A FASCINATING story about the formation of one of Murwillumbah’s longest running local companies, Hayes Steel, has surfaced this month, as the current team look back and celebrate the company’s 100th birthday.
Hayes Steel is based at Buchanan Street in Murwillumbah and supplies steel and fabrication services all over Northern NSW and South East Queensland.
The current team of 22 employees include General Manager, Graham McMahon, who leads the team under owner and sole director, Karyn North.
Mrs North continues the business following the loss of her husband, David North, who passed away in 2017, only four months after the devastating 2017 Tweed flood.
Mrs North and Mr McMahon, along with Office Manager, Jenny Land, caught up with The Weekly, to talk about the many challenges faced by the company and how the team have banded together to ensure its lasting future.
“I’m so lucky to have an incredible team of people committed to the business here,” Mrs North said.
“Admittedly, I didn’t know a lot about the steel industry following David’s passing, but I’ve had such a supportive team to help me and I’m slowly finding my feet.”
Mrs North recalled the carnage of the 2017 flood, which inundated the entire Hayes Steel operation and stock.
“It was a huge blow to the business and I believe it contributed to David’s health and passing in the end,” she said.
“We didn’t want to let anyone down and everyone came together to ensure the business would survive.”
The staff and volunteers had to wash and re-oil thousands of pieces of steel after the water subsided, which took hundreds of man hours.
“It was a huge effort and the help from the community that we had every day really helped us stay on track for which we are extremely grateful,” she said.
Mr McMahon said the business continues to go from strength to strength.
“We’ve experienced some small growth since the flood and although we’ve introduced some new systems and processes, we do things much the same as David had done,” he said.
“We are so grateful to our many loyal customers and suppliers who have continued to support our business.
“We can only be successful if our customers are successful, and we strive every day to ensure the best service and prompt delivery of their steel needs.”
The formation of Hayes Steel goes back to 1918 following the end of World War I.
Alexander Robert Hayes had returned from military service as a Royal Australian Flying Corp aircraft mechanic and was believed to have worked under the command of General William Riddell Birdwood.
The Weekly spoke with Alexander’s grandson Michael Hayes, who described his grandfather as “extremely hardworking” and was “entrepreneurial” in creating small businesses through his skills as a blacksmith.
“He was always committed to life as a blacksmith, but he also ran a number of other businesses including a grocery store, shoe store and even an undertaker,” Mr Hayes said.
Mr Hayes said Hayes Steel was originally known as A.R. Hayes and Sons and in 1935 the business moved to Wollumbin Street where it started trading as Hayes Machinery and Engineering.
“It was at this site that the business experienced its worst flood in 1974 after water entered the CBD, prior to the levee bank being raised, and flooded the entire business,” Mr Hayes said.
Alexander Hayes passed away in the late 1950s and the business was handed down to his two sons and three daughters.
“It was in the early 1990s that we moved the company to the current site at Buchanan Street,” Mr Hayes said.
“It was around this time that we started trading as Hayes Steel.”
Mrs North said the company’s strengths lie in its commitment to the Hayes Steel legacy.
“David was the heart and soul of the business and he would often work extremely long hours to get the place back on its feet after the floods,” Mrs North said.
“It’s a real testament to David, the Hayes Steel team and customers that we’re still here today.”
The future remains bright for Hayes Steel which continues to experience slow and steady growth.
To find out more about Hayes Steel visit them at 23 Buchanan St, South Murwillumbah, or phone: (02) 6672 2327.
