{"id":31389,"date":"2023-07-06T14:54:43","date_gmt":"2023-07-06T04:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.phototimetunnel.com\/?p=31389"},"modified":"2023-10-05T15:10:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T04:10:15","slug":"carrington-slipways-and-the-laverick-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.phototimetunnel.com\/carrington-slipways-and-the-laverick-family","title":{"rendered":"Carrington Slipways and the Laverick family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
During the 1970s the Newcastle firm of Carrington Slipways was seen as part of the strong backbone of NSW industry. Over some decades the firm, founded and owned by the Laverick family, had invested in excellent ship-building and repair facilities and had developed a strong skills base. Carrington Slipways launched about 120 ships of various types before the government wound back protection for the Australian ship-building and repair industry. In its last years, culminating with its closure in 1990, Carrington Slipways campaigned to be part of Australia’s big submarine and frigate contracts. These contracts were subject to intense political and commercial lobbying and Carrington Slipways’ bid failed. Its closure followed almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story of Carrington Slipways begins with its founder, the remarkable John Fisher (Jack) Laverick, who was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, on June 6, 1899. He trained as a shipwright and served as an aircraft rigger in the Royal Flying Corps in World War 1. He was injured on duty and suffered a severely damaged hip, an injury that was to plague him all his life. Injury notwithstanding, Jack went to sea in 1920, serving as a carpenter on various ships, travelling to Australia where he turned to his hand to a variety of jobs including a stint with John Brown at Hexham (near Newcastle, NSW) and at Newcastle’s Walsh Island dockyard. He was back at sea soon enough, with an eventful sailing voyage on the steel ship Bellpool to England via the nitrate port of Tocapilla, Chile, and on the steamer Belgot to Calcutta. Injuring his hip again, he decided to migrate to Australia where, after a period of recuperation, he threw himself into any work he could find, ranging from door-to-door sales to real estate work. He married in 1929 and built a good business selling car tyres until the Depression hit and, with two young sons – Peter and Donald – to support, he tried farming in the Burragorang Valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n