Edgar Insurance Brokers celebrates 75 years

After many years, a few name changes, and various family members coming on board to work, Edgar Insurance Brokers has stuck around to insure everything from farm insurance to business and vehicles.

The team has even had a request to insure a fireworks factory.

The team has grown from the Cobram location to two other branches, in Benalla and Melbourne, with authorised representatives in Finley, Melbourne and Leeton.

George’s son Peter joined the agency in 1967 and only recently retired; he said he had seen many innovations during his time with the company as a director.

“There’s been enormous changes in the computer system, you’d have the old cards and Manila folders ... it’s improved it greatly ever since it first came out, it’s just incredible,” he said.

“They’re coming up with something new constantly, all the time, and it’s up to the broker and your staff to keep up to date with all of that.”

Peter’s son Shannon, who has been involved with Edgar Insurance Brokers since 2004 and is now a director, said the other major change came when they transitioned from being an authorised insurance representative to an insurance broker.

“An authorised representative means we can only work with only four or five insurers and we worked on the insurer’s behalf ... but when we became an insurance broker in 2014, the market opened up and we can deal with hundreds and hundreds of insurers,” he said, adding that the change meant they worked on the client’s behalf instead.

“So instead of turning them away and not being able to help them, we can help because we’ve broadened the appetite of what we can do.”

In the future, the business is planning on expanding its Benalla and relatively new Melbourne offices to offer a wide range of services, but will continue to operate in Cobram.