Geelong events in May will celebrate Ford Australia’s centenary, legacy in the city

Eleven years after it confirmed it would end car assembly in Australia and nearly nine years after the last locally-made Ford vehicle rolled off the line, the car company’s legacy will be noted at a special event in Geelong.

The City of Greater Geelong announced on Monday that two events will be held, on May 24 and May 25 at the National Wool Museum, celebrating “100 Years of Ford in Geelong: The Cars, The People & The Local Legacy.”

The car maker’s Australian origins are recognised as Geelong’s Dalgety Wool Store in 1925, before the company moved to a larger premises at Norlane.

The Geelong history includes the first Australian-assembled Model T, and the first ute, designed by Lew Bandt and built in 1934.

“The Ford factory in Geelong and then Norlane formed a significant part of our region’s identity and put Geelong on the map as a manufacturing hub with a skilled workforce, something that remains true today,” said Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj.

“Family histories ran deep at Ford, with multiple generations working at the plant and some spending their whole working lives there.

“Loyalty to Ford continues in our region’s mindset and collective history, and we congratulate Ford Australia on its centenary.”

The events are free, though with limited spots. They will feature “a short screening of archival material, followed by an engaging panel discussion”, as well as “the opportunity to view a small collection of archival display items, offering a tangible connection to Ford’s storied past in Geelong.”

More information is available here.

Ford’s US parent company announced in May 2013 that it would shut the Broadmeadows and Geelong factories.

The company’s losses added up to $600 million over five years, as demand for its cars dried up.  

As the council notes, while Ford Australia no longer makes cars in Norlane, it maintains a Research and Development Centre there, as well as the 900-hectare You Yangs Proving Ground at Lara.

Picture: credit City of Greater Geelong

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