A Legacy Continues: Ben Arnold Joins the Family Business

2007 marked another milestone in Arnold's history as the fifth generation entered the business when Ben Arnold, aged 18, joined fulltime after completing Year 12 at Albury High School. However, Ben's connection to Arnold's stretched back much further – to his first "official" job at the tender age of eight during school holidays, complete with a carefully preserved pay packet showing earnings of $57 for 19 hours of work at $3 an hour. "I remember asking him for a pay rise, and it went up to $3.50 an hour," Ben recalled with amusement.

Like the generations before him, Ben had served his unofficial apprenticeship through casual work during school holidays and weekends. "I worked every single Saturday in 2007," he noted. These early experiences, though sometimes challenging – "I used to think to myself it was a bloody long day and I have got the rest of my life to do this" – laid the foundation for his future role in the business.

But behind the traditional story of another Arnold joining the family business lay a more personal tale of father-son bonding. The daily lunchtimes shared between Ben and Roger had become a cherished tradition, starting from Ben's earliest days accompanying his father to work. "It wasn't so much because I was hungry and I wanted to eat, but it was time to spend with dad," Ben explained. "When I was at school dad would go to work at 6 in the morning and come home at 6 at night – I'd see him on weekends. I really, really loved the lunch times we spent together." This tradition continued into Ben's fulltime role, with father and son still sharing daily lunches, discussing business or simply enjoying each other's company.

Ben Arnold (2012)

When asked about his decision to join Arnold's rather than pursue a different path, Ben's answer reflected both practical wisdom and personal admiration: "I just wanted to earn money. I saw how Dad worked and I thought I'd be happy with that. He became my role model." While Roger had left the choice open, saying "If you want to come to Arnold's, you can," Ben knew his father would have been disappointed had he chosen differently. "I always knew that's what I wanted to do, and haven't considered anything else."

Ben's entry into the business represented more than just the arrival of the fifth generation; it symbolised the continuing strength of the family bonds that had helped sustain Arnold's through more than a century of service to the community. The daily lunches shared between father and son served as a reminder that at its heart, Arnold's remained very much a family business, where personal relationships and professional responsibilities were inextricably intertwined.