A BOSS Moment for Contentious Character’s Ben Jarrett
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Canberra Outlet’s BOSS Moment competition has unveiled the quiet character and long history of community service of Ben Jarrett.
The owner of Contentious Character, an urban winery and restaurant in the Dairy Road precinct, Ben has been juggling a lot of balls this year while still providing steadfast friendship and support to those around him.
Nominated by Erna Glassford, local social media guru and food lover, Erna says Ben’s quiet but constant presence brought her huge comfort this year during a health crisis.
“Between managing the daily chaos of running a business, the long hours, the inevitable setbacks, and all the moving parts, he still finds time to show up for others, including me,” she says.
“When my world fell apart, and later when I learned I needed major surgery, Ben quietly appeared outside my appointment, just to make sure I wasn’t alone.”
Erna says this has always been his style.
“No grand gestures, no fuss, just genuine care. Even when his own life was messy, he carried a sense of calm and optimism that anchored everyone around him. Beyond his friendships, Ben’s heart extends far beyond the vineyard.”
Erna praises Ben’s prodigious work ethic, which sees him constantly facing all the challenges of keeping his business ticking over, managing staff, and looking for the next opportunity – while also making time to give back to the community.
He has done this through The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive, raising funds and awareness for men’s health, supporting research into prostate cancer and mental wellbeing through Movember, supporting Pegasus Riding for the Disabled and getting involved in other local causes.
“Generosity isn’t a marketing tool for him; it’s a way of life. Ben leads not through titles or talks, but through quiet consistency, humour, and compassion. He reminds everyone around him that success means nothing if you can’t lift others along the way.”
Ben said he was deeply humbled by the nomination and community support.
“I don’t typically like to be front and centre, and to be honest, I was really quite taken aback by Erna’s words.”
“I think everyone on the shortlist was quite spectacular in their achievements. And all of them should be very proud.”
Cassie Grening, Marketing Manager, Canberra Outlet, says Ben was an easy choice as a finalist from an outstanding field of nominees.
“To celebrate the opening of our new BOSS Outlet store, we wanted to work with HerCanberra and the Canberra community to find someone who emulates what it means to be the ultimate BOSS.
“To us, being a BOSS is celebrating the everyday Canberran who not only gives back to the community, but also is generous with their time and energy to the people around them. We are thrilled to gift Ben with the ultimate BOSS experience here at Canberra Outlet.”
Ben has been gifted with a $2000 BOSS wardrobe, courtesy of Canberra Outlet, along with Caps and Brave tickets, with Erna receiving a $500 gift card for her nomination.
The win provides a positive end to a challenging year for Ben who has tried hard to balance business and home life with his partner.
“Business is a tough thing to be in, and when you own your own business, your personal life has to disappear in the background, because everybody else is relying on you and they don’t necessarily know what’s going on behind the scenes…”
While it had been an exhausting year, Ben was hopeful that he had nutted out a way forward which would involve some change to the business structure next year but would continue to build on his hard work.
“Life throws different curve balls at different times, and I think I try and lead by doing things that I would appreciate other people doing for me. I think it’s important to have kindness and compassion for others and I tend to surround myself with people that are very similar in their approach.”
He says that he was grateful for Erna’s good health and continued friendship and said he was also grateful for the wider community recognition.
Thanks to all our local BOSS Moment nominees and the community that loves them.
