RON & ROBIN

The Age newspaper published an article in 2003 on the Ron and Robin success story

Permission to reproduce the article in full is currently being sought from the Fairfax Digital,  the owners of the copyright

In the meantime, here is an extract of that article

Think pink

Ron Chapman says being gay is an advantage in the painting and decorating business.

A”How can you tell if you’ve been burgled by a gay man?” Ron Chapman asks. “The furniture has been rearranged - gorgeously!” He laughs uproariously.

It’s the kind of joke Chapman feels comfortable telling because he and his business partner, Robin Ganser, are gay men. Not just gay men but very out gay men. Together, they’re Ron & Robin, painters and decorators.

……………

Marketing benefits aside, Chapman says their in-your-face status as “pink” painters serves another purpose.

“I was very isolated as a country gay boy emerging in a homophobic environment in the 1960s and ’70s. I grew up thinking it was a terrible affliction.

“If I’d had a local Ron or Robin with the rainbow flag fluttering from his ute, I might have had the courage to come out a lot sooner,” he says.

“So yes. It’s very much a political statement, too.”

Thank you to the Age newspaper