Blacksmiths added to Australian Apprenticeships Priority List as trade remains in hot demand amid dwindling numbers

Matt Mewburn runs a blacksmith business on the site of some century-old Sydney workshops. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

People tell Matt Mewburn he doesn't look like a blacksmith.

He stands at six-foot-two, produces a polite smile and is clean shaven – far from the medieval blacksmith stereotype of having a big beard, long hair and a furrowed brow.

But it's technique – not brute force – that is the key to the trade, he said.

"Any idiot can swing a hammer," Mr Mewburn told ABC Nightlife.

People always tell Mr Mewburn he doesn't look like a blacksmith. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

"But if you don't have the accuracy, and you don't have the feel for it and that technique for it, you're going to struggle."

Blacksmiths still produce replica swords and armour as you'd see at a medieval fair day.

But these days, ironwork is mostly to make products for modern industry like railways, mining and defence.

Technique is more important than brute force in blacksmithing, Mr Mewburn says. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

For Mr Mewburn and his team in inner Sydney, clients order artisanal products like wrought iron gates, balustrades and fencing.

Given the profession's wide application, it's a surprise there are only 241 blacksmiths in Australia, according to the latest census data.

Mr Mewburn and colleague Annie Cole plan a coiled section of a handrail. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

The federal government recently added blacksmiths to the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, which offers wage subsidies to businesses if they take on apprentices.

For such an important trade, how did it get to the point where government needed to intervene just to keep the numbers up?

Changing demands

Eveleigh Works is a symbol of the changing demands for iron workers.

The workshop is based inside the old Eveleigh Railway Workshops which were built in 1897.

The heritage-listed buildings are even recognised by the American Smithsonian Institution museum for their historical value.

The old Eveleigh Locomotive Workshops have significant heritage value.  (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

Thousands would have once worked at the facility, but Eveleigh Works now only employs four people full time and three contractors part time.

"It was such a ubiquitous trade 50 to 100 years ago," Mr Mewburn said.

You can't compete with overseas providers on price for industrial products, he said, so they target opportunities for bespoke products such as public art projects and custom handrails.

The company mostly work with more complex bespoke projects. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

"That sort of stuff exists for us because that's not the stuff that's easy," Mr Mewburn said.

"You can't just send plans off to some foreign forge and have it just come back perfect."

Desire for quality and speed

Another workshop is Kymon Forge in Gosford, which specialises in making parts for industries including agriculture, defence and mining.

It's too difficult to compete on price for industrial parts from overseas providers. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

Operations manager Kaylem Maddrell said they have employed up to seven blacksmiths, but the business employed more back in its heyday prior to the 1980s, before companies were able to buy cheaper forgings from overseas.

Mr Maddrell said they get work because quality and traceability was so important in big industries.

He said oil and gas companies, for example, often had policies requiring them to source their parts from reliable local providers.

Kymon Forge makes parts for industries including mining and defence.  (Supplied: Kymon Forge)

"There's certain Eastern European and Asian countries that they're not actually allowed to source materials from," Mr Maddrell said.

"I think it comes from field failures in the past from products that could have been inferior."

Mr Maddrell also said disruptions to supply chains during the pandemic meant there were sometimes "ridiculous" waits on parts made abroad.

"For certain items that may have two or three years ago taken two months to get to the country, is now taking six or eight [months]," Mr Maddrell said.

Lack of opportunities

Prospective blacksmiths can get their certification at TAFE through the Certificate III in Engineering — Fabrication Trade (Blacksmithing) course.

Matt Mewburn tells ABC Nightlife what it's like to be a blacksmith in 2023

Mr Mewburn said the training was good but focused too much on railway apprenticeships, which don't offer as much employment as they used to, and not enough on working in a creative capacity.

"So the training is amazing. But it's not a linear thing into a job," Mr Mewburn said.

This may be impacting the number of people pursuing the trade, he said.

Despite the new financial incentives on offer, Mr Maddrell also said it was hard to find suitable apprentices as working conditions were hot, dirty and demanding on the body.

"We quite often get people turn up for trial periods and they don't even last until lunchtime," Mr Maddrell said.

Blacksmithing is an opportunity for Mr Mewburn to work with his hands. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

"If we could see the work pick up and we could find some suitable candidates we'd absolutely try to take advantage of any incentives – but it's not quite there yet."

For Mr Mewburn, getting into blacksmithing was an opportunity to get out of his job building electronics and get back to working with his hands.

"Really simply, I just love creating things," Mr Mewburn said.

"Just working with my hands, being able to make things out of nothing."