Cyclone Company Cufflinks
25 year service cufflinks by K.G. Luke Melb. In 1952 you got a gold watch for 25 years!
The Cyclone Woven Wire Fence Machine Company was established in Melbourne in 1898 by Leonard Tasman Chambers and William Eastwood Thompson. They had secured the rights to manufacture American invented ‘Cyclone’ woven fencing wire. The word ‘machine’ was dropped from the name by the following year.
The Australian Pastoralists’ Review, 15th May 1899 page XXXI
The McIvor Times and Rodney Advertiser (Heathcote, Vic), 7th September 1899 page 5.
The McIvor Times and Rodney Advertiser (Heathcote, Vic), 20th February 1908 page 2.
The name changed to “Cyclone Woven Fence & Gate Company” around 1903, the “Cyclone Fence & Gate Company” in 1921, the Cyclone Woven Wire Co Ltd during 1924-5, the Cyclone Fence and Gate Company Pty. Ltd. in 1925, then the Cyclone Company of Australia Pty. Ltd. in 1944, becoming a limited company in 1947. They made urban and rural products from both overseas and local designs in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville and Launceston. They became famous for fencing, gates, fly-wire, ornamental and tubular wrought iron.
Image by Graeme Butler, made available through funding from the Public Record Office of Victoria and City of Melbourne. Cyclone’s original Melbourne works in Franklin Street.
In 1930 a new showroom, “Cyclone House”, was opened in Hardware Street, Melbourne.
The Herald (Melbourne), 5th March 1930 page 13. It was offered for sale in 1935.
Photo sourced from Wikipedia, by Rohan Story.
The company extended into playground equipment, scaffolding and conveyor belts.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 11th June 1953 page 7.
The Australian Women’s Weekly, 27th January 1954 page 48.
In 1975 the Cyclone Company of Australia was bought out by Boral Limited, becoming Boral Cyclone Limited. It is a company that is literally shaped the landscape of rural and urban Australia.
For all questions and comments, please use the Contact page.