Forgan’s Foundry

J. & R. Forgan established a foundry in Crystal Brook in November 1876 where they were forging plough shares which were being extensively used in South Australia and also exported largely to Victoria, New South Wales and West Australia to the tune of 96,000 per year.

In 1894 Mr. D. L. Forgan commenced making castings in the Port Pirie Foundry located on this site for the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Smelter. 

Approximately 70 men were employed including furnace men, moulders, tappers, fettlers, blacksmiths, wheelwrights and labourers. The work included sintering pans, lead and zinc kettles, slag and matte pots, water jackets, bullion moulds, drossing kettles and general repair work.  This work was crucial in increasing and maintaining metals production during World War 1 and 3 blast furnaces (Lead) and 9 distillation furnaces (Zinc) were in operation at Port Pirie prior to the outbreak of World War 1, treating the vast ore load from Broken Hill. A fourth blast furnace was blown in on January 1915 increasing lead output.

 Forgan’s Foundry, Port Pirie

¹The British government purchased at high wartime prices a large proportion of 

Australian lead and copper production until one year after the end of the war and the entire production of zinc for at least ten years after the war. 

²During World War 2 more than 60 employees at Forgan’s Foundry were turning out castings destined to push on the War effort. Munition work was emerging were employed from the foundry in a continuous flow and was being consigned to practically every State in the Commonwealth including a huge lathe bench, cast in two sections each 15 ft. in length to turn up heavy artillery and anti-aircraft gun barrels.

Sources:

¹The Port Pirie Recorder 1 June 1914 

²The Recorder, Port Pirie, SA Friday 29 August 1941