This early 20th-century chest of drawers is unique. It was made from recycled timber kerosene boxes and metal tins. The case was made in South Australia between 1905 and 1927 by the British Imperial Oil Company Ltd, which was the first business to import bulk petroleum products into Australia. Before this, ships carried crates of kerosene as cargo. Items salvaged from the 1880 wreck of the vessel Eric the Red included kerosene boxes. Kerosene replaced plant and animal-based fuel, such as whale oil, for lighting in homes and for the lamps in lighthouses and on marine vessels. It was also used for cooking and heating and as engine fuel. The last kerosene-fueled lighthouse lamp was transferred to solar power in 1985. The chest of drawers is one-of-a-kind. The original uses for the components of the chest of drawers, the wooden box and metal tins were for containing and transporting kerosene. Kerosene was used from the late 19th century for fuel in lamps, heating, and cooling. Previously whale oil was used for the lamps in lighthouses. The company providing the kerosene was the first to import it into Australia in bulk quantities. The set of drawers is one of the many ways that inventive Australians were able to repurpose materials.Chest of drawers; wooden frame and rails, metal drawers with vertical metal handles. The frame has been constructed from the wooden panels of a vintage oil and kerosene box. The three drawers have been created from empty kerosene cans that were cut in half from top to bottom, some with the round opening closed over. Inscriptions from the original box and cams are stencilled on the top and base of the frame and impressed or painted on the metal cans. The frame has provision for a further drawer. The wooden case and metal tins were made in Australia.Top and base of frame; "THE BRITISH IMPERIAL OIL CO. LTD." "OIL ENGINE KEROSENE" "CASE ANDTINS AUSTRALIAN MADE" On tin; "POWIRIN" "BIOCO LTD" Logo [cross} with inscription on horizontal bar "CROSS" Impressed in timber drawer dividers (indecipherable text) Side of drawer, painted in orange on black; "TY -, REG U S - TIDE - "flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, antique, domestic equipment, chest of drawers, tool box, furniture, storage, recycled tin, recycled box, kerosene, fossil fuel, lighthouse lamp fuel, british imperial oil company ltd.

During the 1930s Depression with money and goods in short supply, many people had to learn to adapt and improvise with whatever they could find. This tin mug is an example of the resourcefulness and creativity that emerges in times of adversity. This item is a good example of the self-reliance of early families before the availability of mass produced domestic items.A tin mug with a tin handle. It is made from a recycled tin container and the handle has been soldered on to the side.tin-mug handmade container tin

Toolbox, made by Salvation Army Brigadier Warren Trestrail (1895-1971), during the Great Depression from recycled kerosene tins and packing boxes. It proved to be a useful piece of furniture as the family moved around Australia during various postings within the Australian States and Territories. In World War II, Warren Trestrail embarked with the first convoy of soldiers from Australia to the Middle East and served as Salvation Army welfare officer through the Libyan campaign, at Tobruk, and in Greece. In 1942, it was announced that Salvation Army war services at Darwin would be placed under his direction. He had previously been in charge of South Australian war activities. The item was donated to the Society in 2001 by Sadie Trestrail, who had been a teacher at Kew East Primary School for many years. It is a fine example of vernacular furniture made of recycled materials .Depression-era toolbox constructed from recycled kerosene tins and parts of wooden packing boxes. The five tin drawers are made of sections of kerosene tins with handles soldered to the centre of each new drawer. A number of drawers have separators constructed of tin or aluminium. The wooden planks encasing the the drawers are covered with a degraded shellac coating. An analysis of the interior indicates that the brand names of the original parts are largely extant. furniture - recycled - depession era - 1930s, great depression - 1930s - australia, warren trestrail, salvation army, vernacular furniture

This tea tin is part of the Uebergang Collection. The collection is the property of the 'Ray & Joyce Uebergang Foundation' and was held in store for several years before being transferred to the care of Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Company Ltd's Cheese World Museum. The Uebergang family came from Silesia in 1848 and were early settlers in the Allansford area. The Uebergangs purchased Tooram Park in 1912 and lived there until it was sold following the death of the last member of the family in 1994. The family often re-used, recycled and repaired items. The tea tin is an example of re-use. Moran & Cato was Dark blue cylindrical tin with push-on lid decorated with a bronze ring around the top and bottom for retail tea sales. The tin was sold by retail firm Moran & Cato and is decorated with their name in large white lettering on the front, and the address in scrolls at the bottom. The firm's logo/trade mark is featured in a circle at the top with a flower design each side. The logo/trade mark has the letters M & C intertwined and the company motto in a scroll below. The tin was designed to be used for storage once empty and is marked on the back with the word 'Cakes' in a cream scroll across the centre. The top half of this side is light blue and the bottom half dark blue.Trade mark: We Keep Troth Moran & Cato's Pure Tea/Branches in all suburbs of Melbourne and throughout Victoria, Hobart (Tas). At base: Moran & Cato Pty Ltd/277 Brunswick St/Fitzroy. Distributors for NSW. Moran & Cato Ltd Sydney. Reverse: Cakes On bottom: A24uebergang, tins, tea, moran & cato, recycling

One of a collection of Depression-era items donated by Mrs Elizabeth Angel. The cage, and another similar cage is constructed of found or recycled materials including what appear to be kerosone tinsDepression-era handmade birdcage, constructed out of painted tin and chicken wire. The cage has an overhanging piece of iron at the front for protection from the weather. It is open on three sides. bird cages

One of a collection of Depression-era items donated by Mrs Elizabeth Angel. The cage, and another similar cage, is constructed of found or recycled materials including what appear to be kerosene tinsDepression-era handmade birdcage, constructed out of painted tin and chicken wire. The cage has an overhanging piece of iron at the front for protection from the weather. It is open on three sides. bird cages

Used in the late 19th or early 20th century.A large triangular shaped metal blade tin cutter for manually opening kerosene and petrol tin lids which were often recycled for use on farms in the 19th and early 20th century. It has a rectangular shaped tubular steel handle attached to the top side by two rivets. On one of the triangular points of the blade is the manufacturer's brand ' Chapman and Co, Enfield S.A'. It was Australian made.'Chapman and Co, Enfield S..A'. tin openers, tools, tin cutter, farming equipment