Bjarne Halvorsen 1916-1994
Bjarne Halvorsen 1916-1994
Bjarne Halvorsen was the third of five brothers who all worked for their father’s firm Lars Halvorsens Son Pty Ltd, well known for their many motor cruisers and one of the principal yards building small and medium sized craft during the 2nd World War. Bjarne left the family firm after managing a section throughout the war, setting up a business on a section of Woodley’s yard on the western side of Berrys Bay in 1946. He had boat builder Stan Kessler and engineer Sam Wood as co-workers in the yard.
They built several 60-foot (18.3-metre) island boats, including three for the British Solomon Islands Protectorate and two for commercial use in Port Moresby. Some of these he delivered himself, often with his brother Magnus along as navigator.
With business booming, in early 1950 Bjarne bought land from the Ford estate on the north-eastern side of Berrys Bay. The sale included workshops and a 100-ton slipway. It was listed as Berry’s Bay Boatyard but was owned by Australian Fishing Industries Ltd the business Bjarne had set up when he first started out. After 1952 he traded as Bjarne Halvorsen Pty Ltd.
On the night of the 17th November 1950 a fire destroyed most of the new yard, including 20 vessels and causing £75,000 damage. Among the vessels lost were a cargo boat and a 50-foot (15.2-metre) yacht under construction for Jack Palmer, as well as other yachts, launches, lifeboats and dinghies. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that “The fire made a brilliant display over most of Sydney”. The next day Bjarne Halvorsen told the press that the jobs of all his 40 employees were safe – the yard would be re-built.
Bjarne Halvorsen’s yard built a diverse range of mostly commercial vessels – from naval workboats to fishing trawlers, and a 58-foot (17.7-metre) mission boat, ATTUNGA. They built at least one 46-foot (14-metre) cutter-rigged yacht, CHUNREST, and a 45.9-foot (14-metre) tug was commissioned by the towage firm of Mackenzie & Petersen in 1958 and named Mackpete,. In 1959 they built the luxury cruiser IMPALA for William Walkley then manager of Ampol. They also undertook maintenance and repairs on vessels and were a distributor of Gray marine engines. Bjarne was also a director of Chapman & Sherack Ltd, manufacturers of the famous Chapman Pup marine engine for a long time. In April 1963, Halvorsen sold his property for £95,500 to the Stannards who were expanding in the bay. Bjarne Halvorsen then continued his boatbuilding in Careening Cove before retiring.
Bjarne was also a keen Rugby player for the Northern Suburbs team and represented NSW. He died in 1994 aged 78.
