Respecting history

Looking ahead to the future so you keep up with new developments, and looking back to learn from the past are both good ways of creating a successful business.

Auckland Stonemasons has been building stone walls, bridges, retaining walls, pillars and fireplaces all around New Zealand for about 80 years, since the company was set up by the grandfather of the current owners, Jim and Len Lavas. He had emigrated in 1927 from a small Dalmatian village that specialised in stonemasonry, and the company has provided stonework for residential and commercial projects ever since.

In a recent project for the Auckland City Council the Maungarei Stonefields Reserve at the base of Mt Wellington the company was asked to rebuild the old dry-stone walls. These walls were erected as paddock fences about 150 years ago by some of the area's earliest settlers, including an Irish stonemason, Bartholomew Maugher, who was a great-great-great grandfather of the present owners of Auckland Stonemasons. Originally built from volcanic rock collected from around the area, the walls were in urgent need of repair and restoration.

"We pulled the walls down and began afresh, rebuilding them using the same methods as the original stonemasons. However, we have added a small amount of concrete to ensure they are more robust in a park environment where children may be clambering over them," says Len Lavas.

Over the years, Auckland Stonemasons has rebuilt dry-stone walls for local and regional councils and the Department of Conservation in parks and reserves throughout New Zealand.

For additional information, contact Jim or Len Lavas, Auckland Stonemasons, PO Box 152, Whitford 2149, phone (09) 530 8906, fax (09) 530 8907, email: sales@stonemasons.co.nz, or you can visit the website: www.stonemasons.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas