Sad end of an era as Maschke’s Action Sheetmetal shuts down after more than 50 years

One of the Top End’s oldest and best known manufacturers is shutting up shop after more than 50 years.

ONE of the Top End’s oldest and best known manufacturers is shutting up shop after more than 50 years.

Action Sheetmetal’s 85-year-old owner Harry Maschke has auctioned his plant and equipment and is now preparing for life out of the workshop.

“I’ll miss it. It’s been my life,” he said. “Darwin had 16,000 people when I moved here and it was small and we had to be innovative.

“I’ve been involved in most of Darwin’s big building projects. I worked on Royal Darwin Hospital, installed airconditioning in Parliament House and the Supreme Court and worked on just about every high-rise building in the city.”

Harry Maschke ... one of the Top End’s oldest and best known manufacturers is shutting up shop after more than 50 years. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Apprenticed in the central German city of Dortmund, Harry landed by boat in Fremantle in 1959, worked for six years in Melbourne and drove a VW beetle to Darwin when his wife Lenette took a librarian’s job.

At Action Sheetmetal’s peak, Harry Maschke employed 60 people at his business in Berrimah. Picture Gary Shipway

At its peak Action Sheetmetal employed 60 people and was responsible over the decades for giving potentially hundreds of apprentices their trade. He is still hurting at having to lay-off 24 workers when the business closed.

Harry was a Labor supporter, unusual at the time in a town dominated by the conservative CLP.

His one attempt at a career in politics saw him fall short by about 50 votes in the Tiwi electorate to Noel Padgham-­Purich.

“The politicians have changed,” he said. “Before we had politicians who were grassroots people where now they depend on their advisers.

“Their advisers might have a university degree but no grassroots experience.

“(Former chief ministers) Marshall Perron and Paul Everingham were politicians who put the Territory first.

“Unfortunately local people are not getting recognised because they think interstate people are more knowledgeable.”

Harry was part of a meeting in Tennant Creek in the 1980s involving then chief minister Ian Tuxworth where the fuel stock for a planned new power station was discussed.

“The coal companies were putting on a lot of pressure to build a coal station but at the meeting in Tennant Creek it was decided to go with gas. The coal industry wasn’t happy.”

Channel Island power station was built by a Scottish company with local labour and local companies.

Harry Maschke pictured at Action Sheetmetal in 2009 ... his business was responsible for giving hundreds of apprentices their trade over the decades. Pictures: Clive Hyde

With 12 years of service, Harry was a long-serving member of the old Power and Water Authority.

“It would be much better if local government recognised local industry. It has misled local people by not supporting local. I would say the industry doesn’t trust government any more. The last CLP government was no different from this one.”

Lenette, Harry said, is “the mother of the markets”. She founded Port Darwin market near McMinn St where Harbour View now stands which then moved to Smith St Mall but closed when traders objected and moved to Parap.

Harry was the Territory’s German Consul for 21 years until the mid 2010s and was twice awarded the Bunder Verdienst Kreuz, Germany’s highest civilian honour.