THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE CMPA ISSUE 81 | Jun/Jul 2015

Pg 10 Cover Story - Review of Native Vegetation RegulationsPg 13 Risk Based Work Plans Pg 17 NATA Policy Change Pg 20 Traffi c Management Workshop

BamstonePP350334/00001

6 SAND & STONE Jun/Jul

Members SpotlightBamstone

MICHAEL Steel, CEO of Bamstone, reports on the development of the family business as well as its positive future growth in the stone industry.

A family owned and operated business. Bamstone started

supplying Dimension Stone Bluestone to the world on a very

signifi cant day in Australia’s history, 11 November, 1975.

Founded by Don and Yvonne Bartlett, Bamstone began its

life with export contracts to Singapore as well as civil works

with the City of Melbourne.

Michael Steel joined Bamstone in 1987 after studying

Architecture at Geelong’s, Deakin University. Having always

been involved in the building industry, his architectural skills

are used almost on a daily basis. We deal with all elements

of construction from civil engineering to interior design and

he jokes that “bluestone is now in his blood”! The company,

which employed eleven in 1987, now has a staff of fi fty four at

its Port Fairy Plant.

Bamstone dimension bluestone is the purest in the world and

mined from the rich volcanic lava fl ows of Mount Rouse in

Victoria’s Western District. The quarry is located in Yambuk,

and production facilities in Port Fairy house Australia’s largest

bluestone production.

Bamstone’s quarry extracts dimension stone boulders

up to 80 tonnes in mass using Hitachi EX800 and ZX850

Excavators with minimal blasting required to release these

large boulders from the quarry face. The boulders are then

sawn into smaller blocks ready to be transported to the Port

Fairy factory. Sawing takes place using ‘Pedrini’ multi blade

block saw, CNC wire saws and associated detailing saws

which are all diamond tipped and cooled by a constant fl ow

of recycled water.

As a part of this growth, Bamstone has set a path whereby

it traditionally grows by ~ 100% each year and this growth is

made possible by the many projects they have undertaken

in Melbourne – Bourke Street Mall, Swanston Street Mall,

Collins Street and the Crown Casino. Michael proudly believes

that they have “paved the streets of Melbourne”! Although the

use of bluestone paving in cities is initially more expensive

than, say asphalt, it lasts much longer and the ROI is much

better in the long term for councils that take the bluestone

paver option.

SITE PHOTO: Large Boulders at quarry faces SITE PHOTO: Boulders sawn into smaller blocks

Jun/Jul SAND & STONE 7

What is your name? Michael Steel

Who do you work for?Bamstone

How many years have you worked for this business?28 years Full Time

How many years have you been involved in the industry?

31 Years

What is your role at the company? Managing Director

What does your job involve?Oversee day to day opera ons of quarry and stone processing plant, sales and marke ng, maintenance and machine acquisi on.

What is the best part of your job? Taking on major projects such as Crown Casino, Southern Cross Sta on, Rouse Hill and Charlestown Shopping Centre’s. I also get to play with ‘Big boy toys’.

60 Seconds with a voting member . . .

Work undertaken by Bamstone involved fabricating water features, war memorials and shopping centre features - both here and overseas - with work in New Plymouth, New Zealand being a pet project of Michael’s. Work on ANZAC projects, like that at the Shrine of Remembrance, the Weary Dunlop statue and various local war memorials characterise their commitment to the Anzac spirit. Other overseas work involved projects in Beirut (Lebanon), Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA.

Bamstone recently joined the CMPA to show members a different side of the industry e.g. Dimension stone, to develop a relationship with others within the industry and to utilise resources available within the association.

Michael is extremely proud of the awards that Bamstone have received. The Chelsea Flower Show in London, where they won a Silver Guild Medal, as well as consecutive “Best in Show” and ‘Gold Medal Gardens’ awards at the Melbourne International Flower Show 2014 and 2015. These three shows had a combined total of over 100 tonnes of dimension stone, paving and walling. The fl ow-on effect of displaying at these prestigious exhibitions is benefi cial in that the exposure keeps them at the forefront as the premier stone landscaping provider.

“At Bamstone, we are becoming ever more aware of the environment so our future direction is to reduce our carbon footprint. We also will develop dimension stone, sales and awareness of Australian products to councils and developers.”

SITE PHOTO: Yambuk Quarry

PICTURED: MICHAEL STEEL AND LANDSCAPE DESIGNER MARK BROWNING