Gerard and Goodman sparks new electrical fixes, from factory in Synagogue Place, Adelaide, iduring 1920s
The Gerard and Goodman factory in Synagogue Place, Adelaide, from the 1920s and its Rundle Street, Adelaide, shop.
Images courtesy State Library of South Australia
South Australia's most innovative and successful electrical manufacturing company started with Alfred Gerard opening an Adelaide camera shop in 1897. He later worked with electrical firm Davis Purvis before moving to well-known company Ellis & Clark.
In 1907, with a ₤100 loan from his father-in-law William Goodman, he set up his own contracting business and soon had enough work to hire an assistant. When his workforce reached five, he moved his Gerard & Goodman electrical merchandising business into the basement of a bicycle shop at 200 Rundle Street Adelaide.
The company quickly became the city’s major engineering manufacturer and retailer and soon Gerard & Goodman was the largest company of its kind in South Australia, making, importing, retailing and repairing many electrical accessories and operating a photography, radio and “talkie-movie” department.
One of its best-known products, clip-on metal conduit fittings, provided electrical contractors with an innovative solution to size variation in metal conduits. These clips all inspired the company’s famous South Australian brand name: Clipsal. In 1921, the company bought land in Synagogue Place, Adelaide, for showrooms, offices and a factory that expanded from two storeys several times in 1927-28,
As business expanded and diversified, Gerard bought the shop at 132 Rundle Street (later transferred to nearer the Synagogue Place warehouse) for electrical, radio retail and repair.
Alfred’s son Geoff eventually took over the company and led several manufacturing breakthroughs, including the first all-Australian switch in 1930. The company also did early research and development on thermoplastics in the 1950s. Gerard & Goodman moved its manufacturing to a new Bowden factory in 1936, keeping its Rundle Street shop until the 1970s.
In 2003, the Gerard family sold its interest in the Clipsal business to Schneider Electric but retained other non-electrical accessories businesses. The Gerard & Goodman building in Synagogue Place was demolished in 2017 to make way for student accommodation.
