Bill Kirkham, aka “Grandpa” passed away on the 25th May 2024 at age 94
Bill Kirkham, aka “Grandpa” passed away on the 25th May 2024 at age 94
Bill was the inventor of Grandpas feeders. It was way back in 1994 that he created the first pest proof feeder. Not because he was looking to start a business, just to solve his own rat problem. He had complained to a friend about his rat problems and his friend challenged him “who is smarter Bill, you or the rats?” Well Bill loved a challenge and couldn’t bear the thought that the rats were smarter than him and he proved that they weren’t.
He was curious to get feedback so lent his new contraption to his friend who after 2 weeks refused to give it back and wanted two more. Before he knew it he was flat out down at the shed making feeders for various people. Thus began a small business with Bill tinkering away in his shed making his fabulous new invention that could outsmart the rats.
Little did he know that his invention would soon start a world wide revolution in preventing pests from helping themselves to chook food. Bills son Mark who had been helping him build them decided this was a product well worth taking to the next level.Soon they had started a full on business with sights set on just the NZ market to begin with. They had to come up with a name and because Bill was such a legendary Grandpa to all of his Grandkids, Grandpas feeders seemed to be the obvious choice. It took a few years to get the ball rolling as people were initially suspicious of this new contraption and were chooks really smart enough to learn how to use it? Eventually word of mouth kicked in and sales started to increase. In 2007 it was decided that Grandpas feeders, if it was to be truly successful needed to go international, so was launched in Australia that year. At this point in time Grandpa semi retired from the business and Mark took on a business partner Graham to help him with the overseas business. The business eventually branched out to the UK, USA and more recently Europe. Grandpa continued for many years to help and attended the National Fieldays at Mystery creek in Hamilton where people delighted in meeting the inventor of the product and Bill enjoyed seeing the success of his invention motivated by wanting to be smarter than a rat.
