Showing 57 items
matching fuel can
-
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - CASTLEMAINE GAS COMPANY COLLECTION: PHOTO EXCAVATION
Pipe being lowered into position in the trench, 3 workers can be seen in the photo. Centre top shows a piece of orange safety netting, backhoe has been fitted with a special hydraulic fitting to enable exact small adjustments. right centre shows a White utility vehicle.Kodakorganisation, industry, gas and fuel -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - CASTLEMAINE GAS COMPANY COLLECTION: PHOTO PIPE
left hand junction and inspection cap, an old pipe can be seen at the top background, small white pipe in wall of trench on right.Kodakorganisation, industry, gas and fuel -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - CASTLEMAINE GAS COMPANY COLLECTION: PHOTO BUILDINGS
Photo of 2 factories and a couple of vehicles. A truck and a panel van, A red pipe with several valves on top can be seen at the centre of the photo. The pipe is near what looks like a fenced car park.Kodakorganisation, industry, gas and fuel -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Ephemera - CASTLEMAINE GAS COMPANY COLLECTION: ENVELOPE
Yellow envelope. In the middle in black text the words ''Gas&Fuel attn Geoff Beck'' at the top in pen ''Anne can we have the photos back when you are finished with them please. Ta Geoff''. The envelop contained 13 photos catalogue numbers from 11518.383 to 11518.394business, retail, gas and fuel -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - CASTLEMAINE GAS COMPANY COLLECTION: PHOTO GARDEN BED
Photo of a lawn and rose garden bed, a building can be seen in the background and several trees.business, retail, gas and fuel -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - CASTLEMAINE GAS COMPANY COLLECTION: PHOTO GAS AND FUEL SITE
Photo of ''The gas and fuel corporation of Victoria'' site. Taken from outside barbed wire fence around perimeter, a building and 2 cars can be seen.business, retail, gas and fuel -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Functional object - Coleman Measuring Can
The can measures the exact amount of fuel to be put in a Coleman Iron. Liquid fuel irons were a great advancement from Sad Irons in the late 1800's and were used before electricity was available. A tubular metal can ten centimetres high and six centimetres diameter. It has two and a half centimetre filling hole and a two and a half a centimetre half centimetre diameter pouring tube on the top, it is painted yellow with black instructions printed on it.K15.4coleman measuring can, coleman iron -
Donald History and Natural History Group operating the Donald Court House Museum
Kerosene Can
... This Kerosene can was used by Georgie Ah Ling, who operated a market ...This Kerosene can was used by Georgie Ah Ling, who operated a market garden on the edge of the township of Donald for over 70 years. It was filled from a larger Kerosene tin, and was used to fuel Kerosene lamps.Cylindrical galvanised Kerosene can with oval shaped handle with a cap over the opening, chained to a smaller handle fixed to the body.kerosene can, georgie ah ling, market garden, donald, kerosene lamps, -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Photograph, March 1970's
Coloured photo of a Centurion Tank (No. 2) with 2 soldiers on top with fuel tanks. Three men, two shirtless in background. One soldier pouring liquid into mugs. Two jerry cans in the foreground.centurion tank -
Moorabbin Air Museum
Album (item) - CAC Folder containing a range of documents and photos, refer Description for details
CAC Green Folder containing documents and photos as listed below, CAC Photo Technologist Apprentice Brad Cronk receiving CAC Perpetual Trophy. Photo Staff Officer Repair and Overhaul (M.H. Reymond SQN LDR ROIC (EXT 4564) RAAF Victoria Barracks Melbourne 3004 Photo Fuel Farm And Start Air Storages. CAC Photo Checking Computer Displays Prior To Engine Test. CAC Photo F404 Engine Assembly. CAC Photo - Visit By Chief OF The Air Staff Thursday 7 Nov.1985. Hawker de Havilland GAZETTE assorted issues. Hawker de Havilland CONTACT assorted issues. Hawker de Havilland HAWKTALK assorted issues. CAC General Correspondence. Hawker de Havilland GAZETTE , canning Electron Microscope. CAC Assorted Sales and Marketing plans CAC Photo Jet Engine Test Facility (Computer Control & Data Aquisition ) CAC Photo of Macchi A7-075 CAC Photo of coating baths. CAC Photos of Macchi A7-064. -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Sign - Petrol Price Sign
These fuel price signs were used throughout Australia. Circular sign showing large black numbers 2/3. The words "Including 7 1/4d duty" in black around the lower rim. Metal frame, price card can be rotated to suit mounting position (double sided) and behind glass and rubber gasket.petrol, service stations, sign, fuel, price -
Wangaratta RSL Sub Branch
Poster, Enlist in the Sportsmen's Thousand, 1917
This poster, published by the State Parliamentary Recruiting Committee, depicts Lieutenant Albert JACKA, VC, as a role model for a huge campaign to enlist sportsmen into the Australian Imperial Force in 1917. Jacka achieved instant fame back home when he became the first Australian to win the Victoria Cross during the First World War. It was said that one of the reasons he was such a good soldier, and had such a fighting attitude, was that he had been a boxer before the war. The campaign to enlist sportsmen was fuelled by a strong belief that by playing sport young men developed specific skills and qualities that could be used on the battlefield.Representative of two common recruiting devices used in Australia, a well-known local soldier and a target number of men required for a specially named group.Depicts Lieutenant Albert Jacka, VC, as a role model for a huge campaign to enlist sportsmen. Surrounding Jacka are colourful depictions of healthy young men engaged in a variety of sports: football, rowing, cricket, tennis and golf are amongst the sports.Full Text: Enlist in the Sportsmen's Thousand, Join Together, Train Together, Embark Together, Fight Together, Show the enemy what Australian sporting men can do.albert jacka, ww1, poster -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Rakut - Fire rake, Unknown FCV District, c 1952
Bushfire perimeter rather than bushfire area is the main control problem for firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. A small 5 ha fire can be nearly 1 km around the perimeter. That's a long way to build a control line by hand in rough bush. Dry firefighting techniques by hand were mostly confined to “knocking down” or “beating out” the flames, as well as "digging out". Digging or raking a “mineral earth” trail down to bare dirt proved most effective in forest fuels which, unlike grass, tend to retain heat and smoulder. Early tools were whatever happened to be close at hand. They were simple and primitive and included shovels, slashers, axes, hoes, beaters and rakes. A cut branch to beat the flames was often the only thing available. Farming and logging tools, developed over centuries of manual labour, and readily available at local hardware stores came into use, but little thought was given to size, weight, and balance. For years foresters experimented with combination tools. In about 1952 fire beaters and other implements were being replaced with Rakuts.Fire tool used before the introduction of RakehoesRakut - Fire Rake and cutting toolGreen and red coloured handle and 020 marking indicated which FCV District the tool belonged tobushfire -
National Wool Museum
Tool - Grinder, 1960-69
Cooper S.E. Ball Bearing Grinder made and guaranteed by Sunbeam Corporation Limited. Grinders like this example have been made the same since the early 1900s, with this grinder thought to have been produced in the 1960s. It is belt driven, with the other end of the belt being attached to an engine; the same engine that would have powered the overhead shearing equipment in shearing sheds. It was common for shearing teams to bring their own equipment, especially pre-1960 as most shearing sheds were not connected to power, and shearers preferred to work with their own equipment. The engines that powered the shears and grinder were typically fuelled with kerosene or petrol. The large circular disks are attached to the bolt that protrudes from the grinder and fastened tightly with a nut. An example of seeing a similar grinder in action can be found on the following link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7eimI_Gm9o. Inventor Frederick Wolseley made the world's first commercially successful power-shearing system in Australia in 1888. US company Cooper, which had been founded in 1843 as a maker of sheep dip, began selling Wolseley equipment in the USA in 1895. The Chicago Flexible Shaft Company successfully entered the power-shearing market a few years later and entered a joint venture with Cooper. It set up a branch in Sydney and sold shearing sets, and engines to power them, into the Australian market. In 1921 the US parent company, realising it needed to make products whose sales were not as seasonal as those of shearing equipment, made its first household appliances and branded them Sunbeam. In 1933, changes in exchange rates and taxes led the company to manufacture engines and shearing equipment in Australia via subsidiary Cooper Engineering, which changed its name to Sunbeam in 1946. Although most Australians know of this company as a major manufacturer of household appliances, its rural division flourished and retained the Sunbeam name for shearing equipment even after it was taken over by New Zealand company Tru-Test in 2001. The grinder is formed from a central arch shaped block of green painted metal. Much of this paint has been lost to age, leaving the grinder in a ‘farm used’ condition with much surface oxidation present. On the front of the arch is a specification plate, reading “Cooper S.E. ball bearing grinder. Made and guaranteed by Sunbeam”. At the foot of the arch, three bolt holes are found for securing the grinder to the base of a solid wooden surface. Two of the bolt holes are found on the front of the grinder, with another found on the rear. From the central arch, a bolt protrudes to the right of the grinder. This large bolt is for securing a grinding plate to the grinder. Above the central arch is a pendulum which holds the comb / cutter that is being sharpened. From the pendulum, a large arm extends down (not pictured) to meet and strike the plate spinning at a rapid speed. On the left-hand side of the central arch of the grinder, a wheel is found which a belt is attached to for power. This belt is then attached to a separate engine, spinning the wheel and hence powering the grinder. The wheel is partially covered with a section of protective bent tube, designed to provide protection from the rapidly spinning wheel. Below this wheel is the belt shifter. It is designed to move the protective bent tube from one side of the grinder to the other, to accommodate the grinder in the setup of different shearing sheds. The two separate grinding plates are identical. They have a slight slope for sharpening the comb and cutters in the correct method, with a slight bias towards the base, or “tooth”, of the equipment. The disks have a large central bolt for attaching to the grinder. They have tags on the horizontal axis of the grinding plates, for securing the plates in transportation, and to help with initial alignment when setting up the grinder. The reverse of these grinding plates has the same green painted metal finish found on the grinder. This paint is also in a ‘farm used’ condition, with surface oxidation present. The grinder would be provided from the factory with a comb holder, shifter for securing the grinding plates, emery cloth and emery glue. The emery cloth is what does the actual grinding and is applied to the grinding disks, replacing once well worn. These items can be seen in the final images in the multimedia section, showcasing advertising for this grinder. Plate. Inscribed. “Cooper / S.E. BALL BEARING GRINDER / MADE AND GUARANTEED BY / Sunbeam / CORPORATION LIMITED / SYDNEY MELBOURNE / ADELAIDE BRISBANE ”sheep shearing, shearing equipment, sunbeam, grinder -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Newspaper, The Courier Ballarat, “Move to Check Corrosion”, 26/03/1958 12:00:00 AM
Yields information about the relationship between trams and steel pipe which can result in corrosion - and the fitting of test points in Ballarat during 1958.Newspaper clipping titled “Move to Check Corrosion” from The Courier, dated 26/3/1958 about the fitting of test points to gas mains at the corner of Ligar and Seymour Sts the previous day. Quotes the Manager of the Ballarat Gas Company, work being done by Gas and Fuel Corporation. Has a photo of Mr J. Nicholls and R. Schafer. BTPS Number "222" Has “222” in biro in bottom right hand corner and “26.3.58” in blue pencil in top left hand corner.sec, gas works, electrolysis -
Friends of Westgarthtown
Petrol can
... melbourne containers commercial can petrol fuel oil golden fleece ...Rectangular petrol can with rounded edges. Small handle on top with opening and screw on lid. Bottom half of can is blue and top half is yellow with red writing.Printed on front of can is "Golden Fleece" in red writing. A picture of a ram is printed in red above the writing.containers, commercial, can, petrol, fuel, oil, golden fleece, rural, farming, machinery. -
Harcourt Valley Heritage & Tourist Centre
photograph, Cutting timber
Ken Peeler (at head of horse), Ken's father, Ern Peeler and brother Don Peeler (sitting on load) with dray-load of 'five-foot wood'. Peeler's Road, Barkers Creek. Photographed by Alice 'Girlie' Adams, approx. 1942. Families living at Barkers Creek and Woodbrook obtained contracts to supply 'five foot wood' to Thompson's Foundry and Castlemaine Woollen Co. Rows of wood, neatly stacked, 10’ high X 5’ wide covered many acres at each factory, ready for use in firing the boilers. Much bushland was thus cleared for orchard or pasture. The horse depicted is fully harnessed with bridle, eye-winkers and reins, dray collar, hames, shaft saddle with girth & pole straps and breeching straps. Neatly stowed under the dray shafts can be seen the props, used to keep the dray horizontal when the horse was to be taken out of the shafts. The dray was almost entirely constructed of wood, with steel tyres on the wheelsA reminder of the significance of local sources of fuel to some of Victoria’s biggest manufacturing concerns as well as depicting a major source of employment involving minimal capital. A B&W photograph depicting 2 men and a boy with a horse-drawn dray filled with wood. Photograph taken by Alice 'Girlie' Adams in 1942. Ken Peeler, Ern Peeler and Don Peeler appear in the picture along with a horse with no known name. -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - ALBA Petrol Can, ALBA Petroleum Company, 1933 - 1945
This artefact originates from a petroleum company which operated in Victoria from 1933 until 1945. The Alba Petroleum Company of Australia Pty. Ltd. was established by P. J. Adams and A.G. Wales. They had distribution facilities in the industrial estate of Newport in Victoria and also marketed to South Australia and Tasmania. Their advertising during World War 11 emphasised the need to keep petrol profits in Australia. They claimed to have the largest independent bulk storage unit in Australia. They pioneered the use of tar alcohol which was blended with "standard motor spirit to produce a super fuel. They were marketers of ALBA Super, the Aviation Quality Spirit containing Australian produced alcohol, ALBA motor spirit, ALBA power kerosene and ALBALITE lighting kerosene. In 1945 after the war ended, ALBA was incorporated with the Australian Motorists Petrol Company, which in turn, became AMPOL Petroleum Ltd in 1949.This artefact is representative of an Australian innovative company and a product which was widely used on a local, state and national level for industrial and domestic applications.A cylindrical steel/metal can for petrol storage and transfer. It has the brand name of the company ALBA embossed into the lid.On lid: " ALBA"alba petroleum company, ampol, petroleum companies australia -
City of Kingston
Photograph - Black and white, c. 1970
The Highett Gas Works were a landmark along the Nepean Highway for many years. With the cessation of the gasification of coal and the introduction of natural gas to Victoria, the gas holders were demolished and the Sir William Fry Reserve was developed on the southern end of the site. The Gas and Fuel redeveloped the northern end of the site with modern offices and laboratories for the organisation's scientific services. At this time, the chimney and retort house were retained.The Highett Gasworks had its beginning in 1939 operated by the Central Brighton and Moorabbin Gas Co Ltd. The company had expanded its gas production facilities to Highett where it had purchased 45 acres of land adjacent to the Melbourne-Frankston railway line. The first gasholder was erected on the Highett site in 1927 and connected with high pressure mains to the Brighton Gas Works. In 1939 the building program including gasometers, the vertical retort house and coal store was completed and gas making commenced. Its area of supply covered approximately 70 square miles and included the municipalities of Brighton, Sandringham, Moorabbin, Mordialloc, Chelsea and part of Dandenong. The Gas and Fuel Corporation eventually took over operations and with the disaggregation and privatisation of the organisation, the site was eventually closed c. 2002.Black and white aerial photograph featuring the Highett Gas Works with gasholders and retort house. In the top right-hand corner, a former Highett Primary School on Graham Road can be viewed. Photograph includes Bay Road, Royal Avenue, Princess Avenue and Jackson Road (Highett) and Alfred, Turner and Sandford Streets (Moorabbin).Handwritten in black ink: [indecipherable] in a circle Handwritten in red ink: 70% Four velcro display adhesivesgasification of coal, gas and fuel corporation of victoria, gasholders, highett, moorabbin, utilities -
City of Kingston
Photograph - Black and white, 5 January 1984
Moorabbin, Cheltenham and Highett are suburbs in the City of Kingston with a diverse mix of development and zoning. The market gardens, farms and paddocks have gradually been sub-divided into housing and industrial estates and associated infrastructure such as schools and shopping facilities. The area includes many parks, reserves and golf courses.This aerial image covers a diverse section of the City of Kingston, taking in the suburbs of Cheltenham, Moorabbin, Beaumaris and Highett. By 1984, the market gardens of the district have been replaced by housing and factories. The Gas and Fuel state-of-the-art Scientific Services Department is visible on Nepean Highway Highett. The CSIRO Highett site can also be seen. Both sites have now been demolished and have undergone remediation. The Southland site is visible and yet to be redeveloped by Westfield. This image portrays the diversity of development in the City of Kingston with a mixture of green spaces, housing and commercial and industrial features.Aerial photograph of Cheltenham, Beaumaris, Moorabbin and Highett within the City of Kingston. The area depicted in the 1984 aerial view includes Eden Street and Edward Street, Cheltenham (top left), Weatherall Road and Reserve Road, Cheltenham/Beaumaris (top right), Turner Road and Chesterville Road, Moorabbin (bottom left), Nepean Highway (left section), Graham Road and Middleton Street, Highett (bottom right). A large section of this image includes Cheltenham Park and Victoria Golf Club.White text: 3831-219 Lens information [indecipherable] RINGWOOD M/S 7922-3 RUN 15 Clockface image 5,300' ASL VIC DLS© 5-1-84cheltenham, highett, industrialisation, urbanisation, moorabbin, beaumaris -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Magazine, Brisbane Tramway Museum Society, "Dreadnought - May 1972", May. 1972
Magazine - 20 pages, centre stapled with yellow cover, duplicated sheets titled "Dreadnought - May 1972", Vol. 4 No. 7, published by the Brisbane Tramway Museum Society. Contains items on the Society, Tramcars built by the Brisbane tramway Trust (notes that the bogies of trucks were built by Sewell of Melbourne, early 1920's), Bendigo Tramway Closure, an item on Melbourne and new trams "Trams can be Trendy", impressions of NZ Museums, public transport in Port Moresby and recent developments in Adelaide. Has a Advert for Shell fuels at Grange.trams, tramways, melbourne, mmtb, adelaide, brisbane, bendigo, nz, closure, new tramcars -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Baleen
A baleen whale has hard bristly baleen that hangs from its upper jaw inside its mouth instead of teeth. Baleen is made from a protein called keratin, just like human hair and fingernails, and its colour can vary between species, from black to yellow or white. The whale uses the tough, flexible baleen like a sieve to catch its food, filtering the small sea creatures out of the sea water it releases from its mouth. In the19th Century, whales were hunted for the products that could be made from their bodies, such as oil for lubricating machinery, soap making, lamps, heaters and fuel for the lighthouse lights. The flexible baleen was used for whip handles, carriage springs and umbrella ribs. It was also used for the skirt hoops, hat ribs, and rigid ‘stays’ in tightly fitting bodices to enhance their figures. The Southern Right Whales, as well as Blue Whales and Humpback Whales, are baleen whales. The Southern Rights annually visit the ocean off the southwest coast during the breeding season. In the early 1800s whalers hunted along this coastline in their dangerous pursuit of money for the precious cargoes of whale oil and bones. The population of these large animals dwindled quickly and by the late 1840s the whaling industry dwindled. Whaling recommenced from the 1940s to the 1980s when the whale products were used to make margarine and dog food. The baleen sample has been used to educate people about whaling and about the properties of baleen. The baleen sample is significant for its association with 19th century women's fashion. It helps to understand how garments were supported to shape a woman's figure. The baleen sample represents a period when whales were hunted and killed to provide income and products for for the local settlers and for the export industry.Baleen sample from a whale's jaw. Its black shiny hard yet flexible surface is slightly rippled and textured. One end is fringed and the other and a smooth cut edge. The colour varies in places, with stripy brown colouring. flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, baleen, whalebone, baleen whale, keratin, 19th century, whaling industry, women's fashion, stays, bodice, women's figures, fashion, clothing, whale oil, baleen colour, whale hunting, whale products, southern right whale, blue whale, humpback whale, southwest victoria, whalers, whale bones -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Rakehoe, McLeod Tool
Bushfire perimeter rather than bushfire area is the main control problem for firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. A small 5 ha fire can be nearly 1 km around the perimeter. That's a long way to build a control line by hand in rough bush. Dry firefighting techniques by hand were mostly confined to “knocking down” or “beating out” the flames, as well as "digging out". Digging or raking a “mineral earth” trail down to bare dirt proved most effective in forest fuels which, unlike grass, tend to retain heat and smoulder. Early tools were whatever happened to be close at hand. They were simple and primitive and included shovels, slashers, axes, hoes, beaters and rakes. A cut branch to beat the flames was often the only thing available. Farming and logging tools, developed over centuries of manual labour, and readily available at local hardware stores came into use, but little thought was given to size, weight, and balance. For years foresters experimented with combination tools. In about 1952 fire beaters and other implements were being replaced with Rakuts. However, its believed the now common Rakehoe is an Australian variation of the American McLeod Tool which was developed in 1905 by forest ranger Malcolm McLeod of the Sierra National Forest. The late Athol Hodgson advised that predecessors, Reg Torbet who had been the Chief Fire Officer for the Forests Commission from 1948-1956, along with his QLD counterpart Clive Price, went in late 1951 as Australian delegates on a 10 week fire study tour of Nth America organised by the United Nations. They came back with a couple of McLeod tools from Canada. Cam MacLeod (different spelling) had been the Head of Fire Research for the Canadian Forest Service at the time and had supplied them. The tools were ideal for deciduous forests in the eastern provinces and Clive arranged to have them manufactured in QLD. The Rakho, as it was then spelled, was first issued to FCV crews 65 years ago in 1955-56. The American Pulaski had been trialled, but never found favour with Australian firefighters.First used in 1955Rakehoebushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Ventimeter, Wind anemometer in cardboard tube
Bushfire behaviour is influenced by many factors including temperature, relative humidity (RH), forest type, fuel quantity and fuel dryness, topography and even slope. But wind has a dominant effect on the Rate of Spread (ROS), as well as fire size, shape and direction. Wind speed can be measured using a variety of anemometers. This simple hand-held Venitimer was made by Elvometer in Sweeden, probably in the 1960s, and was designed for principally for mariners. Some models have a compass in the handle to measure wind direction. The small inlet hole on the side is faced towards the wind and air pressure lifts small plastic disk inside. The upper tube is tapered so that as wind speed increases more air escapes and stronger winds are needed to raise the disk. Wind speed in MPH is read from the side of the clear plastic tube. The waterproof container has instructions on use and conversion scales. Simple and robust device.Hand- held wind anemometer Instructions on use on containerbushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Geelong Tramway MESCo Conductors
Melbourne Electric Supply Company tramway Conductors at the depot in Geelong with one of the summer cars, 11 or 12, behind. Three Inspectors are in the centre of front row. At the far left is an upturned can of Shell benzine that fueled the company's three buses which ran from 1912 until 1923. The date of the photograph is between 1916 and 1923 as the Inspector on the right was a Motorman in a photograph taken in 1916.Black and white print on paper.,The No. 1 in a circle written in ink on the reverse. GRS710/21/1/3 and 21-3, written in pencil on the reverse.melbourne electric supply co. conductors, geelong tramway conductor, geelong tramway inspector, geelong summer car nos. 11 and 12 -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Fire Beater - Canvas, c 1930s
Bushfire perimeter rather than bushfire area is the main control problem for firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. A small 5 ha fire can be nearly 1 km around the perimeter. That's a long way to build a control line by hand in rough bush. Dry firefighting techniques by hand were mostly confined to “knocking down” or “beating out” the flames, as well as "digging out". Digging or raking a “mineral earth” trail down to bare dirt proved most effective in forest fuels which, unlike grass, tend to retain heat and smoulder. Early tools were whatever happened to be close at hand. They were simple and primitive and included shovels, slashers, axes, hoes, beaters and rakes. A cut branch to beat the flames was often the only thing available. Farming and logging tools, developed over centuries of manual labour, and readily available at local hardware stores came into use, but little thought was given to size, weight, and balance. This canvas hose beater was based on a century-old design which used lengths of canvas fire hose rivetted together and lashed with wire to a broom handle. The hose was be soaked in water to improve its effectiveness. If the flames were more than a metre or so the user was generally not able to get close enough to extinguish the fire It's recommend that users lift no more than above knee height to conserve energy and let the beater to the work. For years foresters experimented with combination tools. In about 1952 fire beaters and other implements were being replaced with Rakuts and later RakehoesEarly firefighting toolBushfire beater - Canvas with wooden handleR P PWD (Public Works Department) The handle has painted markings which indicate which FCV District it belonged to.bushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv) -
Forests Commission Retired Personnel Association (FCRPA)
Fire Beater - Leather, c 1940s
Bushfire perimeter rather than bushfire area is the main control problem for firefighters on the ground. A conundrum rapidly compounded by spot fires. A small 5 ha fire can be nearly 1 km around the perimeter. That's a long way to build a control line by hand in rough bush. Dry firefighting techniques by hand were mostly confined to “knocking down” or “beating out” the flames, as well as "digging out". Digging or raking a “mineral earth” trail down to bare dirt proved most effective in forest fuels which, unlike grass, tend to retain heat and smoulder. Early tools were whatever happened to be close at hand. They were simple and primitive and included shovels, slashers, axes, hoes, beaters and rakes. A cut branch to beat the flames was often the only thing available. Farming and logging tools, developed over centuries of manual labour, and readily available at local hardware stores came into use, but little thought was given to size, weight, and balance. This leather beater was based on a century-old stockman's design which used green cow hide leather lashed to a broom handle. It's recommend that users lift no more than above knee height to conserve energy and let the beater to the work. For years foresters experimented with combination tools. In about 1952 fire beaters and other implements were being replaced with Rakuts and later RakehoesEarly firefighting toolBushfire beater - Leather with wooden handlebushfire, forests commission victoria (fcv)