ONE of the State’s largest exhibitions of vintage machinery, which attracts thousands of enthusiasts each year, is on again next weekend at the Macksville Showground.
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This year, the Rusty Iron Rally will have a large military contingent to commemorate the Centenary of ANZAC, as well as vintage machines made in New Zealand.
An example of a Kiwi creation is:
Andersons Ltd, which was founded by John Anderson (b 1820) when he erected his first forge on a site at 'The Bricks’ in Oxford Terrace. The business then moved to Cashel Street, and in 1857 Anderson imported Canterbury's first steam boiler engine.
Anderson gathered around him skilled tradesmen from Scotland and began to train his two elder sons as his successors. Between the 1860s and 1870s boiling down vats, station wool presses, flax machinery, steam engines and boilers were built.
From the turn of the century, the firm’s work ranged from specialised manufacture to major contract work. The oil engine founded the firm's modern manufacturing business. Around 1948 a new factory opened in Christchurch. Trading ceased in the early 1980s.
Moving away from the rattle and clank of engines, there will also be food stalls and refreshments, art and craft stalls and displays as well as kids rides at the rally.
Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for school aged children and $20 for families.
