This segment covers an interesting era of fishing reels made at Government-run and privately operated engineering workshops.  Engineers, Toolmakers, and highly skilled fitters and turners, who in some circumstances were on emergency stand-by maintenance duties. Some of these skilled employees engaged during their spare time in hobby craft by producing their much-loved models of fishing reels. Crouch-type reels, Blackfish reels, Fly reels, Game reels, Seamartin-style reels, and Fishing lures were often popular items created by these enthusiasts during the maintenance and production downtimes. During those downtimes, a floor supervisor would approach an employee and say: “Work on your foreigner”. This was done to create an impression in the eyes of senior production managers that workers were busily engaged in company projects. Thus these workshop-made reels, or any other items made during these 'down-times' were known or referred to as “Foreigners”.

 It is also pertinent to state that especially during the war periods (i.e. WWI and WWII), due to war effort production, there were shortages of fishing items on the retail market. Hence these workshop practices were especially common during those turbulent times. Ladd B. 2007.

Below is our reference information about four extremely - rare uniquely crafted Australian-made Workshop Game reels.