Kathryn Knitwear, founded by Robert Blake, manufactured high quality children’s knitwear in Melbourne from the 1940s – 1980s. Robert Blake began manufacturing children’s knitwear in his bedroom in Strathmore using a hand powered machine in the late 1940s. The operation moved to Ascot Vale and Essendon, before eventually establishing a factory in Moonee Ponds in the early 1950s. The business continued to expand, necessitating a move to a new factory in Broadmeadows. By 1962, the Broadmeadows factory was producing an average of 20,000 garments per month, which increased to 24,000 by 1964. Robert Blake’s Son, Brendan recalls that “The Kathryn brand was famous around Australia, anywhere children needed to keep warm and dress smartly. It also won a number of wool fashion awards”, including the 1969 Wool Awards, which was held by the Australian Wool Bureau and published in Women’s Weekly. The Kathryn range was designed for durability, comfort and care, without sacrificing style. They used patterning techniques that increase stretchiness, comfort and fit, as well as integrating decorative elements into the fabric to prevent them from being bulky, uncomfortable or tight. Making longevity of style a priority, Brendan Blake remembers that “there was one particular garment that was in the range for at least thirty years”. He also recalls “In the past, when women have found out that I was associated with Kathryn Knitwear, they would often relate to me the story of a garment they had purchased or received as a gift and, when their child had grown out of it, they would hand it on to another child. Several ladies have told me of purchasing garments for their daughters’ glory box, or saving a particular garment after their daughter had grown out of it. The decoration on this garment was embroidered by hand by a skilled worker at the Kathryn Knitwear factory Brendan Blake: “At the peak of their operation they employed approximately two hundred people, mainly women and girls. A family would often seek to send their daughter to work in this company because they knew they would be looked after and safe. One lady wrote to me telling me that working at the Moonee Ponds Factory prior to getting married was the happiest time of her life.” In 1963, workers at the Kathryn factory earned £13 per week, which was 8 shillings and 8 pence higher than the minimum weekly wage for female workers in the textile manufacturing industry (£12 11s 4d). By 1970, the Kathryn Knitwear brand expanded from children’s knitwear into womenswear under the brand name ‘Lady Kathryn’, and for boys and men under ‘Robert Blake’. Continuing to diversify their distribution, they also began exporting ‘Kathryn’ garments to New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and Japan. ‘Kathryn Knitwear’ was well-known for their early adoption of modern materials and techniques that had broad appeal to their customer base. This is shown in their early use of the acrylic fibre ‘Orlon’ in the 50s and 60s and ‘Superwash’ wool in the 1970s. Many of Kathryn Knitwear’s styles, particularly those that were long running staples of the brand, were available in both wool and Orlon to suit the consumer’s preference. Orlon was developed by DuPont in the 1940s and became the first commercially successful acrylic fibre in the 1950s and 1960s. The development of Orlon coincided with an increase in availability of washing machines in everyday Australian homes. The great appeal of Orlon was that while wool garments still had to be hand-washed, Orlon’s shrink-resistant nature made it machine washable and dryable. This was a very appealing prospect, especially for the seemingly unending task of cleaning active children’s clothing. Machine washable wool would not be available until the development of the ‘Superwash’ treatment by the Australian Wool Board and CSIRO in 1970. Far from the humble origins of one man in his bedroom with a hand-cranked machine; at its closure in 1980, the Broadmeadows factory of ‘Kathryn’ housed more than 100 machines, including 53 sewing machines and 45 knitting machines. Robert Blake was “a passionate advocate for wool and Australian Made” throughout his whole life. A strong thread that ties through the lifespan of Robert Blake and Kathryn Knitwear is a balance between adopting new innovations without sacrificing the core values of durability, comfort, care and style that had made the brand so well known. Their legacy forms an integral part of both Australian social and manufacturing history.White short-sleeved polo jumper with patch pocket on left side of chest. Features a navy hand embroidered anchor motif on the patch pocket and navy accents on top edge of pocket and edge of collar. Style 853/P. .2 Cream paper tag with handwritten red text and printed blue text..2) [sample label] [OBVERSE] S/8 853/P – PULLOVER – ORLON – HAND EMBROIDER POCKET. 24” 26” 28” 30” 32” 34” 26/- 29/- 32/- 35/- 39/- 43/6 WHITE/NAVY. NAVY/WHITEchildren's knitwear, knitwear, clothing, children's clothing, cardigan, manufacturing, fashion textile production, machine knitting, embroidery, embroiderer, anchor, anchor motif, nautical, nautical fashion

The Librio family were Italian internees in camp 3 at Rushworth VIC. Photograph taken 10 March 1945. Back row (l to r): Andrea Librio, Giuseppina Librio, Concetta Librio and Giuseppe Librio (brother of Andrea). Front row (l to r): Umberto Librio and Maria Librio (children of Andrea).Black and white photograph, taken from A W M. Shows a family of 5 Italians, 4 adults at back with 2 children at front. Tree behind just right of centre. Huts behind them. Number 853 on ground in front of them.andrea librio, giuseppina librio, concetta librio, giuseppe librio, umberto librio, maria librio, italian internees, camp 3 rushworth, 853, private herbert cubbin, wendy hicks

Photograph of a Tentering machine, as produced by H. Krantz Soehne (manufacturers of finishing machinery) of Aachen, Germany.Photograph of a Tentering machine, as produced by H. Krantz Soehne (manufacturers of finishing machinery) of Aachen, Germany, c.1930.H. KRANTZ SOEHNE / AACHEN. 853textile machinery textile finishing, h. krantz s??, tentering, textile machinery, textile finishing

Mug given to volunteers by City of Nunawading. White with green , yellow, orange and burgandy logo.Made expressly for City of Nunawading by Neil Benary (03) 853 2662domestic items, crockery

How widely the prisoptometer was used is unclear but the Standard Optical Company later patented a new model, The Standard Prisoptometer, on June 21, 1904. Edward Jackson's crossed cylinder technique of determining astigmatism was first detailed in the Transactions of the American Ophthalmological Society (1887)4:595-598. The convenience of Jackson's crossed cylinder lenses over the prisoptometer in weight, cost, portability and reliability meant that they were soon almost universally adopted.This is a rare item as few are known world wide.This instrument is an optometer, that is, a device to measure the refractive error of an eye. It is made of cast iron, steel, brass and glass. It contains a prism which could be rotated, and was used to view a disc or an object circle. The prism caused monocular doubling of the object circle and the separation of the two images varied as the prism rotated, depending on the astigmatism present. The axis of the astigmatism was indicated by the prisoptometer and trial lenses were used to determine the the magnitude of the spherical and cylindrical refractive errorImprinted:"DR CULBERTSON'S PRISOPTOMETER/ GENEVA OPTICAL COMPANY MAKERS, GENEVA, N.Y./ PATENTED SEPT, 21, 1886". Stamped "853" on eyepiece and lens mounting.optometry, prisoptometer, optometer, astigmatism, refractive error, refraction, culbertson

The Rev John Edward Smith was born in 1900, ordained in 1932 and died 1986. He served in 1935 Port Campbell; 1937 Wychproof; 1940 Werribee; 1947 Bendigo St. John's; 1952 Albury; 1955 Essendon St. John's and 1967 Apollo Bay. He retired in 1969 and in 1971 was appointed Emeritus Presbytery Melb. West.Black and white head and shoulders studio portrait of Rev. John Edward Smith. He is wearing glasses, looking at the camera and is wearing his clerical regalia. The back has the photographer's name and address, also that of the Rev Smith. It laso has various numbers and measurements indicating that the photograph was to be used in a publication."Rev. J. (John) Edward Smith. 853 Mt. Alexander Road, Essendon, W.5 PHONE FU1085" "The Dover Studio 17 HOLMES ROAD, MOONEE PONDS"presbyterian ministers, john edward smith, st john's presbyterian church essendon

This book was part of a large group of books referred to as the Pattison Collection, which belonged to the Warrnambool Public Library, part of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute. About RALPH ERIC PATTISON and the ‘PATTISON COLLECTION’ The ‘Pattison Collection’ is a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities, are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the WMI was led to ask the City Council to take it over in 1911 due to a lack of financial support. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Public Library as it was then called. Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up a home in Warrnambool. In 1935 when Pattison accepted the position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council his huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower areas of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave from 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However, he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. THE NEW WARRNAMBOOL LIBRARY When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Pattison. Eventually, the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Betrothed Lovers Author: Allessandro Manzoni Publisher: Ward Lock & Co Date: 1889 Further Information: Edited by G.T.BettanyThe label on the spine cover with typed text PAT 853 MAN Pastedown front endpaper has a sticker from Warrnambool Public Library covered by a sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Service. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, book, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, the betrothed lovers, allessandro manzoni, g.t.bettany

Collection Item number 0731_2 was found in this envelope marked “Euroa photos”. However, there was only a single photo in the envelope.COL digital scan of an Arthritis Foundation of Victoria branded envelope. Printed on the envelope is the text: ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION OF VICTORIA YARRA BOULEVARD, (P.O. BOX 195), KEW, 3101 TELEPHONE: (03) 853 2555 [Beneath a logo] "Arthritis - Your move" [Text within a square border] POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA. There is a yellow Post-it stuck to the front face of the envelope.[On a yellow-brown Arthritis Foundation of Victoria envelope, handwritten on a yellow sticky note in thick black ink] Euroa photosarthritis foundation of victoria, afv, envelope

Soft paper cover. Author's name in green print, colour photo, title in gold print, black & white photos throughout, black print on white paper, 280 pages.Alan Holmesbooks, military, history, music

Avro Lancasters of 460SQN RAAF, based at Binbrook Lincolnshire about to join the bomber stream heading into the gathering darkness of the continent, June 1943. Rectangle colour print of a group of Lancaster bombersAircraft Illustrated Series two. Number 1. Signature of Ray Honisett Printed in Australia

Black and white photograph, on fawn mount. Group of men in costumes representing various nationalities. At rear of photo, group of men in suits. First Commercial Traveller's Prize Packet Effort Easter 1919. Inscriptions: WH Robinson, Bendigo. Attached to back with white paper 'First Commercial Traveller's Prize Packet Easter Effort 1919. Photographed by WH Robinson outside the Shamrock Hotel. Included in the photo are: Gilbert Rule, James Steward, Charles Bulley, WJ Chapman, Alex Hamilton, H V Pulfer, Fred Wilkinson, Norm Wilkie, W Hillier, A L McMillan, Les Oliver, Arthur Powell, WH Thomas, Bob Munro, Tom Pritchard, W Grimsley, Tom Horn, Lou Gormann, Fred Wittschiche, H Quinell, Tudor Wittschiche', 'Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Bendigo Branch 1959, 139 circular stamp on rear.WH Robinson Bendigocottage, miners

Australian Infantry Corps.plaque, army

The 'Clever Dick' is a small funnel for juicing citrus fruits, clear plastic with yellow plastic lid. In original cellophane package with instructions attached. The label claims that the product will keep lemons fresh until all juice is removed or seal is broken.An example of mid 20th century kitchen gadget.Small funnel for juicing citrus fruits, clear plastic with yellow plastic lid. In original cellophane package with instructions attached.clever dick, juicer, lemon juicer

In 1912 the school at Pumpkin Point opened to serve the children of farmers living in the Bete Bolong district. This meant a big change in their way of life because in the past the children had been rowed across the Snowy River each day to attend school at Jarrahmond. Myrtle Bunting was the first HT of the school which had been erected on a block of land purchased from H. Richardson. The school functioned until 1952 when a shortage of pupils caused its closure. As a bus service to Orbost now operated, the school at Pumpkin Point faced permanent closure. J. McKeown bought the building. Students attending the school at this time included Russells, Johnstones, Reeves, Healeys, Kavanaghs, Phillips, Rodwells, Mills, Baileys, Gilberts and Masons. Mr. Oswald S. Green taught at Bete Bolong State School until he was appointed to Rokewood Junction in August 1937. This photograph is associated with the history of education in the Orbost district. There is no longer a school at Bete Bolong.A small black / white photograph of students and teachers standing outside a school.on back - " Bete Bolong School , 1937"bete-bolong-state-school education-orbost

Black and white photograph (2 copies- 1 large, 1 small)Written on back of large copy: "Ringwood Shire Hall prior to rebuilding- 1927.

Black and white print of a donated negative. Print made 8/1998. Photo of three single truckers (tram 32 lead tram) and a bogie tram stored at City Loop, Sturt St., 11/11/1965, with another single truck entering area in rear of photograph. Tram 32 has SEC advertising board (Electric Cooking - Matchless) and a Castrol advert. High Res scan of copy negative added 17/1/2019.tramways, trams, city loop, sturt st, ballarat, tram 32

Donated to Sunshine Historical Society with other photos of Nettlefolds.Stamp: ?.C SMITH SPORTING PHOTOSnettlefolds, ballarat road, sunshine north, employee

uniforms, ballarat rsl, ballarat

Before Stanley Robinson enlisted he was a schoolteacher at Lilydale State School, living in Castelle St, Lilydale. He enlisted on July 9th,1916 at the age of 18, to the 31st Battalion of Lilydale. He embarked from Melbourne on November 9th, 1915 on HMAT Wandilla (A62) to Suez, Egypt. He qualified 1st class at the 14th school of signalling at Ferry Post, Egypt and was transferred to Alexandria, Egypt as a signaller, and then to Marseilles, France where he was killed in action at Fleurbaix on July 20th, 1916. He had been struck in the chest by Shrapnel along with four other soldiers. He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory MedalFramed photocopy of photograph and precis of military service of Stanley Lewis Robinson (919) (Private)see context

Wedding gift to Mr. & Mrs. J.A. Lord IN 1901.Oval Silver tea pot with intricate design on side of pot."Daniel & Arter EPBN"teapots

.1 Printed A4 sheet - blue background advising the myki will be the only tickets available to used from 29/12, has images of Myki and Metcard tickets. Advises that the tickets can purchased from retailers, 7-Elevan and selected tram stops. Has the Victorian Stage government logo and that it was authorised by the Government at 55 Collins St. Melbourne. .2 - Similar to above, but says no tickets on trams from 29/12. (actual date of change over in 2012) .3 - hand out card - What is Myki - explaining the use. Two copies of each held.trams, tramways, tickets, myki, metcard

Colour photograph showing stained glass window at the front of the former Nelson Bros. building in Sussex Street, Linton (now LDHS Resource Centre).nelson bros. funeral parlour, ldhs resource centre, stained glass windows, buildings