr when he was 16 and began his apprenticeship under his father before later going to Sydney where he finished his trade training as a tailor and cutter with David Jones.

With the outbreak of World War I, Corporal Tom Leslie Byers - Lewis Gunner AIF Military Service No 2127 served his country for four years.

Two years after leaving the battlefields, Tom opened his tailoring business in premises in Main Street, close to the present site of Deicke’s Arcade on April 6, 1921. A few months later, he returned to Ayr where he married Miss Isabella Mary Brook on September 27. Tom and Belle raised a family of five sons and one daughter - Jack, Ray, Athol, Glen, Ken and Rosemary.

Tom’s business prospered and at one stage, in the 1940s, he had twelve employees. One such staff member gave an idea of the day’s activity:

‘Our working hours were from 8am to 5pm with an hour for lunch, 5 days/week. Those days most men wore suits ...... We worked in a big room sitting around a very large table. There were three big machines … In the next room, Mr Byers stood for hours at his high table cutting out coats, pants and vests. The ironing was usually attended to by the men, as the iron weighed in at 14lb (approximately 6kg). The cloths had to be dampened to iron the finished articles ... The apprentices swept the floor after sprinkling water to help collect threads which were hard to move because the floor was splintery.’

Many returning soldiers post WW1 had a suit tailored by Tom Byers and most girls who left to be married were able to sew for their families as they were taught so well. Tom Byers was remembered as a “first class boss and a real gentleman”; “always respectful of his staff.”

What a wonderful legacy! A returned soldier and successful businessman; producer of immaculate suits and trousers; a gentleman at all times, fondly remembered by his satisfied customers and his many employees.

Tom Leslie Byers retired in 1963 and maintained an active interest in civic affairs such as the Masonic Lodge and RSL. He died on September 10, 1971.

Story and photo courtesy of Proserpine Historical Museum.

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