Category Archives: RVB Engineering

RVB Engineering

RVB Engineersing were W. G. Goetz & Sons neighbours in Hall Street, Spotswood. In the early days of RVB, some Goetz members served on the RVB Board of Directors and assisted Roy Butler to get started with RVB. Roy Butler had sold some surpless land to Goetz for the W. G. Goetz & Sons factory.

RVB made tyre guages, automotive horns and other pneumatic equipment – some of it using Goetz machinery. Below is an advertisement referencing the Melbourne International Trade (Fair 27 February – 16 March 1963, Royal Exhibition Buildings), showing some RVB products. From The Age, February 28 1963, p. 17 “International Trade Fair Supplement”.

Among other exhibits at the Trade Fair was Donald Campbell’s Bluebird land speed record car – at the time he was still to beat John Cobb’s 15 year old record of 394.2 mph (634 kmh). Campbell broke the record at Lake Eyre, S.A., on 17 July 1964 at 403.1 mph (648.73 kmh).

Otto Goetz and Capt. James Moss on the RVB Board

W. G. Goetz & Sons bought their Hall Street site from Roy Butler of RVB Engineering.

The land was previously owned from 1911 by Bickford, Smith and Co. Explosives, who had become associated with the chemical firm, Nobel (Australasia).

In 1939 Nobel moved and RVB purchased “about 520,000 square feet: Mr. Butler retained 240,000 square feet and sold the remainder to Messers. Goetz”. The Argus, 22 May 1956 p.15

See 1930 aerial photo of the site about half way down on this page.

Along with Roy Butler, Albert and Otto Goetz and Capt. James Moss were founding members of the RVB Engineering company. At times, both Otto Goetz and Capt. James Moss served on the RVB Board of Directors.

The Argus, 2 October 1953, p. 13

During May 1956, RVB celebrated its 21st year of operation. Below is an exerpt from and article in The Argus, 22 May 1956, p. 10 “A Great Firm Comes Of Age”, in which Roy Butler pays tribute to the management of W. G. Goetz & Sons for their support in the early days of RVB.
    

RVB 21st – W.G. Goetz & Sons advertising

In May 1956, Goetz’s Hall Street neighbour RVB Engineering Products were celebrating their 21st anniversary. Not being one to usually advertise in the papers, Goetz took out a half page ‘congratulations’ style advertisement on page 9 of The Argus, 22nd May 1956 as part of the RVB celebration and promotion. Roy Butler is featured in the ad along with a photo of employees posing in front of the old Bickford, Smith & Co. Explosives building, which is set back from Hall Street, in between RVB and Goetz.

The caption reads ‘MR. ROY V. BUTLER, managing director of R. V. B. Engineering Products Ltd., surveys (top left) a picture of the company’s first home at North Melbourne, 21 years ago, and the staff of 230 at the present great Spotswood plant.’

Underneath , Goetz are saying ‘”WELL DONE” to an old friend – R.V.B. ENGINEERING PRODUCTS LIMITED’. RVB made tyre guages, automotive horns and other pneumatic equipment – some of it using Goetz machinery.

Click image for larger version

Directors of RVB at times included names associated with W.G. Goetz and Sons. A newspaper clipping from The Argus on January 23rd 1951 regarding an RVB share offer following its conversion to a Public Company, lists directors including Captain J.H. Moss, O. Goetz, A.Goetz, F.C. Craddock and R.J. Burns.

RVB Engineering Products Limited was renamed as RVB Limited on 28 March 1974, which was in-turn deregistered on 26 April 1985. They had 11 patents listed with Intellectual Property Australia from 11 March 1954; the last being 24 March 1985 – a month before they were deregistered.