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North Shore: Geelong's Boom Town 1920s-1950s
In its heyday of the 1920s - 1950s, North Shore (a small northern suburb of Geelong) was the hub of industrial development in Victoria’s second city.
Situated against the backdrop of Corio Bay, North Shore and its immediate surrounds was home to major industries including Ford, International Harvester, Shell, the Corio Distillery and the Phosphate Cooperative Company of Australia (the 'Phossie').
Residents grew up with these companies literally over the back fence and many of their stories depict childhood memories of mischievous exploration. Many residents were employed by the industries, some hopping from job to job, whilst others spent the majority of their working lives at the likes of Ford or the Phossie.
At the commencement of World War II in September 1939, much of the local industry was placed on war footing. Two thirds of the newly opened International Harvester was commandeered by the R.A.A.F. and an ad hoc airfield was established. The U.S. Air Force arrived shortly thereafter.
The presence of American servicemen has left an enduring impression on the North Shore community. Their arrival was the cause of much local excitement, particularly among the children who made a pretty penny running errands for them. They were also a hit with the ladies, who enjoyed a social dance at the local community hall. The story of the American presence in North Shore remains largely untold, and the reflections of local residents provide a fantastically rare insight into a unique period in Victorian history.
A special thanks to local historians Ferg Hamilton and Bryan Power for their assistance during the making of this story. Also thanks to Gwlad McLachlan for sharing her treasure trove of Geelong stories.
Film - Cultural Value, 'In the Beginning', 2012
Courtesy of Cultural Value
Film - Cultural Value, 'In the Beginning', 2012
[In the beginning...]
[Road sign 'North Shore']
[Black-and-white view of a bay, ca.1939]
[Ferg Hamilton, North Shore resident & local historian]
[Ferg Hamilton]
North Shore was always considered as the north shore of Corio Bay and, although even today, it is part of the City of Greater Geelong, it is on the northern part of Corio Bay.
[Val Gibbons, North Shore resident]
[Val Gibbons]
It was a lovely place to live in those days. It was a real sense of community.
[Della Mitchell, North Shore resident]
[Della Mitchell]
My grandfather used to deliver milk all over Geelong in a horse and cart. There was hardly anyone in North Shore then, when we first come.
[Jon King, Former North Shore resident]
[Jon King]
North Shore was sort of treated as a country area. We were miles from Geelong.
[Black-and-white aerial view of the paddocks]
[Jon King]
The school was over the railway line, uh, in the paddock. It was North Shore Primary. And that's all it was, in the paddock, at that time.
[Black-and-white photograph of the Meat Freezing Works 1895]
[Ferg Hamilton]
The abattoir's... ..that was the first industry that ever established here. Here we are, shipping frozen beef off to England from that one spot.
[David Gibbons, North Shore resident]
[David Gibbons]
That was the first Ford's wharf.
[Black-and-white aerial view of the wharf]
[David Gibbons]
And they extended to around here with the International Harvester Wharf. That's before the International Harvester.
[Della Mitchell and Bryan Power sitting at a table, looking at photographs]
[Della Mitchell]
We used to go and swim down there all the time at the end of the wharf.
[Bryan Power]
Yeah.
[Della Mitchell]
We'd always go down there.
[Bryan Power, Former North Shore resident & local historian]
[Bryan Power]
I remember one... That little jetty. We used to go and fish off this jetty.
[Black-and-white photograph of the jetty]
[Della Mitchell]
And the other one, of course, at the end of the Phosphate. Remember that little wooden one, went straight out?
[Bryan Power]
Oh, there it is. Yeah.
[Jon King]
We had friends, who was a... He was a stevedore, foreman, and he gave me a little ticket and I was allowed on the boat.
[Black-and-white photograph of boat]
[Jon King]
Someone had given me one of these American hats. I used to wear this proudly. Taffy Kendrick, he was the foreman, and he got me to be allowed to have dinner with the captain, with his crew. I thought that was marvellous. So here I am, sitting down the end of the table, proudly wearing my hat. I thought I was Mr King, I was. Anyway, the captain arrived and sat down and looked around the table and he said, 'We will not commence the meal until our guest takes his hat off!' Oh, so I shrunk under the table and took the hat off and I've got a phobia about hats now, inside a house.
[Black-and-white aerial view of the paddocks]
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In the late 1800s, North Shore was better known as a quaint holiday destination rather than a bustling hub of industry.
The first sign that this was about to change came with the establishment of a meat freezing works in the mid 1890s. The freezing works was used to process and ship beef to the mother country, England. Whilst industry continued to develop, North Shore remained a largely rural area, disconnected from the centre of Geelong.
Content contributed from Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and State Library Victoria
Film - Cultural Value, 'Industry in Our Backyard', 2012
Courtesy of Cultural Value
Film - Cultural Value, 'Industry in Our Backyard', 2012
[Peter]
It was a very industrialised area because there was Ford, International Harvester, Phosphate, and it was, you know, quite rapidly populating.
[Black-and-white photo of land]
[Ferg Hamilton
North Shore resident & local historian]
[Ferg]
Ford's built their factory in 1926. Marvellous. An American company finding a base here in Geelong to build their motor cars here and the utilities.
[Bryan Power Former North Shore resident & local historian]
[Bryan]
I remember selling papers, Heralds, at Ford after work and the number of people that came out for the buses - incredible.
[Black-and-white photo of Ford's]
[Della Mitchell North Shore resident]
[Della]
Mum worked in the canteen there. I worked in the canteen at Ford's too. You had to get on your hands and knees and scrub the floor with a scrubbing brush and a bucket. When no-one was looking, I tipped the bucket over so the water went everywhere and then you just wipe it over and they didn't know whether I'd done it or not.
[Val Gibbons North Shore resident]
[Val]
Good for an education in more ways than one, I can tell you. There were a lot of things I'd never even seen. I didn't know what a multi-lit master was, I didn't know what vellum sheets were, but they were very good to work for.
[Intersection of The Esplanade and Phosphate Rd]
[Bryan]
What we refer to as the Phossy was actually the Phosphate Co-operative Company of Australia, and the big sign on their roof, the long roof, was 'Pivot'.
[David Gibbons North Shore resident]
The Pivot phosphate company was the largest shed in the Southern Hemisphere.
[Bryan]
It was begun by a man named Gus Wolskel and they were actually experimenting in the best way of converting phosphatic rock into superphosphate. When they finally got it - they thought they were on the right trail - they established the works down here at North Shore.
[Sulphur pits]
[Della]
At the side of the Phosphate, they had big sulphur pits. Like a hill of sulphur. So us kids used to get up there with a bit of corrugated iron and sit on the top and slide down to the bottom. Ahem. Did it all the time.
[Man]
And they let you do that?
[Della]
Mmm. They didn't have much choice. They couldn't catch us!
[Jon]
I remember our bus used to go round past the Phossy, the Phosphate, and anybody who was out of town, you could hear go, 'Cough, cough, cough.' And all the North Shore people, 'Snigger, snigger.' 'Cause we were used to the fumes.
[Car drives down long road]
[David]
The International Harvester was here when they built combines and tractors and assembled tractors and that sort of thing.
[Jon]
It was a very big construction. A big long building. Dad used to use my Meccano set and make a duplicate of this big building as it was going up, until he ran out of money and couldn't afford the Meccanos.
[David]
There was a big stormwater drain out the other side into the bay and us kids used to get in there and open the hatches inside the factory and go inside the factory and around. And, uh... Until we got caught and they put a lock on all the lids, so that kept us out. Distillers is another one of those industries which was very successful. They made whisky. They also made gin.
[Jon]
Dad was a boiler attendant there. They used to get a little bit of whisky at the end of the shift. I don't know how much and how strong, but it was one of the perks of the business.
[Two white houses]
[Della]
There was my cousins who lived down there. They lived in one of the houses, the very first one as you're going up there. He worked in the distillery, and they used to have a lot of nice parties and things at their place, and they always had the whisky and that sort of thing there, and there were some very hectic nights.
[Intersection of Shell Pde and Foreshore Rd. Street sign pointing to Limeburners Bay]
[Peter]
Before the war, Shell had a refinery at some place in Indonesia. I think it was on Java. Indonesia was on the verge of becoming independent. They thought we'd better play it safe and take that refinery away, and the best place to put it was in Australia, Corio, because there was a port for shipping, which ports usually are, and it was the first time that, in the British Commonwealth, there was a non-British company to build this refinery, which was the company I applied for and got a job.
[Black-and-white photograph of three men]
[Peter]
There was a lot of gases, which were the residue from refining... ..and to get rid of those, they erected an enormous, tall pipe. The flame came on and the flame still goes.
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Residents of North Shore discuss their memories of growing up in a time of major industrial growth between the 1920s-1950s.
This period saw the development of businesses including: the Phosphate Cooperative Company of Australia (the ‘Phossie’), Corio Distillery, the International Harvester (the ‘Harvester’), Ford Motor Company (‘Fords’) and the Shell oil refinery.
Residents grew up with these companies literally over the back fence and many of their stories depict childhood memories of mischievous exploration. Many residents were employed by the industries, some hopping from job to job, whilst others spent the majority of their working lives at the likes of Ford or the Phossie.
Content contributed from Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, State Library Victoria and van der Chys Private Collection
Film - Cultural Value, 'World War II', 2012
Courtesy of Cultural Value
Film - Cultural Value, 'World War II', 2012
[Bryan Power Former North Shore resident & local historian]
[Bryan]
I was born in '34, so when the war broke out, I was five.
[Black-and-white photo of propeller plane]
[Bryan]
I used to keep scrapbooks of aeroplanes. Any time there was a photograph of an aeroplane in the newspaper, I'd cut it out and stick it in my scrapbook.
[Four propeller planes]
[Bryan]
When the RAAF base came here, I was delighted.
[Ferg Hamilton North Shore resident & local historian]
[Ferg]
The International Harvester, during the war years, part of the factory was taken over by the RAAF to assemble Fairey Battle Planes.
[Jon King Former North Shore resident]
[Jon]
They'd come in crates, be offloaded onto that Ford's Wharf, and then they'd be assembled in the workshops here.
[Assembly of propeller planes]
[David Gibbons North Shore resident]
[David]
They used to taxi up to the railway line that goes into the Phosphate and then take off down towards the distillery at the other end.
[Jon]
The school was across the paddock and across the railway line, into the North Shore Primary. We just had to be careful as we crossed the paddock. But the RAAF blokes were very good. If they saw us, they'd pick us up in the truck, take us for a ride - no problem at all. Yeah. They were very good.
[Bryan]
They weren't there all that long. I suppose they had assembled all those, and those planes went off, and then the American Air Force came in, and they had Kitty Hawks they were assembling.
[Jon]
The Yanks were very security conscious.
[Bryan]
My father told me that an American had challenged somebody moving in the dark. Of course, it was all blacked out.
[David]
One of the American guards called on somebody to halt, 'Who goes there?' and threatened to shoot him.
[Bryan]
Person didn't respond, he kept on going.
[David]
So he shot it, but it turned out to be a cow. So he shot the cow, and there was a bit of an uproar over that.
[Jon]
One day, I was home from school. No-one else was home. I was out the back, cutting the kindling wood. I heard, 'Roar, roar, roar!' down the paddock. I thought, 'Oh, yeah, someone's taken off.' 'Roar, roar, roar!' It was getting closer and closer. 'Gee, it's getting close.' In the front of our house was a great big peppercorn tree, enormous, really high peppercorn tree.
[Tiger Moth]
[Jon]
And this Tiger Moth went straight into the top of it. Nose-dive into the paddock. Two Americans staggering around, one with blood on his nose, and the other one looked alright. We were told later that they weren't even pilots, they were security guards that had decided - I think they'd got a little bit tipsy - decided to go for a flight!
[Della Mitchell North Shore resident]
[Della]
The Americans used to come into Dad's house and they'd carry on and party and have a great old time.
[Black-and-white photograph of a young couple dancing]
[Della]
They used to go to the North Shore dances and used to do the Charleston.
[Ferg]
They looked impressive. When they had their dress uniforms, it was much more impressive than the Australian uniform.
[Della]
Well, they used to have the dances down at the North Shore hall, and a lot of people used to come out on a bus as well. They'd park the bus out in the street. And I won't mention the name of the young man that used to go peering through the windows with a torch, see what he could see what was going on in the buses!
[Black-and-white photograph of young men sitting at counter]
[Della]
Then all the ladies used to make their own cakes and sandwiches, take them round for supper. You'd have your dance and enjoy yourself and then, come half-time, all the ladies would bring out all the cakes and the sandwiches and things and cups of tea and coffee and walk around and give it to everybody, so that was really good too.
[Ferg]
It was always at about 4:30 the air raid sirens would go, and we had to get off the roads, 'cause the roads had to be cleared.
[Val Gibbons North Shore resident]
[Val]
One bell and you went under the desk, two bells and, you know, you went into the corridors, and three bells, you ran all the way home, and threw yourself under the kitchen table when you got there.
[Ferg]
I used to go and hide in the trees off the road, in the trees.
[Black-and-white photo of Shell Depot]
[Ferg]
Later on, I realised, the Shell had their depot opposite. Now, talk about the innocence of youth or the stupidity of youth. When I look back at that and I think, 'Well, I'm glad it wasn't a fair dinkum air raid! It was only a practice.'
[Jon]
We used to follow the war in the paper. We had a map. Battle here, battle there. So, I suppose it was exciting that way. Until you hear that Mrs, I think it was Mrs Ferrell, lost her husband on one of the Phosphate boats. It was... a submarine torpedo hit. So she lost her husband. So that brings it home, then. Yeah.
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At the commencement of World War II in September 1939, much of the local Geelong industry was placed on war footing.
Two thirds of the newly opened International Harvester was commandeered by the R.A.A.F. and an ad hoc airfield was established. The U.S. Air Force arrived shortly thereafter.
The presence of American servicemen has left an enduring impression on the North Shore community. Their arrival was the cause of much local excitement, particularly among the children who made a pretty penny running errands for them. They were also a hit with the ladies, who enjoyed a social dance at the local community hall. The story of the American presence in North Shore remains largely untold, and the reflections of local residents provide a fantastically rare insight into a unique period in Victorian history.
Content contributed from Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, State Library Victoria, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and Ed Coates Civil Aircraft Photograph Collection
Photograph - Charles Daniel Pratt (Photographer), 'Aerial View of North Shore', c.1939, State Library of Victoria
Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H91.160/334)
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Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H91.160/334)
Aerial view of the recently built International Harvester factory with the Pivot phosphate factory in the distance.
Charles Daniel Pratt (1892-1968)
Negative, glass, 12.1 x 16.6 cm (half plate)
Photograph - 'Steel delivery for International Harvester', 1940, Geelong Library and Heritage Centre
Courtesy of Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GRS 253/9)
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Courtesy of Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GRS 253/9)
A train load of steel is delivered to the International Harvester factory, North Shore, 17 September 1940.
Black and white photograph, 143mm x 200mm
Photograph - Charles Daniel Pratt (Photographer), 'Pivot, Phosphate Co-op Co. of Australia', c.1927-1934, State Library Victoria
Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H91.160/1081)
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Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H91.160/1081)
View of a ship docked at the Pivot wharf unloading phosphate.
Charles Daniel Pratt 1892-1968
8 negatives : glass ; 10.0 x 12.5 cm approx.
Photograph - 'Elcho Houses', c.1934, From the private collection of IM & ES Whitcombe.
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Housing was purchased by the Phosphate Co-op Co. of Australia from the Elcho Estate. The housing was originally used by the Repatriation Department whilst retraining farmers after World War I.
The houses were moved by horse and cart from Bacchus Marsh Road to various locations in North Shore.
Photograph - 'International Harvester Construction', 1938, Geelong Library and Heritage Centre
Courtesy of Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GRS 253/2)
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Courtesy of Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GRS 253/2)
The first walls of the International Harvester factory being erected at North Shore, August 1938.
Black and white photograph, 151mm x 201mm
Photograph - 'Early Ford Construction Works', 1925, Geelong Library and Heritage Centre
Courtesy of Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GRS/2009/00373)
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Courtesy of Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GRS/2009/00373)
Digging works began prior to the construction of the Ford Motor Company buildings, March 1925.
Sepia photograph, 78mm x 135mm
Photograph - 'Workers Leaving Ford', c.1925, Geelong Library and Heritage Centre
Courtesy of Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GRS 2009/2303/82)
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Construction workers drive, ride and walk home along Melbourne Road during construction of the Ford Motoring Company buildings.
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A Fairey Battle plane circles above the International Harvester factory. Whilst the photographer is unknown, we do know the camera belonged to the ‘observer’ (Bert Drever) who can be seen in the rear cockpit.
Photograph - 'Fairey Battle Planes, International Harvester', c.1940-1945, State Library Victoria
Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H98.100/4290)
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Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H98.100/4290)
Fairey Battle Planes assembled on the grounds of the International Harvester factory in North Shore during World War II.
Photograph : gelatin silver, 11.0 x 16.0 cm
Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs
Photograph - Charles Daniel Pratt (Photographer), 'Corio Distillery', c.1939, State Library Victoria
Courtesy of State Library Victoria (from group H91.160/300,301,302)
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Courtesy of State Library Victoria (from group H91.160/300,301,302)
Aerial photograph of the Distillers Corporation Pty Ltd, Corio Distillery.
Photographer: Charles Daniel Pratt (1892-1968)
3 negatives, glass, 12.1 x 16.6 cm (half plate)
Photograph - Helmut Newton (photographer), 'Shell Oil Refinery Construction', c.1953, State Library Victoria
Courtesy of State Library Victoria (from group H2006.47/574,575)
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This picture, taken by Helmut Newton, depicts the unloading and positioning of an absorber tower prior to installation at the Shell Refinery in North Shore.
The Shell Oil Company's refinery at North Shore was the first of Australia's major post war refineries. It was opened on the 18th March by His Excellency the Governor-General, Field Marshal Sir William Slim.
World renowned photographer, Helmut Newton, was commissioned by Shell to photograph the construction of the North Shore refinery. Newton, German by birth, was interned by British authorities whilst in Singapore, and was sent to Australia on board the Queen Mary, arriving in Sydney on 27 September 1940.
Photographer: Helmut Newton
4 photographic prints: gelatine silver, 25 x 20 cm
Photograph - Helmut Newton (photographer), 'Shell Worker Sealing Barrels', c.1953-1961, State Library Victoria
Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H2006.47/621)
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Courtesy of State Library Victoria (H2006.47/621)
This picture shows an unidentified woman sealing barrels of Shell Talpa Oil.30 at the Shell Oil Refinery, North Shore, Geelong.
Photographer: Helmut Newton
1 photographic print, gelatin silver, 20 x 20 cm
Audio - Ferg Hamilton, 'sabelle Bell (nee Wildman) Edited interview from 'The Lights of Norlane'', 2006
Courtesy of Ferg Hamilton
'sabelle Bell (nee Wildman) Edited interview from 'The Lights of Norlane''
ISABELLE: Now, I can remember when the painted the pivot, the name, "Pivot" on the great, big super shed. And there was about eight men who painted that. And people used to come, and stand, and watch them painting the name on the phosphate. Yeah. And the wharf that was down-- there was a wharf down at the side.
I can remember before the phosphate. Big Pier was fully-- it wasn't built then. We had a little wharf at the side, where we had to go down steps to get to it. And you could drive the car down, and we used to have the old trucks. They used to get these old trucks and drive them down there, and the men used to go down and fish off the old wharf.
And then they built the other big wharf. And you know, when you look at the phosphate company, and you see the trucks, they come down to unload the boats and the trucks that passed the four hoppers. I can remember when there was none of those hoppers, and I can remember them being built. And as each one was finished, you'd see one there, and then you'd see there. And you'd see them go trick, trick, trick, right up the top, and go over the road, and go down to the dinghs.
And from the dinghs they get into the super shed. Aw, gee whiz, that's going back a long way.
INTERVIEWER: So your father was a very big part of the phosphate.
ISABELLE: Oh, yes. And he was a works foreman. Goodness gracious me, I can remember when the tele-- when the phosphate phone was put on. And they'd had the men working night shift. And that phone would go through the night, sometimes, at 2 o'clock in the morning.
And I can remember one night, oh, we were in a terrible state. We couldn't find dad. We knew he was in the house, that he got up half awake, and he'd got inside the wardrobe.
And when he got in the wardrobe, the door closed on the wardrobe. And he was in the wardrobe, and he didn't know where he was. And we couldn't find him. We didn't know where he was. He was locked in the damn wardrobe.
Anyway, we got him out. And when he quieted himself down, he went up to the super shed. And later on, the aerodrome, from the Americans came up and opened the aerodrome.
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
ISABELLE: They assembled planes that came over by ship. And they'd unload them there, and they would take a boat into that big paddock to try them out. And they had-- I'll never forget. Now, I was in the army when that was happening, because I know I came-- (LAUGHING) aw, gee.
I'll never forget this one night I came home on the last train. And I left Melbourne around about 20 to 11, I think, or 10. You know, round about I never got home till about 10 past 1:00.
And I got off at North Shore and come down past, down the road there. And I got halfway across the paddock, and I knew there was someone there. I knew there was something there. And I turned around. I went back around Hincksman's shop.
And I woke dad up and said that I thought someone was waiting for me over in the paddock. So dad got up, and we went over to have a look. And do you know what it was that I felt I-- do you know what had frightened me?
INTERVIEWER: No.
ISABELLE: I'll give you 100 guesses. You'd never guess.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah.
ISABELLE: They had 12 44 drums of petrol for the airplanes, and they were covered with straw, and they had a light planted down. And when you went up near them, you reflected into the-- yeah. But it was the cleverest thing, that these petrol drums, there was three lots of them.
There was one between there and our fence. The other one was down, around the corner from that plantation, and the other one was right down the bottom of the hill, towards the International Havester. They were all there.
My mum and my dad, I can remember, Dad was talking. Oh, yes, this is funny. Oh, god, I can remember this.
Dad, he used to work quite a bit, and he would walk up and down the railway line to get backwards and forwards to work. This particular night, he came up, and there was two men standing up at the end of the fence, up at the end of the fourth house.
INTERVIEWER: Yes.
ISABELLE: See? And they sung out to Dad. So dad went up to see what they wanted. They wanted to know, did he know the lovely lady, the lovely lady that used to bring up their billy of tea?
Now, Mum used to make hot scones, or cakes, or a billy of coffee, or tea. I can't remember. And every night, around about half past 8:00 at night, mum would come down to the hole of the back of the fence, and I'd go up and hang this billy of coffee. And their supper on that fence. And the Yanks who were stationed over the International Harvester, they're on duty, on patrol, or on draft.
And they would come up there every night at a certain time, and they would get their supper. And dad, he knew about it. But he thought that we were extreming a little bit, you see? And those two men sung out to this man, who is going to get through the fence. And it was Dad.
And they were telling this man about this woman who was giving them this beautiful supper every night, and did he know them? And Dad said that he never felt so proud of anybody, that that had been going on for so long, that Mum never, ever told him.
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North Shore resident, Isabelle Bell (nee Wildman), is interviewed by local historian Ferg Hamilton on her reflections of early life in North Shore.
Isabelle recalls her memories of the Phosphate Cooperative of Australia and the presence of the U.S. Air Force during World War II. This is an edited version of an interview that appears in the publication ‘The Lights of Norlane’ by Ferg Hamilton which was published in 2006.
Audio - Gwlad McLachlan, 'Interview with Neil O'Toole', 1989
Courtesy of Gwlad McLachlan
'Interview with Neil O'Toole'
INTERVIEWER: Neil, how long were you at the International Harvester?
NEIL O'TOOLE: I started there in 1960, when the company was really booming. I think they had an excess of 2,000 employees at the time, and it was sort of all go. A very far cry from when we ended up with around about 630. And there were a lot of changes happening at that time, and in that time, I think that I was-- I don't know whether I'd be classed as the office clown, but I certainly wrote poems to keep the morale up, and at times, cut the boredom, which it would be quite boring at times. Some of the poems got me into trouble. But mostly, all in all, we got through it pretty good with all the poems.
But I write poems on any topic or subject that was at the heart or scathing, or even the time when I wrote about the chef's cooking, and then he threatened to cut me throat, and I wouldn't. I never, ever went back, ever. Have a meal there after, for the last 10 years, because he threatened to cut my throat. The poem was so bad, he thought, but we all got quite a good laugh out of it. It was quite hilarious, actually.
And I can remember one time in particular, talking about pounds. We had to troubleshooter come from Ford to pick things up in the latter days by the name of Bill Burdett. Oh, a huge buddy, 6'4", and built like a mountain.
And he was there two days, and I wrote a poem about him called Barbed Wire Bill Burdett. And he was one of those chappies. He terrified the people as he walked down the hallway. And I had no fear of any of that sort of thing.
I wrote this poem, and we had 20 or 30 copies. And one of the troops took it up and put it on his desk. And then they looked up the drive, and they saw him coming down the drive. And he used to walk like a great marathon man.
And he'd come down with his eyes flashing. I sat right on the aisle. And everybody else put their head down. They're all terrified. I had my head down right, and I could see him coming.
He walked straight down the aisle. And he came up to me desk, and he went, bang! He slammed it on my desk, and I just looked up.
I said, well, you better have a sense of humor, mate. And he just walked away. And that was the end of it, as simple as that.
Another time, I wrote one about the manager of the-- manager in the receiving. He reported it to Melbourne. And we've got a memo back from Melbourne to Graham Reed, who was then our manager.
And he sent a reply back to Melbourne to say, well, I'm sorry. They said, Neil O'Toole's got the sanction to do this sort of thing. You've just got to put up with it.
So we thought ahead that that might have-- if anybody did anything terrible, or one of the bosses did anything terrible, I'd write a scathing poem about him, send 40 or 50 copies around the factory, and everybody'd just laugh at him anyway.
INTERVIEWER: And were any of these that are published now?
NEIL O'TOOLE: No, no. I think I'd be pretty safe to say what I would've wrote in excess of 400. That's only an estimate. No one ever kept a copy of them.
But chappies who left, or got sacked, or whatever, they used to take half a drawer full away. But I never bothered. I hardly ever read them. But I had one thing in me favor, and I think that any Harvester man will bear out, and I've got witnesses to this that I could write a 20 verse poem in a 10 minute smoko.
So they had no drop on me at all. And at Christmas time, I wrote one at Christmas time, and then I had special time to do that. I had an extra bit of time, and I can write a poem, and everybody else had to work, and they had to put up with it. It was just a known thing.
So we'd write a Christmas one every year from 1960 until 1982, till we left. And that'd give everybody a bit of a break, and in the later times, when things were very tough-- I really think, and they told me this, that it lifted their morale, to be able to laugh at their troubles, or use my poems as a way of getting a message across to the company, which we did. I did quite often.
That was hence, thinking back about the chef's cooking, it had improved after I'd put the poem on the wall. But then again, he was going cut my throat, so I wasn't going to go back. So I never had a meal there since.
INTERVIEWER: Yeah. We were talking before all about the really bad times, when the Harvester closed down. You wrote a poem about that time?
NEIL O'TOOLE: Yes.
INTERVIEWER: Would you like to read it to us?
NEIL O'TOOLE: Yes. Well, I'm not a great orator, but I'll do my best.
INTERVIEWER: Right.
NEIL O'TOOLE: Now, this poem was written when morale was particularly low. If you can understand, the company, at no stage, said they were going to close up. I think they all knew, and they kept throwing up smokies to put us off the wrong track.
And nobody knew what was going on. Everybody was in doubt, and people had mortgages to pay, and bills to pay, and nobody knew exactly how long we were going to be there. They kept saying that things were going to be good.
But in reality, they knew all the time, because some of the higher up people must've known, because they left the firm before the crash. So I wrote this poem to sort of express the feelings of the workers who were there at the time. And I called it Go all way, with IHA. And it begins as--
Morale is low at IHA, since the word has passed around. Our company's in receiver's hands, and we're in the final round. The past two years, we've seen it fade, as the workforce slowly dwindled. All previous layoffs have their dues, while the rest could all be swindled. We've been on strike and picketed, had meetings by the score.
Supreme Court ruling said we're set, less the company shuts the door. The closed down law is so plain now, long service, holiday, so-so. Severance pay does not exist, which we knew not months ago. We had our chance to leave the firm, per management info we received.
We're told the company would survive, oh, how we were deceived. The slow decline of IHA can be put to many reasons. Bad management over many years and Australian arid seasons. The Fraser rat pack did not help, with imports from near and far.
Ask any Aussie businessman on this score. They're on a par. There's many hard luck stories, but what's the good of talking? We think the writing's on the wall. We're standing brave and walking.
There was an air of great depression, as the waiting takes it toll. For very shortly, some or all, will queue up for the dole. It's not so much that we may go, and our money holds second place. We wish to God they'd let us know, so we could depart with grace.
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Neil O’Toole, former employee of the International Harvester, is interviewed by Gwlad McLachlan.
Neil discusses his time working at the company, in particular his role as the ‘plant poet’, reciting a poem he wrote about his experience of the Harvester’s closure in 1982. This is an edited version of an interview that was originally aired 3YYR, Geelong Community Radio, in September 1989 as part of the Keeping in Touch program.
Audio - Gwlad McLachlan, 'International Harvester Male Chorus Interview', 1989
Courtesy of Gwlad McLachlan
'International Harvester Male Chorus Interview'
GWLAD MCLACHLAN: I'm Gwald McLachlan. And with us in the studio today we have members of the International Harvester Male Chorus-- Lew Abley and Ralph Oke. Thank you very much for coming in, Lew and Ralph.
LEW ABLEY: Pleasure.
GWLAD MCLACHLAN: Lew, how did the chorus start? What was your first involvement?
LEW ABLEY: Well, my first involvements goes back about perhaps 18 years. That's all. My next-door neighbor says, how'd you like to come and sing with us? And so-- and it started me off like that. But I'm sure Ralph goes back much further than I do.
GWLAD MCLACHLAN: Well, how far back do you go, Ralph?
RALPH OKE: Well, I go back right to the very, very start. Because when I was an employee at Harvester as a third-year apprentice in the tool room a notice went up on the notice board that on a particular day at a particular time they were going to call together any people who were interested in the Harvester choir in forming a choir of male men. And so it was that this notice went on the board.
And at dinner time one day, a group of about 25 chaps gathered around the store in the tool room. And there it was promoted by a gentleman who was a storeman that just happened to be the father-in-law of our present president, Ollie Missen. His name is Burt Ruppin.
And this group got together. And they decided there and then that they would form a choir. And this was in 1943. That goes back something like 46 years ago, which dates us quite a bit, doesn't it?
GWLAD MCLACHLAN: The choir-- has it changed in the sound very much over the years? Are you still singing the same type of music?
RALPH OKE: Well it's the same type of music, but we've had five-- five conductors. And each conductor brings his own interpretation to the music. And so even though we're singing a particular song now, it's probably quite different from what we sang years ago.
GWLAD MCLACHLAN: I think it might be good to have to listen to this song that I've chosen from that first record. Now this is "Old Man River," a very beautiful, well-loved song. And so I think we'll have a listen to that, and then we'll come back and talk more about it.
[MUSIC - INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER MALE CHORUS, "OLD MAN RIVER"]
RALPH OKE: I think if you speak to most people in Geelong, somebody has worked at Harvester. Nearly every person knows something about Harvester, knows somebody or-- because I can remember during the war time, there was around about 2,500 people employed there. And this created employment for a lot of people in Geelong. It's rather sad that the place did close up, really, because it has provided employment for so many people.
GWLAD MCLACHLAN: Of course, the war broke out very soon after. And so then you had to go manufacturing for the war effort.
RALPH OKE: Right. Yes. And we were apprentices at the time. Half a day a week we used to have to come into school and to the Gordon. And then we'd have to ride our push bikes back out to Harvester again and go from half-past five till half-past eight at night.
For an extra three hours overtime, we used to get three shillings for that. Whether-- whether people do that these days, I don't know. But it was pretty tough going in those days.
We made all sorts of parts. We made mine parts. And we used to make jigs and fixtures for commonwealth aircraft. We made the-- I remember working on the tail-- in the tail assembly of a Beaufort bomber, I think it was. Great big jig. It looked like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And I'm not very tall now, but I was smaller then.
And this was called my folly. And I used to have to be on a great big stand working on this great big tail-plane thing. But we did a lot of work. And sometimes we had to work right over weekends and things like that.
At that time the American Air Force had the rear end of the-- of the factory. And we weren't allowed in that area at all of course. They used to assemble Boston Bombers and Kittyhawk aircraft and things like that.
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Lew Abley and Ralph Oke of the International Harvester Male Chorus (formed in 1943) discuss the history of the Chorus with Gwlad McLachlan.
Initially, the Chorus was made up of International Harvester employees but soon after its formation other men were invited to join. Ralph also discusses his time at the Harvester during World War II and his role helping to assemble aircraft for the war effort. This is an edited version of an interview that was originally aired 3YYR, Geelong Community Radio, in September 1989 as part of the Keeping in Touch program.
