144 replies to this topic

[Shiney005]

Google Street View isn't quite as current. If you "drive" around the building, you can still see the tunnel entrances under the building.

 

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[Shiney005]

Back in 2013, a forum member was walking through what was by then a storage facility and took a couple of photos of the old change rooms with old style drinking fountains.

 

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[Shiney005]

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[LC69GTR]

1.JPG

 

I had a picture of the last Gemini down the line, which had playboy centerfolds taped to the windows, but for the life of me I can't find it now.

 

Here it is https://drive.google...iew?usp=sharing

[S pack]

Back in 2013, a forum member was walking through what was by then a storage facility and took a couple of photos of the old change rooms with old style drinking fountains.

It is a hand washing basin Laurie.
 

[Shiney005]

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[Shiney005]

Mosman Park. (General Motors Australia)

This site was purchased from a dairy farmer 1st June 1926. By 18th June a contract to build was made, and the first ground was turned on the 21st. The factory, which was on the corner of Victoria Street and Buckland Ave was operational by November.

The merger of GMA and Holden's Motor Body Builders in 1931 didn't see all assets going the yank's way, with this plant becoming part of the HMBB reach across Australia.

Bodys were railed across the Nullarbor from Woodville, and in later days a man was employed to patch up the bullet holes from bored jackeroos on the stations out on the plain.

From 1931 to 1935, the plant shut down due to the depression, but by the outbreak of WW2 it was employing 250 locals in the manufacture of boats, plane parts, and pontoons.

 

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40 foot Patrol boats.  Just by googling around, I have found a dozen of these still operational today.

 

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Lunch bar across the road on Victoria Street is still standing, but is now a private residence.

 

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[Shiney005]

The first Holden car body didn't arrive until Feb 1949, and by 15th June 1950, 1000 Holden's had been completed. For April of that year, they produced 1721 cars (all makes) in 17 days, which was quite an achievement for such a small factory. 

 

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Factory in 1953

 

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Lacquer Colour Oven 1956

 

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Moisture dry off oven 1956

 

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[Shiney005]

Pic from Johnno. Sablemet7-73 on forum. 2016

 

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I assume they are Bodys In White on the left, and recently painted ones on the right.

 

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1957. Vauxhall Velox second in line.

 

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Into the 1960's. Train parked at Cottesloe.

 

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Edited by Shiney005, 21 July 2022 - 03:03 PM.

[Shiney005]

1963. EJ's from Woodville. This photo comes up on various sites with captions stating it is from differing places, but I found the original from the rail museum with the photographer stating he took it while doing his mail run.

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The first EJ to leave Mosman Park bound for McKenzie Motors in Bunbury.

 

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[Shiney005]

Onto the HD's.

 

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and HG's

 

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[Shiney005]

Bert Ashman worked at Mosman Park, and built his own Kingswood, and took a spare engine in a crate to go with it.

 

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By 1972, GMH had started its rationalisation program and decided not to build a bigger factory in WA. The government of the time were as indifferent to the plight of the workers as they were in 2017.

I didn't realise that Hansard went back this far.

 

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[Shiney005]

The last (and second last) car to be driven out of the plant was a Lettuce Alone green HQ SS in August 1972. I would give my left one to be able to find this car today.

 

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[Shiney005]

I assume the plant was used for warehousing for the next four years, as its closure wasn't reported in Pointers magazine until Feb 1976.

 

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[Shiney005]

I have a book written in the early 1980's coming in the mail which should have some more info and pics, but I will post them up later.

 

As an aside once again, I am including a couple of photos of the Ford plant which was just around the corner and is now the Matilda Bay Brewing Co.  The picture of them on the train going through Midland suggests that they were much more complete than the Holdens when they got here. Red arrow is Holden, Blue Arrow is Ford.

 

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Ford Factory 2019.

 

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Edited by Shiney005, 21 July 2022 - 03:36 PM.

[Shiney005]

Sorry for the delay. My book on Perth factories arrived and it was well worth the wait. Very interesting stories, not just on GMH, but Peters Creameries, Mills and Wares, and Metters.

 

Turning the first sod, 1926.

 

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Under construction.

 

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First footy team.

 

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[Shiney005]

These next two photos says alot to me about how General Motors ran their business in the 1930's.

 

Photo of all line workers in 1935.

 

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Photo of management and office staff on same day.

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Edited by Shiney005, 02 August 2022 - 03:57 PM.

[Shiney005]

Avro Anson mainplanes under construction in 1943.

 

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Social club embarking at Fremantle for Rottnest 1962.

 

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First Viva off the line 1966.  Note how the line workers and the "suits" are not mixing at all. This sentiment of segregation was written about in the book I bought by the line workers in the 60's and 70's.

 

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[Shiney005]

HR against a Perth skyline.

 

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[Shiney005]

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Ten years after the plants closure, ex employee John Leonard led a protest against the demolition of the building, which ultimately failed and the site is now the playing grounds for Iona college.

 

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Inside the building before demolition in 1984. 

 

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[Shiney005]

I have only just realised that Mosman Park and Birkenhead were almost identical buildings.

 

Perth.

 

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Adelaide.

 

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[RallyRed]

Some sad times there Shiney. Would have been dark days for some of the employees.

Edited by RallyRed, 02 August 2022 - 05:04 PM.

[Ice]

Should have retained the Mosman Park factory facade and build the complex into apartments 

not knock it down for some rich wanky kids school playing grounds 

[Shiney005]

Actually, I just had a thought. My rich wanky sister started at Iona in 1984. I will ask if she took any photos.

[Shiney005]

Mosman Park and Birkenhead were identical, but they had a cousin born in the same year. The Marrickville building isn't exactly the same but it is cut from the same cloth, so let's look at NSW. 

 

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