Anne Williams and her family have been the warm, friendly faces behind the counter of Tosh’s Convenience Store for just under a decade. Tosh’s has stood as the Burdekin’s go to for a loaf of bread on Sunday to family burger night for over 50 years, and Anne, her husband Neil and their family are extremely proud of all they have achieved for both the business and the community.
On Monday April 15, Tosh’s Convenience Store officially came under new management and Anne, Neil, their daughter Hayley, and daughter-in-law Shontay look back on their time in the business fondly as they close this chapter.
The family took over the business just under a decade ago when Anne was looking for a career change from her time as midwife at the Ayr Hospital.
“Anne wanted a bit of a change, and then one day she was just walking past Tosh’s and noticed the sign here,” recalled Neil.
“She mentioned it to me, and so I went down to the real estate, and it was ours within three months.”
Hayley and Shontay managed the business for the first two years of operations until Anne left her nursing role after 40 years to take over management. In 2022, Neil officially retired from the building industry and assisted the women of the business in running and managing Tosh’s. Today, the business runs with up to 28 staff members at a time, from full-time employees to school aged casuals learning the ropes of their first ever job.
“We’ve put through over 200 juniors that started here as their first job, and we get a lot of different personalities and most of them tend to enjoy it,” explained Neil.
Tosh’s is infamous for their mouthwatering burgers, attracting attention from both travelers and locals, with many visiting the store regularly to grab a bite.
As the family’s time in the business comes to a close, they feel it’s the people and the regular conversations with both staff and customers they’ll miss the most.
“It’s been lovely to have such really great customers and there’s a lot of people that come here as a meeting place,” Neil recalled.
“There’d be times when people would come out and sit with strangers, and then we’d see them back the next week having a coffee with their new friends,” explained Hayley.
Anne recalled many people expressing they could never find a seat at the ever-full outdoor tables, and especially remembers their regular group of Thursday ladies that prompted the installation of the store’s exterior awnings.
“They actually wrote me a poem which I’ve still got at home about putting shade up,” added Neil.
The Williams family gratefully thanked the community for their support over their time in the business.
“Now is the time for Anne and myself to retire, get in the caravan and head off into the wild blue yonder,” said Neil.
“We wish the new business owners all the best for their future endeavours and thank all of our valued customers over the years for their support.”
L-R Neil Williams, Shontay Williams, Hayley Escriva and Anne Williams
