'Stuart Rusden Stoneman was a businessman, art collector and quiet philanthropist who strongly believed that the success he achieved in business should service the communities in which he worked and gained that success. Born in 1927, he grew up in Castlemaine and lived there until retiring to Mt Macedon in 1989. He was a grocer by trade and a gentleman by nature. He lived life to the full and enjoyed engaging in debate on matters political, social and theological with academics, politicians or his mates at the local pub.
'His was a life in a context circumscribed by the rise of supermarket chains. An independent grocer to the core, he held firm against their growing might, fought for his share of the market with a unique style, and successfully held off challenges by these giants of the retail food industry by developing his own chain of Stonemans Supermarkets throughout regional Victoria. This book weaves the story of a colourful, determined individual through the fascinating history of an everyday trade.' (Publication summary)
