2022: Year in Review

With rising prices, COVID fallout, steel shortages, train derailments and more, 2022 has been full of challenges.

But it has also been a year of success, community engagement and creative accomplishments for so many in our community.

To celebrate the year that was, we decided to share some of our favourite stories from the past 12 months with our 2022 Year in Review.

Amazing customer projects

From custom trailers and drill bits to wave energy converters and motorised servery windows, the projects our customers have made in the past year have been remarkable.

Here are some of our favourite projects from the past 12 months:

Handmade kaleidoscope

Steve Matheson and his son Brendan designed and built a magnificent handmade kaleidoscope using brass, flat bar, square bar and bronze.

This masterpiece is not just exquisite to look at but magnificent to look through!

Read more.

Horsehead sculpture

In 2021, Sarah and Adam (two metalsmiths from Sydney) were commissioned to create an incredibly meaningful piece – a sculpture of a horse head for a client’s wife using her late father’s old workshop tools.

The sculpture is an intricate design, with the framework constructed using Edcon Steel products and the sculpture built around that using old tools and parts.

“The forelock is actually made from parts of her father’s old chainsaw, and the bridge of its nose and ears are actually his lawnmower blades,” Sarah explains.

Read more.

We are endlessly impressed with the ingenuity, creativity and skill of our customers, and can’t wait to see what the next year brings!

If you’ve got a project you want to share with the community, keep an eye out for our competitions in 2023!

Supporting our community

Forge Through

We first learned about Forge Through in late 2022 and were delighted to be able to support the wonderful work they do.

A charitable mental health initiative, Forge Through was established by and for first responders and veterans who are grappling with the emotional, physical and mental stress associated with their jobs.

Through knife-making workshops and community events, Forge Through is building a network of friends who support each other in the toughest times.

Avalon SLSC

With the very first Edcon Steel store located in Brookvale, it’s no surprise that we also love supporting our Northern Beaches community.

We are particularly proud to support Avalon Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC), a family-based club that works tirelessly to ensure the safety of beachgoers.

This year, after 13 years of competing together, Matt Mayall, Manager of Edcon Steel Brookvale, and his teammates Andrew Bright, Nick Sampson, Tom Curnow and Nathan Wellings won the Open Reserve Grade event at the 2022 Australian Surf Rowers League Championship in February.

Then in April, they surged to victory again in the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships Reserve Grade Men’s event, winning their first Australian gold medal in this category!

Edcon staff milestones

Edcon is proud to support the community through organisations like Avalon Beach SLSC, but we’re also proud to support our team members. Matt Mayall isn’t just a surfboat rowing champion, he’s a valued member of the Edcon Steel team, recently celebrating 10 years of service to the Brookvale store.

Starting with Edcon Steel as a storeman back in 2012, Matt has worked his way up to become Manager of the Brookvale store, showing that he doesn’t reserve his drive and commitment just for racing.

We are also incredibly proud to have celebrated our long-term staff members, Alan, Mick and Geoff, and their 20-year journey with Edcon Steel.

We talk about our great stock and our modern equipment, our easy-to-use website and our delivery offerings, but really when it comes down to it, it is our people that make all the difference.

It is undoubtedly the most satisfying part of running a team: having team members who are so committed and dedicated that they spend 20 years (and more) working with us to help us, and our customers, do what we do.

Alan, Mick and Geoff join Linda, Grant and Hugh in the growing group of staff who have over 20 years of continuous service to Edcon Steel.