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The Giant by the River - A History of the Yarraville Sugar Works by Carmel Taig

The Giant by the River is a social history spanning 140 years, from the foundation of the Yarraville Sugar Works by Joshua Brothers in 1873 to its present status as Sugar Australia's head office and most productive refinery. For more than a century, Yarraville Sugar Works was owned and run by Colonial Sugar Refining Co. This history explores themes of workplace organisation, welfare, relationship to the wider community, health and safety, paternalism and patriotism.Comments and poems by former and current employees accentuate the camaraderie and challenges of this unique workplace. Connections formed within the works extended into leisure activities. Early on, the company put on works picnics and established sporting facilities on site. CSR Yarraville maintained its own turf wicket while fielding a team in the local industrial cricket competition.As the Yarraville Sugar Works consolidated, CSR's paternalism became more pronounced. Loyal employees benefitted from welfare schemes. At the same time, many accidents and fatalities occurred there. Growing unionism in the 20th century eventually achieved wages boards that gave workers a voice in negotiations over pay and conditions. Health and Safety improved greatly post war.The discussion of CSR's war effort begins with the China Contingent and extends through to World War II. To illustrate how World War I impacted on Yarraville, the author focuses on members of the Macdonald clan who enlisted. She also identifies recipients of gallantry awards.Of particular interest are the advances in technology in the areas of transport and packaging. To illustrate the changes, photographs are included from the CSR collection of the National Butlin Archives Centre, ANU and Sugar Australia's collection. The author's own photographs and drawings supplement the visual record. The cover design features her drawing of the Yarraville Sugar Works from the vantage point of Coode Island.