Bernard Leunig

Work & Labor - Men - Interviews|Angliss Meat Works, Footscray - Interviews|Meat Industry|Work Experience - Biographies|Leunig Bernard , 1915 -

Master disc 1 of 2|Content:|0 - 3 min: Born and raised in the William Angliss Estate. Father employed as a shipping clerk.|3 - 6 min : Using the meatworks as a playground from age of 8 years with his brother. Sheep and cattle sales at Newmarket on a Wednesdaynight. Drovers expertise on horses bringing the cattle in down Ballarat Rd.|6 - 9 min : Meatworks lay out pre motorised transport. Labour day preparation for the parade in the city later to be named Moomba. Polluted lagoon at the base of the meatworks. Fire at the meatworks. Slaughtering at the meatworks. Local and export (top)slaughter board.|9 - 12 min : Export slaughterboard accomodated 100 slaughtermen slaughtering 100 sheep per day each. Weekly pay for a slaughterman was 12 pound 10 per week or 2 guineas per hundred working a 5 1/2 day week. Bottom section catered for beef and a boar slautering section. 30 slaughtermen worked this section slaughtering 12 head a man per day, early finishes. The goround system was using skinning the beef on the ground. A cooperage was also part of the works to hold the tallow. A case making factory also existed selling their boxes to the brewery and other industries. They also had a case making factory for the sausages. The butchers shop was in Bourke St for the manufacturing of smallgoods with the smallgoods factory being built in Footscray adjacent to the Red Square (now George Seelaf Square) .|12 - 15 min : Angliss's Meatworks is known as the Lynch's Bridge or Lynch's Gate Precinct. Bernard takes us on a 'walk' though Angliss. Carpenter's shop also on the premises. Mnaufactured thier own ice.|15 - 18 min : Red Square or Seelaf Square today was the administration block.|18 - 21 min : Walk through Angliss continued.|21 - 24 min : As above. Fat and oil production for exporting. Fellmongering and pullers for skin production and tanning.|24 - 27 min : Soap production utilising the fleece in the scourers. This section was 6 storeys. Wool production through to baling. Boiler room for the steam production for the meatworks. Cold storage and freezing section was 3 storeys with the bottom storey built along the sidings for the rail cartage.|27 - 30 min : As above. At the meatworks peak, they were slaughtering 9000 lambs per day. Grading of export meats prior to freezing. Employing 150 - 200 men in the export chambers.|30 - 33 mins: 1933 saw the implementation of the 'killing chain system' and the employment dissatisfaction with machination of the abbatoirs and the work changes and strike that followed.|33 - 36 mins: The disruption the strike caused, union management of the chaning work conditions and depression that followed. Introduction of the Federal Award added to the ill will of the employment comararderie. Changes in work conditions with the demands of expor meat standards especially by the Americans.|36 - 39 mins : Cost factor of upgrading the facilities due to export standards saw to the demise of the meatworks. The effect of the demise of Angliss to the suburb of Footscray.|39 - 41 mins: Seasonal demographic change in Footscray due to meatworks environs. Bernard talks about the characters employed at Angliss.|41 - 44 mins : Mutual employee support in times of need. Character identification.|44 - 47 mins: Repitition of manual labour. Changes in level of skill with the introdution of the killing chain in comparison with solo slaughterman. Chris healy asks Bernard to reflect on his childhood memories of growing up on the Angliss Estate.|47 - 48 mins : Growing up with the characters that worked at Angliss and lived in the Estate.

Sound Disc 2

sound disc(48 mins) :digital, stereo ;4 3/4 in.

Chris Healy

Melbourne's Living Museum of the West Inc.

Melbourne (Vic.)

Sound Recording

130104578

VMLMW

1984