The Austral Brick Company was founded in 1908 by a group of investors and builders led by Edwin Spackman. The company established itself as a major player in the brick industry by the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Riding the boom of the 1920s and steering a path through the Depression years, the name Austral Bricks came to be associated with the remarkable figure of William King Dawes whose hold over Austral Bricks and Brickworks Limited extended for over half a century. Without Dawes, Austral Bricks may not have survived the devastating economic collapse of the Depression. Source: This is an extract from the company's own website.