This mask set is part of the North East Region Water Authority collection in the Wodonga Historical Society. Wodonga's drinking water and wastewater operations were originally managed by the Wodonga Waterworks Trust, which was established in 1897, after Wodonga became a separate shire in 1876. In 1923 a Wodonga Waterworks Trust referendum to provide funding for new infrastructure to supply more water of better quality to Wodonga was passed. This included building the Wodonga Water Tower and it was completed in 1924. It supplied water to Wodonga until 1959, when it was drained and decommissioned after the No 1 Basin on Huon Hill was completed in 1958. In 1983 the Wodonga Waterworks Trust and the Wodonga Sewerage Authority became part of the Wodonga Council. And by 1989 a filtration plant at Huon Hill was completed, which provided filtered water of improved quality to Wodonga, in accordance with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines. In 1994 the Kiewa Murray Region Water Authority took over the Wodonga Council’s water and wastewater operations, and then in 1999 the Kiewa Murray Region Water Authority combined with the Ovens Region Water Authority and became the North East Region Water Authority or NERWA. NERWA then became known as North East Water. Siebe Gorman was a British manufacturer of industrial respirators that served the mining industry, the chemical industry, and the agricultural industry from 1938 until the 1980s. The "Puretha" line refers to the canister included, which was designed to tackle industrial hazards.Siebe Gorman "Puretha" Type C Kit with Vista Vision Facepiece. The facepiece consists of a formed plastic lens held on by a white retaining ring that stretches around the rubber facepiece and is connected by two thumbscrew lugs. The exhale assembly is covered by a steel mesh.The hose is a standard industrial hose. The canister is attached by a khaki webbing material. An instruction sheet is included. The kit is a small leather case with two front latches. Safety instructions and chemical information on canister label. On label: EVERYTHING FOR SAFETY EVERYWHERE Date filled 28 DEC 1961 NO. 675 north east region water authority, gas mask, respirator, sieba gordon

The hand forged iron alloy wedge belonged to the railways carpenter, Lachlan McEachern, who became the President of the Wodonga Sub-Branch of the Victorian branch of the Australian Railways Union. He was presented with a framed Past Officers Certificate by the Australian Railways Union in recognition of services rendered in 1926. The certificate is also in the collection of the Wodonga Historical Society. The Wodonga train station opened in November 1873 when the section of the train line from Wangaratta to Wodonga was completed. The expansion of the railways to the northeast of Victoria occurred after the Victorian Government took over the railways in 1867 and the trains serviced large towns such as Seymour, Wangaratta and Wodonga, as well as smaller towns along the way. The hand forged iron alloy wedge has local and state significance due to its use by a Victorian Railways carpenter, Lachlan McEachern, in Wodonga. The local significance is also strong due to the prominence of the McEachern family in the Albury-Wodonga area.Hand forged iron wedge with a cracked flange/rim at the top, red-brown rust and some dirt on the surface.hand forged wedge, hand made tools, victorian railways, v.r., railways carpenter, wodonga, lachlan mceachern, iron alloy tools, mceachern family

This microscope was made in the mid 1960s as an introductory microscope for students. As indicated by the brand plate on the front, it could be set to 3 different magnification settings of 75x, 300x or 600x. When originally produced these microscopes came as part of a kit including microscope slides and testing samples.This item is representative of a range of scientific tools available to engage young people in scientific discovery in the 1960s.Small green and silver metal microscope with adjustable focus dial. It includes a mirror and clamp arms to hold slides and plastic knobs to adjust focus.On metal plate: "tasco/ 75x - 300x - 600x/ 600x/ REG-NO-GE 6'00" Underneath rubber base:"PAT. PEND. NO. 026004/ JAPANtasco, student microscope, microscope

The fireplace was the main heating source for small houses before 1900, so a bellows to coax a flame from a dying fire was important. They would also be used to keep the fire going in a woodfire oven for cooking. In later cooking ranges, domestic water supply was also heated through the cooking range so bellows helped to maintaing a supply of hot water.An item of local and social signifance throughout Australia, bellows were usedin homes to coax a domestic fire into flame for heating and cooking purposes. It was probably used in late 19th to early 20th century homes.A small set of wooden and canvas bellows with metal tip commonly used in households in the 19th and early 20th centuries.bellows, domestic tools

Patrick Toole was born in Corowa on 7 September 1913. In the early 1930s the family moved to Wodonga. Pat became an apprentice mechanic with Bill Dobbie and became a partner in 1936. Patrick Toole took over business in his own right on 23 August 1939. Toole’s Motors also ran a car and truck agency, a towing and crane depot, as well as a small disposal section. After breaking his leg in 1963, Pat extended the disposals business and by 1965 it was running as Wodonga Disposals and later, Toole’s Disposals. At their peak Toole’s employed 70 people across their various businesses including the garage, wreckers, towing businesses, a storage shed at Bandiana and the Disposal Store. Pat died in Wodonga on 10 November 1976 and the Disposals Store was taken over by his twin sons, Frank and Bill. His other sons, Pat and Jim ran the North Eastern Truck Wreckers. Tooles Disposals acquired most of their stock from Government auctions and also became licensed second hand dealers. They sold a wide range of military and non-military equipment from clothing to footwear and equipment for cooking and camping. They also shipped scrap metal to Japan and sourced uniforms and other items from Japan and East European countries. The business continued on the corner of High Street and Stanley Street for over 70 years, but the Toole family decided to sell the building in 2009. The building was eventually sold to a local business consortium in 2010. Toole’s continued to operate until May 2011. Thee building was demolished in 2013. Bill Toole continued Toole’s Disposals as an online business with numerous Australian and international clients.These images document an important and long standing business in Wodonga.A collection of images and a business card for the company of Tooles Garage and Disposals in Wodonga. Images depict the business at various stages in its development over more than 70 years.Photo 1 Beneath image - 1929 W. DOBBIE MOTOR & GENERAL ENGINEER / Con Lindsay, Alec Padgett, Bill Dobbie, Pat Toole Photo 2 Beneath image - 1940 A. L. TOOLE MOTOR & GENERAL ENGINEER / Fay Fulford, Gerry Nelder, Mick Presnell, Pat Toole Photo 3 On building - TOOLES MOTORS est. 1939/ TOOLES MOTORS PTY. LTD./ DISPOSALS/ DISPOSALS AT CITY PRICESt Photo 4 On sign - TOOLES DISPOSALS Photo 5 Business cardwodonga businesses, toole's disposals, businesses high street wodonga

This image is one of a series of photographs taken by Melbourne based photographers Stevenson and McNicoll who visited Bacchus Marsh and its nearby districts between September and November 1883. James Elijah Crook settled in Bacchus Marsh in 1841 and soon after held a licence for a lodging house on the Portland Road. In about 1845, he built the first Woolpack Inn, a slab building of eight rooms. This was replaced in 1850 with a “stately country villa” of brick and stone. The stables were also built in 1850 to accommodate twenty horses. In 1851, Crook established a coach service to the goldfields. After being in use as a Court of Petty Sessions, the Woolpack Inn lost its licence and closed in 1862. After this date, Crook took an interest in horse-breeding and continued to use the stables for his horses. His most notable success was with his horse, Saladin, which won the Australia Cup in 1872, after two exciting dead-heats with The Flying Dutchman. James Elijah Crook died in 1889. The Woolpack Inn and Stables were sold and then used as a hay and corn store. In 1910 the site was leased for use as an abattoir. The Woolpack Inn was demolished in 1931. The site is still in use as an abattoir. Little remains of the original stables.Small sepia 'carte de viste' style unframed photograph on card with gold border framing photograph. Housed in the Jeremeas Family Album which contains photographs of Bacchus Marsh and District in 1883 by the photographers Stevenson and McNicoll. The photo is of a gable-roofed commercial stables with shingled roofing, and white-washed render to the walls, standing in a large cleared yard. There is a skillion extension to the south-west corner. On the front (northern) wall can be seen a door and three windows, two large and one small paned window in the centre. The eastern window is paned, while the western window has louvres and a pull-out blind. Three S shaped stays can be seen on the northern wall. Along the western wall are two more windows and doors. A mound of hay lies at the north-western corner. Standing at the front of the stables is a group of five men and two boys, one holding a large dog. Four of the men are dressed in workman’s clothing and some are holding tools of their trade. The man at the back is wearing more formal clothes and has distanced himself from the workmen. The pole against which one of the workmen is leaning appears to have damage along one side. This pole may have been used as a hitching post as there is a footrest installed lower down to make mounting easier. Printed On the front: Stevenson & McNicoll. Photo. 108 Elizabeth St. Melbourne. COPIES CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY TIME. On the back: LIGHT & TRUTH inscribed on a banner surmounted by a representation of the rising sun. Copies of this Portrait can be had at any time by sending the Name and Post Office Money Order or Stamps for the amount of order to STEVENSON & McNICOLL LATE BENSON & STEVENSON, Photographers. 108 Elizabeth Street, MELBOURNE. stevenson and mcnicoll 1883 photographs of bacchus marsh and district

Wandin Thomas Sebire JP (1867-1960) learnt boot-making as a young man. In a small workshop on his property in Sebire Avenue, Wandin he made boots for family, friends & neighbours. He also repaired boots & made other small leather articles. Bootmaking is a complex process requiring a variety of tools. The leather is cut to shape, glazed & burnished (polished) with heated irons. The pieces are stretched onto, & nailed to, a wooden last to form the boot. Once attached to the insole, the boot is finished on a metal last. Uppers are stitched with waxed thread through holes made with an awl. Heels comprise pieces nailed together & neatened with a heel shave. Metal plates, short nails or hob nails driven into the sole & heel, often in a pattern, improved durability.2 pairs of handmade, adult brown leather boots, with decorative stitching, eyelets and stitched with waxed thread. Soles covered with hob nails in a decorative pattern. 1 handmade child's brown leather boot, with decorative stitching, metal eyelets, heel has patterned nails.bootlaces, boots

A wooden miner's cradle with metal sieve used to separate gold or other heavy minerals from soil and water. Washdirt and water were tipped into the sieve at the top while the cradle was rocked. The oscillating motion washed away sand and fine particles, leaving the gold trapped behind ridges across the bottom. Large rocks and gravel caught by the sieve were discarded by hand. The metal sieve is slightly damaged.gold minning, gold washing cradle

Object. Handle engraved with the owners initials - MB. A ''knob'' at the top of the handle, has a foliage type design impressed in the steel. This continues down each side of the handle, finishing with further decoration at the base of the handle. Just beside this lower decoration, on each side is a hallmark, now very difficult to read. A small one cm. diameter hook at the lower edge of the tapered shaft.On the shaft of the hook - ''English mane ? Or make? Steel . On handle MB in ornate engraving- (Maggie Barber).personal effects, steel button hook

A comprehensive thick catalogue book: D.W. Chandler General Hardware Ltd. Catalogue established 1876 which has a very decorative busy front cover with green, burgundy and cream colours for the title, full details of the contents, address, Registered Trademark, phone numbers and more. It is bound on the spine with red tape, 27.5 Inside on the left front end paper are details about Chandler's mail orders, a map of the Melbourne city location and addresses for Melbourne, Fitzroy and country cities. Opposite is a NOTICE page, explaining prices were current at the time of issue, (October 1937) with several altered prices since printing. Pp. 180 with four thin blue paper Order Forms at the back; two which have been filled in and two with a child's scribble on them. There is a comprehensive four page Index at the back. Hundreds of black and white drawings of hardware items and general life of the times are included throughout. Inserted in the catalogue are four dried plants or flowers, a small leaflet which shows illustrations and information about "Rega" spraying nozzles with diagrams and handwritten prices. A leaflet of a Parts Price List for Stewart No.1 Clipping machine and clipping heads. A copy of a D. W. Chandler Ltd Fitzroy order dated 12 March 1937 for "Ringlock" Fencing. On page 146 is a light blue thin paper Note for P146 about models of Churchill's and Jeffery's guns. Attached to this paper with cellotape is a typed copy dated 10/11/37 for an order for Square Iron Tanks to be delivered by rail. The back cover has advertising for "Perfect" Welded Fencing from Chandler's hardware stores. There is a manufactured hole by the publisher in the top left hand corner to hang it for future reference.non-fictionA comprehensive 1937 catalogue of general hardware for household and farm use for buyers to order in Melbourne and rural cities in Australia. The company was established in 1876. This is the 49th issue. social history, australian history, history, hardware, catalogues, objects, tools

The wooden pattern is part of a set that are stored in a strong wooden crate. It was used at Briggs’ Brass Foundry for making sand casts. The traditional craft of sand casting is over 2000 years old. The handcrafted process produces brass and copper alloy goods that are well suited to marine use; bells, boat hooks, cowls, propellers, handles, lids, rowlocks, hooks, letters, bolts, rail holders, brackets, deck plates, flanges, rudder guides, portholes and covers. Briggs’ Bronze mixture is a copper-based alloy made from local ingots of copper, tin, zinc and lead in carefully measured quantities. The finished product is non-ferrous and can last indefinitely. The crate of patterns was donated by the Briggs family in the early years of Flagstaff Hill, along with other related items such as brassware, tools and machinery. The donated items were displayed in a simulated Brass Foundry in the Village along with other working crafts, trades and services found in a Maritime town. The items were on show from the completion of the building in 1986 until 1994 when the building was repurposed. The patterns represent the trades of foundering and metalwork, both supporting maritime industries such as shipwrights and boatbuilders. Farmers, manufacturers and other local industries also needed the castings made by foundries. The Brass Foundry included a historic Cornish chimney set up as a working model, to tell the story of smelted metal heated in furnaces then be poured into the sand moulds. This chimney was made from specially curved bricks and is now about two-thirds of its full height when originally located at the Grassmere Cheese factory. The craft of sand-casting from carved wooden patterns to create metal is an example of skills from the past that are still used today. The foundry pattern set is significant for its association with brass foundries locally and generally in coastal areas of Victoria. Marine industries such as ship and boat building rely on good quality castings for their machinery, equipment and fittings. Briggs Brass was especially formulated using non-ferrous metals to ensure their longevity. The patterns are associated with the long-running firm Briggs Brass Foundry that specialised in cast goods for the marine industry, ready to supply the needs for once-off or mass-produced items. Their products would have been fitted to sail and steam vessels along coastal Victoria including Warrnambool. Briggs Marine was also a bell-founder specialist and is also associated with the Schomberg Bell at Flagstaff Hill, having restored it to is former state as a fine example of the bell from a luxury migrant vessel from the mid-19th century. Pattern; an unpainted, rectangular wooden frame with a top and sides, similar to a small rectangular stool. A solid half-cylinder shape was added under the horizontal 'seat' with another smaller half-cylinder attached to it, end-to-end. A string is tied between two metal loops attached to the back. There are two X marks stamped into the back. The pattern is part of a set of foundry patterns from Briggs Brass Foundry.Stamped: "X" "X"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, briggs' bronze, traditional method, trade, sand cast, cast, brass alloy, copper alloy, pattern, mould, foundry, brass foundry, metal foundry, casting, sand mould, sand casting, marine equipment, marine tools, marine fittings, copper tin zinc lead, non-ferrous, non-corrosive, brassware, metalware, foundering, metalwork, maritime, bell founders, ship chandlers, marine products, biggs, briggs family, herbert harrison briggs, h h briggs, george edward briggs, cyril falkiner mckinnon briggs, cyril briggs, briggs & son brass foundry, h h briggs & sons foundry, briggs marine, alliance casting & engineering solutions, grassmere cheese factory, cornish chimney, curved bricks, collingwood, moorabbin, collingwood foundry, moorabbin foundry, 1912

Small screw steel with wooden handletool, screwdriver

The family of William Symington arrived in Melbourne in 1855. By 1858 they had come to Bacchus Marsh and built a house at Hopetoun a few kilometres east of the town. A brewery next to the house was also built around this time. It was a licensed brewery between 1862 and 1886. The elder William Symington died in March 1867 and the brewery was then operated by his son the younger William Symington for a number of years. It ceased operations sometime before 1900. Small sepia unframed photograph on card with gold border framing photograph. Housed in the album, 'Photographs of Bacchus Marsh and District in 1883 by Stevenson and McNicoll'. The image shows the brewery and house which belonged to the Symington family of Hopetoun, near Bacchus Marsh. The house is a timber structure with two chimneys and a front verandah. The front yard of the house is enclosed by a timber fence. At the front of the fence can be seen a dog kennel. Other tools, such as a wheelbarrow, lie in the yard. The brewery building is of timber and brick. On the hillside behind the buildings are paddocks fenced with post-and -rail fencing.On the front: Stevenson & McNicoll. Photo. 108 Elizabeth St. Melbourne. COPIES CAN BE OBTAINED AT ANY TIME. On the back: LIGHT & TRUTH inscribed on a banner surmounted by a representation of the rising sun. Copies of this Portrait can be had at any time by sending the Name and Post Office Money Order or Stamps for the amount of order to STEVENSON & McNICOLL LATE BENSON & STEVENSON, Photographers. 108 Elizabeth Street, MELBOURNE. stevenson and mcnicoll 1883 photographs of bacchus marsh and district, breweries, symington family bacchus marsh, william symington 1840-1929, william symington 1802-1867

Small metal wrench with wooden handle. W & B Made in USAW & B Made in USAtool, "w &b", wrench

BHS CollectionSmall metal handle in an S shape with a wooden shaped piece to turn it with. 5 mm hole in one end where it fits onto shaft.small handle

Small hand drill with holding handle with a winding handle with " Leytool - made in England" Covered by Pat No. 20987/44 World PatentsAs abovetools, drill, leytool

Small hand 'stanley' drill with red dial with a handle and a wooden knob. A '104' drill, has a handmade replacement handle.C0525 0255 on Dialtools, hand drill, stanley

Built in 1906 in main street of Neerim South by Samuel Fry who established his business at that time. Exhibits include early boots and shoes, Heavy leather working machines and saddlery. Many of the tools belonged to Harry Coombs, who was Moe's first bootmaker from 1910 - 1966A small rectangular timber shop. The front has a gabled corrugated iron roof, while the workshop at the rear of the shop is not as high as the front and has a flat corrugated iron roof.Sign writing on shop frontbootmakers, neerim south, samuel fry, harry coombs, old gippstown, west gippsland, gippsland, gippsland heritage park, goldfields, coal mine, victorian era, moe, historical village, baw baw shire, saddlery, leather work, old gippstown heritage park, latrobe valley, latrobe city council

Canvas type Rifle/Gun Rolls cleaning accessories kit. It has four (4) different cleaning tool compartment with tools insitu. 1 x oil bottle, 1 x tool kit, 1 x brush, 1x pull through cord, all of which rolls up into a small kit.Rolls Cleaning Accessories. 7.62m/m Rifle MX.1 CAT. NO 1005-66-100-2018

This scrapbook contains newspaper cuttings, mainly about football, and other written material from the late 19th century. It belonged to Martin Carter ((1870-1943), a Warrnambool saddler who worked for many years in the saddlery business established by his father, Samuel. Martin Carter was very active in community affairs - President of the Warrnambool Bowling Club, a member of the local Volunteer Militia, Secretary of the Progress Association, a football player and umpire and a local cricketer. He was the Secretary of the Warrnambool Town (later City) Band for fifty years and a memorial plaque in his honour was erected at the Band headquarters in Warrnambool. He was also a Warrnambool Councillor (1917-1925) and Warrnambool Mayor (1922-24). His interest in football can be seen from the great number of football newspaper cuttings in this notebook.This little notebook is most interesting as it provides us with details on football in the Warrnambool district in the late 19th century and gives us an indication of the popularity of the game at that time. It is a valuable research tool.This is a small notebook with a black cover. The pages contain ruled red lines over which have been pasted newspaper cuttings. Some pages have handwritten material and some pages are blank. There are also several loose cuttings. The notebook has been stapled but the staples have been removed.M.L.Carter Warrnambool June 13th 1887 S.Carter Saddler Warrnambool (stamp)warrnambool town band, martin carter warrnambool, football in the warrnambool district, sydney giddings warrnambool saddler

Standard issue item used by Australian servicemen during the conflict in Vietnam (1962-1972)Field ration eating device: being a small metal can opener, bottle opener and spoon in one tool.Taiwanmess hall, eating, fred, field ration eating device, soon, multi-tool

Hand tillage implement for research on small holding plotsMintern No300A Seeder - Two long wooden handled, pedestrian directed, tillage implement with metal seed hopper attachment. Small cast metal spoked front wheel with chassis. Metal painted Red.Small Metal front wheel part no. K694. Tillage part no. K712, Seed Hopper part no. AP803, Attachment for seed hopper part no. 6539X Metal wheel cog driver fro seed hopper operation part no. K721mintern, hand plough, tillage, seeder

Used by students on Burnley garden small holdingSingle cast iron wheel, 1 metal tyne, hand directed tillage implement. 2 Wooden handles. Used at Burnley College.Tyne part no. R6tillage implement, hand plough

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)

An increment borer is a specialised tool to extract a core sample of wood tissue from a living tree. The tool consists of a handle, an auger bit and a small, half circular metal tray (the core extractor) that fits inside the auger bit. The core sample can be used to count the rings, to reveal the age of the tree and its growth rate.Increment borer. The central core is stuck. AGN Mattison - Sweden #4333forest measurement, forests commission victoria (fcv)

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)

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)