Mr Condon was presented with the award at a product seminar in Tamworth last week, where many of his former staff were present to acknowledge his efforts in the trade.

After coming to Tamworth in the 

mid-’60s, he spent the next five decades running numerous salons – sometimes several at a time – in Tamworth, Armidale and even Taree at one point.

Juanita Poleviak said she decided to organise the award after “looking around (Tamworth) and seeing that pretty much every salon was owned by someone (Brian) trained”.

“I would describe him as an icon to the hairdressing industry,” she said.

“And I’d been thinking for some time about what would be a nice gesture to recognise his contribution.”

Mr Condon said when Ms Poleviak invited him along to the seminar as her guest for the night, he had no idea it would end in the presentation of the award before so many of his peers.

“I was completely unprepared to find so many of my ex-staff there,” he said.

He started in the industry as a barber in Sydney when he was 15, and after 10 years decided he’d “gone as far I could go” and it was time to strike out on his own.

He saw the opportunities in Tamworth and was soon running salons that employed up to 12 or 13 staff.

Those were the days, he said, when “big hair” was king and the regular round of balls and dances each weekend meant salons were bedlam every Friday.

Mr Condon, 78, retired a few years ago, happy with his long career and all he’d achieved.

“I thoroughly enjoyed doing what I did,” he said.

“I enjoyed the creativity part of it – creating a nice hairstyle, a nice colour.”

He said the client’s reaction at the end was part of the job satisfaction.

“It usually finished with a smile,” he laughed.