Alvey Reels closing down after 97 years

After 97 years of trading, Alvey Reels Australia are closing their doors. The company, which manufactures fishing reels, was formed in 1920 by English migrant Charles Alvey. Initially based in the Brisbane suburb of St Lucia, Alvey Reels outgrew its original premises, eventually moving its factory to Carole Park in 1978.

In a posting on the company's Facebook page, Charles' great-grandson Bruce announced the closing of Alvey Reels - "To our wonderful customers over many, many years. It is with great sadness I have to announce that Alvey Reels Australia will be closing down. Our manufacturing facility at Carole Park has served us well since 1978 but sales of our reels are now so low they can not generate the income required to keep the business going."

This longstanding Queensland business is remembered in our collection with a 1950s booklet produced by Alvey Reels Australia called Helpful hints to give troublefree angling with the Alvey side cast reel, which provided purchasers with instructions on the care, maintenance and use of the Alvey side cast reel.

Advertisements for the company can be found in periodicals from our collection such as the 1949 and 1950 editions of Fisherman's Luck and Fair Sport, a magazine produced by Queensland Amateur Fishing Clubs' Association, and The Telegraph newspaper's 1965 fishing guide, How, where and when to fish and enjoy boating.

Newspaper advertisements and articles regarding Alvey Reels can also be found on Trove Australia.

Further reading -

• Alvey Reels closing after hit by cheap imports (Queensland Times)