Buckaroo Leatherworks expands after more than five decades of self-funded growth
Buckaroo Leatherworks opens a new Port Kembla factory and resumes leatherwork apprenticeships after two decades.
Buckaroo Leatherworks has moved from Bellambi to a former Port Kembla RSL site. The company has stayed independent and investor-free for more than five decades.
Chief executive Tanya Van Der Water says the company has hired true artisans. The new space will let them offer leatherwork apprenticeships again after two decades.
The factory will also host STEM programs for students, a café, workshops, and classes. The site required five months of demolition and 10 weeks of fit-out work, which included the removal of more than 42 tonnes of asbestos.
Van Der Water said the team is proud simply to still be here and operating. The Port Kembla community has welcomed them warmly.
- 50+
- Years self-funded
- Bellambi to Port Kembla
- Moved from
- 42 tonnes
- Asbestos removed
- 20
- Years without apprenticeships
Why it mattersA rare self-funded manufacturing business is expanding and training new craftspeople, showing that creative industry can survive and grow on its own terms.
AustraliaLocal NSW manufacturing gets a boost with new apprenticeships, and Illawarra communities gain an anchor business focused on skill-building and cultural teaching.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 d ago
