NameEast, RussellOccupationBuilderPlace of ResidenceShellharbour VillageBiographyRussell East left school in 1950 at the age of sixteen on gaining his Intermediate Certificate. His father C R. East was a builder in Shellharbour and Russell worked with him for two years. He finished his last three years as an apprentice with E. H. Klein, who was a well-established builder in the area. During Russell's five years as an apprentice, he worked on the construction of many houses in Shellharbour Village.
Russell remembers Mr. Klein as a hard task- master, there being no such thing as knock off time at four in the afternoon. The workers and Mr. Klein would be pouring concrete paths by the headlights of the Fordson truck at 10 p.m at night.
‘I have had a very successful life in the building industry, and feel sure a lot of it I owe to the late Mr. Klein’..
Following his apprenticeship, he joined a Wollongong based building company R.A. Baxter & Co. Pty. Ltd. and worked as a carpenter on the first Shellharbour Workers Club at Shellharbour. Soon after, Russell became General Foreman with R.A. Baxter, and completed the construction alteration of the then ES&A Bank in Kiama.
He later joined a Sydney based construction Co. Concrete Industries Pty. Ltd. as a General Foreman and was responsible for the construction of Berkeley High School, part of Dapto High School, all of Lakelands primary
school, a new wing at Austinmer public school, and part of Berkeley West public school. During this time he attended night schooling.
At the age of 26, Russell joined the local building company Hughes Bros Pty Ltd., as a quantity surveyor, and after a short time was made a Director of the Company. During his 11 years with Hughes Bros, Russell set up the Canberra office, and he and his family lived in Canberra for six months whilst this was carried out.
On resignation from Hughes Bros, Russell at age thirty-seven started his own building company Russell East & Co. Pty Ltd., his first project being the design and construction of The Blackbutt Motel (now Shellharbour Resort), the architect Richard East Architects.
Many buildings large and small have been constructed from 1971 by Russell East & Co. P/L. Notably Russell built in 1978, villa units in Shellharbour Village, known as 'Clifford Place' in memory of his father Clifford East.
During 1971-1995 he was a registered Real Estate Valuer, and in 1995 made life member of the Master Builders Assoc. In 1995-2000 he was in partnership with one of his sons Peter East constructing houses, flats etc.
On his marriage to Jan in 1957, they lived in his grandfather's J.R. East home built by E.H. Klein in 1920 in Mary Street, and now in semi retirement with wife Jan, they live in the home they built 48 years ago, Russell claims arguably to be the only builder in the country to live in the same home for 48 years.
Russell, although still having interests in the building industry, finds time for his love of fishing, and at times a motor homing holiday.
Russell East, c.2005.