Thomas Ahern

Thomas Ahern (23 December 1884 – 22 May 1970) was the owner and manager of the Western Australian department store chain Aherns.

Early life Ahern was born on 23 December 1884 in the village of Ballymacoda, Ireland. His parents were farmers Patrick Ahern and his wife Mary, née McGrath. Following his education at the village school, Ahern had to support himself – the family farm could not adequately provide for him and his five brothers. He also served in several other roles, including as trustee of the Karrakatta Cemetery Board and from 1904 found employment in Tipperary, Dublin, Kilkenny and Waterford.

Ahern took on several roles apart from managing his business. He was a trustee of the Karrakatta Cemetery Board from 1938 to 1942, patron of the Claremont Football Club between 1940 and 1969, president of the Retail Traders' Association of Western Australia from 1945 to 1947, and president of the Perth Chamber of Commerce from 1954 to 1955. David Jones bought Aherns and its five stores in October 1999 for $29 million.

Ahern was recognised as one of the most influential Western Australian businesspeople in The West Australian 2013 list of the 100 most influential.