Unique Australian
Sport-Fishing
Sidecast Reel
This fine one off sidecast reel was handcrafted in the Ipswich Railway Workshops (Queensland Australia) over 50 years ago.
The chrome plated rolled brass back suggests early 50's, but you can never be 100% certain of the year.
The strong Y on the back of the reel is unique.
I've actually seen the same pattern Y on a timber back reel, most likely 1930's era, so I'm not certain where they were getting that pattern from.
Essentially the reel was to emulate the famous Alvey Sidecast reels made in Brisbane Queensland but at almost nil cost to the guys making them.
The guys weren't cheeky enough to place the Alvey name on the reel!
I believe initially the motivation may have been to create a reel just as good as Alvey, using one's collective group initiative, skills and resources.
I suspect friends who saw them, wanted cheap efficient fishing reels too!
I am reliably informed that as soon as these similar but stronger than Alvey reels starting appearing on the black market, usually from a sugar bag out back of a pub, they were soon put out of business.
Then as word spread, demand increased until the law inevitably caught up with the creators/sellers.
It is up for speculation, whether this clamp down came from Alvey themselves or the internal QGR checks but the several dozens that were made, all usually a little different, were soon to become quite collectable.
Different people with different skills and able to collect scrap materials.
The story goes that the reels took several weeks to complete and as personel changed and experiences evolved, the reels became progressively better.
I am reliably informed that as soon as these similar but stronger reels starting appearing on the black market, usually from a sugar bag out back of a pub, they were soon put out of business.
It is up for speculation, whether this clamp down came from Alvey themselves or the internal QGR checks but the several dozens that were made, all usually a little different, were soon to become quite collectable.
The stages of production were involved from sourcing timber and turning spool and handles , as well as cutting rolling chrome plate, bending/pressing stainless steel plate and rod, copper shims, spring steel wire for tensioners etc etc
The wife of the deceased gentleman who owned it (maybe created it?) amusingly remarked that the only item/material not able to be sourced or created in the QGR workshops was the monofilament of the day!
For a student of piscatorial history such as yourselves, I guess this recollection will be of great interest and shows something of the Aussie streak of ingenuity which I fear is fast disappearing in our sleek glossy hi tech world we live in today.
If any reader has a similar rare ABU item of interest to me , I could be convinced to do a trade. I never sell any reel and don't really like assigning values but I do swap for like value objects that I am looking for.
As I have had several offers of money, which I do not want for this reel, I would rather donate it to my good friends Carmilla and Kjell Jolkkonen The Byske Sportfishingmuseum in far Northern Sweden for visitors to enjoy for eternity.
Tight lines
Wayne Real