Rob Barlow celebrates 30 years as the boss of Tablelands Builders

But the decision he made then has allowed him to lead one of the city's longest-serving businesses for 30 years, and that alone fills him with a sense of pride.

Mr Barlow's 30^th anniversary as director comes in the same year as Tablelands Builders marks an incredible 70 years in business.

The Bathurst building company was started by four German immigrants and it was the last surviving owner, Karl Matiszik, who sold the business to Mr Barlow.

The two went back a long way, with Mr Matiszik interviewing a young Mr Barlow when he was 16 years old and deciding what subjects to take for his Higher School Certificate.

Mr Barlow ended up doing a degree in building construction in Sydney and spent 10 years there.

He returned to Bathurst in 1989.

"I was in town for two hours and Karl rang me and said, 'I hear you're a good carpenter, do you want a job? Can you start on Monday?'. Well, that was Sunday night," Mr Barlow said with a laugh.

He was 29 years old at the time and didn't hesitate to take the job.

Five years later, he was taking over the business from Mr Matiszik, who was looking to move away from the building industry so he could focus on his new business, the Bathurst Convention and Function Centre.

Mr Barlow can't quite recall who approached who, but it was a mutual agreement that he would take over Tablelands Builders.

It was a challenging time, though, as he had to learn to juggle the roles of business owner and father.

"It wasn't a good time in my life," he said.

"Our third child was a baby and it was just crazy hectic."

But he and his wife made it work, with her taking on extra responsibility at home when it was needed.

Mr Barlow said he made sure to adopt good business practices at work, which he was able to do thanks to his time studying in Sydney.

Looking back on his time as director of Tablelands Builders, there have been plenty of things he has enjoyed.

At the top of the list is the opportunity it has given him to establish himself in the Bathurst community.

"And also, the sense of family, the people. The Tablelands business family has been a huge support network," he said.

After 30 years in charge, he is looking to the future of the business.

He said he has spent the last five years mentoring Wayne Lockie to be his successor, which will give him more time to involve himself in the community.

Mr Lockie has been a long-term employee at Tablelands Builders and said he plans to "keep the legacy going".

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