Founded by Gordon Bennett and his partner Peta Simmons in the regional town of Wauchope in 1991, 'Bennetts Steel & Timber' primarily sold timber and some steel. Timber was becoming less used during the early to mid 1990’s due to environmental issues and less milling, so Gordon decided to step away from timber and only stock steel, becoming Bennetts Steel. In the late 1990’s, Bennetts Steel needed a larger yard and shedding, so they relocated to it's current site in Industry Street, Wauchope.
With a passion for tinkering and creating new innovative products, Gordon designed and the 'Easy Join' a plastic joiner made from ABS plastic developed as a means of joining steel without the need for a welder. Another great idea originating from a Bennett family camping trip in 2011, was the 'Easy Burn' - possibly one of the very first ‘flat pack’ portable firepits, designed to be easily packed away and stored flat when travelling. Both the Easy Join and Easy Burn firepits now have a number of wholesalers in NSW. We even have a supplier of the Easy Burn in the Mutitjulu community of Uluru.
In 2021, a milestone for our business was being inducted into our local business awards Hall of Fame. Bennetts Steel also won the 2022 FBA Regional NSW/ACT Small Business Excellence Award. Some of our other achievements include our recently graduated apprentice fabricator, Tori McCombe, winning the 2022 Construction Steel Category at the World Skills Competition.
We still offer that good old-fashioned service which has built Bennetts Steel's reputation over the many years. Our culture has always been to strive to provide the best experience for our customers, where they can walk in and be greeted at reception, walk through our steel sheds with the assistance of one of our "Bennetts Boys" where you can hand select steel products and have steel cut to size on the spot. People who visit us, feels a great sense of value when they come in, which has provided us with a large clientele of repeat business. Some customers and suppliers even call in for a cuppa from time to time.
Bennetts Steel's strong connection with the local community has spanned 30 years of being involved in numerous small and major community projects for private, sporting and government organisations. Our rural community has a deep tradition of working hard to support the local farming and logging industries. The community support has allowed Bennetts Steel to become what it is today, and we are proud to have been an active part of the local community the entire time.
After the major floods in March 2021, Bennetts Steel provided staff members as 'labourers' to help with the clean-up of some local rural properties and offered discounted fencing products to affected farmers to assist them with getting their livestock securely contained.
We are also very proud to have been a major supporter of Tertiary Scholarships with the Hastings Education Fund, providing opportunities for local students to further their education. Recently, Bennetts Steel proudly became a Gold Sponsor for the Westpac Helicopter Service after hearing of a young Wauchope family and loyal customer of Bennetts Steel who needed their urgent medical assistance.
Bennetts Steel also proudly supports and annually sponsors events for the Hastings Business Women’s Network, who raise funds for charities including Liberty Domestic Violence Services.
Bennetts Steel have also donated to many charitable events for community members, local schools, numerous sporting events including sponsoring the Wauchope Thunder U14s girls team for 2024, the Rural Fire Service and the Hastings Council community projects.
At Bennetts Steel, we work hard to include everybody in our plans no matter what their position.
We brainstorm and workshop our ideas as a collaborative team to produce the best outcomes for our customers and clients.
Every team member takes so much pride in what they do and we thrive on being challenged by client expectations. We work hard to provide an environment where everybody can contribute and help build the business.
It’s the strength of our team who excel in their craft that has made Bennetts Steel what it is today. We’re proud of our team and their dedication to providing the best customer service around.
Our team is happy to have a chat to work with you on bringing your project to life. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with us below, or follow our socials to see what we've been up to!