In November 1908 carriage builder Frederick Paine completed construction of the first car for Launceston motor dealers Hall and Jackson of George Street. The car was a two-seater 8hp De Dion (pictured at right) and F. Paine Carriage Builder, located at 68 Paterson Street, had built the body, with provision for a detachable tonneau. The body was painted in French grey, picked out with blue lines and trimmed with blue leather and it was reported that It had attracted a good dea

The announcement in 1926 that the Rapson Tyre and Rubber Company was to build a factory in Launceston caused great excitement. Although motor vehicle production was still in its infancy motoring was going through a boom period. Rapson, a British manufacturer, marketed their tyres as the best in the world and advertised that members of the Royal family used them. In the 1920s Tasmania aggressively marketed itself in the UK as a place for industrial development and Launceston h

High on the façade of the shop at 161 Charles Street, Launceston, the name David Bruce remains as a reminder of a successful and community spirited businessman. Born in Scotland in 1850, David Bruce arrived in Launceston from Melbourne in 1880 to work in the Brisbane Street drapery and clothing shop of Williamson and Thomas. Williamson and Thomas was a Melbourne firm that had acquired the Launceston drapery business of Henry Dowling junior in 1862 and traded in the city until