AVA holds its annual memorial service at Salisbury as so many local people worked at the James Hardie factory at Elizabeth West and were subsequently diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease.
The factory was officially opened by the Premier, Sir Thomas Playford, in 1962. It made asbestos cement pipes, mainly for PMG and E&WS. The factory operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition there were administration offices, a workshop and testing area.
Conditions there would not be tolerated today: asbestos dust on the floor, ledges and all horizontal surfaces. Workers were covered in the dust; it was on their clothes, skin and hair. As a result many have developed asbestos diseases including asbestosis or mesothelioma.