Aubrey Brooks, ‘Man of Steel’ who kept Newcastle’s BHP story alive, dies

22 August 2025

Aubrey Brooks (Image: UON Living Histories)

Aubrey Brooks with Newcastle State MP Tim Crakanthorp at the BHP Memorial

Former Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Aubrey Brooks (Image: Muster Point- BHP Newcastle, 1913-1999 Facebook Page)

Aubrey Brooks (Image: Muster Point- BHP Newcastle, 1913-1999 Facebook Page)

Updated 2:42pm

newy.com.au – Aubrey Brooks, a third-generation BHP steelworker who spent 38 years at the Newcastle works and later became one of the region’s most persistent guardians of its industrial heritage, has died at the age of 79.

Brooks was widely known as the “Man of Steel” for championing Newcastle’s steelmaking story through the Newcastle Industrial Heritage Association (NIHA) and the Steelworkers Memorial at Mayfield, known as the Muster Point. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2020 Australia Day Honours for “service to the community of Newcastle”.

Beginning in the early 1960s, Brooks followed his father and grandfather through the gates at BHP, working largely in the rail and wagon areas and ultimately clocking 38 years on site. NIHA records state the Brooks family served a combined 125 years at the plant across three generations.

When the steelworks shut on Thursday 30 September 1999, Brooks did not hide his feelings. Looking back two decades later, he called the closure “the world’s worst secret” and “devastating” for Newcastle.

After the gates closed, Brooks poured his energy into commemorating the men and women who built the city’s industrial backbone. He helped organise reunions, lobbied for a permanent memorial and fundraised for its delivery. In 2011 he told the ABC he had located a missing $6,000 donation from BHP and had “collected $23,000 towards the memorial” he hoped would be in place by the steelworks centenary. Three years on, he said supporters aimed to open the memorial in 2015, the 100-year anniversary of BHP’s arrival.

His message was consistent at reunions and public events. Marking 15 years since closure in 2014, Brooks said the gatherings were about friendship and remembrance: “We’ve got to remember they helped build this great country we call Australia and the city we love Newcastle,” he said.

Recognition followed. In 2014 he received the NSW Government’s Heritage Volunteer of the Year award for his work preserving Newcastle’s industrial history and advancing the memorial.

Brooks’ advocacy around the Muster Point continued for years, including campaigning for public access to the memorial precinct. On Wednesday 14 May 2025 the NSW Government confirmed the Steelworkers Memorial at Mayfield would reopen to the community, with daily access via Selwyn Street following safety works to create a 2.12-hectare public area.

Born on 27 October 1945, Brooks grew up in working-class Wickham, nicknamed “chook” in his early years he recalled growing up poor in a UON interview, remembering nights the family slept at Wickham railway station, scavenging coal from steam trains and collecting bottles for cash. He previously described Wickham as tough but close-knit: neighbours shared fish on doorsteps, while kids turned the railway corridor into a community garden, growing sweet potatoes, carrots and passionfruit and raiding a local mulberry tree. Brooks said his mother “booked up” groceries on tick, he even remembered the family stall number, and settled the account on BHP payday, using coupons to stretch the budget.

Away from steel, Brooks taught martial arts for decades, including at Cardiff Karate/Rembukan, and remained a popular speaker on Newcastle’s industrial past. His OAM citation notes long service as a karate sensei alongside his heritage work. He served as the Australian Director of the International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do Federation from 1978 to 1985.

Brooks also operated the Facebook page “Muster Point – BHP Newcastle, 1913–1999”, using it to share updates on the Steelworkers Memorial, promote reunions, post historical photographs and notices, and keep former steelworkers and their families connected to the city’s industrial story.

Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said “I was very sad to hear of the passing of an old friend and champion of Newcastle’s industrial heritage, Aub Brooks. Aub was a strong advocate for the remembrance and recognition of our former steelworkers. He fought tirelessly and successfully to reopen the Muster Point Steelworkers Memorial, which has been accessible to the public since May. Thank you Aub for your valuable contributions to the Newcastle community. May you rest peacefully.”

Local businessman Paul Murphy recognised Aub’s contributions in an online post “Thank you Aub for your valuable contributions to the Newcastle community. May you rest peacefully.”

David Lambert from Lambert Karate Dojo & Family Fitness Centre said “I was very sorry to learn about the passing of Aubrey Brooks earlier this week. Aubrey was the first chief instructor for IOGKF in Australia. Although his training career ended in 1985, be became active again in recent years documenting a lot of the history of the early years of karate in Australia. This will no doubt prove invaluable to future generations. Last night at the Dojo we finished training with one minutes silence and Sensei Eddie Albrighton also shared some stories. I send my condolences to Aubrey’s family and friends at this difficult time”.