(John) Frederick May (1840 – 15 December 1897) and Alfred May (6 December 1851 – 22 September 1920) were two children in a family of nine of Perranzabuloe, Cornwall who emigrated to Adelaide, arriving in December 1858.[2] Upon arrival, the family travelled north to the mining town of Burra, where Frederick, (then aged 18), gained employment in a copper mine with his father Henry (1818 – 16 March 1872) and two brothers, William (1838 – 8 August 1914) and Joseph (1844 – 2 November 1922). Alfred, who was only seven at the time, attended school until the age of 15 when he then began work as a "picky-boy" – a menial job involving sorting ore on the surface of the mine.
Although not formally qualified in engineering, Frederick's keen interest and skill in machinery meant that he was soon promoted to the position of mine engineer, overseeing the installation of a steam-powered lift in the Schneider shaft in Burra.[3] The fact that workers could obtain better positions in the new colonies based on skill and merit was one of the reasons Frederick's father had chosen to bring his family to Australia.[4]
During the 1860s, the part of Yorke Peninsula known as the Copper Triangle – in particular the towns of Moonta, Wallaroo and Kadina – experienced a mining boom. Towns were growing quicker than mining equipment could be built and installed, and engineers were in high demand. Frederick's skill and efficiency at the Schneider shaft had earned him a reputation, and in 1861 he was appointed by pastoralist and mining magnate, Walter Watson Hughes, as chief engineer at the Moonta mine.[1][5]
In 1862 Frederick married Mary Ann Mitchell, and in 1873 he took on Alfred, (then aged 20), as an apprentice engineer.[6]
In 1873 Frederick was approached by industrialist James Martin. His company James Martin & Co was a manufacturer of mining and agricultural implements, and his foundry in Gawler was the largest in the area, employing at times over 700 men.[7][8] Martin aimed to expand operations and offered Frederick a partnership which he accepted in February 1874. Frederick secured a position for Alfred in 1875 as the foreman of the fitting shop.[9]
Frederick remained partner with James Martin until 1885, when he decided to establish his own business with Alfred. On 28 February the partnership between Frederick May and James Martin was dissolved.[10] The foundations for May Brothers were laid in July that year.[1]
Location
The May Brothers shop and foundry was located on 4 acres (1.6ha) of land situated on the southern side of Gawler, strategically placed next to the railway lines. Frederick himself drew the plans, and it is said the brothers literally established the foundations by marking out and laying concrete for the floors.[10] Later, operations extended and a branch was opened in Port Pirie. The name May Town, near Port Pirie, is reported to possibly have come from the May Brothers and Company branch situated there.[1][11]
Inventions and designs
At first the firm concentrated on essential items for farms, factories and mining, but Frederick's inventive nature, reflected in his philosophy "It's not enough to simply give people what they want; we must make things they haven’t even thought about yet...",[12] meant he was continually designing new products. Both he had his brother were prolific in their designs, and the number of patents taken out during the company's lifetime is testimony to this: Frederick patented numerous designs before the start of May Brothers& Co., Gawler. Two other brothers Matthew and Joseph also joined the firm in later years as employees of the firm[13][14]
In 1887, at the Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition, held in the new Exhibition Building on North Terrace, May Brothers entered seven general machinery exhibits and eight agricultural machinery exhibits, and took home first place in every category.[15] The unveiling of their Damp Weather Threshing and Reaping Machine at the exhibit was met with especially good reviews.[1][16] For a young business finding it difficult to gain the trust of Australian farmers who preferred importing machinery from larger more established companies in the US and Britain,[17] the success of the exhibit was a great advertisement.
May Brothers Damp Weather Thresher and Reaper, as featured in the "Australasian Implement & Housing Furnishing Co. Catalogue 1916–17"
The May Brothers Patent Compound Jigger was another breakthrough invention for the firm, although one that took the mining community – who were hesitant about the new company – some convincing. The jigger, a concentrator that treated ore on the surface, was unveiled shortly after the Jubilee Exhibit in 1887, and an order from the Umberrumberka mine in New South Wales arrived within months. It was the first of its kind in use on the field[1][18]
A pair of 1000 horsepower winding engines built for the Delprat Shaft in Broken Hill in 1900/1901[19] were designed by head draughtsmen John Wesley, draughtsman William J. May, and Alfred May, and the engineering team which William then converted into the final drawings. The showing of these engines under steam was done under Alfred and William J. May's management partners of the firm. It broke world records in performance output for its type.[20] In 1910, he unveiled the Climax Complete Harvester, which cut a seven-foot swathe and enabled one man to strip, clean and bag 20 acres (8ha) of wheat in one day.[21] The firm had grown from a five-man operation to having 360 on the payroll, and very few Australian farms or mines were without at least one of the May Brothers' inventions.[1]
Later years
After the death of his wife in 1896, Frederick retired from business and moved to the Largs Pier Hotel where he took up residence. There, he met a widow named Margaret Dick whom he married in a ceremony in Laura. A few weeks after returning to their Semaphore home, Frederick died of heart complications.[22][23] He was only 57 years old.
Frederick's eldest sons, Frederick, Jr., and William J. May became Alfred's new partners in May Brothers & Co., Gawler and Port Pirie.[24] Later, Alfred and partners incorporated the partnership into a company.[25]
In 1911 Alfred retired from the company and moved his family to Adelaide.[26] However, from then until his death in 1920, he remained active in the company and continued to contribute to designs. In 1917 he designed the "Acme" harvester – the biggest of its kind with a swathe of 10feet 6inches (3.20m), but light enough for only five horses to pull.[27]
The declaration of war with Germany in 1914 meant that May Brothers and Company was busier than ever, especially with many of its own employees enlisted in the war overseas. The 1920s brought increased competition from Australian companies, such as David Shearer and Sunshine Harvester Works,[28] The company was suffering. In an effort to diversify, they attempted to break into the automobile market by forming a public company with J. H. Jones of Adelaide, appointing former South Australian premier Sir Richard Butler as chairman.[28] The company failed, but was quickly followed by another venture that combined May Brothers and Company with the Perry Engineering Company, a firm founded by Frederick's original partner, James Martin.[28] The new company concentrated on the manufacture of harvesters. It began hopefully, but was unable to build up enough momentum by the time the Great Depression struck. Unable to meet costs, the company was liquidated in 1928, and all that remains now of the workshop and foundry in Gawler is the street bearing its name.[29]
Community relations
In accordance with their Wesleyan Methodist doctrine, the May Brothers were involved in many services to their community. From 1881 to 1884, Frederick sat on the local Gawler Council representing the East Ward.[1] He was Vice President of the Gawler Agricultural Society; a member of the council of the Gawler School of Mines; a member of the Geological and Mineralogical Society; a member of the Freemasons' Fidelity Lodge, and at one point, was captain of the Gawler Fire Brigade.[1] His skill at design extended beyond engineering to that of architecture, and not only did he design his firm's shop and foundry, he also designed (pro bono) the Bible Christian Churches at Moonta and Kadina, and the Wesleyan Church at Moonta.[1][30]
Alfred was also an active member of the community. He, too, was a member of the Freemasons' Fidelity Lodge, a member of numerous Methodist Church committees, was involved in local bands, acted as President of the Gawler School of Mines and was a founding member of the Gawler Bowls Club.[31] Alfred's relationships with his employees were strong, and in 1905 when Jim Caskey, a 46-year-old worker, was caught between an overhead shaft and a driving gear, and the company suffered its first fatal accident in 25 years,[32] Alfred ensured that Caskey's widow and children were provided for. In an era where statutory workers' compensation was still 81 years away, the act was considered unusual, and was the subject of much debate.[21]
Local Football
The May brothers had a close connection with local football. In 1894 Alfred's son, Alfred Fred Jr, was one of the two first South Gawler Football Club players to graduate to league football in South Australia. From 1919 to 1923, the May Brothers Foundry was home to the team's clubrooms.[33][34]
Recognition
In 1986, during South Australia's 150th Jubilee celebrations, Frederick May was named one of the 150 individuals to have made an outstanding contribution to the state's development.[35] A personalised plaque in his honour can be found in the footpath of North Terrace, Adelaide, as part of the Jubilee 150 Walkway.
May Brothers today
In 2008 May Brothers was re-established in Adelaide by Jason May, the great-grandson of Alfred May. The firm now specialises in project management and development, focusing on innovations in energy, information technology, infrastructure and the environment.
George Woodroffe Goyder was a surveyor in the Colony of South Australia during the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Ephraim Henry Coombe was a South Australian newspaper editor and politician. He was editor of the Bunyip at Gawler from 1890 to 1914. He was a member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1901 to 1912 and 1915 to 1917, representing the electorate of Barossa. A long-time liberal in the House, he refused to join the united conservative Liberal Union in 1910, and was defeated in 1912 recontesting as an independent. Following his defeat, he edited the Daily Herald from 1914 to 1916. He was re-elected to the House for Barossa in 1915, having joined the Labor Party, but died in office in 1917.
The South Gawler Football Club is a country Australian rules football club, founded by James Fitzgerald in the Gawler South area of the Barossa Valley town of Gawler, South Australia, in 1889. The Lions, who wear royal blue and white hoops, currently compete in the Barossa Light & Gawler Football Association. Their club and oval today situated at Eldred Riggs Reserve, Evanston, in Gawler.
Charles Tucker was Mayor of Adelaide from 1894 to 1898 and a member of the South Australian House of Assembly for the seats of Encounter Bay and Alexandra.
Horwood Bagshaw Ltd. is an Australian agricultural machinery manufacturer and dealership chain whose origins date from the late 1800s.
George Scarfe was a merchant in Adelaide, South Australia, a partner in the firm of George P. Harris, Scarfe, & Co., later known as Harris Scarfe. Called a "genius of commerce", he was largely credited with the firm's early success and gained great personal wealth. His brother T. R. Scarfe (1843–1915), nephew F. G. Scarfe (1867–1961) and Frederick George's son-in-law C. C. Deeley were prominent in the 20th century development of the company.
Joseph Crompton was a vigneron, manufacturer and exporter who founded several companies in the early days of the colony of South Australia. The eastern foothills suburb of Stonyfell was named after the property he bought in 1858, on which vineyards were established. Stonyfell Winery still exists today, although the grapes are sourced from Langhorne Creek. Crompton also established olive groves and set up businesses manufacturing soap, and exporting animal skins and plant resins to Britain.
James and John Chambers were early settlers in the colony of South Australia, who left England in 1836, became wealthy pastoralists and were closely connected with John McDouall Stuart's expeditions across the continent of Australia.
The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild is a South Australian not-for-profit amateur theatre company based on the North Terrace campus of the University of Adelaide. Established in 1938, the Guild is formally recognised as a society associated with the University, as well as being recognised as a club within its Clubs Association. It is one of Australia's longest running amateur theatre companies.
James Martin & Co was an Australian engineering company which progressed from making agricultural equipment to making railway locomotives.
Alfred Muller Simpson, invariably known as Alfred M. Simpson or A. M. Simpson, was a South Australian industrialist, a principal of the manufacturing firm of A. Simpson & Son. He was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1887 to 1894.
Tobias John Martin Richards, invariably referred to as "T. J. Richards", was a South Australian coachbuilder and motor body manufacturer who founded the company which would eventually form the manufacturing base of Chrysler Australia.
The Bunyip is a weekly newspaper, first printed on 5 September 1863, and originally published and printed in Gawler, South Australia. Its distribution area includes the Gawler, Barossa, Light, Playford, and Adelaide Plains areas. Along with The Murray Pioneer, The River News, and The Loxton News,The Bunyip was now owned by the Taylor Group of Newspapers and printed in Renmark.
James Martin was an industrialist and politician in the early days of the Colony of South Australia.
Sir John James Duncan was a politician in the colony and State of South Australia.
Perry Engineering was a major foundry and steel engineering works in the state of South Australia.
Leslie Samuel Duncan was a newspaper editor and politician in the State of South Australia.
The Corporate Town of Moonta was a local government area in South Australia from 1872 to 1984, centred on the town of Moonta.
George Wilcox & Co. was a South Australian hide and wool business, which in 1917 became Wilcox Mofflin Ltd.
Rigby Limited is an Australian book publisher, based in Adelaide. Their output consists largely, but not exclusively, of Australian subjects, especially non-fiction, by Australian writers and artists.
↑ A. K. May, 2016, The Mechanical Genius, John Frederick May, printed by Openbook Howden, pp 59
↑ "Notes and Queries". The Register. Vol.LXXXV, no.23, 052. South Australia. 25 September 1920. p.9. Retrieved 22 July 2016– via National Library of Australia.
1 2 M. W. Evans, 1981, The Days of May, Rigby Publishers Ltd., Adelaide, pp 184-187.
↑ A. K. May, 2016, The Mechanical Genius, John Frederick May, printed by Openbook Howden, pp 322
↑ "Plaques honour Martin, May". The Bunyip. Gawler, SA. 22 October 1986.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
