b'Home(s) sweet home(s)Ninety years ago, head office was any space the Thiess clan could find in the family home on the Darling Downs. But mostly meetings took place onsite around a campfire or under canvas. The brothers first significant structure was purchased in the early 1940s as war was raging; the old warehouse in Hampton Street, Woolloongabba, in central Brisbane gave Thiess a real presence. It also made it possible to have a team ofmechanics on fleet maintenance, led by Bert. Although it meant he had to move tothe city, the office was his happy place.Between 1965 and 1999, the epicentre of Thiess operations was at Archerfield, closeto what was then Brisbanes main airport. The old tin shed office was an igloo in winter and tinderbox in summer, and soon cramped for space. We were growing so much, said former employee Coleen Firmin. So many people were packed in there that Mr Les secretary walked across the tops of desks to go and see him. The company headquarters in Archerfield, before the move to South Bank, 1999.78'