Ford fails to deliver on proper farewell

THERE was never going to be an easy way for this city to say goodbye to Ford. But it should have been better than it has been.

So much a part of this city’s industrial landscape for more than 90 years, Ford has grown into something more than just a good corporate citizen.

It became part of the fabric of this city’s north, synonymous with the fluctuating fortunes of the city’s football team.

Its products exported Geelong’s expertise and name around Australia — and the globe.

It became a friend to generations of Geelong residents and will be missed as such.

And all of this is why we should be able to farewell Ford the way we want to. Instead the community is being kept at arm’s length while the company’s farewells here and in Broadmeadows take place behind locked gates.

It is easy to understand that Ford wants to respect the privacy and feelings of its workers at what is undoubtedly a traumatic time for many of them. But this is not about trying to intrude, it is about wanting the right to show our respect to the company and the thousands of workers who have taken pride in the Blue Oval.

It is great to be able to bring to you the workers’ stories we feature in our pages today, but it has been a process tightly controlled by the company. Ford only put forward selected workers.

If that is out of some hope that those speaking from the factory floor would “stay on message”, that hope is misguided. The anger and resentment among some will not be placated any time soon, if at all, no matter what anyone says.

Ford is partially a victim of the changing face of the Australian marketplace, now crowded with some 500 imported models from which new car buyers can now choose.

But its undeniable success here paved the way for those others to follow. That is the foundation which deserves proper acknowledgment.