Boolaroo Bulletin Centenary Issue

WHEN researching throughout mountains of information for this booklet, I felt that of all the stories, I could not do justice to the life of Albert G. Hawkins in a few short paragraphs.

Albert Hawkins built a tiny fledgeling business that his father George was establishirig in Boolaroo and worked extremely hard to build it up throughout his lifetime to a multi-million dollar enterprise, one of the largest privately owned companies of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and the name Hawkins would become a household word for miles around.

In 1896, the year Albert was born, George Hawkins established a carrying service at Boolaroo. The humble beginnings of a horse and dray service was one of the first businesses founded in Lake Macquarie, a pioneer in the transport industry outside Sydney and Newcastle. A year after trading began the Sulphide Corporation set up business in Cockle Creek. George's decision to locate to Boolaroo paid off, his service was immediately engaged to move material to and from the site and to and from the railway. The firm's bullock teams were engaged in clearing and excavation work and heavy haulage. To keep up with the demand George purchased more equipment and animals, then expanded his premises. Due to the lack of roads, material was moved on water via the Lake and its creeks via Miller Wharf, Salty Creek at Edgeworth. Goods were taken from rail trucks at Cockle Creek to the wharf by Hawkins drays and waggons.

The Hawkins transport service grew and grew, a horse drawn ambulance stretcher was an important service and even football teams needed a horse and cart to get to their games. One day Albert transported a man who needed a taxi service to the swamps at Waratah to the side of a proposed big steel making plant (the site of BHP). The firm cut and carted timber, handled gravel from the quarry at Teralba, and also transported miners and their families further afield to Kurri Kurri and Cessnock to seek job opportunities. The shire was developing and the Hawkins company did much of the cartage for roadmaking and all the sanitation removals for Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens Shires, and in later years Wyong Shire.

Extensions to the water service, involvement with the clay trade, gravel quarrying operations at Munibung Hill, the Hawkins business continued to expand. In 1915 the firm purchased its first motor vehicle with a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour. In 1925 the office was moved from Lakeview Street to the corner of Main Road and Fourth Street, Boolaroo. During the depression in the early 1930's with mass unemployment the Hawkins firm undertook a local home building project to help provide jobs and built approximately 50 houses around Boolaroo. World War 2 came and Albert was appointed Chairman of the War Transport Pool Board and the company worked for the Allied Works Council. Since the war years the firm of G. Hawkins & Sons Pty Ltd went from strength to strength, a fleet of 200 trucks and heavy earthmoving equipment, employing 250 employees, and undertook major haulage contracts, civil engineering, land and constructional work all over the Hunter region. In 1980 the company was sold to Howard Smith Ltd, with the Hawkins name being retained.

ALBERT:
Albert married Iris Tremain, a marriage producing 3 sons, Lance, Neville and John who played an important part in the management of the business. Albert worked from 6.OOam to 6.OOpm until his sixties before he could be swayed to work shorter hours. Albert and Iris were married for 60 years and never missed a Sunday at the Boolaroo Baptist Church and were generous with financial assistance. Albert's experiences and compassion for the care of the elderly gave rise to the Hawkins family's project - the Hawkins Masonic Village at Edgeworth. In 1968 the Hawkins offered 45 acres of land free to the Royal Freemasons Benevolent Institution of N.S.W. for the development of a village for the elderly retired citizens.

This short story only touches the surface of the life and achievements of Albert, his father George, their family and long term employees of G. Hawkins & Sons. Albert Reserve on the Corner of Main Road and Sixth Street is named after Albert G. Hawkins and finally the jewel in the crown - Albert was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community in 1973. Boolaroo's name meaning is "place of many flies", yet there were certainly no flies on Albert.

(Albert G. Hawkins 1896-1982)

(Reference: Joyce Watt nee Tremain).