Summary
A documentary chronicling the history of Sydney’s Eveleigh Railway Workshops, the hub of New South Wales rail assembly and maintenance for 100 years. Combining stills, archive and interviews with workers, the film charts the early years, the construction of railway engines, the harsh and dirty conditions, worker camaraderie, disputes between unions and management, the arrival of migrants, worker support for improving conditions for aborigines, the employment of women in the workshops as well as the advent of diesel.
It was also the epicenter of the 1917 General Strike, where Eveleigh workers, together with the Randwick Tramway Workshop workers, walked off the job in protest at management’s card system of costing, sparking Australia’s largest industrial dispute. Eveleigh was also an incubator for Labour politicians, including New South Wales Premiers John McKell and JJ Cahill. The film concludes with the closure of the workshops in 1989 and the subsequent rebirth as the Australian Technology Park.
Special Notes/Achievements
Author: J Bird, 2023