- 1 -

James Walker Australasia

1930 – 2005

‘‘AA ttrriipp ddoowwnn mmeemmoorryy llaannee’’

- 2 -

AAcckknnoowwlleeddggmmeenntt

The contributions of the following staff, both past and present, are gratefully acknowledged. Their valuable assistance was essential to the preparation of this publication.

ϖ William E Henson ϖ Albert (Les) Napthali ϖ Trevor Evans ϖ Françoise M Muscat ϖ Graham R Marshall ϖ Gregory R Furze

John D Humphreys

- 3 -

The 1930s James Walker & Co (Australasia) Ltd, as it was known then, was incorporated on 31st January 1930. It operated out of premises in what was the Dockland of Sydney.

In 1930, the population of Australia was 6.4 million: today it exceeds 20 million. Our first directors were George Henry Cook, William Joseph Dixon (resigned 3rd July 1963) and Frederick Edward Hart. They appointed chartered accountants Priestley & Morris of 16 Barrack Street, Sydney, as the company’s auditors, and Norton Smith & Co, 39 Hunter Street, Sydney, as the company’s solicitors with its partners as alternate directors for George Cook and William Dixon. We commenced operations from premises at 407 Kent Street. These were used primarily as a sales office and for stock holding, but they were very restrictive in size. As a consequence, additional space was rented from the company’s major customer, Howard Smith Ltd, at the bottom of Erskine Street. A gentleman by the name of Frederick Edward Hart was recruited from James Walker’s London office to become our first manager and director.

He was assisted by Mr Charles H. Hardee, also from London, who took charge of the office work and was paid a weekly wage of £3.15.0. Mr Hart stayed in the job only 12 months. He resigned on 20th January 1931 and returned to London for personal reasons. Although his leaving was somewhat of a setback, it was decided to carry on and Mr Robert McCluskey was appointed successor to Mr Hart as director and secretary At the time, Bob McCluskey was the resident representative in Holland for James Walker & Co Ltd, having previously been a member of the Glasgow depot staff. He had also represented the company in Marseilles and Hamburg. Bob arrived in Sydney in 1931 and held the position of managing director until his passing in 1960. Shortly after his arrival, he engaged Clarence Sullivan as an office boy, at a wage of £1.0.0 per week. Clarrie had previously worked in the office of Lloyd Burley Griffin, the architect who designed the City of Canberra. He retired as sales manager in June 1978 having served in WW2, and pursued interests outside the company for five years before re-joining in June 1953.

Kent Street, Sydney

- 4 -

- 5 -

- 6 -

- 7 -

- 8 -

- 9 -

- 10 -

In October 1932 we decided to open a depot in Melbourne, at 54 William Street, with Mr Charles Hardee as the first manager. Prior to this, we were represented by William Adams & Co, a company that also had our agencies for Sydney and Adelaide. The agency agreement was rescinded on the establishment of our own outlets.

54 William Street, Melbourne

On 1st March 1935 premises at 571 Flinders Street, Melbourne, were leased from the City of Melbourne for a two-year period, at a yearly rental of £120, payable monthly. Donald George Cook was appointed a director on 6th August 1935. He resigned almost 35 years later on 14th February 1970. During a visit by George H Cook in 1935, it was decided to commence manufacture (see factory layout) of plaited and braided length packings, together with proofed boiler door and handhole door joints. This was a major move in the expansion of the company. As no members of the local staff had manufacturing experience, Woking selected one of the workers on the factory floor for intensive training in the machinery. The training included lubricant (grease)

impregnation, graphite/mica coating, and subsequent spiralling/boxing. The person chosen was Thomas Elliott. Tom sailed from London on the SS Orsova and arrived in Sydney on 4th July 1935. His wage was £4.10.0 per week. Forward planning included the finding of suitable premises. In those days ‘suitable’ meant close to where the majority of our customers — shipping companies, power stations and industrial complexes — were located. Sydney Harbour was the answer. A search of the area produced 144-146 Sussex Street, a two-storey warehouse. This was the best we could find to meet all criteria, including price. Nowadays, you would not give the place a second thought, let alone even look around — it was on two floors with all the inconvenience this layout incurs. However, it became and remained the centre of manufacture in Sydney for the next 20 years! In the early years of WW2, we increased our factory area by acquiring 148/150 Sussex Street, Sydney. Following installation of the machinery, Tom recruited operating staff, including George Bryant who joined on 27th September 1935 at a weekly salary of £1.0.0. He quickly proved himself above average and became ‘first assistant’ to Tom. This was fortuitous as just before, or on the outbreak of the 1939-45 war, Charles Hardee in Melbourne left the company for reasons unknown, and Tom was selected to be his replacement. After Tom Elliott’s appointment as manager of Melbourne depot, George Bryant became the works manager and, except for a short period of military service during WW2, remained in that position until his retirement

- 11 -

Sussex Street, Sydney – 1930s & 1940s

Sussex Street, Sydney – 2005

(premises now occupied by ING Bank) .

Albert (Les) Napthali, joined the company on 25th November 1941, on a weekly wage of £1.15.0 and retired on 15th July 1988. He recalls the following: 144 Sussex Street was general office and completed goods store, as well as despatch. Top floor front was Mr McCluskey’s office, then there were stores of special goods, mainly imported from the parent company in Woking. 146 Sussex Street was the first production area. A small door from Sussex St led upstairs, a large double door opened on the factory floor on wall side to 144 Sussex St. There was the first machine braider, the two-bobbin winder, twisting machine, small plaiter, large plaiter, second braider, and squaring machine. In the corner was a large steeping tank, with a chain block to raise and lower the main basket. On the wall opposite the machines, were wooden racks holding all raw cheeses, hemp cheeses etc. Then came the coiling table with graphite trough.

- 12 -

Sussex Street Factory Layout 1935 (design done at Woking)

- 13 -

Upstairs front was the works’ office, in which was a large table with a guillotine for cutting cloth for Lion joints. The works’ desk was a small wooden desk with a sloping top. The rest of the area was a store of special materials, also large wooden wardrobe for factory foreman. 148 Sussex Street had a large front door. From front door, there was a small glassed room, in which all goods were wrapped. In the early days, greaseproof paper and brown paper were used. Later, we graduated to plain brown cardboard boxes, and later still to silver boxes.

Note caption on box: ‘Golden Value in Silver Boxes’ Opposite the wrapping room, against the wall, were kept two or three large tallow barrels. Alongside the wrapping room was a small plaiter. The front doorway between 146 and148 Sussex Street, came a “Heinz Press”, then a medium plaiter with bobbin winder. Across the room was a second steeping tank, also with chain, block and tackle. Upstairs front was a large wooden table on which were bolted two screw-ball presses. Rear of the floor became a dressing area for crew. In the centre of floor, was a large trap door, through which all types of raw materials, such as Lion cloth and jouling were handled with a double rope block and tackle, which was very hard work.

Later, after acquiring 150 Sussex Street, it was turned into bulk store warehouse. Also in the early days of the war, Mr McCluskey had an air raid shelter constructed. I’m pleased to say never had to use it. In the end, it was used to hold bales of Walkerite. A company called Hodge Engineering carried out all our major repairs and also made moulds for use on our presses. In the early days our goods were transported from and to the wharf by carrier ‘Tom Croft’, who had a horse drawn four wheel tabletop dray (photo p11). All loading and unloading was done by hand. We enjoyed a large contract with our Defence Forces, moulding several types of rings for use in 25 pounders, etc. Also, when the Sailway had the ‘Garrett Loco’, we moulded the special sets of packings used by them. Well-known and respected packings, such as Crescent, Supeta, Supasca, Rover and Petso, were manufactured in Sussex Street. At a meeting of directors on Tuesday 14th January 1936, Mr McCluskey stated that the time was opportune to extend the company’s operations to the Dominion of New Zealand and that he had made arrangements for the carrying on of the business in the said Dominion. He proposed to appoint Mr Donald Chamberlain Haberfield, then the company’s Sydney manager, in the Dominion to carry on the company’s business there. He suggested the necessary steps be taken to register the company as a Foreign Company in the Dominion. He proposed to leave for New Zealand with Mr Donald Chamberlain Haberfield on the 16th instant to open up the company’s branch in the Dominion.

- 14 -

- 15 -

It was resolved that the company be registered as a Foreign Company in the Dominion of New Zealand, under the provisions of the Companies Acts of the said Dominion. Mr McCluskey accompanied by Mr Donald Chamberlain Haberfield should proceed to Wellington, New Zealand, for the purpose of registering and opening up the branch of the Company’s business in the said Dominion. Mr Haberfield was to be paid a salary at the rate of £5.10.0 per week, commencing on 1st January 1936, plus a commission rate of 2.5% on the sale of all the company’s products in the said Dominion. Messrs Ernest, Hunt, Turner & Heslop, Public Accountants of Phoenix House, 127 Featherston Street, Wellington, New Zealand, were appointed the company’s auditors. In 1930s Australia, as elsewhere, company cars were a rarity. Sales and office staff relied on the fabulous Sydney toast rack trams for their business travel — but on special occasions, Bob McCluskey would allow the use of the one and only company car. The 1940s The war years of 1939 to 1945 witnessed a drain on manpower in the production area, such that Mr McCluskey was forced to write to the deputy director of Man Power NSW (see letter attached), seeking five ‘suitable’ men to boost factory numbers. He went on to say that, in spite of the war, we had been able to obtain regular shipments from England, both of finished goods and raw materials. We had fairly large stocks of yarns and had also been successful in obtaining supplies of Australian spun hemp yarns,

which would assure uninterrupted production in our Sydney factory for some time to come. At a meeting of directors on Friday 10th September 1943, Mr McCluskey reported that, in accordance with instructions received from James Walker & Co. Ltd, England, he had negotiated the purchase of the freehold property we occupied at 146-150 Sussex Street, Sydney. This was the land comprised in Certificate of Title Volume 1472 folio 32. The contract for the purchase of the property was made on 24th June 1943. Its purchase price was £4000. At a meeting of directors on 14th April 1944, Mr McCluskey stated that, because of the change of managers in the New Zealand Branch, it was necessary to substitute F.W. Markman in place of Mr Haberfield with respect to the signing of cheques on the company’s New Zealand banking account. It was resolved that all cheques, drafts and bills of exchange on the company’s account with the Commercial Bank of Australia Limited in the Dominion of New Zealand be signed by either Robert McCluskey, director, or F.W. Markman, the company’s Wellington manager. They had to be countersigned by one of the following members of Messrs Ernest Hunt, Turner Co., the company’s New Zealand auditors: Ernest William Hunt, J H Turner, Ian I Cook or A L McLean. On 29th July 1947, Mr McCluskey advised that, once again, he would be venturing overseas to England and it was desired to appoint Mr Sidney Peetz, acting assistant secretary and public officer of the company, during the absence of Mr McCluskey abroad.

- 16 -

- 17 -

- 18 -

- 19 -

Sidney Peetz had joined the company on 2nd June 1933 as a replacement office boy, at the princely wage of 15 shillings per week. His engagement brought the company workforce to four. Over the years, he was to see the company rise to over 120 staff. In addition to meeting the 3Rs educational requirements, Sidney successfully passed the essential physical fitness test. This was necessary because part of the office boy’s duties was ‘first assistant despatch/delivery man’. On frequent occasions this entailed loading and then lugging a costermonger’s barrow onto the wharves of Sydney Harbour for shipboard deliveries, which then represented the major proportion of sales. Such deliveries were no mean feat in the Australian summer heat, especially considering the all-up weight of numerous boxes of large section Lion semi-metallic block and expanding semi-metallic packing for steam, together with the odd 60ft coil or two of large size Sturntite packing piled high on the barrow.

Having studied and learned the art of typing and shorthand, Sidney Peetz became chief

clerk, but his continuity of service was interrupted by a stint during WW2 with the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, seeing action in the Pacific Islands. After his return to the company, he became secretary / accountant, a position that he filled in his quiet, unassuming, but most efficient manner. The minutes of meeting held on 20th August 1948 record that the staff provident fund comprised the following members: Sydney: Robert McCluskey Sidney Peetz Gordon Cave Webster Maxwell Young George Horace Bryant Leslie Napthali John Fletcher Melbourne: Thomas Edward Elliot Frank Russo Miss Frieda Hersig Gordon Cave Webster joined the company on 9th April 1936 on a wage of 15 shillings per week. After a few years’ service on the office administration side, he joined the Royal Australian Navy in WW2 and had the misfortune to be sunk on the cruiser HMAS Perth. Gordon was badly wounded and spent nearly four years as a prisoner of war in the infamous Singapore Changi prison. He retired in 1980, after 43 years of service. Frank Russo commenced as a company representative on 24 April 1961 and succeeded Tom Elliot as manager of Melbourne branch. Frank spent 20 years with the company before retiring in 1981. John (Jack) Fletcher joined in Sussex Street on the 27th September 1946 and retired on 24th December 1998. He rose to works foreman and played an invaluable role in the setting up and production of the CAF plant. Jack retired after 52 years of service, making

- 20 -

him the longest serving employee in the history of the company in Australia. The 1950s A major expansion of our company’s business took place during the 1950s Firstly, we opened a depot at Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1953. This was staffed by Mr Robert Bennett. Robert was a company representative in Sydney prior to his appointment as manager : a position he occupied until his retirement in 1972. John Humphreys (the current managing director) joined in Sydney on 21st November 1960. He succeeded Bob on his retirement and held the position until 1979, when he was appointed national sales manager, based in the Sydney head office. The original premises were located in Darby Street, Newcastle. Then, in the sixties, we moved to 28 and 30 Fleming Street, Wickham. These premises were sold in April 1989, realising $75,000.

Darby Street, Newcastle

Wickham, Newcastle

We now occupy premises in Hudson Street, Hamilton, that were acquired on 5th September 1988 at a cost of $146,000. These comprised two units, one of which was subsequently sold for $82,500. Today the branch manager is Wayne Hoad, who joined the company on 26th November 1981.

Hamilton, Newcastle

The minutes of the meeting of directors held on 16th July 1953 carried the following: Purchase of New Factory Site at Regents Park The Chairman produced for approval and execution under the Seal of the Company CONTRACT OF SALE between Brown Steel Constructions Pty Ltd and James Walker & Co. (Australasia) Limited, with

- 21 -

respect to the purchase by the Company from Brown Steel Constructions Pty Limited of ALL THAT piece of land situate in the Municipality of Bankstown Parish of Liberty Plains and County of Cumberland containing two acres 26 perches or thereabouts being part of Lot 21 Section 25 and being the whole of the land comprised in Certificate of Title Volume 6430 Folio 228, at the price of £1900 payable £190 deposit and the balance on Completion; the said Contract being otherwise upon the terms therein set out. RESOLVED: That the Contract produced be approved and that the Company’s seal be affixed thereto. The improved value of the site today is $3.45 million. It is 18 miles from Sydney city. A decision was then taken to extend the manufacturing range of the Australasian company to meet ever growing demand. Therefore, George Byrant spent nearly three months at Woking, gaining experience in the manufacture of items it was planned to produce in Australia. In February 1954, the Minutes of Meeting reflect that Stanley Newton Roberts be appointed to operate the New Zealand company’s bank account, with the Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd – Te Aro Branch. At that time the James Walker branch was at 39 Dixon Street, Wellington. Stan previously worked for our number one customer, Union Steamship Company. Dixon Street was in the heart of the city — and every shipment that arrived created chaos. (We eventually left Dixon Street in 1981 and moved into first floor premises on the verge of the city centre, on the corner of Marion and Vivien Streets. Fortunately, the building had a goods lift. Then we moved again to new premises in the suburb of Lower Hutt. These were occupied in the nineties until it was

decided Auckland should become the head office for New Zealand, and the Lower Hutt premises were sold.) In the 1950s and 60s the company was represented in the South Island by R B Dennision, A.T. Burt and Kidd Garrett. The next development in Australia was the decision in 1956 to relocate to the Regents Park site in the Western suburbs of Sydney. We wanted to accommodate a CAF manufacturing facility, including a solvent recovery unit. This was a two-year plan. Initially, our HO and works building comprised office accommodation, toilets and showers, together with a mess room, and what was known as the South Works. After the transfer of all the machinery from Sussex Street, three or four Metaflex® winders, with steel plate cutting gear, were shipped out from Woking for the start of a sales campaign on the spiral wound gasket market. The site ran adjacent to Duck Creek, a tributary of the Parramatta River. It was fully expected that, if Sydney had torrential rain, the creek would break its banks and flood the office and factory, covering the floor with a layer of mud. Remediation work undertaken on the creek overcame this problem. Although not common, at times the odd black snake appeared in the factory having been washed down the creek in time of flood! On 8th October 1956, Robert Porter joined the company as marine representative. Bob spent two years in New Guinea during WW2. As a champion cyclist he competed in the 1938 Empire Games (now known as the Commonwealth Games) held in Sydney, where he won a gold medal. He retired on 1st February 1979, having risen to the rank of sales manager.

- 22 -

Regents Park – late 1950s

- 23 -

Press Advertisement 1955

- 24 -

In 1958, North Works was built at Regents Park. An ex-Woking CAF plant, with a new Sutcliffe & Speakman solvent recovery unit, was shipped out from the UK for installation. It is of interest to note that George Bryant marked out the floor positioning points of the complete solvent unit on his own from installation plans supplied by Sutcliffe & Speakman. Everything went together with only minor hitches, which were to be expected. The CAF mill was installed, with the steam supply for this and the recovery unit provided by a 50hp Clayton Steam Generator fired by diesel oil. This plant manufactured jointings under the brand names: Unilion, Golden Walkerite, Sulfesto, Nitresto, Lipackite & Greydaye. (CAF production eventually ceased in the early nineties due to the age of the equipment and the extensive maintenance required.) To ensure this project got off to a good start, and adequate and proficient training was available to selected operators, a member of Woking’s laboratory staff who specialised in CAF manufacture as an industrial chemist was sent out to Regents Park. Hence, Bob Anderson spent nine months of 1959 producing the first Australian-made CAF. This whole project was conducted under a veil of total secrecy, which proved somewhat ironic as one of our competitors unveiled its CAF manufacturing plant in Melville, Western Australia, some six months later. In Melbourne, in 1956, the same year as the Olympic Games were held in that city, it was time to relocate again, this time to Queens Parade, Clifton Hill.

Clifton Hill 1960s

Reginald Whitney Strong was appointed a director on 14th July 1958 and resigned on 6th December 1976. On the 16th September 1958, Mr McCluskey wrote to Mr A A Ashbolt, managing director, A G Webster & Woolgrowers Ltd, Hobart, Tasmania, offering sole distribution rights for Walker products for that region. This association continues today. With Mr McCluskey getting on in years, it was time to consider his successor. William (Bill) Henson was short listed for the position. He had joined the UK company in May 1950, and serviced customers in the Kent and Sussex area for four years before his transfer to Woking in 1954 as sales engineer for Metaflex®, mechanical seals, anti vibration pads and rail pads. Bill Henson, with his wife, Margaret and sons Philip and Richard, set sail from Tilbury on 4th September 1958 on the SS Strathmore. They arrived in Sydney on 11th October 1958.

- 25 -

CAF Mill arriving from the UK

Steam Generator

Solvent Recovery Plant

- 26 -

Regents Park, late 1950s

North Works – CAF Production Plan

- 27 -

- 28 -

For the next two years, Bill worked alongside Mr McCluskey as general manager, until Robert’s unexpected and sudden death in October 1960, aged only 66 years. A cable was sent to Woking advising of the demise of Robert. A return cable appointed Bill as managing director from 10th November 1960. He held this position until his retirement in September 1984. Back then, communication was by cable rather than telephone. The 1960s On 20th December 1962, the company changed its name to James Walker & Co. (Australasia) Pty Ltd, in line with a change in the Companies Act, which introduced a proprietary company definition. In 1963, we decided to introduce the manufacture of proofed fabrics for the local production of vulcanised boiler door and handhole joints, together with both fabric reinforced and solid rubber hydraulic seals. By now, the Metaflex® section had outgrown its original space in South Works and so the opportunity arose to relocate the plaiting and braiding machinery, together with its ancillary grease impregnation plant, into a building connecting North and South Works. This became known as Central Works. It was constructed during 1964-65 and plant relocations completed, with the exception of electrical work, by our works maintenance staff. About this time, it was considered appropriate to take over from our agent William Adams in Adelaide by opening our own branch. A sales representative in Melbourne, by the name of Graeme Morton, was approached with the position of manager. He accepted and was transferred, then made a success of the new sales outlet.

Bryan Axton, who commenced employment in the Melbourne depot on 3rd June 1957, also relocated to Adelaide with Graeme Morton and remained with the company until his retirement on 8th August 2001. The branch opened at 81 Bickford Street, Richmond, before purpose built premises were constructed at Commercial Street, Marleston.

Marleston, South Australia

Today the branch is at 6/780 South Road, Glandore.

Glandore, South Australia

Graeme left the company in February 1976 and was succeeded by Graham Marshall as manager, a position he held until his retirement in October 1988. Simon Longden, who joined on 15th March 1977, succeeded Graham Marshall as manager.

- 29 -

To take advantage of new business opportunities being presented in 1964 by increasing industrial development in Queensland, it was decided to locate a resident sales representative in the Brisbane area — initially operating from home. A sales representative on the Sydney staff, who originated from Mackay in Queensland, was invited to take on the position and Peter Graham willingly accepted the challenge. Initially, space was rented from him in his home at 64 Galsworthy Street, Holland Park, to provide office facilities, which his wife Lucy manned during his absences. However, it was not long before further space was required for ready available stock. Premises were rented at 879 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley. The office and store subsequently moved to the West End where, during the first Xmas/New Year break, the place flooded to a depth of three metres after a violent storm and extreme high tides. In 1977, the branch moved to 35 Walkers Drive, Balmoral. Further expansion of the business necessitated another move to larger premises at Slacks Creek in 1980.

Slacks Creek, Queensland

These premises were subsequently acquired in mid 1981 for $60,000. A further move was undertaken in the mid nineties to our current premises at Archerfield. The present branch manager is John Butler, who was appointed on 1st May 2000.

Archerfield, Queensland

Australia introduced decimal currency on 14th February 1966, at which time the pound became two dollars, and millionaires were made overnight. Following completion of the factory extensions at Regents Park, thoughts then turned to new office accommodation. There were about 80 employees on the factory floor in the late 1960s. Works office staff had also grown and extra accommodation was needed. So, it was decided to transfer them to the old offices and build a new office above the front car park for administration, accounts and sales staff. This was completed and officially opened in late 1970.

- 30 -

Sydn

ey S

taff

– e

arly

196

0s

- 31 -

Sketch provided by Woking to indicate colour scheme to be adopted for delivery vans in Australia

- 32 -

Regents Parks - 1970s

Regents Park - 2005

It was not uncommon for the factory to work on a two-shift basis, such was the outstanding order book in those days. On 1st June 1967, John Hough joined as a sales representative in Sydney and left after 12 months before rejoining on 12th February 1970. When he retired in March 2001, he was the market development manager. John’s successor is the present day national sales manager, Paul Williams, who joined the company on 30th May 1988 in Brisbane as sales representative. He rose to the rank of branch manager, before relocating to Sydney in March 2000.

The 1970s The 1970s witnessed the only two strikes in the company’s history, which remain a low point in our 75 years of operation in Australia. The two factory strikes were brought on by the Miscellaneous Workers Union in 1972 and 1976, both during the Whitlam/Hawke era —,Whitlam was prime minister and Hawke the ACTU secretary. The first strike lasted four weeks and recovery was not too bad, with full re-engagement of workers within a couple of weeks. But the second strike ran for of over six weeks was another matter altogether. At first, only 13 employees were re-engaged out of almost 80, and it took another eight weeks before a full complement was back on the payroll and then it was just over 50. Almost 30 people lost their jobs permanently. The irony of both strikes was that neither achieved a solitary thing, as in both instances the return to work was on the pay/conditions offered in the first instance, but the union organiser, Bill Thompson (an ex-boxing booth pugilist) promised them the earth if they took strike action. It is understood that for his ‘success’ in this achievement, Thompson was transferred to Alice Springs in Central Australia, where he died shortly after with a brain tumour, possibly caused by his earlier ‘sporting’ life. In June 1973, Trevor Evans, being what was then termed one of the last of ‘the ten quid immigrants’, arrived in Australia and joined the company. Trevor had worked for four years in the Export Department of James Walker & Co Ltd in the UK. He remains a member of the Australian team today. In New Zealand, a large proportion of the company’s business was obtained in the northern part of North Island, primarily around the important industrial centre and

- 33 -

port of Auckland. Our operations started there in the latter part of 1970.

Premises at Queen Road, Auckland – December 1970 Our rented premises consisted of a small office and stores in upper Auckland. But the development of our business and the increasing need for improved stock holding facilities necessitated a further move in 1973 to larger rented premises. Within three years, even more space was needed and we subsequently took over the entire floor and first floor of the building in which we were already accommodated. The premises would clearly not allow for continued expansion of the business and our stock holding requirements. So, in late 1985, we purchased one of eight commercial units being built on a well-positioned site in Auckland, with good access to the surrounding road network.

Auckland Premises 1986

Stan Roberts retired in September 1971 and was succeeded by Mr A W (Jim) Stainton. Jim joined in March 1953 as a technical representative based in Wellington, after a distinguished career as a chief engineer with the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand Ltd. He was promoted to sales manager in 1968 and then branch manager when Stan retired. Upon the formation of a separate New Zealand company in 1977, Jim was appointed director and general manager, a position he held till his retirement in September 1981, after 28 years service with James Walker in New Zealand. The management of the New Zealand company passed to Mr Ron Wardle, formerly manager of the Auckland depot. Mr Brian Harman, formerly of Wellington, succeeded Ron as manager in Auckland. Upon Ron’s retirement, Brian took the reins. At the directors’ meeting on 10th July 1974, a petition was tabled for the winding up of Indonesian Australian Trading Corporation Pty Ltd of Alderley, Queensland on the grounds of long outstanding indebtedness to James Walker & Co (Australasia) Pty Ltd. This company had purchased a locomotive from another company for an Indonesian customer but, somewhere between Australia and Indonesia, the locomotive was ‘lost’ in transit! The trading company still had to pay for the locomotive, but since it did not arrive in Indonesia (or did it?), no payment was received from that end. September 1971 saw Qantas introduce its first Boeing 747-238B Jumbo Jet, which made the world a smaller place. Australia became more accessible and we witnessed the proliferation of competitors setting up operations Down-Under.

- 34 -

Before the age of economical jet travel, the journey to Sydney by ship from the UK could take up to six weeks. Although the Regents Park factory was only 100 miles down the road, we decided in 1975 to open a soft cut gasket facility at Newcastle branch. This is still in operation today and is a vital part of our service offering to customers in the Hunter region.

First Gasket cut on the press - 6th June 1975

At the 16th July 1975 meeting, the records reveal the directors of the Australian company were: Dorian Davies (UK)

– appointed 10th March 1970 Reginald Whitley Strong (UK)

- appointed 14th July 1958 William Evan Henson

– appointed 10th Nov 1960 Robert Hacking Hargreaves

– appointed 3rd July 1963

Christopher John Higgins – appointed 21st June 1972

Due to their impending retirement, Messrs Strong and Hargreaves resigned from the board effective from 6th December 1976. Mr Michael John Kelly (UK) was appointed as of that date. At the December 1976 meeting, the chairman stated that, subject to local council development approval, a final offer of $62,000 had been made by Messrs Jones Lang and Wootton on behalf of its client for the parcel of land known as Lot 9, Marjorie Street, Sefton NSW. The offer was accepted. This land close by the Regents Park site was originally purchased by James Walker with the intention of relocating one of the manufacturing divisions from the Clapham Road site. Meanwhile, James Walker New Zealand, which had operated as a branch of James Walker Australasia Pty Ltd, but was financed by extended debt from Woking, desperately needed funds to resolve its Woking debt. In June 1976, at a meeting in Woking, it was agreed that James Walker Australasia would sell its New Zealand interests to James Walker, Woking, for around $70,000. Thus, a new company was formed as James Walker New Zealand, wholly owned by James Walker in the UK. James Walker Australasia was to maintain a watching brief by means of an annual visit, plus the provision of any product technical services required. On the 31st March 1977, the minutes of the directors, meeting carried the following: Sale of New Zealand Branch The Chairman produced a tripartite Agreement made between James Walker & Co. (A/Asia) Pty Ltd, as Seller, James Walker New Zealand Limited, as

- 35 -

Purchaser, and James Walker & Co. Ltd, Woking, Surrey, England, majority shareholder in James Walker & Co. (A/Asia) Pty Ltd and James Walker New Zealand Limited, as party to consent to transfer of assets and liabilities whereby James Walker & Co. (A/Asia) Pty Ltd agreed to sell all of its interests in its New Zealand Branch to James Walker New Zealand Limited for a consideration equal to the book value of its assets as audited, less the amount of its liabilities in New Zealand as audited at 31st March 1977. Resolved that the Agreement for Sale and Purchase be signed under the Seal of the Australian Company and forwarded to New Zealand for stamping and register and that the transfer becomes effective from close of business on 31st March 1977. James Walker Australia Pty Ltd came into existence on 20th October 1977, when the New Zealand company became autonomous. The 8th July 1977 saw the retirement of Mr T E (Tom) Elliott after almost 50 years’ service with the James Walker organisation, of which more than 40 were spent overseas with the Australian company. Tom Elliott joined James Walker in 1928 and although starting in the works under Mr T.F. Watson, subsequently became a member of the office staff. Back in 1935, having assisted with the installation of the machinery to manufacture braided packing, which had also been shipped out from Woking, Tom Elliott then instructed a locally recruited work-force in the fine art of manufacturing braided packings. He was wholly responsible for all subsequent production.

In August 1937, the position of Melbourne depot manager became vacant and, once again, Tom Elliott discarded his overalls to don a suit for transfer to Melbourne, where he has remained ever since to develop this depot into a major sales performer within the Australian Company. During his service in Australia, Tom returned to the UK on at least two occasions, 1947 and 1959. During his absence in 1959, Clarrie Sullivan, then sales manager attached to the Regents Park head office, manned Melbourne branch for a period of six months, until Tom returned. July 1978 witnessed the visit of Messrs Davies and Kelly to attend the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 12th July. This was the first official visit in almost 15 years by any directors of the UK parent company. Regular visits from UK-based directors were a feature from thereon to keep the wild colonial boys in check! At the meeting of directors on 25th July 1979, Sidney Peetz announced his retirement, after some 47 years’ service, 28 of these as company secretary. His successor was Gregory Richard Furze, formerly with Messrs Priestley & Morris, the company auditors. The chairman also reported that negotiations were under way to purchase new premises for the company’s Melbourne branch. He said that following a recent visit to Melbourne by Messrs Peetz and Furze, an offer of $160,000 had been accepted for property on Second Avenue, Sunshine, and more details would follow when the matter was further advanced.

- 36 -

- 37 -

It was resolved at a meeting on 24th September 1979 that Mr Henson and Mr Furze be authorised to proceed with negotiations on the sale of 175 Stanley Street, West Melbourne. The sale was finalised on 20th June 1980 at a price of $77,000.

Sunshine, Victoria We continue to occupy the Sunshine premises today. The present branch manager is John Armstrong, who was appointed on 1st May 2001.

The 1980s Having established a branch in each of the other capital cities, plus Newcastle, the time was opportune to establish a branch in Perth, Western Australia. Mr Henson reported on 2nd January 1980 that the establishment of autonomous operations in Perth would commence on 1st February 1980, with Mr Philip N. Henson as manager. Mr P.N. Henson and Mr J.D. Humphreys, visited Perth and located suitable premises at Unit 4, 28 Gympie Way, Willetton, Western Australia,. The company was in a position to sign the lease agreement for an initial period of 18 months at $55.00 per week.

Willetton, Western Australia

However, these premises were then offered for sale. At a meeting on 10th September 1980, the board resolved to proceed with the purchase at a figure of $38,000. The sale was finalised in December 1980. Appointment of Directors at a Meeting held on 1st July 1983 The Chairman stated that it was the considered opinion of the Board that the number of resident Directors should be increased from the present one in number to no less than two and that with two vacancies being available as additions to the existing four Directors, such vacancies should be filled by Mr John D Humphreys and Mr Gregory R Furze respectively. Resolved that Mr John D Humphreys and Mr Gregory R Furze each be appointed a Director of James Walker Australia Pty Ltd, effective from 1st July 1983. Mr Henson advised the meeting held on 26th July 1983 that Mr George H. Bryant was to retire from the company after a splendid 48 years of service. The chairman pointed out that this company was the only employer George Bryant ever had, and dedication and longevity of service such as given by Mr Bryant were a rarity in this day and age. Mr Henson went on to say how much he personally appreciated the loyalty and

- 38 -

friendship of George Bryant over a period of some 26 years. The company had appointed Mr Keith J Turner two and a half years previously to understudy Mr Bryant, and Mr Henson took the opportunity to congratulate him on the ratification of his employment. Keith remains with the company today as works manager. At another meeting, on 28th July 1983, Mr Henson advised that the parent company had taken over a UK company by the name of RotaBolt Limited. This company held patents for a revolutionary fastening system. A license to manufacture this system had been negotiated by the Australian company and the chairman spoke enthusiastically about the contribution of this product to an inevitable diversification programme. He explained that the company’s traditional lines were experiencing a sales erosion and that new products, such as RotaBolt®, were essential for the future. In August 1983, a further important step in the development of the New Zealand company took place, with the opening of a stock holding depot at Christchurch on the South Island.

Christchurch – August 1983

Christchurch and its surrounding area is acknowledged as the second largest industrial area in New Zealand. The opening of a new

depot would support the company’s sub-distributor, R B Denniston & Co, that had sales outlets in Dunedin, Invercargill and Timaru. In 1988, it was reported that the area around the town of New Plymouth, some 250 miles north of the capital city Wellington had, developed over the past few years as an important industrial zone, particularly in relation to the oil exploration industry, chemicals, petro-chemicals and synthetic fuels. The area had been covered from the Wellington head office of the New Zealand company, with the assistance of a local stockist, supported by a local resident representative of the New Zealand company. In order better to serve the business potential in the area, the New Zealand company opened a sub-depot staffed by the representative Mr Kelvin Bishop, supported by a storeman / clerk. Kelvin joined the company on 6th January 1986 and remains with the company today. The sub-depot was initially located at 164 Devon Street, New Plymouth, then moved to 64 Elliott Street, New Plymouth.

164 Devon Street, New Plymouth

- 39 -

Extract of Minutes of Meeting held on 26th September 1984: Retirement of Managing Director Mr Henson advised the Meeting that he would be retiring from the position of Managing Director of the Company effective from 28 September 1984. He went on to say how much he had enjoyed his 34 years with the Group, especially his 26 years as Managing Director of the Australian Company. He added that whilst he was sorry to be leaving the Company, he was very much looking forward to his retirement years with his wife, Margaret. New Managing Director Mr Henson reported to the meeting that on his recommendation, the Parent Company has appointed Mr John David Humphreys the new Managing Director. Mr Henson welcomed Mr Humphreys and congratulated him on his promotion saying that he had given 24 years valuable service and was a close colleague. He also thanked the Finance Director, Mr Gregory Richard Furze, for his support and counsel. Throughout the 1980s a substantial sum of money was expended on new plant — about $2 million — particularly on cross plait winding machines and equipment in the Metaflex® gasket department. On 10th April 1989, Mr Ken Deighton joined the New Zealand company as company secretary, the position he retains today. On 17th April 1989, Stephen Bint joined the company as a sales representative and swiftly rose to the rank of branch manager at Sydney. His career path then took him to quality assurance manager, and in recent years he has occupied the position of IT manager.

The 1990s In 1992 it was recognised that the addition of mechanical seals to our range of products would hold us in good stead as a total sealing solutions provider. The decision was therefore taken to manufacture and refurbish mechanical seals in both Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia. In November 1997, Mr A G (Tony) Parrett succeeded Brian Harman as general manager. Tony was appointed a director on 1st October 1999 and managing director on 1st December 2001. On 31st December 1998, Christopher John Higgins and Malcolm Douglas Savage retired as directors. They were replaced with Peter George Needham and David Galloway. Malcolm had been appointed on 1st April 1992 and Chris on 21st June 1972. Graham Bullock was appointed to the board on the retirement of Michael John Kelly on 31st December 1999, The investment program of the 1980s continued into the 1990s with an additional $2.7 million outlaid on plant during this decade. The 2000s By 2001, we had outgrown the Perth premises we acquired in 1980. A move to much larger premises gave us the opportunity to furbish mechanical seals and manufacture soft cut and Metaflex® spiral wound gaskets in Western Australia. This production unit commenced operations on 1st April 2001. The present branch manager is Jonathan Robinson, who was appointed on 1st April 2005.

- 40 -

Willetton, Western Australia

Anthony George Parrett was appointed a director of the Australian company on 1st April 2002, in addition to retaining his position of managing director, James Walker New Zealand. Over the Tasman, the New Zealand company was operating out of two premises in Auckland. The Eden Terrace premises housed the head office and stock-holding facilities, whilst the Mount Wellington premises, some 15 kilometres away, housed the mechanical seal centre. The benefits of a one-site operation were recognised and in 2003 the move into new premises at Lady Ruby Drive, East Tamaki, Auckland, took place. Callum Barber joined the New Zealand company on 11th August 2003 as sales manager. He was appointed general manager in December 2004.

East Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand

On the 1st April 2005, another seal refurbishment centre was opened at our Brisbane branch. This was followed by a centre in Melbourne on 1st July 2005. Today, the company employs 82 staff in Australia and 23 in New Zealand. James Walker characters - Suffice to say, over the past 75 years the company has witnessed its fair share of characters. To list the antics of all would be voluminous. We thank such characters for adding some levity to our life. In collating the information to write this ‘Trip Down Memory Lane’, the author sincerely trusts that the events over the past 75 years are accurately depicted. It would be remiss not to thank all staff, past and present, for their efforts in making the company what it is today, with all justified in feeling a sense of pride.

John D Humphreys

- 41 -

Managing Directors

William E. Henson 1960 to 1984

John David Humphreys 1984 to present

Robert McCluskey 1931 to 1960