This is a book providing information on the streets of Hamilton, Victoria and the origin of the names. Hamilton is a city in Western Victoria at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway. European settlement began with the arrival of pastoralists following the 1836 explorations of Major Thomas Mitchell. The Wedge family in 1839 had the property ‘The Grange’ which covered the site of Hamilton today. The town was gazetted in 1851 and named after a place in Scotland. Hamilton Victoria is the centre of a sheep-grazing and agricultural district. The book won an award in the 2008 Victorian Community History Awards. This book is of interest as it gives information on the Hamilton streets and the origin of their names. The history of Hamilton is of particular interest to those also living in the Western District. The book will be a useful research tool. This is a soft cover book of 174 pages. The back cover has a white background with black and white photographs of five local Hamilton people. The front cover has a yellow and brown background with black and white photographs of five local Hamilton people, an outline of a map of Victoria and a photograph of a map of the Hamilton area with some artefacts placed on the map. The book contains an Introduction, a Preface, a Foreword, an Early Days Overview, a list of Contents, a list of the streets in alphabetical order with information on the origin of the names, two Appendices and an Index. The book has many black and white photographs and sketches. Front Cover: ‘2nd Edition’ ‘The Streets of Hamilton’ ‘Western Victoria Australia’ ‘By John McKay’ ‘A History of the People behind the Names’hamilton, victoria, john mckay, street names of hamilton, warrnambool

This item was used for sheep foot trimming on a rural property in Orbost. Sheep with overgrown hooves have difficulty walking far enough to reach available pasture. Their hoofs were regularly trimmed with special hoof trimmers or a good pair of garden secateurs. This item is an example of a farm tool commonly used on early Orbost farms.Metal secateurs with a brass spring system.agriculture-tools rural secateurs hoof-trimmer

These hand shears were used for sheep shearing. They appear to be dual purpose sheep or topiary shears. They would have been used on a rural property in early Orbost. This item is an example of a hand tool used commonly before the widespread use of power tools.A pair of metal hand shears with a circular loop handle. On blade - Red Reaper Hand Shears 219 Ward & Payne 303 SHEFFIELD ENGLANDtool hand-shears

This magnetic compass is a good size to fit easily into a person's pocket or personal luggage and is protected from knocks by its wooden case. It could have been used for reference when travelling on land or sea. There is no visible manufacturer's mark, which may mean that it was not of high monetary value. Leith is a district of Edinburgh in the country of Scotland, the U.K. It was once the Port of Edinburgh and many migrant ships departed from here bound for the Australian colony. It had a busy shipbuilding industry, with wet and dry docks. It appears from the inscription on the case "Chas Gray, LEITH, 1839" that this pocket compass once belonged to Charles M. Gray (Chas is a common abbreviation for the name Charles). The inscription coincides with the name, place and date that the Western Victorian pioneer Charles M. Gray left Scotland and arrived in Australia. Charles Gray was born in Anstruther, Scotland, in 1818. His family was connected with the Royal Marines, which may have created his nautical instruments such as this pocket compass. Charles Gray arrived in Hobson's Bay on 15 June 1839 on the ship “Midlothian”. That same ship had departed from Leith, Scotland on February 15th 1839. Did Charles Gray acquire the pocket compass in Leith, perhaps as a gift or a souvenir of his motherland? Charles Gray was an early squatter and went on to become a very successful settler as a sheep pastoralist in the Western District of what is now Victoria (originally the colony of New South Wales). He and his wife had a large property called “Nareeb Nareeb”, Green Hill Creek District (now Glenthompson), Victoria, from 1840-1886. He was also a local Councillor and Justice of the Peace, and had an interest in the local indigenous people; he named his property after their tribe. Charles returned to England in 1890 and died there in 1905. Charles Gray had written an account in 1890 of his life at Nareeb Nareeb, called Western Victoria in the Forties: "REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER The Western District in the 1840's By Charles Gray" , a valuable historical reference to colonial Victoria. His book was published by the Hamilton Spectator in 1932. Charles Gray's photograph is one of 713 historical photographs of early Victorian settlers, created as a montage by Thomas Foster Chuck in 1872. The State Library of Victoria holds the framed montage titled “The Explorers and Early Colonists of Victoria”. To qualify for inclusion on this montage the Settlers must have arrived in Victoria before 1843. Charles Gray's photograph is number 349! The pocket compass is associated with Charles Gray, one of the early squatters and settlers in Western Victoria, possibly given to him as a parting gift on his emigration to Van Diemans land in 1839. The item is very significant as it's connection with one of Victoria's early pioneers is well provenanced by the inscriptions on the wooden case. Pocket compass, brass, set into a square wooden case with hinged lid and small hook catch. Compass is marked with 360 degrees and compass points and has two pointers; one to show magnetic north and one to set the direction of travel. Hinges are triangular and inset into the wood. The lid has an attached brass plaque with the inscription "Chas Gray, Leith, 1839" (It likely belonged to Charles Gray, Leith, UK, who migrated to Port Philip Australia in 1839 and became a successful pastoralist.) “Chas Gray / LEITH / 1839” engraved on brass plaque on lid.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, magnetic compass, pocket compass, charles m. gray, chas gray, migrrant from leith 1839, charles gray anstruther, scottland, ship midlothian 1839, squatter western victoria, settler western victoria, hobson's bay port phillip australia, charles gray nareeb nareeb - green hill creek district, western victoria in the forties: reminiscences of a pioneer by charles m. gray 1890, leith edinburgh u.k., western victoria in the forties: reminiscences of a pioneer - montage by thomas foster chuck 1872, charles gray, reminiscences of a pioneer, the western district in the 1840's, compass, scientific instrument, nautical instrument, direction, directional compass, navigation

Rolf Boldrewood (1826-1915) ‘Rolf Boldrewood’ is the pen-name used by Thomas Alexander Browne as a writer. Browne was the eldest child of Captain Sylvester John Brown and Elizabeth Angell nee Alexander. He was born in London on 6th August 1826 and arrived in Australia with his parents and siblings when he was 5 years old and grew up in Sydney. In the 1860’s Browne added the ‘e’ to his surname. As a 17 year old Browne took up land in the Western District of Victoria between Portland and Port Fairy on a property named “Squattlesea Mere”. He remained there until 1858, enjoying the squatters’ life on his 32,000 acre property, growing potatoes and running cattle and horses. He sold in 1858 and purchased a sheep station on the Murray River near Swan Hill. He later sold this and bought another sheep station near Narrandera until bad seasons and severe droughts eventually caused him to change his career after 25 years as a squatter. Over the next 25 years Browne held the position of Police Magistrate and as a gold commissioner in various locations. His third career as an author lasted approximately 40 years. In 1865 he wrote two articles on pastoral life while he was recovering from a riding accident. In the 1870’s his writing was bringing in the income to support his family, changing his focus to the writing of novels. A series of these was written for the Australian market and published in The Sydney Mail and the Centennial Magazine. His later novels were aimed at the overseas markets. His best known novel “Robbery Under Arms” was written from 1882 to 1883 and has been serialised on radio in Australia and Britain. The novel was filmed in 1907, 1920 and 1957, and in 1985 it was made into a television series. It is now an Australian Classic. He also wrote short stories, several nonfiction graziers’ guides, and an autobiography named “Old Melbourne Memories” in 1884. [This information has been taken from Wikipedia; Australian Authors-Perry Meddlemiss; Australian Dictionary of Biography, Browne, Thomas Alexander (1826-1915)] Old Melbourne Memories 1 Author: Rolf Boldrewood Publisher: MacMillan & Co Date: 1896Label on spine with typed text R.A. 994.5 BOL warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, old melbourne memories 1, rolf boldrewood

The Heidelberg School Artists Trail was established in about 1999 with about 52 signs across four local governemnt areas including Nillumbik and Banyule. This one acknowledges "Landscape with Sheep" by Walter Withers. The text on the board states: Walter Withers depicts in this work a number of sheep on Mr. Tom Orr’s property. Our view is from the rise above this park, from the Lower Plenty side of the nearby Diamond Creek, looking northwards towards the main Eltham township. The area that is now Wingrove Park, would have been to the right, in the valley below the sheep. The mood of this work is warm and vibrant, with the use of strong blues and pinks, and this stands in marked contrast to the softer, cooler greens used by Walter Withers in his work ‘The Silent Gums’.Roll of 35mm colour negative film, 7 stripsAgfa HDC 200 plus-2eltham, heidelberg artists' trail, wingrove park trail, landscape with sheep, walter withers

In the early 1880s a small circus travelled between Millicent and Mt Gambier, South Australia. After camping overnight they discovered their Bengal Tiger at escaped and disappeared into dense scrub. After searching for hours they continued to Mt Gambier and reported the loss of the tiger to police. Police and local volunteers continued the search for the escaped tiger, but no sighting were made. In the early 1890s sheep in the Tantanoola area started to disappear with the still unsighted tiger being blamed. In 1893 reports of an unusual animal in the Tantanoola area started, with many describing the animal as the missing tiger, or a large dog. One eye witness claimed to have seen the animal carrying a full grown sheep in its mouth. The reports grew in number and exaggeration with sightings from Robe to Bendigo. In the Tantanoola district children were escorted with shotgun guards to and from school, with many homes keeping guns at the ready in case the tiger suddenly appeared. In August 1895 Tom Donovan shot the "Tantanoola Tiger" on Mt Salt Station, around 20 kms south of Tantanoola. The corpse was taken to Marks, a Mount Gambier taxidermist, at which time the animal was identified as an Assyrian or Northern Russian Wolf. Donovan displayed the animal far and wide. Despite the animal's death sheep continued to disappear from properties in the district over many years. It was of particular concern between 1909 and 1910. At that time Herbert Allchurch, an Adelaide detective, was sent to solve the mystery. A few days after his arrival Allchruch went to the front bar of the Tiger Hotel and arrested local rabbit shooter and trapper, Charlie Edmunson, with sheep stealing. After his 1911 trial Edmunson admitted to stealing over 4,000 sheep during the previous 20 years. He was gaoled for six years with hard-labour in January 1911. Edmunson had been selling the skins of the stolen sheep, leaving the carcusses to rot. He earned around five pounds per week during the 1990s and early 1900s, a time when the economy was depressed. It is not known had the animal known as the Tantanoola Tiger came to Australia, but it is believed it survived one of three ships wrecked of the coast between 1890 and 1893, making it to shore along with some of the shipwrecked passengers. (From a card produced by the Tantanoola Tiger Hotel, where the 'tiger' is on display.)A collection of Newsclippings from 1892 - 1895 photocopied onto A4 white paper. The clippings relate to the Tantanoola Tiger. Clippings include: * Border Watch 1892 - Tantanoola Tiger Reward * Sydney Morning Herald, 04/07/1857 - Animals in Zoological Gardens, including a number of large cats. * Claims the Tantanoola Tiger was an escaped circus animal (ie The Advertiser [Adelaide], 31 October 1893) * Search parties for the Tantanoola Tiger (ie Barrier Miner 19/05/1893; Barrier Miner 03/1081893) * Thylacine claim (ie Morning Bulletin [Rockhampton] 11/03/1895 * Afghan and Indian Hunters (ie Barrier Miner 07/02/1895) * Sighting by John Bird of Scarsdale - Wanganui Herald 15/12/1900. " ... Mr Bird was travelling on foot along a lonely track through very dense scrub, when he was stricken with amazement to see a full-grown tiger standing in a small dam about 30ft away, and holding in its jaws the carcass of a newly-killed lamb. He remained long enough to thoroughly take in the animals appearance, and then beat a hasty retreat unmolested. His description of the animal is as follows: A tawny-coloured creature, with a dirty mottled skin; in general appearance like an immense cat; body 4ft long, and of a uniform thickness from shoulder to hindquarters; in bulk equal to a very large pig. The legs were hidden in the water. A similar animal is reported to gave been seen near Canico, some miles away. ..." * Victorian country sightings # Bullarto - Argus 06/05/1905 # Dean - Launceston Examiner 28/01/1895 # Bendigo - Hobart Mercury 15/03/1895 # Ballan - Launceston Examiner 03/08/1895 * South Australian register 17/06/1885 " There is a tiger or panther wandering at large in Victoria, according to a rumour. It has taken the place of the Bunyip, whom hundreds have seen but none captured. This tiger is supposed to have broken loose from a travelling menagerie in the North-eastern district. At the beginning we should like it roved that such an escape ever took place. Perhaps the showmen were afraid to report the fact to the police; at any rate they did not do so. The first story about the tiger being seen came from the neighborhood of Wangaratta, 60 miles from the place where it is said to have commenced business on its own account. He was followed, but vanished among trees. Next we hear of a strange animal, bigger than a St Bernard's dog, but shorter legged, having appeared at least 150 miles from Wangaratta. Between Lilydale and Wangaratta there is a dividing range 2,000 feet high in the lowest past, besides several large rivers. An finally, the tiger - changed from a panther - is reported as having been seen within the suburban circle, about 8 miles from the general Post Office. They show you footprints, and point to the carcasses of mangled cows and calves. Casts have been taken of the footprints for examination by scientific men, who pronounce them doglike, and yet not doglike, but panther-like, which gives a nervous turn, for the panther may take up killing children and grown-up people. One tiger will not account for so many apparitions. There must have been a general strike among the menageries, and a breaking-up companies. ... * Research article by Philip A. Clarke "Indigenous Spirit and Ghost Folklore of 'Settled' Australia. australian animal folklore collection, tantanoola tiger, tom donovan, herbert allchurch, charles edmunson, sheep, charlie edmunson, mythical, myth, folklore

Andrew Chatham, the youngest of Philip and Elizabeth Chatham's 5 children, was born in 1968. In this photo, he looks about 8 - 10 years old. The photo was taken at Rokewood, Victoria on his parent's Western District property, "Kur-a-ruc South" a former part of the Kur-a ruc Station, Rokewood, Victoria purchased by Philip and Elizabeth Chatham in 1964. The family lived at Ascot, 15 miles north of Ballarat, and had regular weekend day trips and Easter holidays picnicking, droving sheep, feeding stock, checking water troughs and dams, hand-weeding Patterson curse, repairing fences, collecting paddock rocks and sugar-gum wood at "Kur-a-ruc South'. Home base for these excursions was either a car, the shearing shed, sometimes a 6-berth caravan and by the mid-1980s a shearer's quarters with an inside toilet. [Jane Dyer (nee Chatham).15 June 2024] chatham-holmes collection, andrew chatham, outdoor shed, toilet facility, rokewood, kur-a-ruc south, rokewood

(Draft) of early history of Bendigo Golf Club and Sandhurst Golf Club awaiting information to complete from documents sought from the Titles Office. Mention of: Prince Patrick Hotel (Fitspatrick's) , Eaglehawk; Tom Glover; ''Woodbury'' property' of Rupert Putnam; Ben Roper; Turf Tavern, Epsom; Bendigo Golf Club opening 21st Aug 1901; ''Ascot Park''; care of the new 18 hole course (mown by sheep!). Two copies.bendigo, clubs, bendigo golf club, prince patrick hotel (fitzpatrick's), eaglehawk, mr tom glover's, rupert putnam, "woodbury", drs catford, green, ker and lyons, messrs w. cook, j. smalley, p. samiley, messrs. mueller, sagar. myor, cr. ryan. the turf tavern

Black and white photo of a large group of people standing beside a pool which has been dug from the surrounding grassed area. The group is a mixture of adults and children. Some of the men are holding long poles and one boy a shovel. In the background sheep are grazing behind a high fence. Written on the front of the photo: Early Pool Site Bgo East. Written on the back of the photo: Bendigo East Pool the Beginning Land was donated to the Committee by Mr Moog who owned large amounts of property in the area. It was then called Moog Park then (not decipherable) then Eastern Park.recreations, sports, swimming

Photograph. The "Marydale'' of Axedale hayshed and another building, with flock of sheep in the foreground.axedale, history, marydale property

The disused cottage was owned by Alec Lloyd who was the fruiterer in Sunbury. It was situated on a sheep run on the Diggers Rest-Toolern Vale Road and was destroyed by fire in the early 1990's.A coloured photograph of a weatherboard farm cottage in a paddock with tall gum trees behind the house. The cottage with a pitched roof over the main structure and a lean-to with skillion roof at the rear is used as a storage for hay. The remains of a tank are on one side of the house and sheep are grazing around the property.farm cottages, sheep farming, lloyd, alec, george evans collection

This is a photograph of one of the many stone ruins which can be seen in the Sunbury area and surrounding districts. These ruins are found in varying degrees of structural damage caused by erosion, vegetation growth and vandalism. The bluestone structure was a sheep dip on the 'Karoora Park' property near Jacksons Creek.A coloured photograph of the stone remains of a sheep dip constructed from basalt rock. The ground at the entrance slopes down into a narrow walled channel. The surrounding paddocks are covered with tussocks of grass and there are bare hills in the background. The grass is brown.stone structures, sheep dips, basalt rock, 'karoora park', george evans collection

A black and white photograph of a man shearing a sheep with shears in a farmyard with water tanks in the background with a stack of feed bags. The property if Bayview Farm, Davis Road, Diggers Rest.on back: BAYVIEW / DAVIS ROAD / DIGGERS RESTcullinan, uraina, eileen, diggers rest, bayview farm, chris, davis road, farmers, shearers, george evans collection

Used at Tarndwarncoort by Wendy Dennis and family. Small blue Lambs coat made in Australia, Yellow and white coats made in Australia by ?Goblin? Company in Australia about 35 years ago with rheem material polypropylene. Both Green coats are large sizes (Korean Made) Current Coats used now by Tarndwarncoort are made in China from Nylon material. These coats were decorated by year 12 students at Colac High School for Fashions on the field (no sign of this is visible on the coats. The coats come along with several articles written by Wendy Dennis about her methods of producing coloured wool and growing sheep. A series of photographs are also provided which add to the provenance and significance of the items. Used by the Dennis Family at Tarndwarncoort. Prominent woll growing pastoralist and settler family at the historic Tarndwarncoort homestead. These types of coats are used to protect fine grade and high quality wool while still on the sheep's back. These coats were made in Australia, and while these types of coats are still used, they are now made in China and Korea. 5 small sized lamb coats. shaped to fit a sheep with leg straps or holes in the rear, and joins, shashes and ties at the front. Light Green Dark Green White Yellow Grey letter from Wndy dennis of Tarndwarncoort Article titled 'Breeding Coloured Sheep and using Coloured wool' by Mrs. W. S. Dennis. Article Titled 'Coloured Sheep and Wool: Exploring Their Beauty and Function' by Mrs. W. S. Dennis. Article Describing the Tarndwarncoort property and its history. A4 Black and white photograph of Tarndwarncoort sheep wearing coats such as the ones in this collection

Wool bale stencil owned and used by donor. Donor was a wool classer in New South Wales working from the 1960s to c2000. This stencil was used by the donor as they traveled from station to station and was used to stencil their registration number on the bales of wool that they had classed. The stencil was created by the Australian Wool Corporation who mailed the stencil to the donor. We also have the original envelope.Metal rectangular wool bale stencil. Stencil has cutouts of a sheep head symbol on left side and the number '83' and 'PI' on either side of an Australia shape on the top right. There are three horizontal rectangles below this, and below them is the number 54719. Faintly engraved at the top is the text AWC PROPERTY / NOT TRANSFERABLE. Rear of stencil is a shiny light metallic colour. Front side is scratched and stained, particularly around the text areas. This would be due to use. Associated envelope is worn and becoming frail. It is a cream colour with heavy staining and opened on the right side. Top left has a printed return address, top right has a stamp area. Affixed postal address is for the donor and that is above a blue stamped text reading IMPORTANT / DO NOT BEND. Back of envelope has a stamped print of the stencil and another bright red stamp. Possibly put there by the donor.

Diploma for Gold Medal won by John Baker for best Lincoln Wool in show at the Earls Court Greater Britain Exhibition, London, 1899. John Baker owned a Lincoln sheep stud with 300 ewes and rams in Pomborneit, Victoria. The property was named Lakeside and the stud was Flock No. 5 in the first Flock Book of British Breed Sheep published in 1898. Lakeside rams and ewes were awarded Champion Ram and Ewe at the Sydney Show in 1892. By 1919 Lakeside was the largest registered Lincoln stud in Australia. The stud was dispersed in 1925.Brown timber frame with glass covering at front. Pale gold timber framed paper certificate inside. Certificate has a painting of a man being drawn by four horses beneath and arch with more people in the background and a tall ship. Front foreground depicts three men, one carrying a tray of food, another with a tray of gold and a third shearing a sheep. There is an embossed gold medal on the right centre of the page.EARL'S COURT, LONDON. 1899 GREATER BRITAIN EXHIBITION DIPLOMA FOR GOLD MEDAL AWARDED TO Mr J Baker FOR Wool, pure Lincoln BY THE LONDON EXHIBITIONS LIMITED DIRECTOR GENERAL. CHAIRMAN WEINERS LTD LONDON N.W

Stanley Couzens of the Wathourong Community was commissioned by Geelong Wool Combing Ltd to create a painting of the You Yangs and Corio Bay which was then reproduced on a jumper. The jumper itself was designed by Jenifer McMahon using Merino wool from her property McMahon Farm Pty Ltd.Mens knitted jumper depicting an image of the You Yangs and Corio Bay designed by artist Stanley Couzens of the Wathaurong Community. Image of the You Yangs and Corio Bay is on the front of the jumper in colours including brown, green, cream, black, with white and gold stitching. The central motif extends to the back of the jumper. A cardboard tag attached to the label explains the provenance of the design and manufacture of the jumper.merino sheep knitting, mcmahon, jeni - mcmahon's farm, corio bay, victoria, merino sheep, knitting, stanley couzens, wathaurong, you yangs, jumper, design

Published c1948 the donor's parent's were employees of JF Guthrie on his Coolangatta property. As a small child, the donor is photographed on page 9 astride a sheep. The original photograph was taken in 1930 and appeared in 'The Australasian' on 18 May 1930.'Brief History and Performances of the Guthrie Corriedale Stud'PROBABLY PUBLISHED EARLY 1948 (?) LAST DATE MENTIONED IN IT IS 15 NOV 1947corriedale studs, guthrie, senator james francis c.b.e. sharp, mr roderick g., coolangatta, victoria

Instruction book for Moffatt-Virtue sheep shearing machinery, from the property of Mary Doyle, Cressy.Instruction book for Moffatt-Virtue sheep shearing machinery, from the property of Mary Doyle, Cressy.sheep stations - management shearing machinery, moffat-virtue ltd, sheep stations - management, shearing machinery

Catalogue book of Moffatt-Virtue sheep shearing machinery, from the property of Mary Doyle, Cressy.Catalogue book of Moffatt-Virtue sheep shearing machinery, from the property of Mary Doyle, Cressy.sheep stations - management shearing machinery, moffat-virtue ltd, sheep stations - management, shearing machinery

Photographs relate to Mr C T Robin's property, "Corrong" Hopetoun, 1944, W E Brown & Sons' property "Cambacanya", Hopetoun 1945, during a period of low rainfall.MALLEE PHOTOGRAPHSsheep breeding - history dorset horn sheep sheep stations - history, robins, mr c t - corrong, hopetoun brown, w e - w e brown & son, corrong hopetoun, cambacanya hopetoun, sheep breeding - history, dorset horn sheep, sheep stations - history

Sheep castrator owned by Tom Crocker (former Operations Manager, National Wool Museum), used on father's property in Violet Town.Sheep castrator.Marples Tools Shamrock Brand Wm Marples & Sons Ltd Hibernia Works Sheffield, England Warrantedsheep castrating, crocker, mr tom - national wool museum

Hypodermic syringe gun in box donated by Tom Crocker (former Operations Manager, National Wool Museum), used on father's property in Violet Town.Metal hypodermic syringe gun.The Repeater Hypodermic syringe Wilcox Mofflin Limitedsheep dipping, crocker, mr tom - national wool museum

Photographs donated by Valda ConnellyGundry descententsIron Bark Station was purchased by Joseph Gundry in 1844 The property consisted of 7721 acres plus conditional rights to adjoining properties.The station housed 6000 sheep and 60 cattle . In the top left hand corner of the photograph you can see the LLAMBERIS House built by Joseph Gundry. It was thought that later the property was sold and Roderick Impey Murchison was the buyer,he later offered it for sale in 1885 and later that year A N Hassall invited tenders for lots of Liamberis.C j Cook was the listed owner in 1888 ( land of the Magpie)

Chris was invited to be artist in resident for the historic re-enactment of “Shearing the Rams” at the North Tuppal Station woolshed held on the 4th and 5th June 2010. The celebration attracted record crowds to witness the shearing of the station rams by 72 blade shearers. Over a single weekend in 2010, thousands of people queued for hours to see a piece of Australian history recreated at North Tuppal Station near Tocumwal, NSW. In 1900, Francis Faulkner invested a staggering £4000 to extend his shearing shed on Tuppal Station, making it the biggest in the country. Over the next decade more than three million sheep trod its pine boards and were shorn in its 72 stands. After years of drought and the Great Depression, the property fell into disrepair and the station was split up. When North Tuppal Station was sold to the Atkinson family in 1928, just five of the 72 stands were in operation. In 2010, Sport Shear Australia approached the Atkinson family about holding an event in the historic shearing shed to raise money for a team of Australian shearers to go to the world shearing title in Wales. An army of volunteers restored the T-shaped shed and yards and organised a weekend of events. Over two days, 6,000 sheep were shorn and all 72 stands of the restored North Tuppal shed were brought back to life. A total of 117 shearers shared the boards with 90 wool handlers who skirted 19 fleeces every minute. For a period on each day of this historic weekend, the machines were then silenced, and 72 shearers picked up their old blade shears to recreate past shearing methods. “When they fired up and got the blades out there was deathly silence on the board - you could hear a pin drop because normal shearing you have all the machines and it is quite noisy. Here you could just hear the click, like in the song Click Go the Shears Boys. People had tears in their eyes. It was quite an emotional thing to see that and very proud to be here.” George Falkiner, grandson of Francis FalkinerColoured framed print of shearing scene in the Tuppal station, Ferrrier’s wool press on the left-hand side and station on the top. Print in framed in a light-coloured wooden frame with white coloured matte.Under artwork - In 1891 Tuppal Station, a sum of 176,000 acres threshold, was bought by Mr Fiane Sadlies Falkines, Under the management of his eldest son F.B.S. Falkines, the 72 stand woolshed was build in 1900 and powered by a 16 horsepower steam engine. Sheep were pure Boonoke blood and the average numbers of sheep shorn over nineteen years to 1909 was 152,780. Around 7200 sheep could be shorn daily. The largest clip totalled 3326 baled of greasy and scoured wool and was sold in London. Bottom right corner - Chris McClelland 181/720 Shearing The Rams – Tuppal Station

On the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Uniforms donator Doug wrote- During the 1980s the Australian wool industry was at its most prosperous times with record numbers of sheep producing wool receiving ever increasing values due to the success of the Reserve Price Scheme, and the overall guidance of the Australian Wool Corporation (AWC). As a humble technician, my role was a low profile newly created position of “Controller, Technical Marketing” where wool was to be marketed on its technical properties, as distinct from the “Product Marketing Group” which exploited trhe traditional high profile approach of marketing wool;s superior fashion attributes. The Woolmark was the tool central to this approach. When the forthcoming Los Angeles Olympic Games was announced, the Product Marketing Group seized upon the chance to show the world that we could make top fashion garments and display them on our elite athletes on the world stage. A concept was launched using a contemporary top designer, Adel Weiss, with the most exclusive fabrics and knits available, and all with a lot of hype. This launch failed dismally for the following reasons- - The designer did a wonderful job presenting an excellent fashion range on perfect skinny models. The AOC however wanted a uniform which had an obvious Australian appearance when fitted to elite, and frequently muscular, athletes. - The fabrics chosen did not reflect the performance required by travelling athletes, there was no recognition of the need for ‘easy care.’ - There was no recognition given to the problem of measuring, manufacturing and distribution of a range of articles when the selected athlete could be domiciled anywhere in Australia. - There was no appreciation of such historical facts as Fletcher Jones, who had been unofficial suppliers dating back to the 1954 Olympics in Melbourne, and the Fletcher Jones board member, who was also an AWC board member, and was not in favour of the change. The project passed from Product Marketing to Public Relations, a big spending off-shoot of the AWC Chairman David Asimus, and due to the day to day operations of the project was passed to me and PR took care of the financial matters. The first task was to meet with the AOC and find out exactly their requirements. This lead to the production of a design and manufacturing brief, cointaining exact time lines for each event required to ensure an appropriate uniform on every athlete chosen to represent his/her country on the date given for the Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles. Working backwards the timeline becomes- 1. Noted the exact date of the Opening Ceremony. 2. Estimated the date for distributing completed garments to each athlete. 3. Estimated the time span available for measuring each athlete and commence making each component of the ensemble to the individual measurements of each athlete. 4. Decided the date for making the final choice of uniform design concept. 5. Decided the date for distribution of the design brief to selected designers. These five steps were spread out over a two year period. The Commonwealth Games occur midway between each Olympic Games, work on the Olympic uniform commences the week after the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony and MUST be ready by the prescribed day two years hence. The project also had to remain cognisant of trade politics existing within the span of the task, as well as the temperament of designers in general. It is no overstatement to say that in the past every designer in Australia believed they could, and should, be chosen to design the Australian Uniform. The final choice of designer almost always faced criticism from the fashion press and any designer who had been overlooked. However, with the contenders receiving an exacting brief the numbers of serious contenders greatly reduced. The Los Angeles Olympic Uniforms. A further reason for the AWC bid failure to design the LA uniform was that the AOC had already chosen Prue Acton to design it. This was based on her proven performance during previous games as she had a talent for creating good taste Australiana. Her design concepts also considered the effect when they were viewed on a single athlete as well as the impact when viewed on a 400 strong team coming on to the arena. A blazer trouser/skirt uniform in bright gold was chosen for the formal uniform. It was my task to select a pure wool faille fabric from Foster Valley weaving mill and have sufficient woven and ready within the prescribed timeline. The trouser/skirt fabric selected was a 60/40 wool polyester plain weave fabric from Macquarie Worsted. This fabric had a small effect thread of linen that was most attractive when dyed to match some eucalyptus bark Prue had brought back from central Australia. For the Opening Ceremony uniform, Prue designed a series of native fauna, a kookaburra for the men’s shirt and a pleated skirt with a rural scene of kangaroos, hills and plants. This presented an insurmountable printing challenge to the local printing industry as it had an unacceptably large repeat size and the number required (50) was also commercially unacceptable. The solution was a DIY mock up at RMIT and the employment of four student designers. The fabric selected for this garment was a light weight 19 micron, pure wool with a very high twist yarn in alternating S and Z twist, warp and weft. This fabric proved to be the solution to a very difficult problem, finding a wool product which is universally acceptable when worn next to the sin by young athletes competing in the heat of a Los Angeles summer. Modifications to this fabric were developed to exploit its success when facing the same problem in future games. Garment Making- The most exacting garment in the ensemble is the tailored blazer, plus the related trouser/skirt. Unfortunately tailoring athletes that come in various shapes and sizes such as; - Weight lifters develop an enormous chest, arms and neck size. A shirt made to a neck size of 52 would produce a shirt with cuffs extending well beyond the wearer’s hands. - Basketball players are up to 7 feet tall and garments relying ona chest measurement grading would produce a shirt with cuffs extending only to elbow length. - Swimmers develop enormous shoulders and slim hips, cyclists by contrast develop thighs I liken to tree trunks and a uniform featuring tight trousers must be avoided at all cost. Suffice to say many ensembles require specialist ‘one off’ treatment for many athletes. Meanwhile there is a comfortable in between group who can accept regular sizes so you can cater for these by having back up stock with plenty of built in contingencies. Athletes may be domiciled anywhere in Australia, this creates a fundamental problem of taking their measurements. The Fletcher Jones organisation was key to answering this problem due to their presence in every capital city, as well as many provincial towns around Australia. Each athlete on being selected for the Olympic Team was simultaneously requested to visit their nearest Fletcher Jones shop. The standardised measurement data collected was shared with the other manufacturers, e.g. Pelaco Shirts, Holeproof Socks and Knitwear, Maddison Belts, and even Hush Puppy Shoes. As the time for the Games approached the AOC made arrangements for combining meeting of all. Selected available athletes at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, where, among other things, they were fitted and supplied with their uniform. The method evolved as follows.Men’s cream coloured button up, collared shirt. Images of a kookaburra have been printed onto the shirt, a single kookaburra on the left breast and a pair of kookaburras on the reverse of the shirt. The kookaburras are printed in a brown tone to complement the cream colour of the fabric.On tag - FMaustralian wool corporation, 1984 los angeles olympics, olympic uniforms, men's uniforms, sport, athletes