Masters of stone.

He was mentored by master stone masons during his apprenticeship — learning the whole arc of the craft: extracting stone from the ground in the quarry, splitting and dressing it, then setting it where it would finally rest, structurally retaining or bearing loads, while pleasing visually.

Extracting, splitting and dressing was done with few tools: crowbar, sledge, lump hammer and a set of chisels. All in the hands. No machinery.

Since the 1980s, clever machinery has changed the quarry. The installation of the stone is still done by hand, in an artisanal fashion. Long Stride honours those traditional skills, and keeps looking for ways to innovate for Canberra’s climate and sites.

Hammered stone work — retaining walls, feature walls and pillars, steps, paths and flagging — is what the yard is known for. The brief is simple: the best custom stonework, at a fair price, left tidy at the end of the day.