Hecla produced a wide range of appliances for domestic use, beginning with heaters and later branching out to a wider range of kitchen appliances Hecla was established by Clarence William Marriott, a young Melbourne metal worker. He began manufacturing Australia's first carbon filament electric radiators in 1899. He originally worked for his father James Marriott who commenced business in Melbourne as an art metal worker in 1872 and was, in 1907, appointed as the official art metal worker to the Victorian Government producing items including the ornate iron gates and gas lamp standards outside Melbourne's Parliament House. With the invention of nickel chromium wire after 1900, C.W. Marriott began making more efficient heating elements using this new material in 1916. After being influenced by the eruption of Mount Hekla in Iceland, on 19 December 1918, Clarence registered the brand name "HECLA" with an erupting volcano as its logo. The company Hecla Electrics Pty Ltd was officially registered in 1922. In 1928 the company adopted the advertising slogan, 'By Hecla, it's Good'. The Hecla range rapidly expanded to include electric heaters and radiators, electric foot warmers, electric kettles, ceramic & metal electric jugs, immersion hot water elements, electric fans, electric coffee percolators, electric toasters, electric grillers and stoves, electric irons and electric frypans, clocks and curling wands. Electric blankets were introduced shortly after WWII.In 1930, a controlling interest in Hecla Electrics Pty Ltd was acquired by General Electric Corporation. Clarence William Marriott died in June 1967 in Melbourne, Victoria.This item is representative of a common domestic appliance used throughout Australia. It was manufactured by a pioneering Australian company.A small chrome steel toaster manufactured by Hecla Australia. It has a door on either side which flips down to insert or remove a slice of bread on each side, Each door has two black Bakelite knobs. The electric element is placed down the centre of the cavity. A detachable electric cord is included.240 Volts, 600 Watts. Cat. No. T4 Submitted to Electrical Approval Board Ref Application A1/AD01 SECV 240 Volt 600 Watt MANFED. IN AUSTRALIA SOLID BRASSelectrical appliances, hecla corporation australia, clarence william marriott, domestic appliances

Hotpoint Irons were first developed in 1903 in California. The invention was named Hotpoint, after the heating elements that converged in the iron's tip, allowing it to be used to press around buttonholes and in and around ruffles and pleats on clothing and curtains. 'Hotpoint' electric irons were first sold in Australia around 1914 and remained a popular product for many decades. From the late 1920s they were manufactured in Australia by the Australian General Electric Co. Ltd.This iron is representative of early electrical appliances manufactured under licence in Australia from the late 1920s onwards.Early electric iron manufactured under license by Hotpoint Australia. The iron has a metal base into which a power cord is plugged. The iron has a wooden handle.Label: " Hotpoint. Made in Australia. Licensed by Edison Elelectric Appliance Co. Inc. Chicago, U.S.A. Cat.915 F61. W.575, W200."domestic appliances, early electric appliances, hotpoint australia

In 1932, Edward Thomas Both invented the first portable direct reading electro cardiograph. This item is a three lead electrocardiograph tracing conducted on one of Dr Angus' patients in 1939. Dr William Roy Angus (1901-1970) came to Warrnambool in 1939, purchasing the general practice of Dr John Hunter Henderson. He was the last serving Warrnambool Port Medical Officer. A health problem after the war prompted a change from general practice to ophthalmology. Dr. Angus became an important ophthalmologist , pioneering the use of the intrascleral cartilage implant which resulted in cosmetically better artificial eyes. He was an Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist at Warrnambool Base Hospital for 31 years. He was Secretary of the Victorian South West sub-division of the Australian Medical Association from 1949 to 1956 and Chairman from 1956 to 1958. His obituary in the Medical Journal of Australia (July 1970) stated he was "dedicated and devoted to both his profession and his patients" .This item provides a link to an Australian invention of medical equipment which improved diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions in the 1930's. It is an example of diagnostic recordings used by a Warrnambool doctor in 1939.This is a card record of a three lead "Both" Electrogram. The upper one third has places for the date patient details and diagnosis. There are three electrocardiogram tracings over graph paper in the bottom two thirds of the item. The reverse side has a handwritten in ink interpretation of the tracings.Front: BOTH ELECTRO-CARDIOGRAM No. Date July 4th 1939 Rate 130 Name Age Diagnosis The patient name has been blacked out. Dr. Angus is printed in the top right hand corner. Rear: The P wave in lead 1 is broadened and notched, and has a suggestive "plateau" top. This may indicate a mitral stenosis, auricular hypertrophy. E Bannondr william roy angus, both electro-cardiogram, dr angus collection

Native Sulphur in its solid form is a yellow crystalline mineral that forms near volcanic vents and fumaroles where it is the solid form of hot gases. It is also frequently found in the subsurface as a by-product of sulphide ore mineralization. In all its forms, sulphur is one of the most commonly occurring minerals on the planet, especially in natural gases, and is key to the make-up of a range of other minerals. It is essential to continuing life on earth, and was used in ancient societies as part of medical care, religious rites, and entertainment, and was key to the invention of gunpowder by the Chinese. Native Sulphur in its solid form is a yellow crystalline mineral that forms near volcanic vents and fumaroles where it is the solid form of hot gases. It is also frequently found in the subsurface as a by-product of sulphide ore mineralization. In all its forms, sulphur is one of the most commonly occurring minerals on the planet, especially in natural gases, and is key to the make-up of a range of other minerals. It is essential to continuing life on earth and was used in ancient societies as part of medical care, religious rites, and entertainment, and was key to the invention of gunpowder by the Chinese. The exact site of extraction for this specimen is unknown, but it was probably collected in New Zealand in the 1850s. Sulphur is significant both for its historical and current uses, and for its nature as one of the most abundant minerals on the planet. Sulphur's importance comes both from its abundance and its role in ensuring survival, creating other minerals, and daily human life. This specimen is significant as representative of sulphur's solid properties. This specimen is part of a larger collection of geological and mineral specimens collected from around Australia (and some parts of the world) and donated to the Burke Museum between 1868-1880. A large percentage of these specimens were collected in Victoria as part of the Geological Survey of Victoria that begun in 1852 (in response to the Gold Rush) to study and map the geology of Victoria. Collecting geological specimens was an important part of mapping and understanding the scientific makeup of the earth. Many of these specimens were sent to research and collecting organisations across Australia, including the Burke Museum, to educate and encourage further study.A solid, small, crystalline mineral specimen that is largely bright yellow, with some darker spotting. geological specimen, geology, geology collection, burke museum, beechworth, sulphur, native sulphur, new zealand, native sulphur specimen, sulphur specimen

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

John and Emma Propert emigrated from England in 1877 and settled in New South Wales . Several of their 11 children became talented inventors, designing items ranging from kitchen utensils to coaches and later pop-up caravans. One of the most successful was Charles, who designed and built kitchenware over many decades. His earliest invention was irrigation equipment including patenting the common backyard rose sprinkler. Propert became a household name when he began making a wide range of kitchen implements for decades including flour sifters and chip cutters. By the 1970s Propert was Australia’s leading brand of kitchen and bathroom scales. By far the most successful product was a ball-driven egg beater, trademarked as the Ezy Whisk or Swift Whisk. In the days before electric beaters, the Ezy Whisk and Swift Whisk were market leaders and were exported world-wide. Charles Propert and his son Bertram manufactured more than a quarter of a million egg beaters a year in the early 1950s which explains why so many are still in use today.These items are significant because they were widely used throughout Australia in the 1950s by a major Australian manufacturer.Two Propert's kitchen appliances - a stainless steel Whistling Egg Timer and a Swift Whisk BeaterOn Egg Beater : A PROPERT PRODUCT MADE IN AUSTRALIA PATENT BALL DRIVE SWIFT WHIP STAINLESS STEELkitchen utensils, propert kitchen appliances