Suit made by McPhersons of Numurkah for John McNamara and possibly worn for his wedding on April 4, 1953Navy three piece pin striped men's suit, vest - 5 buttons, trousers - 6 buttons & 2 buckles. Jacket, 2 buttons- 4 pocketsTailors, A. McPhersons Son Pty Ltd, Messer Numurkah J. McNamara 11/12/47mcnamara-john, wedding, mcphersons

A biography written with Brian Hansen of one of Carlton's most popular playersPeter Jones AKA Percy played in four Carlton Premierships, 1968,1970,1972 & 1979. Percy played in the shadow of John Nicholls but when John Nicholls retired Percy became Carlton's key ruckman. Percy kicked many goals and his celebrations are legendary. In 1980 Percy was appointed Captain Coach but did not play a game and was left stranded on 249 games. Percy played a key role in the 1972 GF rucking all day which contributed to a famous victory over Richmond. Percy wore #28285 Page Paperback BookInside Cover Autograph of Peter Jones

A colour picture in black frame of Lyall McPherson. He is smiling while sitting with his hands holding on to one kneePte Lyall McPherson 5Pl B Coy 9RAR KIA9 rar, pte lyall mcpherson, kia, 9rar, mcpherson

Brown leather gentleman's wallet, unused. Owner's name, Norman McPherson, embossed in gold on front of wallet, and constructed of "Genuine Hide". Leather work construction with two press studs to secure the wallet."Norman McPherson", embossed in gold.

From title page = "DESERT/ BOYS/ Australians at War from Beersheba/ to Tobruk and El Alamein".Soft cover book Cover - cardboard, light blue colour background. Blue, brown, black print on front, spine and back. Illustrated - black and white photographs - front - five soldiers seated around a gun emplacement. Back - group of soldiers with their kit, ready to leave. 712 pages. Cut, plain, off white colour paper. Illustrated - black and white photographs and documents.publications, books, military history, ww1, ww2

Book - "A WEEK/ IN/ SEPTEMBER/ - A STORY OF ENDURING LOVE/ FROM THE BURMA RAILWAY."Soft cover book. Soft cover - cardboard, white, gold and yellow print on front, spine and back. Illustrated in colour, sky and jungle in silhouette. 356 pages - cut, plain, off white paper. Illustrated - black and white photographs. End papers - on back of front and back - illustrated, hand writing - in colour yellow.biography, ww2, history, books

From the front cover; "THE CROSSROADS/ A story of life, death and the SAS". See original owner details Cat No. 9917.Soft cover book. Cover - cardboard gold and white colour print on front, spine and back. Illustration - colour photograph of the author in uniform on front. 422 pages - cut, plain, off white colour paper. Illustrated - colour photographs.publication, book, autobiography, mark donaldson vc

KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN/ ONE COMMANDO'S/ BRUTALY HONEST ACCOUNT/ OF FIGHTING IN/ AFGHANISTANSoft cover book. Soft cover - cardboard, black, red and white print on front, spine and back. Cover, colour illustration front - four soldiers on patrol, back soldiers. 347 pages, cut, plain, off white paper. Illustrated black and white, and colour photographs. Handwritten Inscription - front flyleaf.Front flyleaf - handwritten black ink "READ BY/ Jeff Willey JAN 2017.books, autobiography, afghanistan

The story of Australian Nurses after the Fall of Singapore, February 1942, an account of the fate of every Nurse who boarded the Coastal Freighter “Vyner Brooke”, the nurses service, ill fated evacuation and their courage, compassion, ingenuity and fortitude in the unthinkable events that followed.Book, soft cover, cardboard, red and black print on front, spine and back, front cover has a photo of three Nurses in uniform in red, white and grey, 360 pages, plain white paper, illustrated B & W and colour photographs.books, nurses ww2, biography, pow’s, japan

Biography, the exceptional life of Wilma Oram Young AM, an Australian Nurse, a captive of the Japanese during WW2. After the War following her return to Australia she was inspired to help her fellow ex POW’s and war veterans through her tireless work with the RSL. Wilma Oram enlisted 0n 12.3 1941 age 24 years VFX58783 in the AANS, embarked for Singapore 2.9.1941, evacuated from Singapore on 12.2.1942 on the Vyner Brooke which was then sunk by the Japanese of Banka Island, they made it to shore on Banka Isl and taken POW for the duration of the War and finally arrived home in Australia on 24.10.1945.Soft cover cardboard, black, white and gold print on front, spine and back, front cover has a collage of B & W photographs of Nurse Wilma Oram Young AM, red, black and gold background colours, 328 pages, white paper, illustrated with B & W photographs.books, biography, nurses, pow’s, ww2

Fromelles - The Final Chapters - How the buried diggers were identified and their lives reclaimed.Soft cardboard cover. Gold / white / black print on front, spine & back. Illustrated front to back, photos of field of poppies in landscape with 4 soldier's portraits in soft sepia tones in the sky of the landscape. 262 pages, cut, plain, off white. Between pages 134 - 135 are an illustrated collection of photos in black / white / colour / sepia on glossy white paper.book, fromelles

From Introduction: This book tells the personal stories of men and women who lived and served through World War II and marks the 50th Anniversary of the end of that war.Soft cardboard cover. Black print on front, spine & back, mottled yellow background colour. Front cover has an illustration of a male in uniform & a female civilian. Front cover has a triangle shape missing from top right hand corner. 119 pages, cut, plain, white. Illustrated with black & white photos.book, heroes, home, abroad

Details from Dust Cover. "THE COURAGEOUS LIFE OF/ WEARY DUNLOP/ Surgeon, Prisoner-of-War, Life-Saving Leader and/Legend of the Thai-Burma Railway".Hard cover book with dust cover. Hardcover - cardboard, black colour buckram with gold colour print on spine. Dustcover - paper with gold, blue and white colour print on front, spine and back. Illustrated in colour, top front informal portrait photograph of Weary Dunlop with background jungle scene with railway work party of Japanese guards, railway sleepers and POW soldier. Back cover - formal portrait in uniform of Weary Dunlop. 540 pages - cut, plain, off white paper. Illustrated black and white, sepia and colour photographs, painting and drawings. Handwritten information on Title page. Handwritten details - black ink pen. "14-11-25/ Steve/I hope you and the Bendigo Military Museum love this! Kind regards/ Peter Fitzsimons".publication, book, military history, biography, ww2, weary dunlop

From the front cover: "THE BATTLE OF/ LONG TAN/ From the best selling author of Kokoda/ and Gallipoli comes the epic story / of Australia's deadliest/ Vietnam War battle."Hard cover book with dust cover. Hardcover - cardboard with black buckram, gold colour print on spine. Dust cover - paper, black and red colour print on front, spine and back. Flaps - blue and white colour print. Illustrated front - two colour photographs of (top) army personnel, (lower) soldiers alighting from a helicopter. Back - one colour photograph of a group of soldiers inspecting equipment. 460 pages - cut, plain, white colour paper. Illustrated - black and white photographs.publication, book, biography, vietnam war

Illustrated book, with three black and white photographs of Wilma Oram Young (as student nurse, in army uniform and in older age). There is a mid-brown band above this photo on which the title is printed in black and white, below the photos there is a black band on which the author's name is printed in light brown. Spine has mid brown background with title printed in black, author's name in light brown, and publisher's mark in white. The back cover has a summary of the book printed in black ink on a light brown background.non-fictionThis is the story of one of Australia's most remarkable women. As a prisoner of war for three and a half years during World War II, Wilma Oram, a young Australian nurse experienced the very worst of human brutality: starvation, deprivation and degradation. Yet, through the comradeship of her fellow prisoners, she also experienced humankind at its best. Following her return to Australia, Wilma was inspired to help her fellow ex-POWs and war veterans through her tireless work with the RSL.wilma oram young, nurses-australia-biography, world ward 1939-1945-prisoners and prisons-japaneses

Illustrated book with light blue cover and black and white print. Also on front cover is a coloured photograph of a woman in Australian Army Uniform (Siter Vivian Bullwinkle) In the bakground ther is a map of Banka Island and a ship. Title and author's name are printed on front cover and spine. Summary of the book is printed on the back cover, along with a small photoraph and information about the author.non-fictionA biography about Vivivien Bullwinkel : the astonishing story of the courage, sacrifice and love of a young army nurse who became an Australian iconvivian bullwinkel, world war 1939-1945, prisoners of war

Illustrated hard cover book with dustjacket. Book bound in dark blue canvas with title, authors name and publishers name in gold on spine. Dust jacket has dark blue background with the title and authors name on front and spine. Also on front cover is image of painting of a poppy by Des Norman. On the back cover there is an image of a 1947 hand coloured map of the Repat hospital.non-fictionHistory of the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne from its creation, when it took over the 115th (Heidelberg) military Hospital in 1947 up to 1994.repatriation general hospital (heidelberg-victoria), veterans hospitals

Illustrated book with dustjacket. Book has a brown cover with abbreviated title and authors name embossed in gold on spine. Dust jacket has a coloured black and white photograph of a nurse in uniform holding an umbrella, book and pencil with tents in the background: Grace Wilson on the Aegean Island of Lemnos, 1915. Full title is printed in white and gold on front along with the author's name in gold. Abbreviated title is printed in brown and gold on spine, along with the author's name and publishers mark in whitenon-fictionUsing diaries and letters the author takes us into the hospital camps, the wards and the tent surgeries on the edge of some of the most horrific battlefronts of human history. He also showed how the friendships and loves of these courageous and compassionate women enriched their experiences.australia army-nurses, military nursing-australia, world war 1914-1918 - medical care, world war 1914-1918-female participation, nurses

Joan Richard was a speaker at the Surrey Hills Historical Society meeting in November 2013. A watercolourist, she has been a long standing member of MSWPS, Past and Recent President in 2017 and a Life Member. The Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors was founded in 1902 by women who had been students at the Art School of the National Gallery of Victoria, to provide a forum for artistic discussion and an opportunity to view and comment on each other's work. Originally named the Students' Art Club, it became "Woomballana" (meaning either 'everlasting beauty' or 'search for beauty') Art Club, The Women's Art Club, the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and finally, in 1954, the present title was adopted. The history of the MSWPS and its members’ achievements, issues of the workplace, family and art commitments, the economic survival of artists, migrant artists and prejudice against women are also explored. Much of the information in “More Than Just Gumtrees” has not been available in previous publications; it includes hitherto unpublished sources - oral history interviews, minute books, reviews, letters, early photographs. There are includes biographies of over 300 artists, with individual exhibition lists, representation in public collections etc REF: MSWPS website. Artist Mabel Pye, who lived in Surrey Hills, is one of the featured artists.A history of the Melbourne Society of Women Painters and Sculptors and of the women who have belonged since 1902. Some of these women have become well-known to the art world, other have slipped by un-noticed. Incl. index, bibliography.To the Surrey Hills/Historical Society/Presented by/Joan Richard/19th November/2013melbourne society of women painters and sculptors, women painters, women sculptors, mabel pye, joan richard

Book

Booknon-fictionA teenager in Changi, Sandakan and Outram Road

Booknon-fictionPersonal accounts of Australia's worst naval disaster.

Autobiography of Greg Williams played for three AFL clubs after famously being rejected by Carlton twice. Greg Williams played for three AFL clubs after famously being rejected by Carlton twice. Greg played for Geelong, Sydney & ironically Carlton. Greg won two Brownlow Medals at Sydney and Carlton in 1994. Greg played in the 1995 Premiership win over Geelong playing as forward kicking 5 goals. He was acknowledged for his handball skills and despite a lack of leg speed his ability to collect possessions. 199 Paperback Book

mcphersons, ballarat road, sunshine north, manufacturing

Postcard Album of Blanche Sly. Postcards stored in Folder 81 (49 postcards). 1403.1 - 1403.28 Grey linen look cover with picture of a small sailing boat pasted centre front pf cover. Partly torn sticker on lower LH corner. Blanche Victoria SLY Born: 11 Oct 1890, daughter of William and Hannah Sly Address: 1913; Loddon Vale Address: 1980; 100 Barnard Street Bendigo Died: Bendigo 12 June 1982, buried Bendigo G3 William Sly: Born: 1856 at Smythesdale, Victoria Married in Victoria in 1887; Hannah Theilman Died: Bendigo 1937, buried Bendigo G1 Hannah Sly Nee Theilman Born: 1866 Married in Victoria in 1887; William Sly Died: Bendigo 1948, buried Bendigo G3 See additional Research .Postcard Album of Blanche Sly containing 49 postcards. See 1403 B&W studio photo of Alex McPherson in soldier's uniform Swiss Studios, Bourke St, Melbourne . Addressee -None Sender -Alex McPherson Dated June 26th, 1916 postcard, collector, blanche sly

Tait collection: item 35 of 62 This is a document giving details of the Letters of Administration following the death of Alexander Gibson McPherson, a farmer of Rochester, Victoria, in December 1883. He died intestate and left an estate worth £215. The beneficiary was his sister, Mary Wright of Somerton. No other details are available on Alexander McPherson. The lawyer in the case was Ernest Chambers who had legal offices in Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Koroit at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. This document was in his possession at his Warrnambool office and passed down to successive lawyers occupying legal premises in Kepler Street. The document was found in the same building, the former premises of the legal firm, Mackay Taylor, where it was located in 2014 and handed over to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society.This document is only of interest as being originally in the possession of Ernest Chambers, a lawyer who was in Warrnambool for several years at the end of the 19th century. No connection between Warrnambool and Alexander McPherson has been found. This is a cream-coloured sheet of parchment paper, folded twice. It contains hand written material in brown ink giving details of the Letters of Administration following the death of Alexander McPherson of Rochester in 1883. A seal of the Supreme Court of Victoria is attached with a green ribbon and it has ,a black stamp of the Master in Equity of the Supreme Court of Victoria. One page has been ruled at the edges with brown lines. The writing is somewhat faded but the document is legible. In the Supreme Court of the Colony of Victoria in its probate jurisdiction in the Estate of Alexander Gibson McPherson late of Rochester in the Colony of Victoria Farmer a bachelor deceasedalexander mcpherson, ernest chambers, warrnambool, tait collection

Thomas McPherson & Sons Catalogue Woodworkers' Tools and Associated Trades Catalogue from 1909 - Kees Klep Printed by Allan MorrisonCatalogue- tools and prices Thomas McPherson & Son - established 1860 Green cover, bound by black spiral Catalogue No 10.Twoodworkers tool, prices, description

McPherson’s Pump Works was established in 1939 at 213–221 Sunshine Road, Tottenham, as part of McPherson’s shift from hardware merchandising into Australian manufacturing. The McPherson’s Pump Works operated alongside the Wiltshire Files factory. The Wiltshire Files factory was located at the front, facing Sunshine Road, the McPherson’s Pump Works at the rear. The Ajax Pumps Company was the operational name for McPherson’s pump manufacturing division. The Tottenham plant produced industrial pumps, cast metal components, engineering fittings and wartime industrial supplies. The peak operations of the plant were during the 1950’s to 1970’s period. This was before the decline of the late 20th century that saw manufacturing consolidated into fewer sites, and parts of the Tottenham complex were demolished and the remaining structures suffered vandalism and deterioration.Today, the 1939, 1947, and 1965 sections remain highly intact, making the site one of the most important surviving industrial complexes in the region. The site is significant for its association with McPherson’s, one of Australia’s major industrial firms, its role in wartime and post war manufacturing, Its modernist industrial architecture and contribution to the industrialisation of Tottenham and the western suburbs. The site is now protected by Heritage Overlay HO163.An Ajax International series pump casing being machined at Mcphersons Pump Works at Tottenham, Victoria.ajax pumps, mcphersons pump works, sunshine road, tottenham

This black and white photograph of Sister Pat McPherson was taken at the 1st International Congress on Domiciliary Nursing held in Melbourne. The congress was hosted by the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) and ran from the 1st - 8th of February 1970. Following this Congress, Sister Patricia McPherson was employed by RDNS from 1970 - 2003, mainly in the area of Administration.Sister Patricia McPherson, State Registered Nurse, Midwife, and Infant Welfare trained nurse, B.A. was awarded an M.B.E. for her community health work among the Aboriginal communities during the time she worked as a Sister for the Australian Inland Mission (AIM). This was just prior to her joining Royal District Nursing Service. Patricia McPherson is listed on page 210 in the 'Women Shaping the Nation - Victorian Honour Roll of Women Vol 1 - 2001' - Centenary of Federation 1901 - 2001.This black and white photograph is a portrait head and shoulders view of Sister Patricia McPherson, who is smiling and has short straight dark hair. She is wearing a black and white patterned frock; on its upper right is attached a plastic name badge with two lines in white capital letters on black background stating: "Miss P. MCPHERSON / WESTERN AUSTRALIA' . Seen in the background is black and white vertical striped wallpaper.The Herald & Weekly Times Ltd, Melbourne, Australiardns, royal district nursing service, 1st internation congress on domisiciary nursing, sister patricia mcpherson

Photographer notations on slide: Steel Manuf’rs at McPherson’s Ltd 1933 Published: The Age, 30 August 1933 BUREAU OF STEEL MANUFACTURERS OF AUSTRALIA. (1933, August 30). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204372874 Published title: Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia Published caption: A group of Inter-State Visitors, from the Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia, on a tour of inspection at the Bolt Works of McPhersons Pty. Ltd., Burnley-Richmond, yesterday. Research by Project Volunteer, Louise McKenzie: The photo shows a line up of 36 men, in three rows, in front of a building. They are mostly dressed in dark 3-piece suits, or camel coats. But one gentleman stands out in his full length leather coat! Striped ties are popular, and they are all holding hats. One man, at the rear towards the right, looks a bit younger with his thick, black, brylcreamed hair.. These interstate gentlemen are described in the newspaper caption as representatives of the Bureau of Steel Manufacturers "...on a tour of inspection at the Bolt Works of McPhersons Pty Ltd, Burnley, Richmond." Interestingly, the Bureau of Steel Manufacturers of Australia (BOSMA) still exists, and is the industry body for major Australian steel producers like BlueScope, Liberty, and InfraBuild, representing their interests, engaging with government, and participating in standards setting for the domestic steel market, with a history dating back to 1923. While BOSMA focuses on primary manufacturing, the Australian Steel Institute (ASI) serves as the broader peak body for the entire steel supply chain, from mills to end-users, promoting and supporting the industry. But at the time of this photo, the Australian steel industry was just starting to make headway. As the AST website explains, "Steelmaking in Australia began just a decade prior to the start of the 1851 Gold Rush whilst Australia was still divided into colonies. Iron ore deposits were discovered in 1840 at Iron Knob, South Australia but a lack of equipment meant that the process of producing steel was impossible. Even attempts at smelting the iron ore in a blast furnace to create pig iron were unsuccessful due to the poor quality of iron ore and coke available to the budding industry. In the other colonies at the time, such as Victoria, Tasmania, and New South Wales, there were minor discoveries of iron ore but poor technical expertise and limited quantity meant that the quality of steel was poor. Compared to the far superior steel being imported from Britain at the time, the steel manufacturing industry simply couldn’t compete and was unviable. By the 1870s, almost all steel production in Australia had been abandoned. The situation began to change at the turn of the century. Rapid growth sparked higher demand for industrial machinery made from steel and infrastructure such as rail. It became apparent that there was a need for locally manufactured steel and soon there would be an answer. In 1901, the year Australia united into a federation, the nation’s first blast furnace went into production at Eskbank near Lithgow in New South Wales. The development was spearheaded by William Stafford and his son Esk, and Stafford is known as the father of Australian steel production. In 1915, production expanded with another steel mill in Newcastle that was opened by BHP. It sourced coke from local mines and iron ore from South Australia, creating a domestic loop for steel manufacturing. In the following years, more steelworks opened in Whyalla, South Australia and Port Kembla in NSW. Steel manufacturing in Australia was now underway." The company mentioned in the photo’s notation and in the newspaper caption, was McPhersons, "...an Australian hardware firm, for many years a leading merchant of woodworking and metal-working machinery... [and founded by] Thomas McPherson (c.1823–1888) who had a home "Dudley House" at 142 Dudley Street, West Melbourne. [The] ironmongery business [was located] in 1860 at 149 Spencer Street, Melbourne. Merchandise carried included bells, lathes, horseshoes and steam engines." (Wikipedia - McPherson's Pty Ltd) Anyone who has read Robyn Annear’s excellent award-winning 2014 book Bearbrass – the name for early Melbourne - will remember only too well her description of West Melbourne, from where the city of Melbourne as we know it, emerged. Her book resurrects the village that was early Melbourne – from the arrival of white settlers in 1835 until the first gold rushes shook the town – and brings it to life in vivid colour. The McPherson family, whose arrival in Bearbrass coincides with this period (Thomas arrived in 1852), became intimately involved in the growth and development of Melbourne. Thomas was Mayor of Melbourne (1870-1871); his eldest son Hunter became a successful Sydney businessman; second son Edward and third son William inherited the company, and ran it together until 1896 when Edward killed himself. William had a notable career in politics as treasurer of Victoria 1917-1923, in which year he was knighted. 1928-1929 he was Premier of Victoria, and a noted philanthropist. The family were significant property owners in the city of Melbourne: 149 Spencer Street, 582-588 Collins Street, 554-566 Collins Street, together with a property on Jeffcott Street, West Melbourne, and factories in Sunshine, Tottenham, Kensington and Richmond – all by the mid 1940s. By that time they also had controlling interests in several Australasian industries, including Ajax Bolt and Rivet Pty Ltd of NZ, F W Hercus Manufacturing Co Ltd, manufacturers in South Australia of lathes, guillotines and other heavy machinery, also of Patience and Nicholson (P & N), manufacturers in Maryborough, Victoria, of twist drills and thread-forming tools; also Wiltshire Files on Sunshine Road, Tottenham, manufacturing files and rasps. The Acme Machine Tool Company became a branch of McPhersons, and the company claimed to have supplied, from their own manufacture, all five million rivets (some 3,600 tonnes) used in the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge – described as a steel through arch bridge, which opened in 1932; the tallest of its kind in the world (Wikipedia – Sydney Harbour Bridge) McPherson’s was also innovative in other ways. It published a comprehensive catalogue, extensively detailed with prices, available free of charge to farmers and other businesses. In 1908 it had 148 pages. By 1937 it had grown to 372 pages. The University of Melbourne’s Archives entry on McPherson’s Limited notes: "After the outbreak of the Second World War, McPherson’s factories worked at full capacity and were crucial to Australia’s war efforts. On 5 December 1944 McPherson's converted to a public company named McPherson's Ltd, with William Edward as Chairman of Directors. By the start of the 1950s the company had a very different Board of Directors; in 1947 the Managing Director Oliver Addison died, and his replacement Marshall Eady died only six months later. Both had been Directors since McPherson’s became a proprietary company in 1913. Another Director, Philip Bevan, died in 1948 and this was followed by the death of William Edward in 1950. S.B Holder, F.G. Thorpe, H.L. Hastie, F. Grassick and D.G. Syme all joined the Board before 1950. The company continued to prosper for many years after the death of William Edward. His son, William David, was invited to join the McPherson’s Ltd Board in 1951. He married Angela Cumming in 1955 and soon after was sent to Brisbane as Director in Charge to oversee the building of a new warehouse. The opening of this warehouse in Queensland meant that the company now had major outlets in five states. As time went on, manufacturing in Australia began to decline and imports of everyday tools began arriving from Asia. These tools were being produced with much lower labour costs and could be sold at cheaper prices. William David retired in 1984 and eventually parts of the company were divested, such as the Richmond Bolt Works which closed in the early 1990s. Since the 1980s, McPherson's has diversified into housewares, printing, and health and beauty care products." This article also contains photos, one of which is a photograph of 'Bolt works picnic' 1920, showing workers in their shirt sleeves participating in a tug of war in a rural "picnic" setting. McPherson’s premises at 554-566 Collins Street more than lasted the test of time and is listed as historically significant. The magnificent art deco building from the 1930s in the heart of Melbourne was first commissioned in 1934 and completed in 1937. It is an imposing building fronting almost a quarter of the city block between Spencer Street and King Street, and was designed to be a warehouse, office and showroom for the hardware empire. International architects Stuart P Calder, and Reid and Pearson designed the four-storey building with a basement level and a stair tower at the centre that provides access to what was a tennis court on the roof. It is considered an example of the streamlined modern style in Melbourne and shows how the McPherson company, protected from taxes after World War I, was able to manufacture goods without being affected by the competition. The building has survived, and its current iteration is as the home to il Mercato Centrale – an Italian style artisan market concept. The University of Melbourne Archives hold a particularly good image of the building from its heyday, complete with Collins Street lamps on the pavement outside the store. And to return to our image, sited at "Bolt Works of McPhersons". Today this segment of McPhersons is still very well known - Ajax. A good summary of the company’s history, and the development of the name and business, can be found on the Mine Suppliers Online website: "AJAX Fasteners can trace its heritage back to 1900, when the Acme Bolt Company was established in West Melbourne, Victoria. In 1909, William McPherson used the company as the basis for establishing McPherson’s Bolt Works – adopting the brand ‘Ajax’ – and moved it to Richmond. Over the years, the company changed many times in response to industry needs to ensure that it remained the premier manufacturer of high quality fasteners in Australia. Many other names in the industry, such as Firth Cleveland, Spurway Cooke and Nettlefolds were merged or acquired into the company. McPhersons ended their 80-year ownership of Ajax in the early 90s when they sold their shares to National Consolidated, which was also a major shareholder at the time. In 1997, Ajax Fasteners moved to new purpose-built premises in Braeside, Victoria. Soon after, National Consolidated was taken over by the diversified manufacturer Austrim. The group soon acquired the iconic Nylex, and adopted the name Nylex Corporation. In January 2007, ACME Operations Pty Ltd acquired Ajax Fasteners and continues to operate the business today from the Braeside plant. The name ACME provides a nostalgic return by the new owners to the company’s heritage, when the Acme Bolt Company was founded in July 1900." REFERENCES: BUREAU OF STEEL MANUFACTURERS OF AUSTRALIA. (1933, August 30). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 25, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204372874 Wikipedia, McPherson’s Pty Ltd, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McPherson%27s_Pty_Ltd Wikipedia, Richmond, Victoria, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond,_Victoria Industry: From the mid-19th century, Richmond was a centre of manufacturing industry, including many large complexes such as the Bryant & May match factory, Jaques Limited engineering works, the Wertheim Piano factory and Pelaco. Wikipedia, Sydney Harbour Bridge, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge eMelbourne, Manufacturing, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00896b.htm 'New life for Melbourne's McPherson Building', The Urban Developer, https://www.theurbandeveloper.com/articles/mcphersons-building-melbourne-il-mercato-centrale-food-retail-destination Bureau Of Steel Manufacturers Of Australia Limited, http://www.bosma.org.au/ 'A Brief History of Steel Manufacturing in Australia', AST, https://astraders.com.au/a-brief-history-of-steel-manufacturing-in-australia/ 'Steel manufacturing in Australia: a brief history', Hard Bakka Steel Fabrication, https://www.hardbakka.com.au/component/virtuemart/steel-manufacturing-in-australia-a-brief-history?Itemid=494 McPherson's Limited, University of Melbourne Archives, https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/nodes/view/58364 Source of Description: 'Nuts and Bolts: A story of a family and a firm', Barbara Hamer (2006), McPherson’s Printing Group 'Photograph of 'Bolt works picnic' 1920', University of Melbourne Archives, https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/assets/display/1287217-max?u=dea2e4d2fd07ac822e624f1e7d39adb3 'Photograph of the exterior of the McPhersons Department store at 546 Collins Street, Melbourne.', University of Melbourne Archives, https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/assets/display/1287215-max?u=12430d30453a77059b7d10d49006a521 Robyn Annear, Bearbrass: imagining early Melbourne, Black Inc., 2014 (originally published 1995 by Mandarin) 'Company details', Ajax Fasteners, http://www.minesuppliersonline.com.au/australia/braeside/hardware/ajax-fasteners 'Former McPherson's Building', Victorian Heritage Database, https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/741Photographer notations on slide: "Steel manuf'rs at McPherson's Ltd 1933 B5".1930-1939, industrial workers, clothing and dress, 1930, iron and steel industry, businesses, bridges, industry, melbourne, gold rush, moderne style architecture