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Friedrich Robert Abrecht was born in Stuttgart, Wurttemburg, Germany in 1855.
As a very young man, he learned the trade of designing and making fine jewellery under his father in Stuttgart. Due to his abhorrence of the militarism, which prevailed when Germany was welded into one nation after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871, under the domination of Prussia, he decided to leave his family and migrate to Australia. On the long voyage by ship he met and befriended a young Australian returning home from England who gave him lessons in English. Shortly after their arrival in Melbourne, Friedrich established in 1875 a business under the name of Fred. Robt. Abrecht which he operated from his rented accommodation by importing items of jewellery from Germany and offering them to retail jewellers. At the same time he started attending the Albert Street Baptist Church, which at that time was renowned for the eloquence of its preacher and he thought this would be a good way of improving his English. It was at this church that he met Sarah Anne Lindsey who, with her mother, had migrated from England in 1867 when she was nine. In 1878 Friedrich and Sarah, who had been working at Buckley & Nunn, were married in the very same church and in the following years had many children, three of whom were boys: Lindsey, Brisbane and Percy. Years later, when his sons had finished their education, they all joined their father in the business which by 1903 had moved into the City of Melbourne Chambers, a building on the south east corner of Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets. It was at these premises during a weekend in 1911 that burglars broke in and carried out the biggest jewellery robbery Melbourne had until then experienced. The profound affect this event had on Fred. Robert may have been a cause of his death in November 1915, at the age of fifty six. From then on the business was continued by Brisbane and younger brother Percy in partnership, as Lindsey preferred to go fruit farming. By this time the main focus was the importation of diamonds and other precious stones and the manufacture of fine gem set jewellery, which has continued to this day. In 1925 the business moved once again as first tenant into the fourth floor of the newly completed “York House” at 294-296 Little Collins Street and there it remained, serving the retail jewellers throughout Australia from Hobart to Cairns, from Melbourne to Perth to Darwin, until 1977, during which time several major events took place which had quite a bearing on the business: In 1930, due to being the highest creditor of the Bourke Street jewellery store “Dumbrells” when that business became bankrupt, Fred. Robt. Abrecht unwittingly became the new owner of the retail shop. As a consequence, Percy, the younger partner took on the running of the newly acquired concern while Bris. continued to look after the old firm, until in 1934 he was joined by his two sons, Bruce and Noel, making the third generation of Abrechts. Not long afterwards the Brisbane-Percy partnership was dissolved! |
The two new members of the firm both did their stint of interstate travelling as well as learning the art of jewellery making together with the many facets of gemmology. By 1939 the partnership of father and two sons was made official, but tragically only lasted until April 1941 when Bris. died aged 54 years, leaving the boys to carry on. Noel's only son, the fourth generation Abrecht, joined his uncle and father for a short time but his heart was just not in the family business and he left to follow other interests. Sadly, as Bruce had no son, the line of succession was at last broken! As fate would have it, who should decide, after many successful years in advertising, but Noel's son in law, Leon Corn, to tender his resignation and join Fred. Robt. Abrecht in the jewellery trade, which he adapted to very readily and soon became very proficient in gemmology and the knowledge of fine jewellery manufacture. Leon was to become President of the Gemmological Association Victorian Branch and is currently serving on the Committee of the Jewellers Association of Australia as Grievance Officer of the Victorian Branch. It was not long before Leon joined Bruce and Noel as a third partner; a partnership which turned out to be a truly excellent one. During 1977, much to the dismay of the very many jewellery trade occupants, the A.M.P. bought “York House” and several adjoining buildings and forced the eviction of all tenants, which in F.R.A's case ended a tenancy of 54 years! Unbelievably, “York House” is today, as it has been for 28 years, unoccupied - except for the retail arcade known as The Walk. As a result of this untoward happening, the business was transferred to “Wales Corner” Collins Street, when only a year or so afterwards the firm suffered yet another sad blow with the sudden death of Bruce, which left Noel and Leon at the helm to carry on the old name. In 1994 Noel retired on his 77th birthday, just 60 years after joining the firm, and left Leon to take over. In 1992, Fred. Robt. Abrecht formed a partnership with an old and friendly competitor. Sharing similar attitudes to quality, these two firms had vied for retailers’ business for decades. The younger partner (J. Bird & Son) had persisted with trade business and the joining offered the advantage of a vastly enlarged product range, a highly respected workshop and improved purchasing power. The merger heralded the start of a new era with the concentration of effort towards the ever increasing retail clientele, which had been growing steadily over the past three decades. For 15 years a melding of philosophies, attitudes, ideas and staff resulted in one complete entity, trading as Abrecht Jewellers. Now in the year 2008 the Abrecht flag still flies at Level 2, 227 Collins Street (“Wales Corner”), 133 years after its inception in Australia, keeping alive one of the very old names in the Australian Jewellery Industry. |
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