THROUGH almost five decades of floor laying across the Limestone Coast, Morton Feast has left his footprint on the region.
Mr Feast recently decided to hang up the tool belt and pursue other passions after a lengthy stint in the construction industry.
It was an advertisement in The Border Watch back in 1970 that piqued Mr Feast’s interest in the profession, joining the iconic Fidler and Webb company where he worked with curtains and learned how to lay flooring.
After two years on the job he was sent to Adelaide’s Milestone Technical College where he further developed his skills and specialised in vinyl laying.
“Vinyl was coming more into the scene back in those days,” Mr Feast said.
“When I first started there was the good old fashioned inlay which was made in England but as time went on more products came out.
“Even now they are just inventing more things all the time.”
Eventually leaving Fidler and Webb in 1979, Mr Feast ventured out on his own, founding his business MS and JA Feast Floor Covering and Contractors.
“It was just time for me to go,” he said.
“They treated me like a king there but I had always wanted to go out on my own.”
Running his own business since 1980, Mr Feast recently decided to enter retirement.
“There was one year where I took a break and worked at the indoor tennis centre but apart from that I have been doing floor covering since I was at Fidler and Webb,” Mr Feast said.
“I have worked at many businesses around Mount Gambier over the years, including Hazel’s Furniture, Braithwaite Brothers, Patterson’s Carpet World and Solomons Flooring.
“I have also done work in almost every school in the South East, Boandik Lodge and a lot of work at the Mount Gambier District Hospital.”
Reflecting over the decades, Mr Feast said he had noticed many changes with flooring style.
“A lot of schools are now using the carpet tiles instead of having chic carpet,” he said.
“Which is not surprising because they are hard wearing and the maintenance is much better.
“It really has been more of a modern thing in the world of floor covering especially in schools, walkways and industrial areas.”
Mr Feast said another significant change over the years was the introduction of plank tiles.
“These are vinyl tiles virtually four foot wide by about 200ml and you see these a lot more often now as they are a very modern thing for kitchens, passageways and virtually everywhere,” he said.
“But now all vinyl flooring and a lot of the walls are done by trade vinyl which is a very precise job.”
According to Mr Feast, the grout in ceramic tiles allowed for breathing, giving germs a chance to breed and cause hygiene concerns.
“Sheet vinyl has been big in the hospital and school industries to try and reduce these risks,” Mr Feast said.
“There has also been a huge change in regards to the types of carpets over the years.
“Woollen carpet used to be used predominantly in country areas but now it is mostly synthetic because it is much cheaper.”
New procedures have also come into place over the years according to Mr Feast, with stretching carpet now a prominent practice.
“It is a relatively new thing as we used to just use knee kickers but now we mostly use a carpet stretcher which allows the carpet to become tighter,” he said.
“The tighter the carpet the better because the longer it will last.”
As for the future, Mr Feast said he planned on travelling as well as continuing his sport, two passions he is excited to explore.
“I have always been into sport and I always loved geography so it would be wonderful to get back into it all,” he said.
