Collector says: Once I had gathered a dozen or so blankets, I started noticing the many different labels; where they were made, by who, the logos and fonts used. Then the labels became a thing, then the blankets had to have a label to join the collection. My favourite labels are by Physician, they had at least 4 different labels over the decades but the best has to be the Lady In Bed logo. Physician, Onkaparinga, Eagley and others matched the colour of the label to the colour of the blanket - a nice touch. Strangely, Castlemaine labels were always sewn on the back of the blanket where all the other mills sewed theirs on the front. To this day I always roll or fold a blanket with its label on display.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."Queen sized checked blanket in corn, beige and green 'Mareeno' /Pure Australian Wool/Export Quality/Made in Australiawool, blanket, blanket fever, mareeno

This slide is part of a collection of visual resources used by Stuart Ascough while conducting training and technical advice at mills in China, India, Russia and Australia. This item is part of a collection of books, manuals, photographs, letters and clothing relating to the working life of Stuart Ascough. Stuart's career in the wool industry spanned over 43 years from 1960 to 2003 in various roles including Topmaking Plant Manager at Courtaulds Ltd. in Spennymore, U.K., Operations Manager at Port Phillip Mills in Williamstown Victoria, Marketing Executive, Early Stage Wool Processing at the International Wool Secretariat Melbourne, Australia and General Manager of Victoria Wool Processors Pty. Ltd. in Laverton North, Victoria. Throughout his career Stuart travelled extensively, and in the 1990s worked at many topmaking mills in China on quality improvement projects. He also provided technical advice and training at mills in India, Ukraine, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Latvia, Byelorussia and other parts of Europe and Asia.35mm colour transparency mounted in plastic slide mount showing a printed graph of Australian wool exports.wool, industry, australia, australian wool board international wool secretariat, factory, training

This slide is part of a collection of visual resources used by Stuart Ascough while conducting training, seminars, conferences and lectures in China, Australia, India, Russia and Taiwan. This item is part of a collection of books, manuals, photographs, letters and clothing relating to the working life of Stuart Ascough. Stuart's career in the wool industry spanned over 43 years from 1960 to 2003 in various roles including Topmaking Plant Manager at Courtaulds Ltd. in Spennymore, U.K., Operations Manager at Port Phillip Mills in Williamstown Victoria, Marketing Executive, Early Stage Wool Processing at the International Wool Secretariat Melbourne, Australia and General Manager of Victoria Wool Processors Pty. Ltd. in Laverton North, Victoria. Throughout his career Stuart travelled extensively, and in the 1990s worked at many topmaking mills in China on quality improvement projects. He also provided technical advice and training at mills in India, Ukraine, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Latvia, Byelorussia and other parts of Europe and Asia.35mm colour transparency mounted in plastic slide mount showing coloured pie chart graph of Australian Wool Exports in 1994/95.wool, industry, australia, australian wool board international wool secretariat, topmaking, carding, factory, training, gill box

ABOUT THE CUTTY SARK The CUTTY SARK, built in Britain in 1869, was one of the last historic sailing ships. She traded in tea from China for a few years then began trading with Australia in the wool industry. She held the record sailing speed from Australia to Britain for ten years! Later a Portuguese company bought her as a cargo ship (and renamed her as FERREIRA) then she was purchased by a returned sea captain for use as a training ship in Cornwall. After the captain’s death she was transferred to a training college in Greenwich in 1938. In 1954 she was placed permanently in dry dock at Greenwich for display.The sailing ship CUTTY SARK carried export cargos of wool from the Australian wool industry.Ship model Cutty Sark, a Clipper in full ship rig with raised poop deck, deck house, 3 boats on deck (1 has fallen). Two toned black and tan hull, 3 jibs set in diorama of blue sea, light house and another small yacht. Is housed in glass sided case with dark grey painted structure. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, cutty sark, historic sailing ship, tea clipper, sail training vessel, cadet training ship, commercial trading vessel, cargo sail vessel, ship model cutty sark, australian wool export

ABOUT THE CUTTY SARK The CUTTY SARK, built in Britain in 1869, was one of the last historic sailing ships. She traded in tea from China for a few years then began trading with Australia in the wool industry. She held the record sailing speed from Australia to Britain for ten years! Later a Portuguese company bought her as a cargo ship (and renamed her as FERREIRA) then she was purchased by a returned sea captain for use as a training ship in Cornwall. After the captain’s death she was transferred to a training college in Greenwich in 1938. In 1954 she was placed permanently in dry dock at Greenwich for display. The sailing ship CUTTY SARK carried export cargos of wool from the Australian wool industry.Model of the sailing ship, CUTTY SARKflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, cutty sark, historic sailing ship, tea clipper, sail training vessel, cadet training ship, commercial trading vessel, cargo sail vessel, ship model cutty sark, australian wool export

Cloth sample from an opera cloak made in England c. 1820 from wool clipped from Macarthur's merino sheep in 1816. The cloak was passed down through the family to Harold Lethbridge with whom the main part of the cloak resides, in Narrandera. The fragment was passed to Lethbridge's niece who gave it to the donor's mother who passed it onto him and then it was donated to the National Wool Museum. The cloth fragment was tested by Gordon Institute of Technology in 1974 showing the wool to be very fine (15-16 microns) which is consistent with the pure lineage of Macarthur's sheep. The cloth fragment was framed in 1952 and remains in the original frame to this day. Cloth sample form an opera cloak made in England c. 1820. Wool for the cloak was clipped from John Macarthur’s merino sheep in 1816. Macarthur is recognised as the pioneer of the wool industry that was to boom in Australia in the early 19th century and become a trademark of the nation. Macarthur was responsible for the first bale of Australian wool to be exported. The British woollen mills were desperate for wool at the time because of the Napoleonic blockade, and the Australian bale sold for a record price. Australia needed a product to sell in European markets which did not perish during long sea-voyages and which offered high value per unit of weight. Wool also had a ready market in England because the Napoleonic Wars had increased demand and cut English cloth-makers off from their traditional source of quality wool, Spain. Australia's first $2 banknote featured John Macarthur thanks largely to his establishment of wool as the backbone of the early Australian economy. Red fabric sample folded in half and mounted in the centre of a brown metal frame.'ARCO' MADE IN ENGLANDmacarthur, wool industry, australian economy

From other correspondence in this collection of letters we have established that Mr Kirkham is a breeder of long wool Lincoln sheep who was eager to establish the breed in Australia and New Zealand. Augustus Bostock is mentioned at the bottom of this letter To that end, he speaks of establishing a number of prizes called the Kirkham prizes with the emphasis being on the quality of the wool. He states as an aside at the end of the letter,” I have now determined to export my best sheep leaving the home ** to my father and nephew, I would like to number ** amongst my customersThis letter shows the link between wool breeders in England and their efforts to establish connections and supplies in Australia.Large cream sheet of paper with black ink hand writing .Back of sheet is blank. Folded in half.Signed Kirkham.warrnambool, j kirkham, augustus bostock, long wool lincoln sheep, long wool lincoln

The woollen industry has always been of the utmost importance in Australia. Although exports have declined over the past decades the production of fine wool still remains important in our economy. The great increase in wool production in the mid to late 19th century in Australia led to the need to replace the hand shears with some mechanized form of shearing. The first sheep shearing machine in Australia was patented in 1867 and improvements to this early model were made over the ensuing years. The early 1890s saw the introduction of flexible drive shafts. The two items here described show this innovation. These two items are of interest as examples of handpieces used early in the 20th century in the mechanized shearing of sheep. They would be typical of the pieces used in the wool industry in the early 20th century in Western Victoria. There are today many local shearers living in Warrnambool and nearby towns and working in the district. .1 This is a metal handpiece for a sheep shearing mechanism. It has a toothed blade attached with metal screws at one end and a jointed metal pipe at the other end for attachment to the shearing machine. The middle section has been covered with black leather for easier gripping. .2 This is a metal handpiece for a sheep shearing mechanism. It has a toothed blade at one end and a flexible metal attachment at the other end to connect it to the shearing machine. Both items are rusted and stained. ‘Sunbeam Flight Lister’sheep shearing in the western district, warrnambool

This photograph and a matching earlier photograph are the images of a painting of the British steamship SS Warrnambool at Dover Strait in the English Channel. The photographs were donated by the painting’s owner, who acquired the 30” x 56” (76 x 142.5 cm) oil on canvas painting in 1998. Both photographs were accompanied by a letter, one written in 2001, and the other in 2003. The letters confirm that the artist of the painting was Charles Keith Miller, signed with the initials “CKM” and dated “1893”. The painting shown in the photographs was a gift to the Town Council of Warrnambool, presented to Warrnambool folks in Melbourne on December 1, 1892, by the Captain of William Lund’s ship SS Warrnambool. The painting was given by Lund in appreciation of the Ladies of Warrnambool who had presented the ship with a ‘house’ flag bearing the Blue Anchor Line’s symbol of a diagonal blue anchor on a white background; the ladies had made the decision to present the flag only a month earlier. A few days later, December 6th, the SS Warrnambool was on its homeward journey to Britain, sailing via Adelaide. It anchored for a short time off the Port of Warrnambool. A boat was launched from Lady Bay to take a group of friends to the ship with a delivery of gifts. After cheers were roused for both the ship and the Captain, the ship continued on its way. The photograph shows the gifted white flag with a diagonal blue anchor flying from the masthead. The same symbol is painted on the ship’s black funnel. The signal flags on the foremast display ‘M’ ‘R’ ‘V’ ‘B’. These letters are most likely the ship’s call number ‘MRVB’. Although the painting was given as a gift in December 1892, it is post-dated “1893”. Perhaps the painting was given earlier than anticipated; or the date added later, but whatever the reason, the provenance of the painting was confirmed at auctions of this painting and other works by the same artist. CHARLES KEITH MILLER 1836-1907:- Captain Charles Miller left his home in Scotland at the age of 15 years for a life at sea. He earned his Master’s Certificate ten years later. After being the captain of sailing ships he moved over to the steamships because they were faster. In 1866 he married and settled in Glasgow. Over the following eleven years he and his wife had five children, then sadly his wife passed away. Captain Miller returned to the sea for a while but in 1888 he gave up his sea life to spend his time as a marine artist. His understanding of seafaring life and vessels, combined with his artistic skills, gave him the ability to produce fine art and several galleries and museums have collections of his sought-after works. S.S. WARRNAMBOOL 1892-1925:- The steamship SS Warrnambool was built in 1892 by the Sunderland Ship Building Company for the Lund Line of London, founded by William Lund in 1869. It efficiently carried both passengers and cargo across the world to Australia, under the command of her master Captain Joshua Edward Iibery, who had many years of experience with the Blue Anchor Line. The company, referred to as the Blue Anchor Line or BAL, owned a fleet of both sail and steamships. The funnels of all of the steamships were painted black, with a white band around the top bearing a diagonal blue anchor and chain. The company’s house flag was also white with a diagonal blue anchor. The SS Warrnambool carried passengers and cargo in a ‘no frills’ service to and from Europe around the Cape of Good Hope, stopping at some ports in between. The ship was involved in bringing home returned solders in 1895. At one time it carried a doctor from Victoria, Australia, to assist at the war front in South Africa. The ship had a very good reputation for its cargo arriving ‘almost always in excellent condition.’ Exported goods from Australia included iron safes, flour, wool, apples, frozen rabbits, butter, cheese, pork, cattle, poultry and sheep. One remarkable delivery contained Ostriches for Queen Victoria and they survived the journey well. The SS Warrnambool was sold in 1900 to the British and South American Steam Navigation Co. Ltd of Liverpool and was renamed ‘Harmodius’. The company was managed by R.P. Houston & Company of London and its Houston Line funnels were red with a black top. The Harmodius was sold in 1919 to K.S.S. Co. Ltd, managed by Kaye Son & Co. Ltd. of Liverpool, and was renamed ‘Kut’. The line had black funnels with a white ‘K’ in a diamond or between white stripes. In 1926 it was purchased by T.W. Ward Ltd. and broken up. NOTE- other vessels named “Warrnambool” Two other vessels carried the name “Warrnambool” (1)- HMAS Warrnambool J202 (1941-1947), a Bathurst Class corvette vessel owned by the Royal Australian Navy, destroyed by a mine. The photograph is significant for its association with the painting "SS Warrnambool" by well-known early 20th century marine artist Charles Keith Miller, whose paintings are well valued. The painting and the photograph of it are namesakes of Warrnambool and are connected through the gifts exchanged between the ship company owner, the City of Warrnambool and the Ladies of Warrnambool; the House Flag and the painting by C K Miller. The image is a good likeness to original photographs of the late-19th to early-20th century steam and sale vessel. Coloured photograph of a painting, the steamship S.S. Warrnambool. The three-masted ship has lowered sails. It is in calm water, land on one side, and other vessels in the water. The ship has four raised signal flags, a house flag and a blue ensign. The funnel also bears the house flags symbol. Smoke emits from the funnel. Figures are visible onboard. There is a signature and a title on the lower edge of the photograph. (Artist of the painting in the photograph was Charles Keith Miller)House flag symbol, [diagonal blue anchor on white background] Text "CKM" and "1893" Text "S. S. WARRNAMBOOL."flagstaff hill, warrnambool, photograph, steam ship warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwreck coast, ss warrnambool, captain, charles keith miller, ckm, 1893, william lund, warrnambool town council, blue anchor line, lund line, ladies of warrnambool, house flag, diagonal blue anchor, captain miller, sunderland ship building company, migrant ship, 1892 ship, home flag, bal, australian export, s.s.warrnambool, dover strait, english chanel, port of warrnambool, lady bay, mrvb, captain charles miller, captain joshua edward iibery, ostriches, queen victoria, british and south american steam navigation co., harmodius, r.p. houston & company, houston line, k.s.s. co. ltd, kaye son & co. ltd, kut, t.w. ward ltd

60lbs rail that was used throughout the Victorian rail network. In 1887 Gibbs, Bright and Co. had a contract with Victorian Railways for railway and canal construction and supply of Krupp Rails. Gibbs, Bright and Co were merchant bankers and shipping agents and merchants who where also Directors of the GWR ( Great Western Railway ) and the Ship The "Great Britain" in England Gibbs, Bright and Company had principally been involved in shipping and trading, mainly in the West Indies, but following the discovery of gold in Victoria they established an office in Melbourne and soon became one of the leading shipping agents and merchants in the Colony. They expanded into passenger shipping and soon established offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide and Perth as well as launching passenger services between England, Mauritius and New Zealand. Gibbs, Bright also held a number of financial agencies from British mortgage, finance and investment companies as well as representing several British insurance companies in Australia. In addition they conducted a growing import business as well as an export business that included livestock, dairy produce, wool and flour. Also the company played a substantial part in the development of Australia's mineral resources, starting with lead in 1895, and later venturing into tin, gold, copper, cement and super phosphates. In Australia, after WWI, many of the larger companies were managing their own import and export so Gibbs, Bright and Company tended to focus its Agency business on smaller companies while expanding their interest into other markets such as timber, wire netting, zinc, stevedoring, road transport, marine salvage, gold mining as well as mechanical, structural, electrical and marine engineering. The Company's shipping interests continued to grow as well and still formed a major part of its business. In 1948 the parent company in England took the major step from tradition when they changed the business from a partnership into a private limited company. The name was the same, Antony Gibbs and Sons Limited, and in practice the effect of the change was very little. Some of the firm's branches and departments had already become limited companies and the formation of a parent company simplified the structure. The Australian operation was in time changed to Gibbs Bright & Co Pty Ltd in 1963. In 1848 Alfred Krupp becomes the sole proprietor of the company which from 1850 experiences its first major growth surge. In 1849 his equally talented brother Hermann (1814 - 1879) takes over the hardware factory Metallwarenfabrik in Berndorf near Vienna, which Krupp had established together with Alexander Schöller six years earlier. The factory manufactures cutlery in a rolling process developed by the brothers. Krupp's main products are machinery and machine components made of high-quality cast steel, especially equipment for the railroads, most notably the seamless wheel tire, and from 1859 to an increased extent artillery. To secure raw materials and feedstock for his production, Krupp acquires ore deposits, coal mines and iron works. On Alfred Krupp's death in 1887 the company employs 20,200 people. His great business success is based on the quality of the products, systematic measures to secure sales, the use of new cost-effective steel-making techniques, good organization within the company, and the cultivation of a loyal and highly qualified workforce among other things through an extensive company welfare system. From 1878 August Thyssen starts to get involved in processing the products manufactured by Thyssen & Co., including the fabrication of pipes for gas lines. In 1882 he starts rolling sheet at Styrum, for which two years later he sets up a galvanizing shop. The foundation stone for Maschinenfabrik Thyssen & Co. is laid in 1883 with the purchase of a neighboring mechanical engineering company. In 1891 August Thyssen takes the first step toward creating a vertical company at the Gewerkschaft Deutscher Kaiser coal mine in [Duisburg-]Hamborn, which he expands to an integrated iron and steelmaking plant on the River Rhine. Just before the First World War he starts to expand his group internationally (Netherlands, UK, France, Russia, Mediterranean region, Argentina). info from The company thyssenkrupp - History https://www.thyssenkrupp.com/en/company/history/the-founding-families/alfred-krupp.htmlHistoric - Victorian Railways - Track Rail - made by Krupp in 1888Section of VR Krupp 1888 Rail mounted on a piece of varnished wood. Rail made of ironpuffing billy, krupp, rail, victorian railways

This stencil was used as a location stamp for the transportation of wool bales. Binnum is a locality in South Australia. Wool bales marked BINNUM would have been transported to or from Binnum.Wool bale export stencil - BINNUMBINNUMwool transportation, wool exchange, wool sales

Australian Corriedale Association export survey mission to South America and Mexico July -Sept 1970corriedale sheep sheep breeding, australian corriedale association, pettitt, mr r. w., corriedale sheep, sheep breeding

Photograph of sheep being disembarked from a ship onto a wharf, probably part of a consignment of corriedale ewes exported to Peru c.1972.Corriedale sheep being unloaded in Peru, 1972.corriedale sheep sheep breeding export - live sheep, australian corriedale association, pettitt, mr r. w., corriedale sheep, sheep breeding, export - live sheep

Photograph of a flock of sheep being inspected by a party of men, one of whom, on the far right, is wearing an Elders Australia overall. Possibly a consignment of corriedale ewes, exported to Peru c.1972Corriedale sheep being unloaded in Peru, 1972.Australian flock ewes Perucorriedale sheep sheep breeding export - live sheep, australian corriedale association, pettitt, mr r. w., corriedale sheep, sheep breeding, export - live sheep

Photograph of a flock of approximately 200 sheep, possibly Australian corriedales, exported to Peru, c.1972.Corriedale sheep being unloaded in Peru, 1972.Australian flock ewes Perucorriedale sheep sheep breeding export - live sheep, australian corriedale association, pettitt, mr r. w., corriedale sheep, sheep breeding, export - live sheep