Freighter Industries and Lawton, body builders.

I am trying to trace down some history of these two Adelaide based body builder companies.

JA Lawton seems to date back to around 1875, and by the 1960s the two companies had merged into Freighter-Lawton. By 1966 it was just Freighter again, and just building buses. It was taken over by Pressed Metal Corp, then by Leyland.

Anyone know more? Can't find much on the net so far.

It's a lot more complicated than that, what with selling out and then setting up again. There are still a few of the original employees at Maxicube. Maxicube bought the company just for the badge and killed the rest. I have a feeling that there was a split and it was Freighter Industries who built the bus bodies and the other half who did the semi trailers.

My parents immigrated to Australia from Germany in '59.
Ill check, but I believe Dad joined Freighters (Seaton/Adelaide) in about ''61-62... He was a fitter/welder and soon became foreman of the semi trailer section once he picked up some English.

My Uncle worked his whole Australian career in the bus section and I remember my Dad and his workmates telling me they also made boats and ambulances.

Not sure when the bus section was sold off and moved to Royal Park, but I think it was about '74-'77 when Freighters was moved out of the Football Park area and moved to Beverly just off Port Road.

Not long after that my parents started their own Semi Trailer repair shop and around the same time a draftsman named Barry Deveson also left Freighters and started up Southern Cross trailers in Dry Creek.

In the late '70s Freighters moved to Regency Park, I believe still under the control of the parent company in Melb. Adelaide was managed by a well spoken lady who's first name was Dorothy and the spare parts manager was an English chap who was mates with my Dad... Can't think of his name at the moment, but he stayed when CMV took over both Freighters and Watts... John Watts had his small spare parts business over at Gepps Cross near Detroits.

Thinking about it more, Freighters may have had an interim stint at the CMV Volvo site next to Gepps X girls high before moving back to Regency Park with CMV.

I'll add more as it comes to mind.

Just remembered... Trailers were built in Melbourne and then transported 3 high (no axles) in red oxide and final assy/paint was done at Seaton.

I left the transport industry when I left Adelaide in about 2000, but can't recall any connection between MaxiCube and Freighter... Pretty sure that was Fruehauf who later pulled out of Adelaide and Southern Cross (Dry Creek) who supported Fruehauf customers with axles, side coaming and rears etc.

Some names I just remembered...
All ex Freighters.
Merv Schutt work shop manager at Seaton and then Southern Cross (Dry Creek) after a stint of being an owner driver.
Ray Young Spare parts Freighters and then Spare parts Southern Cross at Dry Creek.
Ross... Old welder/fitter at Freighters for many years.
Eric... Who moved over to Southern Cross DC