About Jim Gamble & Sons Locksmith

Our Story

By Graham Gamble

My father Jim Gamble, worked for Crandons Hardware in Woodlark Street for many years, and amongst his duties there he became a dab hand at key cutting and also repairing locks etc.

In 1953 he decided to start out in his own business as a Locksmith & Gunsmith, (Dad was an armourer during the war years in the 2/17th Battalion). The shop was situated at the rear of Lismore Timbers & Hardware at 86 Woodlark Street, (Now the Commonwealth Bank) where we rented a small section.

Shortly after starting out on his own he suffered a heart attack, so in order to keep the shop going I left school aged 14, and started working with mum, (Dulcie Gamble), and with my limited knowledge of the trade we managed to hold the fort until Dad was well enough to return to work full time, I then continued working for Dad as his apprentice, later to become a fully qualified Locksmith.

Around 1968 we moved to larger premises at 72 Keen Street (Ex Mengers Sewing Machine Shop). We had to pack up for floods many times during those years, we had it down to a fine art.

Dad died in 1977 and I carried on with the help of Mum and then later my wife Marion.

I had worked 44 years in the trade up to 1999 when the business was sold.

By Rob Napper

Since purchasing the business in 1999 we have continued to provide the local community with a comprehensive, reliable and affordable Locksmithing service by value adding to its established format over the last 14 years.

We moved into larger premises (next door to the shop in Keen Street) in 2006, this has enabled us to expand the business by way of offering a more extensive service and invest in modern technology by way of continually updating our macherinery, software packages and tools of the trade so we can stay in touch with the technology demands occuring within the industry.

We also continue to offer a mobile service with two vans in use as fully equiped workshops on the road to provide a speedy,efficient and friendly service from our experienced staff.