Little is known of these machines other than that they were built in Sydney by two engineers, Mr. Brackenbury and Mr Austin from the mid 1940s until, perhaps, the late 1950s. At least three models were produced, the two shown on this page and one (described here) badged as the Veem and Premo. Of the other two models, one, with a centre height of 43/16-inches and a between-centres' capacity of 17-inches, looked remarkably like a Drummond M Type and was also offered as the New Gregco or Gregco 918  - Gregco being (almost certainly) the trade name of H. P. Gregory, a firm of Sydney machine-tool merchants.  The lathes could be bought direct from the makers and, in 1948, when the one shown at the top of the page was purchased, it cost £A115 - about the same an a Myford ML7. Numbered as Serial 1049, it was chosen by its new owner as being superior to the Myford in swing, the size of the spindle bore and general heaviness of build. Although the bed-stamped serial number might indicate a series starting at 1001 the top slide was numbered 991, but over-stamped to 1049. Perhaps a faulty slide was spotted on a lathe ready for dispatch and an alternative substituted.
Bored through 3/4", and with a 15/16-inch x 10 t.p.i. Whitworth nose, the No. 3 Morse taper spindle ran in plain bronze bearings. 6 speeds were provided, 3 by direct flat-belt drive and 3 backgeared. The 8 t.p.i. Leadscrew was driven by a conventional changewheel set consisting of: 2 x 20t. 30t, 35t, 40t, 45t, 50t, 55t, 60t and 65t. Supplied with the lathe were an 8-inch faceplate, a plain threaded backplate and a countershaft pulley - but, unlike so many competitor machines, no countershaft unit. The other example to appear (in green, below) appears to be rather different--and of frankly crude construction.
If any reader can help with further information or photographs concerning Brackenbury & Austin lathes, or the Company's history, the writer would be pleased to hear from them.