Artisans Of Australia: Stonecraft

Made by Film Australia 1984. Directed by Paul Humfress. Episode 2 of this informative series about specialised and rare crafts and skills. Weathered stonework at the Sydney Technical College, built in 1891, is being restored and, where necessary, replaced. The greystone needed comes from Wondabyne Quarry. Stonemason George Proudman explains the process of restoration, from choosing the stone and tools required, to the methods used for fitting replacement stone.
Watch some amazing footage of stonemasons at work on the Sydney GPO in 1942.
From the NFSA's ASO: aso.gov.au/titles/sponsored-fi...

[@kingenfuuken]

Those ending comments were scarily accurate.

[@igocamping3545]

Mate, did you think that one year on from your comment you would look back at your idiot self and realise NOW is the time to say that?!?! Prophetic of both of you. I yearn for those stable days

[@robdavies3597]

Congratulations for the beautiful restoration work you wonderful tradesmen completed. My Grandfather, Mother & myself attended school in that wonderful building. I returned to the school for a function 58 years later only to find the beautiful internal walls of that wonderful sandstone had been painted blue.😢

[@steevo9656]

Good old days, now buildings are usually bland industrial structures lacking the beauty that inspires greatness amongst society. Some say there is a war on consciousness.

[@ripme6616]

Character!

[@scottleft3672]

Buildings dictated by architectss only.

[@gwstonemason]

Absolutely amazing, I was trained by George Proudman and worked with all the Masons' featured. So happy I found this. Started back in 1980 with Diana the first Stonemasoness shown, Alfie was my leading hand on Sydney Tech. This film must have been shot just after I left the PWD in 83 to pursue my own path in Stonemasonry. 40 years on and still working stone. Thanks so much for putting this up.

[@NFSAFilms]

Hi Geof. That's a great story thanks for sharing with us. Glad you liked the film.

[@damiancudmore2227]

I worked on George’s last job- Land Titles Office.

[@damiancudmore2227]

You would know my old friend Andy Kelly RIP

[@gwstonemason]

@@damiancudmore2227 last saw Andy working in the old Gosford Quarry yard at Annadale now gone and turned into houses ! Didn't know he had passed. RIP.

[@damiancudmore2227]

@@gwstonemason Yes, a couple of years ago now.

[@cognitor900]

Thanks NFSA for putting this great video up on YT. I learned quite a bit about the qualities of the stone and some chisel choices. Which, after watching hours of stonemasonry YT videos, is often a sad indictment on the content of contemporary videos. Thanks again for a great slice of history.

[@NFSAFilms]

You're welcome cognitor900, and thanks for letting us know. Glad you found it useful.

[@righteousred723]

@@NFSAFilms echoing their sentiment, thank you for uploading

[@scottleft3672]

check out " The Sculptors Funeral" site, nearly every stonemasons marble/sandstone working tool explained in depth...well worth it

[@fortunateson7852]

What a great video. How I miss the 80’s. No hi viz. Just shorts or jeans and a comfortable shirt or singlet. Cigarettes in the mouth and probably a stubby or two at lunch. That’s what built this country.

[@Observe33]

Amazing to see a team of such skilled craftsman in the relatively recent past. Great video!

[@jamescameron7633]

Awesome work

[@olivergill2903]

The work will always be there while people want lovely old stone buildings restored.

[@olivergill2903]

@Martin Kay Never have 25 years- self employed too.

[@olivergill2903]

Pyrofella, the cig in the mouth on the job bit of a giveaway. You may notice the end credits gives the date of the film as 1984.

[@pavels470]

Smart, well spoken dude

[@oh7624]

Solidity to a disturbed society 👍

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

Damn. I was hoping to see the secret handshake.

[@diamond66ist]

i let you in to a secret , this restoration was also carried out by Poms, i remember the recruitment drive back in 83 in London. Australia has always had a skills shortage.

[@12121149]

Since when has Australia had a shortage of skilled tradesmen,???? Pommies will always be pommies.

[@steevo9656]

It's a shame they don't give locals a go and train more competent arts and trades. I think it is too easy to bring overseas labour in and neglect the locals. That's my experience anyway.

[@catclark9488]

It makes a great deal of sense that there would be a greater number of highly skilled stonemasons in Great Britain, they have been doing it for hundreds of years longer than we have.

[@damiancudmore2227]

It is my experience that there seems to be a greater respect for traditional crafts in the old countries. But Australia has many passionate craftsmen.

[@damiancudmore2227]

And women

[@scottphillips7108]

Amazing stuff...

[@NFSAFilms]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@gallente4TW]

Captivating.

[@haroldmclean3755]

The grain in the stone never lies 👍

[@abdennacer6329]

Valuable

[@Dallas-Nyberg]

Amazing skills......hopefully, these skills will not be lost in time -- Interesting to see them working ---- although they are a bit light on with OH&S issues!

[@suryasharma5522]

Hi

[@bullsnutsoz]

Bull they are; all of the stupid rules made by ignorant marxists are the danger now days...Man is far better off working his way not some commie way with all that safety clobber.

[@Joebunkyss1]

r.i.p....nothing but poms building clad walls now.

[@markd2630]

Hi Scott are you a stonemason in Sydney? For so I I'd like to get in touch. Many thanks, Mark

[@damiancudmore2227]

Not true Scott.

[@naamansalas]

Im just wondering how ancient builders moved those big stones without cranes and other machinery.

[@damiancudmore2227]

And horsepower

[@stevebrickshitta870]

As long as they've had rope, they've had pulleys, and things like levers, allowing mechanical advantage. Bigger scale, but no real mystery. No lost high technology or alien assistance, just the good old human.

[@Desi-qw9fc]

No eye protection :/

[@12121149]

Stop Stop, with that stupid comment. Enough said.

[@desiolle2874]

safety squint old chap

[@Tibbs736]

Maybe required with flintwork, but generally if you're working at the right angle the bits are going away from your face

[@damiancudmore2227]

@@desiolle2874 A well timed blink.

[@dontcomply5008]

Shortest shorts I've ever seen.

[@paulieplayspoorly]

And now we have CAD and 3D printers and this sort of work will fade away...

[@bettyannlopez7096]

I would never match a master's craftmens work. done by hand takes skill what would you do without a machine. nothing

[@Desi-qw9fc]

There are entire factories now running almost entirely automated, because they say that the second a human hand touches the product, it becomes less consistent. The good news is that machines don't just design art by themselves, so even with the ability to print buildings, the fingerprints of humans will still be on them.

[@chrismarsh1067]

Not true as heritage mason we still hand make product

[@catclark9488]

You're right, sadly.

[@damiancudmore2227]

No eddie. Not all of it. Some textures can only be applied by hand tools. Some pieces require such technical set up for the machine that it is too expensive to use machines. The building and restoring of such craft is not for machines. There is still plenty for willing skilled hands to do.

[@afrosamuri05]

Don't get me wrong the footage I am watching looks Interesting. But the narrator makes it sound like I am watching test match cricket with Richie Benaud and Tony Greg in the commentary box

[@steevo9656]

Stick to play school then. How would over dramatising and theatrics build on this?

[@jemfly1062]

Notice how articulate and well-spoken this gentleman is? Modern documentaries seem to be 'presented' by self-styled egoistic imbeciles who cannot form a sentence without resorting to endless clichés, their petty ramblings tell us little of note, unlike this narrator. Modern filmmakers could learn a lot from the quality of this documentary, made for disseminating information, not pretending to 'entertain', but to inform.

[@stevebrickshitta870]

More like Bud Tingwell if anyone.

[@scottleft3672]

Developers are back at the controls again, we are now back at pre green ban levels of destruction, hundreds of cranes now line the sky.

[@anestibulgareci9327]

Hu

[@jeffevans3193]

And soon very soon its all going up in smoke.

[@TheBiggerBooger]

ahh silicosis... and all these men are dead

[@damiancudmore2227]

No, they are not. The narrator, George Proudman is. But not sure about the others.

[@scottleft3672]

Much of the slabs of moulded ashlar were carve on the mould cutting machine at Saunders quarries half mile away from here...Central station as well...here's a picture of the maschine..images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5b90c69eb1059856af5325df/1539327612984-3KVVFAEHYMURTLYNVOKA/02.-Paradise-quarry-1883-1.jpg?format=1000w

[@NFSAFilms]

Great information. Thank you. The NFSA in Sydney is currently located on Saunders St Pyrmont. Only metres from some of the old cuttings.

[@scottleft3672]

@@NFSAFilms i have seen it, many times, i live acrosss the bay, the written history of Sydney is still only piecemeal, sadly...btw, Luna Park and particularly Coney island, was originally the stonemasons section of the harbour Bridge construction as well as steel component assembly area...cheers