The Garage & Blacksmith Building
Most farmers had their own “smithy shop” for simple welding and bending but special work and horse shoeing was usually done by the blacksmiths, although because of the sandy soil most working horses were never shod.
The blacksmith shop was built near the bore reserve in 1912 by Mr Allan McLaren of Bowhill and the shop was relocated to Allotment 6 on Railway Terrace.
In 1923 the Male Brothers, Louis and Claude, purchased the blacksmithing business. They had a large business as machinery and carriage manufacturers in Murray Bridge. Soon after they demolished the old timber and iron workshop and built a much larger stone building with a showroom on the street frontage and a workshop behind. They sold machinery parts, furniture, hardware and battery powered wireless sets when they were first introduced in the late 1920’s as well as being agents for HV McKay farm machinery, Geo Wills and Co superphosphate, cornsacks and livestock sales for Goldsborough Mort and Co. Livestock sales were held in the sale yards behind the premises.
When the Depression hit, the business was scaled back, and Mr. Claude Male returned to Murray Bridge while his son, Frank, took on managing the business. By the 1930s, oxywelding was replacing forge processing, and blacksmithing ceased to be part of the operations late in that decade. Frank returned to Karoonda after the war and resumed management, adding a residence to the eastern side of the workshop. The business evolved to include general hardware, builders’ supplies, McCormick Deering tractors, radios, and General Motors vehicles, adapting to farmers' changing needs as they shifted from horses to tractors by the late 1940s. Frank expanded further with agencies for International Harvester and Goldsborough Mort, and during this time, many farmers bought their first tractors through the business. In 1950, he relinquished the General Motors agency and began selling Rover, Fiat, and Citroen cars. In 1947, Frank accepted an International Harvester dealership in Murray Bridge, managing both locations until he sold the Karoonda premises by the end of the 1950s.
Murray Bertram Zerna purchased the garage business in 1955 and operated it for 24½ years, eventually selling it in 1980 to Murray Lands Agricultural Services, who mainly used the premises for storage. Over the years, businesses such as Dermody Petroleum and Elders also operated from the building. Currently, the site serves as the Karoonda Fuel Stop, Laundromat, and Farmhouse & Co café.
A new building replicating the combined blacksmith and motor garage was completed in Pioneer Park in 2007, incorporating Baltic pine flooring from houses demolished in the 2005 storm. The garage and store next door received a revamp in 2018, preserving the heritage and character of the original structure.