Proprietors Tom and Christine 0'Toole said....."it had always been a long term plan to offer partnerships to employees..... and this new venture is an exciting challenge for us all". Joining the new owner-management team are four employees - Lyn Thomas, Sharon 0'Toole, Jennifer Scheurmann and Marty Matassoni. Sharon, 23 who is Tom's daughter, will manage the Echuca Bakery and is looking forward to living and working in Echuca with her baker partner - Adam Jenkins. Sharon has a hospitality/retail background and gained much experience working overseas for more than 2 years and more recently, with the Beechworth family business.

Tom is confident about developing his Echuca Bakery..... "I'm passionate about the region - beautiful rivers (I grew up in Tocumal), a great climate and a colourful history.....it's a wonderful visitor destination.... and its a pro-active town with a terrific line-up of events throughout the year! We'll be focusing on what we do best - good bakery products and customer service and creating a welcoming environment. We want this to be a fun place to meet for the local community and our visitors.... and to be enjoyed with family and friends. We know we will have our work cut out to get everything humming over the next months and we are prepared to work long hours, put in the staff training and fine tune our plans to settle into Echuca for the long run. We are very committed."

The Bakery team apologize for any inconvenience caused by the closure of the operation during this week while a frenetic schedule of modifications and fit-outs is underway, prior to the "new look" Bakery opening this Saturday - September 22 at the start of the school holidays. Many local contractors including electricians, plumbers, signwriters, cleaners etc are involved and we wish to acknowledge their co-operation and support. During the week, extensive staff training has been in place. Forty retail staff and 10 bakers are ready to make it all happen!

Some great Opening Week Specials will be a feature, including live weekend entertainment with hot Blues artist 'Harpin Mama' and fun promotional activities for the local community.