Showing 3 items matching rakali
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Brighton Historical SocietyCoat, Water rat fur coat, c.1930s
This coat belonged to Brighton resident Audrey Winifred Pickett (nee Heriot; 1915-2011). The coat is made from the pelts of rakali, also known as the Australian water rat, a native rodent species similar to an otter. Growing up to 35 centimetres in length, rakali typically live in burrows near water, feeding on fish, insects, yabbies and waterbirds. Throughout the early twentieth century, they were widely considered to be a nuisance and were hunted for their soft and waterproof fur. Demand for rakali pelts increased during the 1930s Depression years, when a ban was placed on the import of overseas furs; rakali fur became a popular substitute for the fur of the American muskrat. The species was placed under a protection order in 1938, although periodic culls were allowed until 1957 due to their perceived destruction of irrigation banks and fishing nets. Audrey recalled that the coat was made for her by furrier F. J. Ellemor after a large cull of rakali. The coat was displayed in the window of Ellemor's Block Place store. F. J. Ellemor Pty Ltd was established in 1908 by furrier Francis John Ellemor (1867-1944) and continued into the late twentieth century under the management of his son Wilfred (1801-1972). Francis and his wife Edith lived in Rothesay Avenue, Brighton from the late 1930s.Three-quarter length brown fur coat made of Australian water-rat (rakali) pelts. Wide raised collar and cuffs. Fastens centre front with two large hooks and eyes. Lined with chocolate brown silk satin.Label, woven brown on beige silk, centre back neck: created by / F. J. Ellemor / FURRIERS / MELBOURNEfur coat, rakali, australian water rat, melbourne fashion, audrey winifred heriot, audrey winifred pickett, audrey winifred north, francis john ellemor, f. j. ellemor, furrier -
Kew Historical Society IncPhotograph, J F C Farquhar, Ratting on the Yarra, 1891
At the beginning of the 1890s, the Kew businessman and Town Councillor, Henry Kellett, commissioned J.F.C. Farquhar to photograph scenes of Kew. These scenes included panoramas as well as pastoral scenes. The resulting set of twelve photographs was assembled in an album, Kew Where We Live, from which customers could select images for purchase.The preamble to the album describes that the photographs used the ‘argentic bromide’ process, now more commonly known as the gelatine silver process. This form of dry plate photography allowed for the negatives to be kept for weeks before processing, hence its value in landscape photography. The resulting images were considered to be finely grained and everlasting. Evidence of the success of Henry Kellett’s venture can be seen today, in that some of the photographs are held in national collections.It is believed that the Kew Historical Society’s copy of the Kellett album is unique and that the photographs in the book were the first copies taken from the original plates. It is the first and most important series of images produced about Kew. The individual images have proved essential in identifying buildings and places of heritage value in the district.In Farquhar’s close-up portrait of the rat catcher and his dog, the photographer excludes any extraneous data that otherwise might have provided a spatial or motivational context. The contemporary or the present day viewer is required to construct a narrative to explore or understand what is occurring. The title of the picture might incline a viewer to believe that what they see is an exercise in vermin control, and that the rat concerned might be an introduced black or brown rodent. A more likely scenario is that the rat catcher is focussed on catching ‘rakali’, a native water-rat once widely trapped for its fur. The trapping of rakali for use in the manufacture of fashionable clothing accelerated as introduced furs such as musquash became more expensive. It was not until 1938 that rakali were granted protected status.Ratting on the Yarrakew illustrated, kew where we live, photographic books, henry kellett, yarra river -
Kew Historical Society IncDocument (item), KHS Newsletter No.117, December 2016
No. 117 DECEMBER 2016: Mayors of Kew / Robert Baker p1.Society news [Vale Jill O'Brien] p3. Ratting on the Yarra / Suzanne McWha p4. Saving the [Yarra] river parklands / Valerie Bourke p5. Vale - Marjorie Orr p8. Vale Bill Reeve p8. Mayors of Kew - Robert Morgan Young / Felicity Renowden p9. Mayors of Kew - Henry Francis Phipps / Robert Baker p9. Mayors of Kew - Job Smith / Felicity Renowden p9. Mayors of Kew - Henry Francis Mogg / Margaret Robinson p9. The Great War in Kew - Those that stayed / Andrew Frost p10. New to the Collection [Photographs and clothing donated by Micky Ashton relating to Cr John Marshall and his family] p11.The newsletters of the Kew Historical Society contain significant research by members that explores aspects of the Victorian and Australian Framework of Historical Themes. Frequently, articles on people, places and artefacts are the only source of information about an aspect of Kew, and Melbourne’s history. The contents of each newsletter as such is often significant historically, aesthetically, socially and or spiritually. khs newsletters, historical society newsletters, history -- kew (vic.), mayors of kew, kew town hall, josiah e barnes, ann carew, jill o'brien, family planning association of victoria, powerline action group, studley park conservation society, yarra bend park trust, villa alba, yarra river - fauna, rakali, hydromyini chrysogaster, kew where we live, henry kellett, j. f. c. farquhar, merri creek, state electricity commission of victoria, young street -- kew (vic.), natural resources and environment committee, merri yarra municipal protection committee, studley park association, prue sibree, hon robert fordham, transmission lines task group, national trust of victoria, australian conservation foundation, dr john colbatch, peter mcintyre, richmond high school, gerry hand, john halfpenny, victorian trades hall council, jan wade, powerline review panel, marjorie orr, bill reeve, valerie bourke, 2016, robert morgan young, henry phipps, woodlands, thornbury farm, job smith, berrington, 29 sackville street, herbert francis mogg, world war 1, ww1, the home front, 1916 conscription referendum, mrs e ratten, alexandra gardens, kew recreation hall, kew golf club, kew horticultural society, trinity grammar school, xavier college, 1st kew boy scouts, kew rifle club, patrick o’connor, kew band, cr john marshall, micky ashton
