Holden Retirees Club

City Road Plant (Melbourne)

1926 -1936   

John Sharpe and Sons was a timber merchant who set up business at 169 City Road Melbourne in 1870’s, trading as the Australasian Saw, Planing and Moulding Mills, and becoming incorporated in 1910 as John Sharpe and Sons Ltd. However, by the 1920’s, business was become harder and less profitable. 

Speaking at a Shareholder’s meeting later in November 1926, the Chairman Mr Cohen said: " Your Directors have been giving anxious consideration to the comparatively small profit which has been earned in the last few years on the large sums employed in the business both in capital and in facilities afforded by the company's bankers, who have at all times given us our generous support. With regard to the large turn over the profits are not commensurate with the heavy work and responsibilities which the carrying on of the business involves.”

Earlier in 1926, the newly formed company General Motors [Australia] Pty Ltd had decided to build Assembly plants in all mainland states, and were actively seeking suitable premises or land to build these plants. Consequently, negotiations had been completed to allow General Motors Australia to acquire on lease the main Sharpe and Sons Ltd building fronting City Road. On 28^th July 1926, the following report appeared in the local newspaper:

“…General Motors (Australia) Pty Ltd has obtained for its Melbourne operations the building now occupied by John Sharp and Sons Ltd, timber merchants in South Melbourne. ‘The location is most convenient.' said Mr D Bardin, Victorian manager of the company, in notifying yesterday the completion of negotiations. ‘It is within one mile of the General Post Office, and offers every facility for receiving our materials from ship and rail and for the final delivery or dispatch of the completed product.'

The buildings acquired by General Motors are situated a short distance from St Kilda road and they have a frontage of about 450 ft to City road, 350 ft to Ralston street and 475 ft to Kavanagh Street with access also to Power street. There is a total floor space of about 200,000 square feet. Extensive additions are being made to the existing structure which is being remodelled to conform to the requirements of General Motors. It is expected that the premises, when completed, will form one of the most modern factory buildings in Melbourne.

John Sharp and Sons Ltd, the present occupants of the building, are transferring their milling operations to a plant adjacent to their timber store lower down the river, where operations of this nature can be more economically carried on.

It is expected that the new plant will be capable of producing motor cars about the beginning of November, and that it will be in full production by the end of the year. Although no statement has yet been made as to the number of men likely to be given employment, Mr Bardin said that at least some hundreds of Australian workmen would be engaged in building up the chassis and mounting on them the Australian made bodies and tyres, which the company would use practically exclusively'."

The registered offices of General Motors (Australia) Pty. Ltd. would be housed on a mezzanine floor 65 ft wide, running the whole length of the front of the building in City road. From these offices would be controlled the Australasian activities of General Motors under the direction of Mr Innes Randolph, Australasian regional director for General Motors and managing director of General Motors (Australia) Pty Ltd. The offices of the Victorian branch of the company would be situated on this floor and would control the company's activities in Victoria, part of the Riverina and Tasmania.

At their November 1926 meeting, the Directors of J Sharpe and Sons Ltd recommended to the shareholders that the whole business should now wind down over two or three years, realising assets as they could to avoid any large liquidation costs.  This was agreed by the Shareholders, who also agreed to sell their shares to the Directors at a premium price.

It was then announced that negotiations had been completed with GMA to acquire the remaining premises of the firm on leasehold.

GMA had announced that they expected to commence production in November 1926. However there was a setback on 26^th October when a large fire caught hold in the wood mill on the Sharpe property. The building to house GMA had been cleared and had just started re-construction for the motor assembling workshops of the company, which had already over 100 chassis awaiting assembling. A large steel girder which had 'just been put up' was buckled by the fire, and had to be replaced, but otherwise little damage was done to the new workshops, although the start-up was delayed a few weeks while debris was cleared and the new beam fabricated and erected.

There appears to have been no large ‘Official” opening of the Plant, compared to those in other states.  It was more a matter of expansion as new areas were completed. 

By 1927, they were in full swing and ready for visitors. In January, they played host to 700 members of the Young Australia League who they treated to a Plant Tour, an illustrated booklet about the Plant, a speech by Innes Randolf, Lunch and then a trip to Frankston via a fleet of 120 cars! After a swim and sports, they were conveyed back to Luna Park at St Kilda.

The Melbourne Motor Show was held on 5^th to 14^th May, 1927, and GMA ran a number of advertisements inviting Show visitors to come and tour the Assembly Plant.

The City Road Headquarters building incorporated an “Exhibition Space” and many cars were on display there.  It was also the venue for many GMA staff and Dealers conferences. Of particular comment in August 1928 was a scale model of each of the GMA Plants. It was impressive in its detail, and even included lighting so that both daytime and night time viewing could be simulated.  It was mounted in a special case and went on tour around all States.

On 4^th June 1927, GMA announced price reductions across all models. “When General Motors (Australia) Pty., Ltd., started operations in Australia in November, 1926, the aim of the organisation was to immediately effect substantial reductions in the price of General Motor's cars. Prices were accordingly subjected to these substantial price reductions. Having achieved this aim, General Motors (Australia) has continued to make every effort to increase efficiency in order to reduce operating costs. These efforts, combined with the splendid response of the car-buying public which has resulted in greatly increased volume, have made possible the savings which in accordance with the Company's policy are now being passed along to the consumer in the form of price reductions.”

In September, 1927, GMH was mentioned as having facilitated a blow for women's' freedom, as reported in the newspapers: "Men nowadays have to regard the advance of women in public life much as Canute was compelled to regard the advance of the waves on the seashore. Another of their previous provinces has now been invaded by Mrs. L. Drexler, who has been appointed reception officer of the Tourist Bureau, Melbourne. Mrs. Drexler is inclined to believe that she is the first woman in Australia to develop the work of Reception Officer. She created the position, in a sense, at General Motors in City Road, Melbourne. Bound by no rules, she made her own. She learnt to divine the needs of all entering the great swing doors, and as if by magic, to dissolve their doubts and send them on their way rejoicing."

In common with the other HMBB Plants, City Road was acquired by the newly merged company General Motors-Holden Ltd. in March 1931. However, the depressed state of the market forced GMH to close all their assembly Plants, except Woodville to build bodies and City Road, Melbourne, to assemble vehicles to service the small volumes required.  The City Road Plant was chosen to remain open as it was central to the major markets of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, and had good rail access to Perth and Brisbane Plants.

Business eventually picked up again and so, other plants began reopening in 1934 as the volumes were exceeding the capacity of the City Road Plant. In late 1934, GMH shipped its first Export bodies to Singapore, with ‘Truth’ newspaper reporting in December 1934 that more than 50 bodies were now ‘running around’ Singapore, with more destined for Java and India.  No doubt that country was chosen as the the first as the new Managing Director, Laurence Hartnett, had strong ties to the Singapore Motor market.

The Plant was not immune to the ever present threat of fire in the Duco Lacquering section, due to the propensity to spontaneous combustion of waste paint on rags or surfaces.  On 5^th March, the automatic sprinkler installation at the premises gave the alarm shortly before 10 p.m. of an outbreak of fire in the Duco works. The fire swept to a ventilator shaft designed to carry away fumes, and ignited the roof. The sprinklers kept the fire in check until the arrival of the William Street and South Melbourne Fire brigades. The-fire was under control in a few minutes, and the damage was slight.

Such was the demand for new vehicles that it became obvious that the City Road Plant was too small to build the required volume, so M.D. Hartnett in 1935 began to negotiate with the Government to acquire 50 acres of land at Fishermens Bend, to build a new and more modern plant.

As a last gesture at the old Plant, on 21st December, 1935, GMH played host to "500 of the children of the local unemployed who were their guests at a monster motor picnic to Park Orchards, Ringwood. By 10 o'clock, about 80 cars, including four mammoth parlor cars, were loaded with the merry company of kiddies, and a large number of men and women who had undertaken to look after them. When all the company had been decorated with bright coloured caps, and some hundreds of balloons were flying above the cars, the cavalcade moved off amid sounds of happy laughter and vigorous singing. The picnic ground was reached at about 11.30, and the picnickers  were supplied with well stocked lunch boxes, and a large booth  was available where they could get all the soft drinks and milk they wanted for the asking.

The  side-shows, which included the ever popular Punch and Judy, and bright witted conjurers, were soon busy entertaining the young people. When the assistants had been entertained at luncheon at the Chalet on the picnic grounds by the generosity of the chief hosts, they returned to their charges, and races - in which there were all prizes and no blanks - were kept going to the end of the day."

On 21^st August 1936, GMH announced that the transfer of business from City Road to the new Fishermens Bend Plant would begin that day, with the Parts Department being the first to move. It would be closed to the end of the month, and would then be followed by the Commercial Body Building Department.  The rest of the organisation would then be relocated in the first two weeks of September.  Regular full production would begin in the third week of September, and the first car expected off line some ten days later.

Mr Hartnett, Managing Director, said “the new plant should lead the world for some considerable time in design as a motor-assembly plant. The parts department carries over one million pieces in stock for models as far back as 1918.”

The last party of visitors to be shown around the City Road Plant came fittingly from the RACV, who were at the Plant in early September.

The last car produced at City Road was a Pontiac Six Coupe, driven off the line by the Director of Manufacturing Mr. J. Storey, shortly after 2 p.m. on Friday, 4^th September, 1936.

During the ten years' occupation of the City Road building, approximately 75,000 cars had been turned out, with a total value of nearly £26,250,000.

As sections transferred to Fishermens Bend, work started to strip out the old equipment. However, not everything went smoothly.  On 8^th September, a fire again broke out in the Duco Lacquering Plant, this time said to be due to the fusing of some electrical wiring.  It was attributed to the men working on the strip out. The fire brigade extinguished the blaze in 30 minutes, and damage was estimated at 50 Pounds.

Being completely stripped out by the end of 1936, the Plant site was eventually bought by International Harvester Co of Australia Pty Ltd. The existing buildings were demolished and remodelled as a headquarters, Service Centre and Showrooms.  “Harvester House” was opened on 22 May, 1939.

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