These items are from the Warrnambool Woollen Mill and relate to the fire protection services operating at the factory in the late 20th century. The Warrnambool Woollen Mill was commenced as a local public company and opened in 1910 in South Warrnambool with the first manager, John Bennett. During World War Two there were 700 employees at the mill due to wartime demand. In 1958 the factory became the first in Australia to manufacture electric blankets. In 1968 the mill was purchased by the Dunlop company and in 1982 Dunlop sold out to Onkaparinga Woollen Company which was taken over by Macquarie Worsteds and became known as Warrnambool Textiles. When Macquarie Worsteds ceased operations in Warrnambool the Smith Family managed the factory on behalf of the owners, the Warrnambool City Council. In 2000 the Woollen Mill closed and the site has been sold and developed as a housing estate.These items are of minor interest as mementoes of the Warrnambool Woollen Mill and will be added to the Woollen Mill collection in the Historical Society archives. .1 A sheet of white paper showing a sketch plan in black of the Warrnambool Woollen Mill with three areas coloured pink, yellow and blue .2 the same as .1 except that there are no shaded areas. .3 A sheet of lightweight card with black and yellow printing and a diagram of a machine Fire Plan For Insurance Purposes Atlas Automatic Fire Services Pty Ltd warrnambool woollen mill, history of warrnambool, onkaparinga woollen company, dunlop company

Purple soft covered booklet of 102 pages. Includes numerous advertisements and black and white illustrations. Topics include: Ballarat history, Eureka, Railway facilities, Railway fares to Ballarat, Lake Wendouree, Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Ballarat Zoological gardens, Ballarat Statues, Ballarat Mines and Mining, Illustrations include: Ballarat Brewing Company, passenger steamer on Lake Wendouree, Provincial hotel, Eureka Lead, Lydiard Street, Sturt Street, Ballarat Town Hall, Ballarat East Town Hall, Sunnyside Woollen Mills, Fairyland, Loch Leven Trout caught in Lake Wendouree, Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Boer War Monument, New Imperial Gold Mine, South Street Competitions, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat School of Mines, Ballarat Grammar School, Ballarat College, St Patrick's College, Ballarat Agricultural High School, Mt Clear flowering grass trees (Xanthorea Australis), Eureka Stockade Monument, Ballarat YMCA, Lake Burrumbeet, Bo-peep Creek, Moorabool Falls, Lal Lal Falls Advertisements include: Ronaldson bros. and Tippett, Charles Morris undertaker, James Smith, Huttons the jewellers, Allchin Bros, Wallace Butter Factory, F.W. Barnes and Son, Berry, Anderson and Co., Rowlandsballarat, new imperial gmc, sunnyside woollen mill, brewery, royal standard brewery, st patrick's college ballarat, ballarat grammar school, ballarat school of mines, ballarat east town hall, ballarat east botanical gardens, abc grill & tea room, a.m. palmer chemist, thomas' supply stores, ballarat brewing company, stevens the furriers, summerscales, paddlesteamer on lake wendouree, hutton's the jewellers, allchin brothers, fiat motor garage, eureka stockade, w. cornell, cornell's liver pills, f.w. barnes and son, w. rotchie's, railway, lake wendouree, w.f. coltman, bert skinner, frank besemere, fred a. reed, ballarat zoological gardens, jelbarts, brinds, rowlands soda water, american club hotel, armstrong street south, ballarat woollen mill, southern cross hotel

This book, written by Graeme Bennett, gives information on the Bennett family history and the history of the Stawell Woollen Mills. The Bennett family was associated with the textile industry for more than 200 years. The book gives information on John Edward Bennett (1862-1928) who, in 1909 became the first manager of the Warrnambool Woollen Mill. This mill opened in 1910 and closed in 2000 and was a dominant business, known throughout Australia for its woollen blankets. John Bennett was a highly-successful manager at the Warrnambool Woollen Mill from 1909 until his death in 1928. His son, who was the assistant manager at the mill, left in 1926 to take over the Stawell Woollen Mill.This book is of considerable interest as it contains valuable information on the author’s grandfather, John Edward Bennett, important in Warrnambool’s history as the first manager of the Warrnambool Woollen Mill, a prominent business in Warrnambool for 90 years.This is a soft cover book of 384 pages. The front cover has a mottled cream and black background with black lettering and a colour photograph of a painting of the Stawell Woollen Mill. The back cover and spine have the same mottled pattern with black lettering. The book has 22 chapters and several colour and black and white photographs. john e bennett, warrnambool woollen mill, stawell woollen mill

Newspaper supplement to The Sun News Pictorial, Tuesday 30/9/1924 - "Victoria Country Centres - No. 4". Has extensive notes on Ballarat, its history, civic history, and personalities. or figures. Page 11 - photo from the Town Hall, Avenue of Honour Arch, rowing, Hospital including W J Hoare, R H Ramsey of the Ballarat Cricket Association, Mr Charlie Suffren, J R Jopling, R W Todd. Page 12 - Ballarat and district history, industry, statistics, School of Mines. Has a photo of the Lydiard St Methodist church. Page 13 - Civic Identities - A E Kenny, Frederick Brawn MLC, W R Elsworth, Frank Herman, Alex Bell MLC, notes on Ballarat Power supply ESCo and SECV - Yallourn vs local generation, and an advertisement for Tyler's men's clothing and house furnishings. Page 14 - Ballarat sports, Cr Robert Cooke, South St, Craigs Hotel, photo of Ballarat Woollen Mills, the observatory, and an advert for A M Heath, Booksellers, stationer. Page 15 - Advert for Barlow Motors, Mining exchange building, Buick and Vauxhall motor cars Page 16 - South St competition adverts, schools, Mayor Levy, W J Coghlan, railway and wheat traffic, Myer's woollen mill, J T Walker furniture. Page 17 - advert to T M Burke - real estate - Forest St estate Page 18 - photos of the Executive's office, the Water Board - F Brown, A Farrer, W Brazenor, J C Fletcher, F W Saunders and G M Searle. Football league - A A O'Dea, W R Elsworth, J R Cooke, Cr F Besemeres. Brind's Diestillery of Dunnstown - Frank Brind and Harold Gill. W Ware boxing. Photos of St Andrew's Kirk and live livestock market with Graeme Dowling, Gold diggings. Page 19 - Council officers - G F Morton, A Levy, H Finch, J Pascoe, C J Liddiard, W McIntosh, W P Pryor and E R Marchani. South St Society W W Harris, W H Pearson, W S Sampson, A A King, F J Martell, F S Herman, A A O'Dea. Photos of Woollen mill, Sunshine biscuits, Ballarat Water pipe, Golf Club, Ballarat High School, Bridge St with tram and Golden Point monument. Page 20 - notes on racing, red cross - Mrs James Coghlan, fire brigade, sewerage scheme. Photo of Ballarat Freezing Co meat works with adverts for Craig's Hotel and the Ballarat Trustees Executors & Agency Co. Page 21 - General items re Tylers, city of statues, George Hotel, Barlow's cars, Eva Chemist, Dr W A Spring - racing, with an advert for Millers the Clothiers, Page 22 - Ballarat streets, Adam Lindsay Gordon cottage in grounds of Craig's Hotel, Miller's clothing store, with adverts for the Annual Spring agricultural show, and EVA's pharmacy. Page 23 - Photo of Sturt and Lydiard St with two trams, one possibly 13 in an accident with a motor car, photos of McDonald gates, Loreto Abbey with a racing people - Dave Barry, C L Fox, andHarry McGoldrick. Has adverts for Gribble suits and J T Walker furnishers. Page 24 - notes on real estate, stock agents, with photos of Miss McDonald of Red Cross, Mr and Mrs James Allan, Mr H H Osborne, and an advert for Sunshine Biscuits. Page 25 - Photos of the School of Mines, Orphanage, football crowd and Miss D Balten and Miss K Kennedy tennis with adverts for Macleod and Booth stock and station agents and The George Hotel. Page 26 - advert for Melbourne Sub-division company - Capitol House Melbourne.Yields information about Ballarat, its civic history, and personalities in 1924.Newspaper, 16 printed pages with photographs.ballarat, ballarat history, civic history, tramways, accidents

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. Paperback book, white with title - 'Onkaparinga' in red writing on front coverOnkaparinga - The Story of a Mill/Carol Brockhoffblanket, blanket fever, onkaparinga, woollen mill, lobethal, carol brockhoff