Summary

Black and white photograph of women working in the Core Shop at the H.V McKay Massey Harris factory during World War II. More than 20 workers (mostly women) were employed in this department during peak production. The cores were used in foundry process for making castings. A special mix of sand was hand-rammed into metal core boxes which were then split to remove the sandcore. They were then placed on baking trays and then placed in ovens for baking. Women were hired in this line of work as their fingers were considered more nimble and dextrous.

This image is part of a collection of photographs, negatives, moving film, artefacts, documents and trade literature belonging to the H. V. McKay Sunshine Collection. The Australian operations of this company were originally founded by Hugh V. McKay in the 1890s. The McKay collection is regarded as one of the most significant industrial heritage collections in Australia.

Description of Content

A row of ten women working along a factory bench. To the right of the image is a man (possibly an inspector) writing on a notepad.

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