North Fremantle Standard Wool

Draft writeup - Lot 241 Bracks Street, North Fremantle

Set on a 23 hectare block of land in North Fremantle and known as Lot 241 Brack Street, the site of Standard Wool Australia is bordered by Walter Place, Bracks and Irene Streets. Redevelopment had been in the planning pipeline for decades, particularly for a housing estate once the industrial area had moved away from the North Fremantle area.

In April 2023, Standard Wool Australia and all buildings on Lot 241 were demolished.

Standard Wool Australia
Part of the original warehouse brick façade on Bracks Street dates back to 1937 when J.Gadsden Pty Ltd was operating from here. Being established sometime around 1870, they were a manufacturer of canvas products, textile bags, mattresses and general bedding products.

The surrounding warehouses in the area were constructed in the late 20th century, with the office on the corner of Bracks and Irene, bearing the notable Standard Wool Australia signage, being built in the 1970s.

The big white gates facing Bracks Street beared the name of C.H.Mann Pty Ltd, a company who worked with wrought iron.

An office block built in the 1960’s on Irene Street became the Seven Seas Grill & Café, which was registered between 11 July 2012 and 19 June 2015. Operating under the entity name of JZ & RR Pty Ltd, the King India Café was another business they ran, which was registered between 02 May 2012 and 19 June 2015 (appearing to have operated from Thornlie, where the Lazeeza Restaurant is now).

Bodhi Tree Surfboards were the last tenants operating from the warehouse facing Irene Street, if they were the ones I spoke to just prior to their moving out. A local builder of custom hollow wooden surfboards, their new premises isn’t listed but they certainly appear to be continuing to ride their wave of success, judging from their website and a Today Tonight segment.

More well-known is Standard Wool Australia, which is registered under Robert Allan Bower, as of 03 March 2022.

A 2018 article on Business News lists Geoffrey Stooke AM OAM CitWA, a former Commissioned Officer in the Australian Army, as being the Managing Director of Standard Wool Investments (previously Standard Wool Australia) since 1996.

Standard Wool Australia was part of Standard Commercial Corporation, which was a lead trader in both tobacco and wool. Founded in the early 1900s by Turkish immigrant Ery Kehaya Sr in the United States, who began selling imported tobacco to factories, he began his first enterprise in 1912 as the Standard Commercial Tobacco Company. In writing this, it fails to do justice in shedding any further light as a result of the VERY extensive history associated with the company, which is well outside the scope of this draft post.

For further reading - https://companies.jrank.org/pages/3911/Standard-Commercial-Corporation.html