Ford closure: Blue-blooded families farewell manufacturing in Australia

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Ford runs deep in the veins of Suzanne McConchie, whose family has a long history working for the company. She even met the love of her life on the factory floor.

Her grandfather, her father, brother and brother-in-law have all worked for Ford, and it's where she laid eyes on her future husband.

"He started on the same day my dad started," she says.

"Dad said, 'I think his name is Patrick, he's really lovely'; I said to dad, 'I'm going to marry him one day'."

And she did.

This week, as the Broadmeadows plant where they both work shuts down, they're expecting their first child.

Ms McConchie started working at Ford 13 years ago, when she was still at university.

"I did a five-year degree in mechanical engineering and product design and fourth year was work, so I came to Ford and didn't apply anywhere else for that year because Ford is in my blood," she says.

"My first car was a Ford, the only cars my family's ever had are Fords. My great grandfather had a model A Ford.

"Yeah blue blood through and through."

When Ms McConchie was 18, she did up a 1970 XW Falcon and sold it to her Dad, Geoff Hurst.

"He's only allowed to sell it back to me," she says, with a chuckle.

It sits in the garage next to the toy Ford car she was given for her 21st birthday, diamond earrings attached to the steering wheel, and next to Mr Hurst's current model XR8 Falcon — a die-hard's keepsake from the last year of Australian production.

"Because it's the last Falcon, he said he needed to buy one," she says.

In 2013, Ford announced 1,200 workers in Geelong and Broadmeadows would be made redundant, of which the remaining 600 staff will finish up this week.

Ms McConchie is one of more than 1,200 that will continue working with its product-development team on global Ford products like the Everest and the Ranger — designed in Australia but made in Asia.

"My current role is studio engineering: what the designers want it to look like, what the engineers say they can build, [I'm] the person in between to get those ideas to mesh," she says.

"When they announced they were closing I was pretty upset and I thought that I couldn't feel as passionate as I did about any car like a Falcon or a Territory — an Australian-made product.

"But … it's a Ford, it doesn't matter if it's Australian made, if we've got some part to play and it's a huge part that we play, we are so passionate about many products now."

But that doesn't mean emotions won't run high when the factory shuts down.

"When the line stops, when they turn the lights off it'll just be … I can't imagine that, yeah."

'It's been my livelihood for all these years'

Like many of the thousands of blue-collar workers employed by Ford across the eras, the company has been more than a workplace for Richard Zabielski.

"It's been my livelihood for all these years, I've brought my kids up, I've got married, I've done everything within the company," the 63-year-old says.

After 46 loyal years at Ford, he is the longest-serving, existing employee, and has even older family ties to the brand.

His father, Richard Zabielski snr, also worked there for 29 years.

Today is an emotional one.

"Very, very sad, sad when you've got to say goodbye to everybody," he says, as his eyes well up.

"There's a lot of friendships over many years."

Across more than seven decades, the father and son have been first-hand witnesses of Ford's golden years, and the dramatic changes to the production line.

"I started when there were no robots around, no mobile phones, there was absolutely nothing here, everything was done by pencil.

"There's been huge changes and it helps you realise life as it's going on, whereas when you are moving from job to job you don't really see the changes, so this has been a big thing."

Mr Zabielski drove the last ute off the production line earlier this year.

This week he's been part of farewell celebrations, as the Broadmeadows plant reaches the end of the line.

His lasting legacy is a coffee table book featuring photos he took across the decades, which will be given to each staff member.

And while he has reluctantly accepted his fate of retirement earlier than expected, he plans to travel, join a men's shed, and pour his loyalty into the Ford retirees social club, by his father's side.

"They had a bit of a celebration in the plant a couple of weeks ago, they brought him in and he's 90 years old and still there," he says.

"I'd like to join my father, and take him down there every Monday.

"They do a bit of carpet bowls and other social activities and it keeps you in touch with the older retirees down there, even though I might be a little bit younger."

Topics: manufacturing, road-transport, broadmeadows-3047, geelong-3220