Moree will lose one of its iconic local businesses in June this year.
After nearly 47 years of prominent presence in the business landscape, M & G Travel will close its doors.
M & G Travel’s owner and manager, Elizabeth Whiteley, has been in the business since she was 18.
“Most people don’t know this, but M & G Travel actually stands for Moree and Goondiwindi Travel,” said Mrs Whiteley.
“It was opened by Peter Harney, who was the owner of Goondiwindi Travel at the time, in October 1978 when he approached Mark Tramby to open a Moree Branch.”
Neither travelling nor working in the travel industry had been on the horizon for Mrs Whiteley at the time.
“I’d just done my HSC and sat for my nursing exam, but, as luck would have it, something went wrong, and my papers got lost on the way to Sydney, and I missed the cut-off.”
“Because of the delay, I would have to wait 12 months to start my nursing qualifications, and Mum said I needed to look for a job. I knew nothing about travel, but Mark offered me an intern position, and I fell in love with the role.”
Mrs Whiteley has worked in the business since April 1979, covering 46 years with the same company.
Her husband Allan, who had previously worked in banking, government and employment services, purchased the business in 2005.
“The transition from employee to manager was probably the most difficult, but we had a fantastic team at the time, and Mark and Peter were invaluable as we learned the ropes,” said Mrs Whiteley.
“By the time we decided we were ready to purchase the business, Allan had already started working part-time in the agency. We were also the ground handlers for QANTAS in Moree, so I was doing the check-ins at the airport, and he was baggage handling.”
The Whiteleys continued to juggle their work in the travel agency and at the airport until September 2022.
M & G Travel originally had premises in Balo Street. It moved to its current location in Heber Street during COVID.
“COVID was a hard time for all travel agents, and we moved premises in the middle of it all. Initially, we were swamped trying to help people navigate cancelled travel plans. Then we entered the phase where travel was such an uncertainty,” said Mrs Whiteley.
“We lost our last two remaining staff members during that time, and by the time travel picked up again, it was just Allan and me working in the shop, and we just didn’t have time to train anybody new. It’s such an involved job, and training is very intensive, so spending the time training another staff member wasn’t an option for us.”
“Our 5-year lease on Heber Street ends this June, so we decided to close the business at this time. We’re 65 this year, though, and we’re ready for a change of pace.”
When asked if selling the business was an option, Mrs Whiteley said, “It was, and we have had some interest. Unfortunately, the interested parties are not in town, and because we have no staff remaining to run things once we’re gone, it just hasn’t been a possibility – there’s still a few months to go, though, so you never know.”
At this stage, M & G Travel is still open; however, they will only take bookings for travel until the end of June.
Once they close the doors and tidy up the inevitable loose ends that come with business ownership, Mrs Whiteley has said they’re keen to get back into travelling themselves. They’ll then come home to spend some much-needed time with loved ones and catch up on jobs around the house.
“It’s very surreal to think that we’ll be ending things this year, and sad as well,” said Mrs Whiteley.
“When I started this job, it was just supposed to fill some time, but I fell in love with travelling and creating a journey for someone.”
“Mark was always fantastic to work for, and we’ve had some great teams over the years. I am very sad that there’s no one to take on the agency, but we’re both Moree born and bred, so we’ll still very much be a part of the community.”
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