Alfred Wayne & Co. produced a number of braille writers over the years, including The Visible. Alfred Wayne (1854-1926) was listed as a 'manufacturer of small novelties in metal and steel' in the 1901, however by the 1911 census he had turned his company into a 'manufacturer of apparatus for use of the blind'. Together with Henry Stainsbury, they produced a number of braille typewriters as well as the more well know crab design of the Stainsby-Wayne brailler.Cast iron Brailler. The body of the Braille writer is painted in black with silver and gold painted inscriptions. Seven metal oval keys are situated at the front of the machine. The roller for turning the paper is made from turned wood.Marked: Painted on front of machine: "The visible/manufactured by/Alfred Wayne/Handsworth/Brimingham. Englandbraille equipment, assistive devices

Percy Markham Ireland (1893-1976), a tramway rolling stock engineer with the MMTB and a Military engineer applied in 1920 for a patent for a "Trolley Pole safety appliance for electric trams and the like". He was successful in gaining a patent in a number of countries including the UK, France, Germany, Canada, the USA, and New Zealand. The associated documents show the differences in making patent applications in various countries. From research undertaken by the Museum it appears that while his patent applications were successful, his invention was never actually implemented on tramcars in Melbourne". Collected by Noelle Jones as research for an article in the March 2023 issue of the Museum's magazine Bellcord, giving details of Mr Ireland's tramway and military career. He retired as the MMTB Rolling Stock Engineer in 1958 after 44 years of service.Yields information about patents applied for by Percy Ireland in different countries.Set of digital patent documents for Australia, USA, UK, France, Germany and Canada. tramways, patents, trolley poles, percy ireland, safety devices

Prior to the idea of canes being painted white in the 1930's, vision impaired people used canes of various colours and styles to assist them. This walking stick is engraved with the initials 'GC' and would have been an expensive item given the ornate metal topper. The wood is in good condition and looks little used, particularly given the lack of a protective tip at the base.Wooden walking stick with ornate metal topperThe letters 'GC' are engraved into a metal plate on the head of the stick.assistive devices, orientation and mobility, white cane

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)