When it came to writing his first biography, there was no one more suitable for award-winning author Jock Serong than Fletcher Jones.
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While most people know about the revolutionary Fletcher Jones manufacturing and retail clothing empire, not everyone knows the full story of the man behind it all.
Serong has dug through the archives and spoken to Fletcher's 12 grandchildren as well as former employees to bring his story to life in the new book.
It follows his life growing up in Bendigo and leaving school at 13 to his service during the World War I that ended with him being "buried alive" by a shell explosion in France and then his rise to becoming a "visionary" businessman.
The idea to pen the biography came after Serong wrote an article about Warrnambool's Fletcher Jones building that was published in a national magazine.
He said usually he heard nothing about the articles he wrote but this one sparked a flood of responses.
"This was an unusual one where people really responded and had stories," Serong said.
He took his proposal for a biography to his publisher and agent. "No one's done it, which is sort of incredible," he said.
"There's a sweet spot where there's a lot of documents, there's a big archive, there's still living witnesses you can talk to and yet no one's written a book."
Serong, who lives in the nearby town of Port Fairy, said he had to balance Warrnambool's story with the national story in the book.
"Nationally, it's the story of the textile industry and tariffs and wool and First World War and the gold rush and lots of other things," he said.
"I think Fletcher's war service would surprise people.
"As a young man, he would have been just short of 21. He was involved in the Battle of Fromelles.
"I'm not a war historian...but I researched it. It's still the worst night of carnage in our national history."
There were more than 5000 casualties and about 1900 people died.
"He lived through that and came out the other side of it, this unsinkable optimist who was really good to people," Serong said.
"He had his injuries and his problems but to have come through such a horrific thing as such a tremendous optimist is pretty incredible.
"That's the other thing that I think would surprise readers is that Warrnambool's philanthropy is kind of national leading."
Serong said a lot of that came down to the system of philanthropy that Fletcher and local solicitor Neil Symons devised - a legacy that has continued with Fletcher's grandchildren.
Other businesses have also followed the example, Serong said, and now Warrnambool has a "huge amount" of money that was used for charitable purposes.
Dressed for success with new Fletcher Jones wardrobe
With several book launches set to take place in September, Serong said he had spent the past few months scouring op shops for old Fletcher Jones pieces and borrowing others.
"I've actually built up a little collection of jackets and suits," he said.
Serong said while he knew nothing about fashion, even he could see Fletcher Jones clothing was built to last.
"It's a big facet of the whole thing, the quality. How beautifully made they were," he said.
He said Fletcher Jones clothing came with a repair guarantee.
"They built special facilities out there to do dry cleaning and repairs," he said.
It's not just Fletcher's story that Serong knows inside out; it's also the history of the building, even down to how the fence along Flaxman Street was made.
"They're aircraft anchors from Mangalore airfield. Fletcher Jones at the time said 'these things will last 100 years'. He was dead right," Serong said.
After having penned seven novels, A Suitable Man is Serong's first biography.
He is also now working on a history of the Port Fairy Folk Festival, which will be published in a few months, ahead of the 50th anniversary.
Serong, who started out working as a barrister in Warrnambool before becoming an author, also writes for the screen.
"It's a good life," he said.
Serong said when he was a boy, he only wanted to write. "I took this enormous left turn somewhere and became a lawyer for ages and then came back to it," he said.
One of the TV projects he has written for is set to hit the screen later this month - Paramount's Dalliance starring Hugo Weaving, Heather Mitchell, David Wenham, Wayne Blair and Georgie Parker
"It was a really fun creative project," Serong said.
He said it was from the same Sydney production house responsible for popular Australian TV shows such as Offspring and Love My Way.
"Those producers have taken the same concept and applied it to a group of friends going through life stuff but they're in their 60s," Serong said.
- A Suitable Man hits bookshelves on September 1, 2026.
