The LYSAGHT® Referee 35th Edition
This year Lysaght achieved 100 years of manufacturing in Australia, and as a capstone to their celebrations, they have published the 35th edition of The LYSAGHT® Referee.
First published in Melbourne in 1897 as “The Metal Trades Referee and Storekeepers Guide”, The Referee has been a go-to reference guide for not only the building and construction industry but also generations of engineers, architects, designers, farmers and students.
This long and proud tradition has seen the publication of thirty-five editions. The eleventh edition saw the first publication under the title "The LYSAGHT® Referee", coinciding with the opening of Lysaght’s first Australian factory at Newcastle in New South Wales, and the first Australian production of ORB® brand galvanised corrugated steel sheet.
Over many years, The LYSAGHT® Referee has become known as something of a steel bible. Initially developed as a product guide, over time The Referee became a "how-to" guide, especially for farmers, on everything from building a fence to animal husbandry. A lot of original information is still in the latest edition, although updated to encompass modern techniques. Now considered unique, the relevance of the "useful" and "general" information sections is now regarded as company heritage and the publishers feel it important to maintain these historical qualities.
To browse through all the editions of The LYSAGHT® Referee is to take a journey through the history of a company and a country. One sees reference to old LYSAGHT® brand names and key moments in Australian history can also be noted, such as the conversion from imperial to metric systems of weights and measures and the implementation of the decimal currency system.
Compare the content in the current edition of The LYSAGHT® Referee to that of the first and you will notice vast developments in the progressive steel industry over time. The diversification and development of the LYSAGHT® business and products through time are detailed throughout each edition of the handbook. Exploring buildings and architectural history along with The LYSAGHT® Referee of that time demonstrates the way LYSAGHT® products have helped shape the Australian built environment over the past one hundred and fifty years.
Get your copy of the 35th Edition of The LYSAGHT® Referee:
- Download the digital version