The Journey of 
The JAC Group

Two months before completing his studies in Prague, Josef met his best friend Bedřich Lysý and another friend in March 1950 at the Pilgrimage Church of St John of Nepomuk near Žd'ár to plan their escape. Thinking he may never see his family again Josef organised a photo with his parents, brother and sisters without telling them of his plans for fear they would be persecuted by the authorities if they knew. After completing his studies on the 30th May, Josef sold his belongings and met his best friend at an inn to finalise their plans. While checking-in at the pub the teenagers raised the suspicions of the innkeeper. Half an hour later, Josef and his friend had two Communist Party police banging on their room door demanding to know what they were up to. Josef told the police they were on holidays after finishing their studies and the officers took down their details before leaving. After that close encounter Josef dared not visit his family one last time for fear that they would be implicated in supporting his escape. 

On the 8th June 1950, Josef with only a small suitcase containing all his worldly possessions, together with his two friends, set out from Znojmo at 9:30 pm walking by moonlight through farms and forests across the Czech-Austrian border guarded by minefields and soldiers patrolling with dogs. Josef and his friends eventually reached Pfaffendorf in the Russian occupied zone of Austria at 2:30 am. They then separated at the railway station to avoid raising the suspicion of authorities, as had occurred only days before when they were together at the inn. Unfortunately, Josef’s best friend was captured that night by soldiers and shot in the legs trying to escape before being imprisoned to work in dangerous mines, while the other friend he never heard from again. After buying a ticket Josef boarded the train, but authorities were also searching inside the coaches, so he stepped off the train and walked up the platform past the search party. He then boarded the train again further up where the authorities had already been to elude capture. 

The Blue Ribbon factory at Camdale was opened to fanfare by the Premier of Tasmania the Hon. Eric Reece MHA in 1972 and production quickly increased from twenty tonnes to forty tonnes per week of meat products. Ada managed meat slicing and packaging operations, while Josef ran the business more broadly. Focused on expansion and vertical integration, they purchased Universal Smallgoods in Hobart in 1973 and Benders Smallgoods in Launceston in 1974, Ulverstone Abattoirs in 1975, established Colonial Meats in Hobart in 1977, purchased Barker’s Bacon Piggery in Penguin in 1977 and Killafaddy Abattoirs in Launceston in 1979. 

Blue Ribbon was then successfully floated on the Australian Stock Exchange on the 26th November 1993 and effectively sold by Josef and Ada. At that time the business was the largest private employer in Tasmania with over 540 full-time employees. 

The JAC Group’s first operational business investment in 1994 was Rochecombe vineyard and winery at Pipers River in Northern Tasmania. Rochecombe was purchased out of receivership after its crops had been wiped out by frost three years in a row. The vineyard was at risk of being grubbed and returned to pasture, however Josef’s team traveled to vineyards in Coonawarra and Padthaway and visited the Australian Wine Research Institute in South Australia to determine the best frost protection systems for vineyards. An impact sprinkler system was installed with a 300 megalitre dam and three diesel pumps spraying one million litres of water per hour on the 22-hectare vineyard during frost events to save the crop. As temperatures fall below zero the sprayed water constantly wets the canopy leaves and freezes releasing latent heat of fusion from the water molecules which insulates the cells in the leaves from freezing and dying. Rochecombe became part of a larger wine group formed by the JAC Group with the purchase in late 1994 of Heemskerk vineyard and its Jansz sparkling at Pipers Brook before they were sold to Pipers Brook Vineyard in 1998. Rochecombe vineyard and winery remains viable today due to Josef’s vision and is now owned by Accolade operating as Bay of Fires and House of Arras sparkling. 

After purchasing Rochecombe vineyard and winery out of receivership in 1994, the JAC Group purchased other struggling vineyards and wineries, including Buchanan’s Loira vineyard near Exeter on the West Tamar and Heemskerk vineyard and winery with its Jansz sparkling brand at Pipers Brook in North East Tasmania. The processing of fruit from these vineyards was consolidated into one expanded winery at Pipers River and the wine business then became known as the Heemskerk Wine Group. To balance the volume of different grape varieties for production, a new vineyard was also established from scratch at Kayena on the West Tamar in 1995 with advice from pioneer winemaker Graham Wiltshire and later the world-renowned viticulturist Dr Richard Smart. The Heemskerk Wine Group was sold to Pipers Brook Vineyard in 1998 as it was seeking growth to become a publicly listed company. Jansz sparkling ultimately went to Yalumba while Rochecombe is now owned by Accolade but rebranded as Bay of Fires and House of Arras. Pipers Brook was not prepared to pay full price for the Kayena vineyard that had been planted from scratch as it was yet to become productive, and so with no restraint of trade in place Josef and Ada kept their Kayena vineyard and built a new winery on the site called Tamar Ridge. 

During the period between 1998 to 2000 Josef and Ada made significant investments into premium properties around Tasmania including the historic and architecturally significant 1880s Custom House building in Launceston. After many years of relative neglect, the Australian Government renovated the property to a high standard in 1998 and then offered it for sale with a lease back of the ground floor to Australian Customs and Border Protection Service which has since been renamed Australian Border Force. The JAC Group purchased Custom House following an extensive years long expressions of interest process upon satisfying the Federal Government that it had the financial capacity and good standing to ensure preservation of Launceston’s most majestic and unaltered example of Victorian Italianate architecture. 

At the age of seventy-two when most people are in retirement, Josef through the JAC Group purchased out of receivership the Old Stornoway Vineyard at Relbia south of Launceston. Some might say that the 61-hectare vineyard was more than a hobby, but for Josef work is his hobby. After spending money on fixing the vineyard trellis and improving the pruning and fertilisation, the vineyard performance improved dramatically. As a result, Josef recognised the potential of this new vineyard to produce super premium wine grapes at commercial yields.

In 2004, the JAC Group purchased future urban and rural zoned land at Mount Pleasant behind Kings Meadows and Connector Park. The vendor previously had a deal with a neighbour that the neighbour would build a road on the land in exchange for a transfer of a small part of the land either side of the road. The neighbour was given a year’s notice to complete its road but did not do so. The JAC Group then purchased all of the land from the vendor but agreed with the neighbour to finish its road, and give the neighbour a right of way over the road to its strata estate, in exchange for the neighbour bringing forward construction of an access road through its light industrial estate to the JAC Group’s proposed subdivision. When the neighbour refused to build the second access road the JAC Group’s proposed subdivision was refused by Council and the RMPAT appeal tribunal on the grounds of a lack of sufficient traffic access. The JAC Group then obtained a Supreme Court order requiring the neighbour to complete the access road as agreed, and pay an award of damages for the economic cost of the delay. After four years of these trials and tribulations, and opposing a heritage listing of the entire site by a third party and neighbour, Mt Pleasant Estate was finally approved and is now one of the premier residential estates in Launceston. Determination and legal wrangling were essential to that success, which has since generated profits to fund the acquisition of several subsequent subdivisions.

After two years of protracted and complex negotiations with the Tasmanian Government, the JAC Group acquired the derelict vacant Old Launceston General Hospital on the 1st September 2008. The abandoned building had fallen into a state of total disrepair with asbestos issues and almost every window broken, but it did have 13,000 m2 of floor area over six levels of column and slab which would have cost more than thirteen million dollars to build new at that time. Fortunately, Josef was able to purchase the Old Launceston General Hospital to realise his vision to turn what was Launceston’s biggest eyesore into the city’s most majestic mixed-use development with a ninety-nine-room hotel, fourteen luxury apartments including two penthouses, medical suites, and commercial and retail tenancies.

The project involved two three-storey townhouses and five luxury apartments including one of Tasmania’s largest and most luxurious penthouses with a twenty-metre lap pool and spa, and unobstructed all-round views of Hobart. The Met Penthouse was ultimately sold to a prominent Tasmanian and his associated group for five million four hundred thousand dollars, which still holds the record for the most expensive apartment sold in Hobart.

Spring Farm Estate is an outstanding location, just a few minutes to beautiful beaches and within 15 minutes of Hobart CBD, 30 minutes to Hobart Airport and a easy drive to the south coast.

Mersey Fields Estate has become the preferred place for buyers to build that long awaited dream home. Where the quality of lifestyle is just as important as the quality of the home. Boasting easy to build level blocks, shopping and Latrobe CBD only a few minutes away, this brilliant location certainly sets the estate apart from all others. With affordable blocks and a variety of block sizes, this certainly will make a strong point of difference for those people wanting to make Mersey Fields Estate home.

The Peninsula @ Midway Point is one of Tasmania’s most sought-after locations, with magical bay views and stunning natural features while only being a stone’s throw from Hobart Airport and less than 20 minutes from Hobart. 

The Peninsula @ Midway Point is one of Tasmania’s most sought-after locations, with magical bay views and stunning natural features while only being a stone’s throw from Hobart Airport and less than 20 minutes from Hobart.