Paul Jarman looks back fondly on his 16th birthday and the foresight of his grandmother.
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Her gift of an apron, mixing bowl and spoon set him on the path to his own hospitality group of hotels and restaurants.
The Campaspe Shire Rochester Ward councillor is the founder and director of the Jarman Group, which boasts two Bendigo and three Echuca venues. He's travelled a long way from his formative years as an apprentice in the kitchen at Echuca Hospital.
There is no denying the drive of the hotel entrepreneur. His message was loud and clear when it came to explaining how he ended up with five hotels and restaurants to his name.
“I get out of bed before everyone else and go to bed after everyone is asleep.
“I don’t think I am particularly smarter than anyone else, I just have a drive to get things done,” he said.
Cr Jarman grew up in Rochester, in a Johnson St housing commission home and was initially inspired to pursue a career in the kitchen by his mother – along with the gentle push from his gift-bearing grandmother.
“My mum worked at Rochester Hospital in the kitchen.
“Mum was always an awesome home cook, then for my 16th birthday my grandma gave me a mixing bowl, a spoon and an apron.
“She said ‘you like cooking, here you go’,” Cr Jarman said.
After 18 months in the Echuca Hospital kitchen the motivated apprentice relocated to Melbourne with a goal - to get as much experience as possible.
He travelled through Europe and America for more than two years, working in London, Paris and several other countries; some of the 90 he has visited in his extensive travels.
“I am pretty proud of my work at Le Pont de la Tour, where I was a sous chef in a brigade of about 30 chefs,” he said.
The French restaurant sits alongside Tower Bridge, on the banks of the Thames River in London.
He shared his early years with two sisters and three step-siblings and now has three children of his own - the spark in his voice obvious when talking about the trio.
“I’m proud of the fact that I have been able to achieve one of my aims as a parent, which was to educate my kids to the best level I could afford.
“My daughter, Alinta , went to a boarding school at Griffith. My two sons went to Xavier College in Melbourne and are both at uni in Melbourne doing commerce,” he said.
“I’m probably closest to my two sisters, one is a hippy type, chilled out person. Sometimes I wish I had her life.
“My other sister has been in the military for a long time and has been quite successful.
“I think we share the philosophy, if you want to do something, be that strapping yourself to a tree with a chain or building a business, then do it. Don’t just talk about it,” he said.
Cr Jarman's first project in the hospitality game was with Oscar W's, a highly regarded restaurant in Echuca.
“I worked there when it was the Riverside restaurant, owned by Warwick Turner,” he said.
Cr Jarman set up the OPT nightclub before purchasing the Star Hotel in 2009 and then the Henry’s Bridge Hotel in 2016.
Following soon after was the Kennington Tavern and Stella, both of his Bendigo premises, in 2018 and 2019.
He has a capable deputy in Kerrie Pitts, who he describes as the cornerstone of his support in the business.
She and his partner, Natalie, sit comfortably alongside him as the company looks at further expansion post the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have two projects which we have been sitting on during COVID, which we hope to have up and running once we have a better idea of what is ahead of us,” he said,
Natalie manages the company’s Bendigo operation, having a history in hospitality.
Cr Jarman’s sporting career took a couple of different forms. He was your typical winter footballer and summer cricketer, eventually evolving into cycling and triathlons.
But, as you can imagine, everything went on the backburner as he built his company to its current level.
His decision to throw his hat into the local government ring came through frustration rather than enthusiasm.
“I was a bit frustrated with local government at the time. That was pretty much my motivation to get into council, I saw it as a challenge.
“Initially I was probably driven my negative motivation, but at the same time I thought I could bring some business sense to the table,” he said
Cr Jarman remembers being in the room when he was first announced as a successful candidate, in 2011.
“It was my son’s birthday, October 28.
“I was nervous like anyone, after all you are being judged by a community. Not necessarily a comfortable situation.
“When I was voted in, our names just popped up on a computer screen and it was a process of elimination. Eventually I was one of the last three names on the screen.
“It all happened in about a minute,” he explained.
“I remember having to leave straight away to get to my son’s 10th birthday.”
Cr Jarman said his unsuccessful bid to maintain his seat on the council in 2016 was a learning experience, which probably allowed him to focus on his business.
“As it turns out losing my seat on council the second time round was the catalyst of having the time, and energy, to expand my business. The result is what I have today,” he said.
Cr Jarman said he probably has a few people who drove a campaign to see him lose his seat on the council to thank for the position he finds himself in today.
“I only just missed out, but with the timeline of my business it turned out to be a good thing.
“I should probably thank the people that went to the effort to not have me there, because it allowed my business to grow.”
Cr Jarman was re-elected to the council in 2020.
There are a number of things that he lists as “moments of pride” while on the council, but passing the motion for the new Echuca-Moama bridge to go ahead was a big one.
“We passed the motion that put the bridge where it is after 20 years of discussions, and another 20 years before that of wishing they had done something,” Cr Jarman said.
He has a goal to develop tourism and agriculture in the shire and also have a better understanding of First Nations culture in the community.
“Something that acknowledges where we live and the land on which we live.”
As for the future, he said during the back end of his current term on the council he would sit down with his family and discuss the future.
“I haven’t really thought about anything too further past that.”
Cr Jarman said the Place Based Plans put in place for the Campaspe Shire were a real opportunity for communities to have a say on the future of their towns.
“I’d recommend people get involved in those processes that directly relate to your communities.”
As for what is tougher, business or council, he said it depended on the day.
“There are times where I ask why do I do this and other times I end the day saying, ‘I think I made a difference today’.”
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