‘It’s Time’: T-Line closes its doors after more than a century of local industry

ONE of Junee’s most enduring and respected industrial businesses will close its doors for the final time this week, marking the end of more than a century of local manufacturing, craftsmanship and community service.

T-Line Steel Fabrication (TBL Industries) will cease operations on Friday, December 19, bringing to a close a business legacy that began with the Walster family more than 100 years ago, before being carried forward for a further 33 years by Tony and Leanne Butt.

“It is time to close shop and retire,” Tony said.

For many in Junee and across the Riverina, the news will land heavily — and personally.

Leanne & Tony Butt | Photo: Supplied

T-Line has not just been a business; it has been a cornerstone of the town’s working life, shaping farms, factories, community facilities and major infrastructure projects, not only across the region but across the nation.

Despite being on the market for around 18 months, no buyer was found to continue the operation.

Tony said interest was limited, with the business proving “too big for some, not big enough for others,” while the realities of away work and the declining number of young people entering the welding and fabrication trades made the future increasingly untenable.

“The welding profession just doesn’t seem attractive to today’s school leavers,” Tony said, noting the growing difficulty in sourcing skilled tradespeople capable of maintaining the standards the business was built on.

From a farm shed to a national footprint

T-Line’s story under the Butt family began humbly on a farm at Illabo, where Tony started building luggage trailers for airport shuttle buses.

Reflecting on the past three decades, Tony said the business soon expanded into safari and camping trailers for the touring coach industry, before an unexpected request changed its trajectory entirely.

“A friend in the racing industry asked if I would build him a stable complex on his property in Melbourne, which I did,” he said.

Word spread quickly, and T-Line soon found itself constructing racing complexes across Victoria, prompting the need for a larger workshop and more staff.

An unexpected request soon had T-Line constructing racing complexes across Victoria | Photo: Supplied

In March 1992, Tony and Leanne acquired the long-established Walster family business in Joffre Street, Junee, cementing T-Line’s place in the town’s industrial heart.

“Once word got out, local farmers started coming in for machinery repairs, Junee Shire Council began contracting us for their work, and the business really took on a life of its own,” Tony said.

T-Line’s output diversified rapidly — from building sheep and cattle feeders, bulk bins and farm machinery to truck bodies, custom trailers and ute trays.

Well ahead of industry trends, T-Line also designed and built tray-back campers long before they became a staple of Australia’s tourism landscape.

“Moore Ford contracted us to build ute-trays for their ute sales, which lead to requests from customers to build tray-back campers,” Tony said.

T-Line’s output diversified rapidly — from sheep and cattle feeders, bulk bins and farm machinery to truck bodies, custom trailers and ute trays | Photo: Supplied

T-Line also designed and built tray-back campers, long before they became a staple of Australia’s tourism landscape | Photo: Supplied

Photo: Supplied

Keeping Junee running

When former owner David Walster retired, a fully equipped machine shop sat idle until T-Line found machinist Bruce White, who would remain with the business for 25 years.

Widely regarded as a master of his trade, Bruce’s work helped keep local operations such as Conqueror Milling, the Licorice Factory, the Junee Bakery and countless farming enterprises operating smoothly.

Tony said Bruce’s decision to retire at the end of this year became another decisive factor in the closure.

“Bruce made it known to us that he was retiring at the end of this year, which made our decision to close a little easier,” Tony said.

Beyond fabrication, T-Line kept the Walster showroom and yard open to the public, supplying steel, trailer parts, bolts, hydraulic fittings, seals, bearings and countless everyday items relied upon by locals — a practical service that quietly underpinned the community for decades.

T-Line’s home of 33 years in Joffre Street, Junee | Photo: Supplied

A workforce built on loyalty

At its peak, T-Line employed an average of 15 staff each year, including apprentices who went on to spend decades with the company.

Among them were Andrew Coen (21 years), Rhys Clemson (17 years), Scott Vanzanten (13 years), Trav Hanson (9 years), and office staff Peter Hogan (20 years) and Cheryl Purcell (16 years).

Tony said that stability and loyalty within the workforce enabled the business to take on increasingly large-scale structural steel projects, travelling the country to construct service stations, fast-food outlets and commercial buildings for major national brands.

In total, the T-Line has worked in more than 330 locations across Australia, employing 128 staff and subcontractors and delivering an extraordinary portfolio, including 180 service stations, 61 McDonald’s, 40 KFCs and several Pizza Hut outlets.

The company has also delivered projects for Big W and Aldi, Woolworths Drive-to-Boot canopies, RSL club renovations, and more than 20 racehorse complexes.

“We’ve left a little bit of T-Line in most towns and suburbs in every state in Australia, except Tasmania,” Tony reflected.

T-Line has had a hand in building 180 service stations across Australia, including this one at Nowra on the NSW South Coast | Photo: Supplied

Locally, T-Line’s also left a profound and permanent mark on Junee.

Some of the company’s local projects include the Junee Aquatic Centre, Junee Library, Medical Centre, Skate Park, Memorial Park, Park Dam shelters, and numerous community structures.

In Illabo, the company delivered the new Show Pavilion and amenities block.

Further afield, T-Line worked on major sites including the new Wagga Police Station, Wagga Museum, facilities at RAAF Base Wagga, Kapooka and Bandiana.

Junee Recreation and Aquatic Centre | Photo: Visit NSW

Pride, disappointment and gratitude

While Tony and Leanne are looking forward to retirement and the opportunity to travel back to the many places they helped build, the decision to close has not come easily.

They had hoped someone would see the opportunity to carry the business forward with its loyal customer base, skilled reputation and deep community roots.

“We’re not happy about having to close the doors,” they said. “We were desperately hoping someone could see the opportunity to carry on this great business, but it just didn’t happen.”

But there is also pride.

They speak fondly of being “paid to travel Australia,” of working with talented and dedicated people, and of the friendships forged over decades on job sites, in workshops and across communities.

“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time at T-Line and made a lot of good friends along the way.”

For Junee, the closure of T-Line Steel is more than the loss of a business. It is the end of an era — and a reminder of how much regional towns rely on skilled local industry, and the people who dedicate their lives to building it.

On December 19, when the doors close for the last time, T-Line Steel will leave behind steel, concrete and structures but also a legacy of work ethic, craftsmanship and community that will endure long after the workshop lights are switched off.