THE family-owned and operated Baldwin Boats celebrated 50 years of getting people on the water this week, and the company shows no signs of slowing down.
Second generation running the operation and current owner Chris Baldwin said he attributes the company’s longevity to his family’s love for the river and the region.
“Murray River water gets in your blood,” he said. “Dad always loved the river, and he just loved being on it.
“It’s almost a disease, and I suppose you do get addicted to it.
“My wife and I have travelled all over Australia and all over the world, but we always like to come back to Mildura, it’s our home, it’s part of our lives.”
Mr Baldwin highlighted how far the company has come since the business’s humble beginnings .
“My father was a house builder by trade, but he was very passionate about the river and fishing and probably water skiing more than anything,” he said.
“This property came up for auction in 1966, and came down his lunch break not expecting to buy the property, and he did and won the bid won the auction.
“The main reason that he bought this property was that it was so close to the ski club.
“In 1974, he started converting from building houses to building houseboats, which wasn’t a clean-cut transition, but (the company) just grew from there.”
Mr Baldwin’s daughter and current operation’s manager Madison said the people of the region are a big reason why the company is where it is today.
“We’ve been supporters of a lot of local community events like the ski race and a lot of other boating and fishing competitions,” she said.
“There’s been a really big involvement on our part because we love being a part of this community and encouraging the tourism side of things as well.
“I’ve got some great connections in that regard to having some great friends with many of them now having their businesses, and we’re all working together in the community.”
“It’s great for everybody to be all connected.”
