After 93 years, Austin’s Foundry poured cast iron for the last time on Friday.
Bob Austin, who is 96, could recall when he started working there.
Mr Austin said he was straight out of primary school.
‘‘My father didn’t have anyone to help him.
They were all away at war.’’
When his father died 20 months later of a heart attack, Mr Austin remained thankful for the time he had spent working with him.
While the foundry had shut after his father’s death, it opened some years later thanks to a partnership between Mr Austin and his brother.
Through the Depression the competition was great, but they always prided themselves on doing their own maintenance and making their own equipment.
However, Covid-19 had changed business.
The price for coke, which had been $15,000 last year, had doubled in price to $30,000. The foundry had used recycled scrap material sourced from scrap metal dealers.
While they had processed 200 tonnes of metal in the past few years, they had processed 500 tonnes in the past.
An employee from earlier times, Tony Hammond, was back for the final pouring.
‘‘You name it, I’ve made it,’’ Mr Hammond said, from cogs to parts of motors and ‘‘anything in cast iron or bronze’’.
He could remember when local artist Trevor Askin had cast his first bronze sculpture at the foundry 43 years ago.
While the foundry is now closed, it is still trading with a stock of rollers and spare roller parts.
