Plumbing
At the turn of the 20th Century the gold rushes resulted in a rapid population expansion in Western Australia. This created an urgent need to lay out infrastructure for new towns and urban developments. At the same time stringent plumbing regulations had been set in place by State authorities, fearful of further outbreaks of typhoid from ground-water contamination. In addition the State’s low rainfall dictated improved systems of water supply. Consequently qualified plumbers were highly sought after.
Plumbing classes were started at Perth Technical School in 1903 under Mr
James Watson. The syllabus was based on that used in the Working Men’s
College, Melbourne, which in turn had been modeled on the English system of
training. Classes were so in demand that three more classes were set up at
Fremantle in 1905. New training standards introduced that year required
technical students in all trade areas to attend classes in related theoretical
subjects.
Written exams called for apprentices to perform calculations: for example the amount of lead required to line a cistern, 6 feet by 4 feet by 4 inches, the number of gallons it would hold and the weight of the water it would contain. Students were also required to be able to write down plumbing procedures.
Examiners included a representative of the Master Plumbers’ Union, and the Operative Plumbers’ Union. Unions played a key role in setting industry standards and bringing changes to the syllabus to ensure currency of skills. For example, there was a strong union push at that time to introduce classes in galvanised iron-work. Perth Technical School Report 1905
This was one of the services offered by J. and G. Hoare, plumbers in Midland
Junction since 1901. Their advertisement in The Swan Express (1 March
1912) proudly proclaimed themselves as "licensed sanitary plumbers, hot
water engineers, galvanised iron and tin plate workers, general house repairers
and glaziers."
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For almost half a century the Hoare brothers, who came from a long tradition
of tin-smiths and plumbers, serviced Midland Junction and surrounding districts.
They regularly assured their customers they could supply and service all manner
of plumbing equipment: "We repair and reset stoves, ranges, coppers, primus
stoves, and are makers of baths, tanks and wash troughs. We are also windmill
experts". Telephone number 53 Midland Exchange."
Their business was responsible for supplying the
cast iron down-pipes for the
plumbing in the Midland Junction School where Technical Education classes were
first being delivered. They were also responsible for plumbing the first ‘purpose
built’ Technical School building shared with the Railway Institute. Most of
the roofing of early Midland Junction was done by Hoare Plumbing, including the
repair of the zinc roofing over the clock on the top of the Town Hall after
major leaks occurred..JPG)
Water tanks needed for grape growers in the Swan Valley were regularly
delivered during the 1920s from Hoares’ business, on what was one of the first
delivery trucks in the Midland Junction District. Corrugated iron was produced
at the back of the shop by feeding sheets of flat iron into a large
hand-operated roller. The inside of the shop, which was located on land, later
donated by George 
Hoare for Tuohy gardens, was filled with all sorts of
plumbing fixtures including rows of the new-fashioned porcelain flush toilet
systems. Though flush systems were being incorporated into new homes, many old
suburbs were still being serviced by the night truck, collecting pans from a
flap in the back of the outdoor lavatory right up until the 1950s. Midland
Junction had a regular service, which started out as a horse drawn cart when the
town was first developed. On more than one occasion the night cart provided a
lift back for the local midwife whose business also called her out at night.
By the late 1950s electric hot water systems instead of wood chip heaters
were being installed in homes, and by the 1960s copper water pipes had
revolutionised the industry. They were easy to fabricate, quick to install and
eliminated corrosion. Plastic plumbing fittings and fixtures, which first began
to appear in the 1970s began to replace galvanised pipe and earthen-ware;
further reducing the labour component of the industry.
Prior to the 1970's, apprentice plumbers from the Workshops attended Midland Junction Technical School for subjects such as Maths and Drawing. For the more specialised Plumbing subjects they attended Perth Technical School.
During the 1970s it was realised that many more trained plumbers would be needed to meet new Local Government regulations on sewage for housing developments. This coincided with another rapid expansion of the State, this time due to nickel and iron-ore mining. Discoveries of huge reserves of natural gas from the North -West shelf also created a demand for increased training.
In 1974 complete training in Plumbing and Gas Fitting was introduced at Midland
Technical College under Keith Vivian who transferred from Leederville Technical
College. Gordon Hoare, one of the son’s of George Hoare was responsible for
coordinating the syllabus. His knowledge and experience in the trade enabled him
to ensure the syllabus reflected industry changes. He worked closely with the
State’s Water Authority, which was responsible for the licensing of plumbers.
Since then the Plumber’s Licensing Board has been set up to take over this
role.
Thanks to Jim Cairns, Keith Vivian, Nan Preedy and Gordon Briglin for assistance with this industry profile.