Wooden spoon with shallow round concave at end. Handle is slightly curved and has hole at end.No visible markingsdomestic items, food preparation, spoon, mixing, stirring, cooking, kitchen, domestic, food, wood.

This "coffee" tin has by the "art deco" appearance its origins in the late 1950's to 1960's. This time period was one of accelerated growth both in the physical (housing) sense and the mental (new ideas and inventions) changes in "attitudes". These occurred more rapidly in cities but had its effects on the rural environment. The drinking of coffee was spurred on by easier distribution of imported food and drinks. Advertising by stronger radio links and then by television brought the variety of foods and drinks to semi isolated rural regions. The accessibility through greater information channels becoming available brought with it unbelievable ranges of goods and foodstuffs. Rural regions still relied on bulk supplies and relatively larger storage containers than those in cities. This "bulk" buying and storage "syndrome" was a lingering result of many years of "drought" periods when road transports met delays from flooded roadways in supplying population centres in the Kiewa Valley. The construction phases in building the SEC Vic Hydro electricity Scheme in the eastern sections of the Victorian Alps brought many changes to the quiet rural regions in the Kiewa Valley. Changes in population and social mores. The influx of a varied , mostly temporary, and "European flavoured cuisine" changes the "cuppa tea only" flavour to the have a "coffee break". The subliminal influence of the "American" films changed those children growing up in the post 1950s from the "English tea" to the "American coffee". This "Americanisation process has influenced not only rural Australia but also other areas throughout the world.This "insignificant" coffee tin is very significant as it demonstrates that the Kiewa Valley was becoming more accessible to reliable coffee supplies and general food items.The container was part of a "set" of containers that included tea, sugar,biscuits,flour, rice and other family condiments. This type of kitchen storage containers was brought about through changing patterns in tea and coffee useage and overall consumption. Household demands for faster "self help" cooking especially beveridges and the greater choice of kitchen "utensils" was brought on by easier access to products due to a lessening of the area's "isolation" by having a reliable (all weather) road system and an ever increasing population growth. The need for travelling goods/merchant supply caravans to service the area became a diminishing factor, as a result of the establishment of grocery stores in Tawonga and Mount Beauty in the supply of previously "hard to get" groceries. This transition was precipitated by the SEC Vic Hydro Scheme of the 1940's to 1960's which increased the valley's population level three fold.This cylindrical tin has a pull/push lid(for easy access to the contents). The container is labelled for "coffee" however it has no commercial manufacturer's label to establish that it was bought with coffee ingredients in it. The majority of the container's external surface has a "metallic" light blue colour with two sets of silver rings confining black (horizontal spotted) rectangles. "COFFEE" within an elongated spherical "art deco" four pointed banner of silver and black colouringkitchen containers, domestic food storage, bulk stocks of dried condiments

This SEC cook book was produced circa 1950s when the Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme and its Commission was in full swing. The Commission had constructed two settlements, Mount Beauty and Bogong Village to house construction workers and their families in a "closed" community. These "closed" communities were for SEC staff and construction workers only. Entry into these villages was restricted to "SEC pass" carrying construction staff and their families. All facilities such as retail, sporting and other community services was provided by the SEC. This created an isolated community in which limited individual choice or administrative family leeway was available. It was a typical company town (live and work for the company). The Company was in the Kiewa Valley constructing power stations for the Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme of Victoria. In one way the individual did not need to be concerned with living costs, educational needs for children, and recreational amenities and therefore "normal" community survival /living methods did not apply. This living, although restrictive, was quite simple. When the scheme was completed, in 1961, marking the end of company town, caused some of the employees, who had enjoyed the "controlled" township environment, a fair degree of angst in having the new 'laissez-faire" controls thrust upon them. This was magnified when both Mount Beauty and Bogong Village became meshed into the Bright Shire, vis-a-vis, local government. This cook book is a prime example of " the company is looking after you" and leave the worrying to us. This environment of a "company town", which creates the atmosphere of minimal personal responsibilities, is still present in a few remote mining towns in Australia at the beginning of the 21st Century.This book is a classical example of the psychological control in which the company had its construction workers families living in. The motto of many companies who had employees in isolated regions was "keep them happy". A happy and contented worker is a more productive worker. This was a period in time (1950s to 1970s) when social psychology was gaining recognition in the Australian workforce as well as internationally. At the end of the construction of all the power stations both the Mount Beauty settlement and the Bogong Village became more integrated into the main stream of rural Australia environment. Development of tourism in the region opened up not only interaction with a greater cross section of the ever expanding type of Australian but also the overseas based non rural culture tourist or immigrant. It allowed the intermingling of ideas in a non company controlled environment. The Mount Beauty and Bogong Village has, and even up to the 3000 Millennium, the same housing construction, as was built by the SEC. There has only been a very gradual change to modern domestic architectural home styles. This SEC cookbook has a folded cover with two staples at the spine, securing eight double sided pages. The white pages contain black print and sketches(3), and one black and white photograph (of the author). The front cover is mainly orange in colour with a gradual fading into yellow(at the top). The cover is approximately 210 g/m2 in thickness and each page is approximately 90 g/m2 thick. Front cover: top of page "SEC Cook Book of Family Favourites", in the middle a sketch, black on orange background, of a smiling mother walking from the kitchen to the dining table with a steaming rolled roast and vegetables in one hand and a gravy pot in the other. The furniture and decor relates to the 1950s. Below this sketch is printed"SEC TESTED RECIPES NO. 16" Inside cover: on top of the page is a black and white sketch of a pineapple, apple pear fish with scales, bunch of grapes with leaves a pork roll (head of pig one end and a roll ending on the other, on top of this food arrangement rests a fruit pie. Below this sketch are printed in black print the books contents.The first side of the first page is a black and white photograph Mary Dunne, the SEC Home Service supervisor who provided a signed foreword. The inside back cover has a promotional segment detailing a black and white photograph of a smiling (and happy) couple in the foreground with an electric stove in the distance. The written motto below this photograph is" to Live better -and save money they'll join the Power People. "the new tariff is(1960s) - First 75kWh --6 cents per kWh Next 435 kWh---2.3 cents per kWh Balance --1.7 cents per kWh The rate per killowatt-hour for the final block drops from 2.1 cents to 1.7 cents --a reduction of 19%.cooking recipes circa 1950s, domestic food, sec victoria cook books, recipes circa 1950s

At the time when this shortbread / butter stamp block was used, rural dairies and larger properties who manufactured their own butter used butter stamps blocks for identifying the source of the butter or for decoration.. The patterns stamped into the warmed butter provided for a range of decorative visual enhancement to the "plain" and "boring" straight leveled normal butter surface. Although the wooden surfaces could be hard to keep clean commercial usage would have been limited and eventually replaced by a non porous and hygienically cleaner material. Greater hygiene controls where introduced. from the late 1940s on. These controls were the result of high infectious illnesses due to contaminated milk and dairy handling methods.This shortbread / butter stamp was used by a Kiewa Valley dairy and it presents what the domestic butter beautification processes were available during the mid to latter 1900s was. Their was a pride by rural properties in their produce and its by-products.This shortbread / butter stamp is made from wood, round and fashioned from a flat bed to a dome top. The top has a round moulded hole with screw indentations for fastening a pressure pole. The pattern on the face of the stamp is of an eleven petalled flower pattern around a small circular flower head. Both the head and petals have indentations which are will produce raised points in the pressed butter. Enclosing the flower pattern is a pattern which when pressed against the butter would produce small ridges radiating outward.On the dome stamped in black ink "T. & W. Davies"butter stamp, domestic butter blocks, domestic food preparations., shortbread, stamp, dairy, butter

This butter mould/pat may have been manufactured post 1967(year post codes appeared in Australia) however the post code was only stamped on after it was machined. This type of butter mould was used by rural families to fashion home/farm made butter. This period was in most rural regions a time of self sufficiency where any domestic type implement which could be fashioned by the family would be crafted with skill. Shopping for goods required catalogues from stores located in major rural towns and cities and involved lengthy waiting times. Travelling to and from these specialised stores was not pleasant due to the relatively poor quality of the roads and the lengthy times taken. The small general stores in the Kiewa Valley could not cater for all the needs of the valley. The 1960's was a time when facilities especially goods and services started to improve drastically. The S.E.C. of Victoria with its Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme provided not only an improvement of facilities in the valley but also a increase in the population. This increase resulted in a greater demand for local produce. This item is one of many domestic food processing implements used by Kiewa Valley households in the mid 1900s, whether on the farm or in the small towns and hamlets. Self sufficiency was the key to survival during these early times. Where ever possible supplies from within the valley were preferred to that brought in by travelling salesmen or traders. This butter mould and butter pat was commonly used to fashion "home" made butter throughout the valley and in some cases supplied to "outside" regional towns. Although this method of production was phased out by better access to goods from nearby cities the revival of the good organic home grown produce in the 1980s saw a greater demand of this type of farm based produce.This well crafted circular wooden butter mould could also be used as a butter pat.The handle in the middle of the mould was not added after the crafting but has been fashioned from the initial block of wood when the bowl was crafted. The bowl structure has a rim around the edge.The top of the handle has an ink stamp "T. & W. Dav" on the top line and "Tawonga 3697" underneath.domestic food preparation, wooden butter pat, butter mould circular, dairy industry

This butter pat profiler may have been manufactured post 1967(year post codes appeared in Australia) however the post code was only stamped on after it was machined. This type of butter mould was used by rural families to fashion home/farm made butter. This period was in most rural regions a time of self sufficiency where any domestic type implement which could be fashioned by the family would be crafted with skill. Shopping for goods required catalogues from stores located in major rural towns and cities and involved lengthy waiting times. Travelling to and from these specialised stores was not pleasant due to the relatively poor quality of the roads and the lengthy times taken. The small general stores in the Kiewa Valley could not cater for all the needs of the valley. The 1960's was a time when facilities especially goods and services started to improve drastically. The S.E.C. of Victoria with its Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme provided not only an improvement of facilities in the valley but also a increase in the population. This increase resulted in a greater demand for local produce.This item is one of many domestic food processing implements used by Kiewa Valley households in the mid 1900s, whether on the farm or in the small towns and hamlets. Self sufficiency was the key to survival during these early times. Where ever possible supplies from within the valley were preferred to that brought in by travelling salesmen or traders. This butter mould and butter pat was commonly used to fashion "home" made butter throughout the valley and in some cases supplied to "outside" regional towns. Although this method of production was phased out by better access to goods from nearby cities the revival of the good organic home grown produce in the 1980s saw a greater demand of this type of farm based produce.This butter Pat/Profiler has on its base two patterns. On each end it has horizontal grooves cut into the wood which produce distinct lines onto the surface of the butter. between these grooves there is a section of two double lines crossing in the middle and separated by eleven horizontal lines The base has an elongated rectangular shape. The upper body has been sanded into a smooth convex shaped form where a wooden circular hand grip has been fashioned.On the top of the hand grip is stamped in black print"T. & W. Davies" and under this"TAWONGA 3697"domestic food preparation, wooden butter pat, butter mould circular, dairy industry

This butter pat profiler may have been manufactured post 1967 (year post codes appeared in Australia) however the post code was only stamped on after it was machined. This type of butter mould was used by rural families to fashion home/farm made butter. This period was in most rural regions a time of self sufficiency where any domestic type implement which could be fashioned by the family would be crafted with skill. Shopping for goods required catalogues from stores located in major rural towns and cities and involved lengthy waiting times. Travelling to and from these specialised stores was not pleasant due to the relatively poor quality of the roads and the lengthy times taken. The small general stores in the Kiewa Valley could not cater for all the needs of the valley. The 1960's was a time when facilities especially goods and services started to improve drastically. The S.E.C. of Victoria with its Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme provided not only an improvement of facilities in the valley but also a increase in the population. This increase resulted in a greater demand for local produce.This item is one of many domestic food processing implements used by Kiewa Valley households in the mid 1900s, whether on the farm or in the small towns and hamlets. Self sufficiency was the key to survival during these early times. Where ever possible supplies from within the valley were preferred to that brought in by travelling salesmen or traders. This butter mould and butter pat was commonly used to fashion "home" made butter throughout the valley and in some cases supplied to "outside" regional towns. Although this method of production was phased out by better access to goods from nearby cities the revival of the good organic home grown produce in the 1980s saw a greater demand of this type of farm based produce.This butter pat is one of two,see KVHS 0071 (B). It has been crafted from wood. One side has grooves running from the handle to the square shaped bottom. These grooves would stop the wet butter from clinging to the pat. The top side of the pat has been bevelled on both sides and the bottom edge. The hand grip is flat and curved to allow for a comfortable hold.domestic food preparation, wooden butter pat, butter mould circular, dairy industry, butter

This butter pat profiler may have been manufactured post 1967(year post codes appeared in Australia) however the post code was only stamped on after it was machined. This type of butter mould was used by rural families to fashion home/farm made butter. This period was in most rural regions a time of self sufficiency where any domestic type implement which could be fashioned by the family would be crafted with skill. Shopping for goods required catalogues from stores located in major rural towns and cities and involved lengthy waiting times. Travelling to and from these specialised stores was not pleasant due to the relatively poor quality of the roads and the lengthy times taken. The small general stores in the Kiewa Valley could not cater for all the needs of the valley. The 1960's was a time when facilities especially goods and services started to improve drastically. The S.E.C. of Victoria with its Kiewa Hydro Electricity Scheme provided not only an improvement of facilities in the valley but also a increase in the population. This increase resulted in a greater demand for local produce.This item is one of many domestic food processing implements used by Kiewa Valley households in the mid 1900s, whether on the farm or in the small towns and hamlets. Self sufficiency was the key to survival during these early times. Where ever possible supplies from within the valley were preferred to that brought in by travelling salesmen or traders. This butter mould and butter pat was commonly used to fashion "home" made butter throughout the valley and in some cases supplied to "outside" regional towns. Although this method of production was phased out by better access to goods from nearby cities the revival of the good organic home grown produce in the 1980s saw a greater demand of this type of farm based produce.This butter pat is one of two,see KVHS 0071 (A). It has been crafted from wood. One side has grooves running from the handle to the square shaped bottom. These grooves would stop the wet butter from clinging to the pat. The top side of the pat has been bevelled on both sides and the bottom edge. The hand grip is flat and curved to allow for a comfortable hold.domestic food preparation, wooden butter pat, butter mould circular, dairy industry

Six small tin metal cake tins which have fluted edges.cake-tins domestic food-preparation kitchen

Older gem scone trays were made of cast iron. This more modern one is made of cast aluminium.This domestic kitchen baking tin is typical of the period when when most food was made at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factoriesA solid cast aluminium gem scone tin. It has hemisherical indents for baking 12 small cakes.WAYdomestic food-preparation gem-scones baking

A food safe was a piece of domestic equipment widely used in Australia before refrigeration to preserve perishable food in summer. A food safe was a common domestic item widely used in rural Victoria before cheap refrigeration was available.A rectangular tin food safe. It is painted green and has thin wire bent into a triangular shape for hanging.Inside is a cream coloured painted shelf. It has six circular air vents on three sides and four on the door.domestic food-preservation food-safe

This item would have been very common on farms throughout the Orbost area. Prior to bulk milk, cream was the major commodity which was sold to the butter factory. This is a small separator, typical of home use. This domestic kitchen appliance is typical of the period when food processing was done at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factoriesHand operated rusted metal cream separator with metal and wood handle.Front - A.O Handle-75.T.PR.MIN Back- (RHS) A.O. (LHS) Co-op in outline of Australia.cream-separator domestic-food-preparation dairy-farming

This is one of many models of the Enterprise Tinned Meat Chopper No5This domestic kitchen appliance is typical of the period when food processing was done at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factoriesSmall black metal meat grinder with screw down grip for use on bench tops and tables. Still in working order. Carved wooden handle.Enterprise MFG.Co. PH'A, U.S.A. on clamp. Pat.Jan.30.83.June.5.88 on other side. Enterprise-Tinned-Meat-Chopper on barrel.grinder domestic food-preparation enterprise-mfc

This domestic kitchen appliance is typical of the period when food processing was done at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factories and before domestic refrigeration was common.Round earthenware butter cooler. Red/orange in colour.Has lid. Small holes at bottom so that butter could breathe. Handle on top for lifting cover. Inside is glazed.butter-cooler ceramics earthenware domestic food-storage food-preservation

This item is an example of domestic tableware commonly used in the early 20th century.Small mauve rectangular glass butter dish. Intricate designs etched into glass. There is no lid.glass dish butter-dish crockery domestic food tableware

This is an example of an early 20th century ceramic container.Small stoneware dripping jar. Wide lip. Top half of jar is beige, bottom cream coloured.jar container ceramics stoneware domestic food-storage preservation

This domestic kitchen appliance is typical of the period when food processing was done at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factoriesVery rusted round tin with detachable bottom and lid for easy removal of cheese. Small eyelets on each side and large handles each side. Top and bottom lids have holes in them to allow moisture to escape.cheese-mould domestic food-preparation

Small copper kettle with carved black wooden handle.kettle cooking copperware domestic food-preparation

A cork screw with a hand-carved handle. It has a metal screw lever. The handle appears to have come from a domestic tool which has been hollowed out for the metal screw.corkscrew domestic food-drink

These butter pats are typical of the period when food processing was done at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factories.A pair of small wooden butter pats with ridged surface on one side and smooth on the back . Each has a hole in the handle for hanging. butter-pats domestic food-preparation

This item was hand-carved by Mark Richardson in 1899 at Tabbara. He operated the Richardson saw mill on the Brodribb at Tabbara and was a farmer at Bete Bolong.A hand-carved wooden rolling pin made from local blackwood."by Mark Richardson 1899"rolling-pin domestic food-preparation richardson-mark

From the estate of Elsie Cook, daughter of early Brodribb settler John Cook. Elsie Cooke lived all her life in Gippsland,. She was born at Brodribb in 1895 and died in 1970, Elsie Cooke lived at Bruthen for a short time and, in 1937, moved to live with her aunt, Miss Jean Munro. Miss Cooke was Librarian at the Mechanics Institute for many years. Kindness and consideration for other were Miss Cooke’s attributes and she endeared herself to all who knew her. She was a loyal member of the Presbyterian Church and a stalwart of the Ladies’ Guild, an energetic worker for the Municipal Auxiliary and a member of the Red Cross. (ref. Mary Gilbert) These items are an example hand-made wooden items of the late 19th centuryTwo small hand-turned wooden egg cups decorated with rings around centre.egg-cups carving handcrafts domestic food

This butter mold is typical of the period when food processing was done at home. It would have been before the time of mass food processing factoriesA wooden bowl which uses the lid as an imprint plunger. The imprint is a floral design and has a long handle. The bowl has a hole in the base for easy removal of butter.butter-mould domestic food-preparation

One small thin butter stamp rolling pin covered in tiny squares. One larger butter stamp rolling pin. Both are wooden.butter-stamps domestic food-preparation