Collector says: "I can still recall one of my earliest childhood memories, of my nana's bright aqua shoes against the checks of our family travel rug on summer picnics. Maybe that's when this collection planted its seed in me - 40 years later I start my first blanket collection after stumbling across old Onkaparinga travel rugs. I would go to a vintage market in Collingwood every month and almost always found a good one, amassing enough for the entire household. Everyone had their favourite, even the cat had his own – a small red tartan one just for him." Collector's note: "For more than 100 years blankets were made all over Australia in over 100 woollen mills. My aim, is to preserve 100 examples of these wonderful pieces of history. Ten years ago I started collecting the iconic Onkaparinga travel rugs, so that on movie nights at home there would be plenty to go around. Everyone had their favourite; even the cat had his own – a small red tartan one. Keeping an eye out for those travel rugs at op-shops and markets, collectable stores and bazaars, led to noticing vintage blankets. I'd never really thought about them before or paid much attention though of course I had grown up with them at my grandmother's. When I discovered my first Laconia cream blanket with blue stripes, my eyes just went gaga. Well that was it, I was hooked and since then over 500 blankets have passed through my hands. These common, everyday items, found in all households for so many decades, were traditional engagement gifts. Pairs were prized wedding presents turning into family heirlooms. They were fashionable dressers of beds, givers of warmth, bestowers of security and reliability. The comfort found in these objects resonates with almost all of us; we grew up with them ourselves or fondly recall them in a grandparent’s home. There is no modern replacement with the integrity of these old blankets, many of them now older than most of us. They are romantic, sensible, special, familiar, nostalgic and nothing else feels so appropriate in so many situations. No offense to the great Aussie doona, but from hippie to hipster, at a music festival, picnic, campsite or couch, a vintage blanket is something coveted by all. This industry that employed tens of thousands and must have been such a huge contributor to the economy is almost completely lost now. Blanket Fever is an ode to everything that came before: the land, the sheep, the shearers, the hands, the mills, the weavers, the designers, the distributors, the department stores. To the grandparents that gave them, the people that received them, the families that kept them; thank you. I’m passionate about my collection of Australian blankets manufactured in mostly Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. The collection has blankets from each of these four decades representing the styles and fashions of their time and includes dated advertisements which help determine the eras the blankets are from. "Fringed travel rug, teal and brownAn Onkaparinga 100% pure wool production. In emblem: Made in Australiawool, blanket, blanket fever, travel rug, onkaparinga

Brown pipe with curved black stem.personal effects, smoking accessories

White and black cow with brown feet.toys, general

Collection of Margaret ScarlettBrown pla tic toy pipetoys, general

Possibly WWI historical significance.Brown handkerchief possibly from WWIWoven engraving with AUSTRALIA COMMONWEALTH FORCES and THE RISING SUN BADGE.ww1

Lance Corporal Chevron, khaki and brown

Brown canvas kit bag with drawstringW.J Curryran, ran uniform, kit, kit bag

Part of McNamara collectionTriangle brown scarf with cream spotsheadwear, scarf

Bridge of the Yarrowee Creek at Brown Hill.brown hill, yarrowee creek, bridge

Demobilization Procedure Book No 99067 belonging to Robin Penleigh Boyd. The Dispersal Data Form on page 25 states that Robin Boyd commenced full-time war service on 19 November 1941. It is signed 17 September 1945.32 pages with brown cardboard cover.

Shell - brown on base with light switchweapons, ballarat rsl, ballarat

This object is part of a collection of items donated by the Hopgood family that belonged to Bendigo Tramways employee, Barry Hopgood.Small booklet with hard, brown cover.Sands & McDougall Pty Ltd (Publishers)

The Australian Deaf Citizen was a quarterly magazine owned and edited by John Patrick Bourke dedicated to the interests of the Deaf in Australia.The Australian Deaf Citizen, was a magazine owned and edited by John Patrick Bourke. It is historically significant as it gives an alternative view of the Adult Deaf and Dumb Society at that time including the role played by Ernest J. D. Abraham. Brown Cover 26.5cmHx21cmW, 18 pagesOwned and Edited by J. P. Bourke, No. 1 Acre Place, Malvern, S.E. 4 Victoria Australia

Green Cover Brown Suede Bindingstawell, mining

Green Cover Brown Suede Bindingstawell, business

Stories about Moyston.Cream card Cover with Brown PrintReminiscences of Moyston by A.W Vanstanstawell

Small brown leather covered bookstawell, medical

Drawing of a female nude on brown paper. Inscribed (L.r) 'Drawn by Fred Williams. During a drawing session at Dunmoochin with John Olsen and myself in 1970, Clifton Pugh'. On reverse inscribed ' The model by Judith Laycock'.fred williams, drawing, female nude, dunmoochin

Plastic magnfier, flat on one side concave on the other side. Left hand side has binding and hole to allow magnifier to be placed in folder.Large plastic sheet with brown topassistive devices, ecshenbach

To acknowledge the work of the Tilly Aston Council, the name of the chairman was inscribed on a signboard which hung at the Kooyong centre. At the top of the signboard is written 'Vision Australia Foundation' with the VAF eye logo located in the top left-hand corner. Underneath this are listed the names of the people who chaired the Tilly Aston Council: 1970-1988 Bryan Sitlington, 1989-1990 John Bland, 1990-1992 Jean Ross, 1992-1995 Eve Lustig, 1995-1997 Don Draffin, 1997-1999 John Perry, 1999-2002 Graeme Jones, 2002-2005 Valerie Thomas. At the base of the board is written: 1989-2005 Shirley Admans, Manager, Tilly Aston Council.Brown rectangular board with gold letteringvision australia foundation, bryan sitlington, john bland, jean ross, eve lustig, don draffin, john perry, graeme jones, valerie thomas, shirley admans