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As one of Australia’s oldest companies, Furphy Foundry is proud of its heritage and a strong dedication to producing excellent products is paramount.
Furphy Foundry’s commitment to manufacturing such high-quality products was first summarised in 1910 when company founder, John Furphy inscribed the following words on the cast ends of a Furphy Water Cart:
"GOOD, BETTER, BEST - NEVER LET IT REST - TILL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER - AND YOUR BETTER, BEST."
Today, Furphy Foundry is a diversified foundry and manufacturing company – specialising in Urban Design Products such as Seats, Benches, Picnic Settings, Litter Receptacles, Barbecues, Drinking Fountains, Bike Racks, Bollards, Impact Security, Shelters, Tree Furniture, Urban Art and more.
Furphy History
Furphy Beer
Furphy Literary Award
Congratulations to acclaimed journalist and copywriter, Jen Rewell, for winning the 2023 Furphy Literary Award with her short story ‘Away to Me’, which judges described as an ‘upbeating and offbeat love story’. There were more than 600 entries in this year’s Awards and Jen received $15,000, a residency at La Trobe University, and publication in The Furphy Anthology 2023 later this year.
Everyone can write at least one good story. That was the belief of J. F. Archibald, the editor and founder of the famous nineteenth-century weekly, The Bulletin, who invited his readers to become contributors. It was this encouragement that led Joseph Furphy, working in his brother’s foundry at Shepparton, to write his ‘offensively Australian’ novel, Such is Life, using the pseudonym of ‘Tom Collins’. The book, full of stories derived from Joseph’s experience in the Riverina and told in a voice uniquely his own, is now acknowledged to be a classic of Australian literature.
In the spirit of Archibald and honouring the author of Such is Life, the Furphy Literary Award has been established to promote and extend the tradition of story telling, both factual and fictional, that is so much part of Australian life. The Furphy Literary Award, established locally by Shepparton’s Furphy family in 1992 to commemorate the writing of Such is Life author Joseph Furphy is Australia’s richest short story competition with a $20,000 prize pool.
We’re pleased to announce The Furphy Anthology 2022 is published and now available for purchase!
Featuring 16 short stories selected from this year’s Furphy Literary Award, The Furphy Anthology 2022 is thought-provoking, entertaining and genuine.
Furphy Literary Award Director, Sam Furphy said they were pleased with the mix of established writers and relative newcomers featured in the awards and the anthology.
“It proves that a significant and important foundation of the competition – a genuinely open competition for all – is paying dividends,” he said.
Celebrated writer and poet, Cate Kennedy, won the 2022 Furphy Literary Award with her short story ‘Art and Life’, which tells the story of a young classical violinist whose busking career takes an instructive turn. Lisa Moule and Natalie Vella placed second and third respectively with their short stories, ‘The Game’ and ‘Winter is for Regret’, which were highly commended by the judging panel.
These three winning stories and another 13 shortlisted entries have been published in this year’s Anthology. Congratulations to these talented writers!
