![]() However, on a more positive note, there has been the introduction of CAD and CNC machinery, improved and more efficient pump designs, access to international markets, and increased international competition – in some case the integration of Australian entities with multinational corporations. Multinationals have consumed some, while others have restructured, merged or closed down.įrom a negative perspective, the demise of local manufacturing began in the late 60s when the Federal Government initiated tariff reductions for imported goods, cumulating over time with the ultimate free trade agreements, and this has all but killed off the Australian manufacturing industry. The old, traditional businesses such as K&L, Harland Engineering, Ajax Pumps, and many others no longer exist as standalone entities. The pump industry has undergone massive changes since I joined it in the mid 1960s. Kevin and his grandson Gus on the ride on mower. One of our greatest achievements during my period with Weir was to work with the UK management to acquire the worldwide operations of Warman International, the most renowned manufacturer of slurry pumps for the mining and mineral processing industry. My brief was to grow the business, and it was a role I had been well prepared for thanks to my time with BTR. I accepted a position with the Weir Group as the Managing Director of Weir Engineering – a subsidiary of the Weir Group based in Glasgow, UK. In 1988, an opportunity arose for me to take on a new role working exclusively in the pump industry. My role was demanding and required extensive travel and long hours working across many disciplines. I remained with BTR for almost seven years, during which time the company grew exponentially and acquired many large Australian organisations including Nylex and Borg Warner. This appointment required that I relocate, so in August 1981 my family and I moved to Sydney. ![]() After eleven years at K&L, I was approached by Alan Jackson to join him at BTR Australia as General Manager of their engineering businesses. Then I was promoted to General Sales Manager. Shortly after, I was made Projects Manager, responsible for tendering and contract-managing all large works undertaken by the company. This turned out to be a very profitable project and its success helped my career progression as I was appointed Contracts Manager. My career with K&L developed quickly and I became a Contract Engineer and successfully managed several large turnkey projects, including another for the MMBW – the North Road Pumping Station. This was a major project won by K&L from the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) and the first of several large and successful projects undertaken by K&L during the eleven years I worked with them. The company’s general manager at the time was Bob Moore, and here I designed structural steel for the influent pumping station at Carrum. In late 1970, I left FN Bethune and joined Kelly & Lewis (K&L) as a Design Draftsman. When I returned, I rejoined Bethune in April 1968 and continued in my role as a Design Draftsman during the day, with frequent stints in the pump test bay, alongside Barry Stevens, at night. Bethune advertised and I got the job.Īs it happened, my number did come out of the barrel and I began a two-year stint in the Australian Army in April 1966.ĭuring this time, my education included the use of weapons and drills, and a posting with the engineers, where I learnt construction and demolition skills. This would help me secure a future career if I was conscripted. I didn’t realise it at the time, but it was at Bethune that I came to know several people who would go on to play a significant role in both my working and personal life, including Robert (Bob) Moore, who was the General Manager Newton Reyment, the Financial Controller and Company Secretary and Geoff Daniels, the Draftsman.Īt the time, the Federal Government had just introduced a two-year National Service program and I needed to obtain a role to support my engineering education. They were a strength in the industry at the time as they were a member of the Clyde group of companies and produced a wide range of pump products including Pomona Turbines, Aurora Centrifugal pumps and Morris Slurry pumps. My life in the pump industry began in 1965 when, at the age of 20 and studying Mechanical Engineering at Preston Technical College, I joined FN Bethune as a Tool and Jig Design Draftsman – working under the guiding eye of Bert Webster, the manufacturing manager. ![]()
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