Adelaide Brighton Cement
Encyclopedia
Adelaide Brighton Cement (ABC) is an Australian manufacturer of cement
, lime
and dry blended products.
ABC operates manufacturing and distribution facilities in South Australia
, the Northern Territory
, Fyansford, Victoria
and New South Wales
. Associated brands and companies include Geelong Cement, Cockburn Cement, Sunstate Cement, Northern Cement, Independent Cement & Lime, and Building Product Supplies.
It is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
as Adelaide Brighton Limited (ABC).
immigrant, established lime kilns in 1880 on an allotment near the corner of Brighton and Shoreham Roads, Adelaide, South Australia. Several miles south, what is now Marino
to Reynella
and Hallett Cove
, were rich limestone
deposits. The rocks formed part of the great Precambrian
limestone formations known geologically as the Brighton Series.
Two years later, Lewis built a larger kiln, closer to the limestone deposits, fifteen feet square and twenty feet high. So began the Brighton Cement Works, which were officially opened on 12 December 1882. Thirty guests were invited to the opening, including the then Mayor of Glenelg, Mr. T. King, M.P. There was a bright future for the production of local cement, as at that time, South Australia was importing 8,000 tons of portland cement
a year.
Unfortunately the promising start soon faded, with Lewis closing the Works in 1883 due to poor sales, attributed to the local product being too expensive and not as good quality as the imported cement.
However, other colonists took up the challenge. Brompton
brickmaker, William Shearing became involved. Some years later, a syndicate
including John Howard Angas
and Simpson Newland
bought the Works. In 1896, quality of the local cement appeared solid, with the product being used in the construction of the Happy Valley Reservoir
. By 1900 the Company had 813 acres (3.3 km²) and were selling over 3,500 tons a year.
A major setback occurred on the 7th of November, 1909, when the Works were consumed by fire.
Carting rock and coal was a significant task, with horse and dray
being a familiar sight. In 1913, the company owned 74 horses. Stablehands began at 4am with grooming and feeding. Drivers were ready at 6.45am for the 11½ hour trip from the Works to the city carrying cement, returning via Bromptom where coke
was loaded. Horse drawn trolleys were also used to cart additional stone from the Reynella quarries http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=65 http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=63 http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=64http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=926 to the Reynella railway station, to be freighted to the Marino site by rail. Eventually the Reynella horses were replaced by the "Flying Fox
"http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=80. This labour saving aerial ropeway became somewhat of a tourist attraction.
The Brighton Cement works moved to Angaston
in the 1950s. Brighton Cement merged with Adelaide to become Adelaide Brighton Cement in the 1970s.
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
and dry blended products.
ABC operates manufacturing and distribution facilities in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, Fyansford, Victoria
Fyansford, Victoria
Fyansford is a township on the western edge of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, named after Captain Foster Fyans who came to Geelong as a Police magistrate in October, 1837. It is located at the junction of the Barwon and Moorabool rivers....
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Associated brands and companies include Geelong Cement, Cockburn Cement, Sunstate Cement, Northern Cement, Independent Cement & Lime, and Building Product Supplies.
It is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange
Australian Stock Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
as Adelaide Brighton Limited (ABC).
Mining and Processing Facilities
- Rapid BayRapid Bay, South AustraliaRapid Bay is a small seaside town in the southwest of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. It is approximately 100 km south of the state capital, Adelaide...
limestone mine - AngastonAngaston, South AustraliaAngaston is a town in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, 77 km north east of Adelaide. Its elevation is 347 m, one of the highest points in the valley, and has an average rainfall of 561 mm...
plant - BirkenheadBirkenhead, South AustraliaBirkenhead is a north-western suburb of Adelaide 14 km from the CBD, on the Lefevre Peninsula, in the state of South Australia, Australia and falls under the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is adjacent to Peterhead, Exeter and Glanville...
plant
History
William Lewis, a WelshWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
immigrant, established lime kilns in 1880 on an allotment near the corner of Brighton and Shoreham Roads, Adelaide, South Australia. Several miles south, what is now Marino
Marino, South Australia
Marino is a suburb in the south of Adelaide, South Australia. It sits on coastal hills overlooking Gulf St Vincent, within the City of Marion Local Government Area. It neighbours Seacliff, Hallett Cove and Kingston Park....
to Reynella
Reynella, South Australia
Reynella is a metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.It is located 20km south of the Central Business District of Adelaide in the north of the City of Onkaparinga...
and Hallett Cove
Hallett Cove, South Australia
Hallett Cove is a coastal suburb in the south of Adelaide, South Australia, with a population of more than 12,000 people. Adjoining suburbs are Marino to the north, Trott Park and Sheidow Park to the east and Lonsdale to the south. It is within the City of Marion Local Government Area...
, were rich limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
deposits. The rocks formed part of the great Precambrian
Precambrian
The Precambrian is the name which describes the large span of time in Earth's history before the current Phanerozoic Eon, and is a Supereon divided into several eons of the geologic time scale...
limestone formations known geologically as the Brighton Series.
Two years later, Lewis built a larger kiln, closer to the limestone deposits, fifteen feet square and twenty feet high. So began the Brighton Cement Works, which were officially opened on 12 December 1882. Thirty guests were invited to the opening, including the then Mayor of Glenelg, Mr. T. King, M.P. There was a bright future for the production of local cement, as at that time, South Australia was importing 8,000 tons of portland cement
Portland cement
Portland cement is the most common type of cement in general use around the world because it is a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco and most non-specialty grout...
a year.
Unfortunately the promising start soon faded, with Lewis closing the Works in 1883 due to poor sales, attributed to the local product being too expensive and not as good quality as the imported cement.
However, other colonists took up the challenge. Brompton
Brompton, South Australia
Brompton is an inner northern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Charles Sturt.-History:Brompton was established in June 1849 and quickly grew...
brickmaker, William Shearing became involved. Some years later, a syndicate
Syndicate
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies or entities formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest or in the case of criminals, to engage in organized crime...
including John Howard Angas
John Angas
John Howard Angas was an Australian pioneer, politician and philanthropist.John Howard Angas was the second son of George Fife Angas and his wife Rosetta née French. He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and when around four years old was boarded out with a couple in Hutton, Essex where his parents...
and Simpson Newland
Simpson Newland
Simpson Newland CMG , pastoralist, author and politician, was a pioneer in Australia who made significant contributions to development around the Murray River. He was also an author of practical works and novels....
bought the Works. In 1896, quality of the local cement appeared solid, with the product being used in the construction of the Happy Valley Reservoir
Happy Valley Reservoir
Constructed when the total population of Adelaide numbered 315,200 the Happy Valley Reservoir now supplies over a half a million people, from Adelaide's southern extent to the city-centre.-Construction:...
. By 1900 the Company had 813 acres (3.3 km²) and were selling over 3,500 tons a year.
A major setback occurred on the 7th of November, 1909, when the Works were consumed by fire.
Carting rock and coal was a significant task, with horse and dray
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
being a familiar sight. In 1913, the company owned 74 horses. Stablehands began at 4am with grooming and feeding. Drivers were ready at 6.45am for the 11½ hour trip from the Works to the city carrying cement, returning via Bromptom where coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
was loaded. Horse drawn trolleys were also used to cart additional stone from the Reynella quarries http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=65 http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=63 http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=64http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=926 to the Reynella railway station, to be freighted to the Marino site by rail. Eventually the Reynella horses were replaced by the "Flying Fox
Flying fox (cablecar)
A flying fox is a small cable car, often propelled by gravity, and used as an item of children's play equipment and more rarely for other purposes. The term flying fox is Australian English and New Zealand English. In other countries, it can be called a zip-line. Similar toys are known as death...
"http://www.onkaparingacity.com/libraries/localstudies/view_details.asp?RefID=80. This labour saving aerial ropeway became somewhat of a tourist attraction.
The Brighton Cement works moved to Angaston
Angaston, South Australia
Angaston is a town in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, 77 km north east of Adelaide. Its elevation is 347 m, one of the highest points in the valley, and has an average rainfall of 561 mm...
in the 1950s. Brighton Cement merged with Adelaide to become Adelaide Brighton Cement in the 1970s.
External links
- Adelaide Brighton Cement website
- Current share price on the Australian Stock ExchangeAustralian Stock ExchangeThe Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....