The Granum nail factory in 1984.
Edward Goodliffe running the wire drawing machine in the nail factory.
The four nail machines with the fence staple machine in the Granum nail factory.
The Granum nail factory in 1984.
A former Granum businessman hopes to hit the nail on the head with his new book.
Edward Goodliffe has published Nailed It: The story of the Granum Gripper.
The book details the history of the Granum Gripper Nail Factory Goodliffe and two fellow British immigrants operated in Granum from 1975-’85.
“People familiar with Granum will be highly entertained by stories of very characterful residents of the area,” Goodliffe said. “Fort Macleod and Claresholm people are also included. It is not just about making nails, it is the amazing adjustment of going from the crowds and indifference of London to little Granum where everyone knows everyone else.”
“Fighting to set up a nail factory when we really did not know what we were doing. Lots of help from the locals, catastrophic setbacks and how we recovered from them. Fighting our way into a market dominated by giant corporations and how we did it on the cheap.”
Nailed It details how the partners acquired cheap industrial land, erected a building and established the nail manufacturing plant — despite knowing almost nothing about what they were doing.
Goodliffe writes about colourful characters who passed through his life, as well as establishing Granum Radio.
Granum Radio broadcast on 1400 AM with about 14 watts for close to three years in the 1970s.
Goodliffe used an illegal AM transmitter built by a local television repairman to broad cast Granum Radio.
There are displays in the Granum Museum on the nail factory and radio station, but Goodliffe wanted to get the memories preserved in print.
“I first thought about writing the book back in 2010 when we went to the 100-year celebration for the Town of Granum,” Goodliffe said. “I was quite surprised at how many of the people there I did not know. Most of the residents of Granum that I had known over the decade that we were there were dead.”
“Several of the newer residents had asked me what connection I had to Granum, and I had told them that I used to run the nail factory. They were shocked to find out that Granum actually had a nail factory.”
Goodliffe started writing short stories about significant events surrounding the nail factory, such as Ege Mohr giving land for the factory and establishment of Granum Radio.
Goodliffe sent those stories to people for their reaction.
When he didn’t get any response Goodliffe let the idea of a book sit until 2018 when he attended the Freedom Force conference in Paso Robles, California.
There, Goodliffe talked with Ken Gullekson, the man in charge of filming the conference.
“He was telling me about how he had published a book and from that conversation I realized that maybe I could possibly write my story on the Granum Gripper.”
Goodliffe also spoke with Freedom Force International founder G. Edward Griffin, whose book about the U.S. federal reserve sold more than one million copies.
Griffin agreed to read what Goodliffe had written.
“He responded positively and encouraged me to continue and to keep sending him each chapter as it developed. When I reached the point where the nail factory closed down, he told me to continue with something more positive as to end on a down note would not be a good idea.”
Goodliffe followed that advice and ended with a story about a trip to Africa in which he tracked down Ian Smith, the last prime minister of Southern Rhodesia, whose government unilaterally declared independence from Britain.
“I greatly admired the man for his courage to stand up to Britain when they kept interfering in Rhodesia’s affairs. Needless to say, I managed to find him and spent an hour or so in his home hearing real history from the man that made it.”
Nailed It contains a photo of Goodliffe and Smith, along with 59 other illustrations.
Goodliffe, a promoter of individualism, also addresses in Nailed It some of the damage done by collectivist governments and the banking system, and documents basic liberties lost since the 1970s.
“By the time I was most of the way through the book, Edward Griffin commented, ‘This is good stuff,’ which was music to my ears,” Goodliffe said. “Nobody else had read it, so I hope he is right.”
Goodliffe, who now lives in Busby, reflects fondly on his time living in Granum.
“Our time in Granum was very much a special time of our lives and it still feels like home.”
