Heward Family

After battle on the front lines of the First World War, Amos “Jack” Heward returned home, to develop a small soldier settlement in Monash, where Jack and his wife, Margie, raised their two daughters and two sons, their eldest being John “JH” Heward.

Like his father, JH lived in Monash with his wife, Rene, and they raised four children, Tony, Donald, Bruce and Mick - one of the central characters in our Growers Gate story. JH was a pioneer in the region, highly admired by growers for his attention to detail and skill as a viticulturalist.

Our story continues from father to son, with JH and Rene forming a partnership with Mick and his wife, Jo. Together they purchased the riverfront estate at Younghusband and endeavoured to transform the old apricot orchard into a modern vineyard.

Recalling his first day of ownership, where the irrigation pump caught alight, Mick describes the transformation as a “two steps forward, one step backwards” journey. None the less, it is a journey they are proud of and one that celebrates the memory of JH, who sadly passed in 2015.

Today, Mick runs the property with his two sons, Mitchell and Brock, continuing on his father’s lifework to produce quality fruit across a range of varieties, including Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Their success has been achieved by hard work, local knowledge and assisted by the vineyard’s unique microclimate, providing ideal growing and ripening conditions.

In addition to land and viticulture, JH was passionate about restoring vehicles from the days gone by. His most beloved possession ‘Jack-28’, a 1928 A-Model Truck, eponymous for his father Amos ‘Jack’ Heward. Mick recalls how ‘Jack-28’ “sat under a cedar berry” for his entire childhood, with his father reiterating his intentions to restore the A-Model Truck.

True to his word, JH restored ‘Jack’ to its former glory. Now owned by JH’s son, Donald, ‘Jack-28’ made a recent public appearance, when Mitchell borrowed it to chauffeur his date to their school formal. Despite the fleet of smart cars used to take the graduates to their big night, it was ‘Jack’ who stole the show.

We are proud to have the opportunity to partner Mick, Jo, Mitchell and Brock, as we jointly work together to build the Grower’s Gate range and continue the tradition and hard work started by Jack and JH over a century ago.