This last Friday I had a meeting with a lady who was documenting memories of the long-gone industrial strip at Leighton, near north Fremantle. I was an apprentice Turner Machinist starting my 5 year apprenticeship in 1953 at the State Engineering Works. The SEW was a large state government owned establishment. When I worked and trained there it had around 600 employees in carpentry/joinery, metal machinery, foundry, pattern making, boilermaker, draughting, meter shop departments.
During WW2 the SEW gained some large machinery from the USN to service U.S. Submarines homed in Fremantle Harbour. Bren Gun Carriers were also built at the SEW during the war.
I was asked a number of questions about how I selected the SEW to commence my apprenticeship and the background of my family and about the many projects I had either worked on or observed. The information gathered is to be collated and some sort of report is to be made. The SEW was situated on prime elevated land in Rocky Bay, probably the nicest part of the Swan River and at the time of me working there, there were rumours that the Liberal State Government would close the SEW and sell the land off to developers. Much consternation by labour unions and the Labor Party in opposition. As it happened, it was the Labor Government who eventually sold the State Engineering Works.
I guess it was no longer an era of government in competition with other engineering companies.
In the last couple of years of the SEW, one of the projects was the casting of the winged keel for Australia 2, the winner of the America’s Cup in 1983. The U.S. had successfully defended the cup for the previous 132 years.
Click to enlarge
from Google Earth
2 comments:
wow awesome work
Commodity Sure Shot Tips | Best Crude Oil Tips Provider
I worked as a labourer at State Engineering Works from 1968-1969 and then from late 1969 until March 1970. Then manager Ian Metcher seemed like an efficient, personable guy heading an organisation that employed its share of temporary, itinerant persons(like me, at the the time). I recall working on the old "tarpot" in the middle of summer, heating cast-iron plumbing fittings in outside kilns before dipping them in tar for sealing. Dangerous shit, without any semblance of health and safety consideration - but it was a challenge, and sometimes fun, for a fit young bloke.
Post a Comment