The Moulder (1915)
Ere Solomon for wisdom fam'd,Did build his temple grand,
He sought out craftsmen of the best,
In every Eastern land.
And to his aid King Hirum sent
Some clever workmen, who
Could in iron brass, or steel
Or any moulding do. 2. On Jordan's wide and famous plain,
They did their moulding well,
And how they "cast" the Molten Sea,
The good Old Book does tell.
We do not know who drew the plan,
Or who the pattern made,
But this we know, each moulder was
A master of his trade. 3. The modern moulder. is a man
Who works with cunning hand.
And makes the mould, with judgement sound,
In either loam or sand.
And here at Walkers Limited,
You'll see him ply his trade,
And turn out castings by the ton,
As good as ever made. 4. The foreman hands the patterns out
To every boy and man,
And shows the easiest way to mould,
As briefly as he can.
Hei cautions not to "ram" too hard,
Nor yet too, soft as well.
For if the first it's bound to "scab,"
And if the second, "swell". 5. Take heed and see you "vent" it well,
Be sure your "core" is dry,
And when you place it in the mould
Your template on it try,
I want you Jim, to make, a "bed"
For "core irons" for a pump,
You'll have to cast it from the crane
For it's a tidy lump. 6. And, Ted, you'd better dig a "hole,"
And "bed" that pattern in ;
Be very careful with your "joints,"
We don't want too much "fin.".
And Bob, you might lend Sam a hand,
Because today we "cast,"
And if he does not hurry up,
He surely will be last. 7. And "Ginger," fix those shredder "chills,"
We'll cast a pair to-day.
Just see that "Cozie's" got the "cores,"
There must be no delay.
Now Jack, you'd better start and "sweep"
The cover for that pan,
You'll find there's plenty bricks in stock--
Take Johnny as your man. 8. Now Tom, we want those "horn blocks" good,
Be careful of your sand ;
And Normie, when you've finished this,
Lend Jimmy Mac a hand.
The foreman says the sun and moon
May vary in the skies,
But all the "loam cores" made, by Alf.
Are always right to size. 9. And so the work is given out,
The hours go slipping round,
At twelve o'clock the whistle blows,
And 'tis a welcome sound.
When lunch is o'er, and work resumed,
The "blast" is on at three,
And Christy's got his furnace "charged,"
She'll soon be running free. 10. There Geordie stands with "bot" in hand
To "tap" her with a will,
While sparks and metal round him fly,
The 'ladle' soon will fill.
Assistants high upon the crane
Do swing it to the mould,
And by the moulder it the "wheel,"
To hoist, or lower, are told. 11. Now hoist her very steady lads,
Now gently—not too fast ,
We've got the "rods" in readiness,
To feed it when it's cast.
The "runner's" kept "up" nice and full
Until we hear the shout.
Hurrah, she's "up." Now quick my lads,
And back the ladle out. 12. Now get your "bars" and ease her off,
The covering plate undo,
And when your metal's nicely "set,"
The "loam bricks" sever through.
Now slack the "core" and let her shrink,
As quietly as you can,
We must not let "contraction strains"
Affect a vacuum pan. 13. Now bring the ladles, "hand" and "shank,"
Look lively lads be quick,
And get the metal, in the moulds,
Before it gets too thick.
Be sure and "feed" those covers well,
They must be sound and clean,
Without a blemish or a flaw,
When "faced" in the machine. 14. The "cast" is finished up at last,
The whistle soon will sound,
The moulders and assistants too,
Will soon be homeward bound.
They earn their pay 'midst grime and sweat,
By skill and honest work,
And may success their efforts crown,
From Leedwin to Cape York. BANNERMAN. Maryborough, January 25. 1915. Notes From the Queensland newspaper The Maryborough Chronicle 29 Jan, 1915.
Here we have a very good example of what became known as an "Industrial Song" with its use of the language peculiar to a Moulders' workshop
In 1930 The Marybourough Chronicle carried the following Tribute to Bannerman
Mr. C. Lowther, senior, who is widely known as "Bannerman", the author of numerous verses of topical and personal interest published in this journal
has received many fine tributes to his efforts. Recently his historical account, in verse, of Ramsay's old sawmill greatly appealed to older residents,
who were associated with the mill in the early days. Writing to Mr. Lowther from Granville, Sydney, under date July 12, Mr. Tom Ward, who drove the
mill's dray many years ago, says: "I received a few cuttings from Mr. D. Wilson, an old friend of mine in Maryborough, relating to Ramsay's old mill
on the banks of the Mary River, and when I think of all the old hands who have passed away it brings sad memories. I knew nearly every one of them.
"Paddy" Sullivan and Tom Smyth were mates of mine at Ramsay's". Mr. Ward, in forwarding to Mr. Lowther a very appropriate gift--a book of Tennyson's
poems--expreased this genuine wish: " May you long be spared to your friends in Maryborough, as you ever had a kind word for every-dead or alive"