People – Harald Paech

An overgrown four and a half acre block in Oxford Falls is the resting place for much of Sydney’s historic sandstone. Blocks from buildings and structures that have made way for modern development are collected and categorised there in a system that makes sense to one man. It’s all been salvaged by the self-appointed stone custodian, Harald Paech. The characteristic, beautiful, recycled sandstone pieces that have been appearing in Spirit Level designs as seats, tables or in our feature walls, have been supplied by Harald since our earliest gardens.

Paech came to Sydney from Norway in the 50’s. His grandfather had sailed to Australia late in the 19th Century, where he met Harald’s grandmother and enticed her back to Norway. So, Australia was on his radar and as an adventurous young man, he retraced his grandfathers steps, sailing around the globe to this country.

Harald attempted a uni degree once he was settled in Sydney, but study wasn’t really his forte. He most enjoyed being outdoors, doing fieldwork in NSW State forests. It’s been a place he’s felt comfortable since childhood and he recollects the excitement he had for the exotic species of Australian plants after growing up in the Northern Hemisphere. It made sense to go into landscaping and he abandoned the studies.

Now retired, Harald was recycling stone for decades as the Sydney Secondhand Sandstone Company. The business’s genesis came about when he was in hospital for a back operation from his Landscaping days. Reading a recycling story in the Manly Daily, he realised the same principles could apply to stone. His initial suppliers were waved down on the way to Kimbricki tip. A slab of beer offered to the truck drivers who were willing to divert their sandstone from landfill to his stone yard. It wasn’t long before people contacted him, when significant sandstone was being cleared for new development.

Harald has a story about stone you pass when you’re in his yard, vital parts of Sydney’s architectural history are contained in the many pieces. When Homebush train station and the Burley Griffin designed, Pyrmont incinerator was redeveloped, Harald got the call to salvage the sandstone. Most of it can be traced back to the quarries operating during the depression. The stone really speaks to him, and his connection and passion for it is evident in the twinkle in his eye when he talks about various blocks.

One of his earliest memories as a nine year old, was sitting in the middle of a giant stone, cut by the elements on an island near Oslo, intrigued by the material and its majestic place in the environment. The same applies for his adopted homeland and the old stone here that has had years to form. It’s this connection to geology and history, that Harald really makes come alive when he talks about it.

The beauty he sees in stone is inspiring, engaging and fascinating and the pleasure of a visit to Harald’s stoneyard is always over too soon. Local birdcalls echo through the plot as Harald spins yarns of his life and times and the hum of Sydney’s traffic and development are momentarily silenced. History is alive in the space that he shares with these substantial pieces of stone. It’s been a privilege to give the stone under his guard another life.

Photos by Jason Busch