The samples are examples of products made at the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Mill in Geelong but discontinued before 1960. They were used to show shops what materials were available. The samples were given to Mr Robert Anderson, an apprentice fitter and turner at the mill between 1960-1965. His mother, Mrs Lucy Anderson, sewed the samples into quilts in the early 1960s. This is one quilt of three.A quilt made of rectangular woven samples of polychrome woollen fabric. The samples are machine sewn together. It has a blue, red and yellow pieced backing which is loosely handsewn onto the quilt.Back: [handwritten] A Andersonhandicrafts, returned soldiers and sailors mill, wagga, samples, anderson, mr robert anderson, mrs lucy, geelong, victoria

The samples are examples of products made at the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Mill in Geelong but discontinued before 1960. They were used to show shops what materials were available. The samples were given to Mr Robert Anderson, an apprentice fitter and turner at the mill between 1960-1965. His mother, Mrs Lucy Anderson, sewed the samples into quilts in the early 1960s. This is one quilt of three.A quilt made from woven samples of woollen fabric with herringbone and checked designs, mostly in brown, green, blue and red. The samples are machine sewn together. It has a cream backing which is machine sewn onto the quilt.handicrafts, returned soldiers and sailors mill, wagga, anderson, mr robert anderson, mrs lucy, geelong, victoria, quilts, necessity

The samples are examples of products made at the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Mill in Geelong but discontinued before 1960. They were used to show shops what materials were available. The samples were given to Mr Robert Anderson, an apprentice fitter and turner at the mill between 1960-1965. His mother, Mrs Lucy Anderson, sewed the samples into quilts in the early 1960s. This is one quilt of three.A brown quilt made from woven samples of woollen striped fabric in browns and olive greens. The pieces are machine stitched together. It has an off-white backing which is machined and hand sewn into place.handicrafts, returned soldiers and sailors mill, wagga, anderson, mr robert anderson, mrs lucy, geelong, victoria

Made by the Returned Soldiers & Sailors Mill in Geelong, post-1924. Rug was given to NWM from another museum in Western AustraliaTartan rug with cream base, featuring pattern with blue, black, green, yellow and red believed to be the Dress Stewart tartan pattern. RS&S label stitched on back of one corner. Label has stitched signature of John Monash. Two of the ends are tasseled. Appears used with several stains and small holes. Reverse of rug is free of design with solitary light brown colour Bottom left front corner has label which reads "THE/ Dress Stewart" On rear of same corner has label which reads "THE GEELONG R.S & S WOOLLEN MILLS/ PURE/ WOOL/ THE John Monash RUG wool, rs&s, reutrned soldiers and sailors mill, rug, quilt, blanket, john monash, the dress stewart, world war one, world war two, tartan

The Returned Soldiers and Sailors Mills was located near the Barwon river on Pakington Street, Geelong, where its building still stands. The mill was established in October 1922 with capital acquired from War Gratuity Bonds. The mill produced fine grade woollen products with its speciality being ‘Retsol’ travelling rugs.31 page red book bound with metal pins containing fabric samples glued onto paper, with some printed text.cover: [printed] A FORECAST OF TEXTILE VOGUES / FOR THE COMING SEASON / FROM / R. S. & S. Woollen Mill. / Geelongr. s. & s mill, soldiers, sailors, geelong, war, wool, mill

The Returned Soldiers and Sailors Mills was located near the Barwon river on Pakington Street, Geelong, where its building still stands. The mill was established in October 1922 with capital acquired from War Gratuity Bonds. The mill produced fine grade woollen products with its speciality being ‘Retsol’ travelling rugs.25 page red book bound with metal pins containing fabric samples glued onto paper, with some printed text.cover: [printed] A FORECAST OF TEXTILE VOGUES / FOR THE COMING SEASON / FROM / R. S. & S. Woollen Mill. / Geelongr. s. & s mill, soldiers, sailors, geelong, war, wool, mill

The Returned Soldiers and Sailors Mills was located near the Barwon river on Pakington Street, Geelong, where its building still stands. The mill was established in October 1922 with capital acquired from War Gratuity Bonds. The mill produced fine grade woollen products with its speciality being ‘Retsol’ travelling rugs. The mill first began to run into financial troubles with the ‘Credit Squeeze’ or the ‘Holt Jolt’ of the early 1960s. This saw import restrictions lifted which triggered the start of a minor recession and a rise in unemployment. Included in these troubles was the RS&S Mill which saw the number of employees gradually decrease and business declining with cheaper imports beginning to grab an expanding part of the market share. The mill was eventually purchased by Godfrey Hirst in 1973 who tried to continue operations without success and in June 1975 textile production at the site ceased. Outside of financial considerations contributing to the closure of Woollen Mills in this period was the declining need for heavier fabrics as in-home heating and insulation improved. This need had been replaced for a demand for ever softer, finer and lighter worsted fabrics for more casual clothing. Modern day textile production requires fewer steps in the processing of materials for this use. This meant large factory complexes such as early woollen mills like the RS&S mills were no longer required. Compared to modern textile production which can spin a fine yarn out of synthetic fibre or imported cotton easily, spinning fine yarn from medium quality wool at a textile factory was cumbersome and no longer financially viable to suit new consumer demands. This rug provides context to this statement. It was gifted to Shirley and Gordon Green as a wedding present in November 1963 by one of Gordon's colleagues in the wool industry. Living in areas such as Neutral Bay, the Hornsby area and later in life retiring to the Central Coast, the blanket was too heavy for use in these weather conditions and hence it stayed in its original box for nearly 60 years. Top and bottom of rug has frilled edges. Pattern is titled the 'Clan Cameron' and is repeated in a 7x7 grid. Front of rug has a red background with 4 vertical and horizontal lines. All is surrounded by a yellow boarder. Label is stitched into the bottom right corner. Reverse of rug also has a repeating 7x7 grid. Blue background with thick green horizontal stripe. Yellow and red boarder to the grid with 4 red vertical and horizontal lines making up the interior. Rug measure 1550 x 2040mm, approximately the same size as a queen size mattress.Wording, Bottom right corner. THE GEELONG R.S&S. WOOLEN MILLS/ PURE/ WOOL/ AUSTRALIA/ The John Monash Rug (cursive)/ The Clan Cameron (cursive)rs&s mills, textile manufacture, rug, clan cameron, sydney greasy wool exchange

Black and white photograph of Returned Soldiers and Sailors Woollen Mills Girls' Interhouse Sports 1940 'A' Team.Black and white photograph of Returned Soldiers and Sailors Woollen Mills Girls' Interhouse Sports 1940 'A' Team.textile mill, s textile mills sporting teams, returned soldiers and sailors mill, sport, leibhardt, c i.s. - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills, textile mills - sporting teams

Copy of a cheque celebrating the final repayment by R. S. & S. Woollen and Worsted Co-operative of a Commonwealth Government loan.Copy of a cheque mounted on cardboard with white and black printed text.GEELONG R. S. & S. / Woollen & Worsted Co-operative Manufacturing Co. Ltd. / £50,000 / Commonwealth Government Loan. / Repayable in 10 Years / Granted by Special Act of Parliament 20th Dec. 1922. / Rt. Hon. W. M. Hughes, Prime Minister -- Hon. Arthur Rogers Minister for Repatriation / Final Repayment by above Cheque -- 20th Dec. 1932.

Ofice at the R S & S mill.Black and white photograph of four people in an office, most likely at the Returned Soldiers & Sailors Mill, Geelong.Gen Stan Savige/ Mr Schofield/ Gethin Kidmantextile mills - management textile mills - staff textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, kidman, mr g. l., textile mills - management, textile mills - staff, textile mills

Production samples from Returned Soldiers and Sailors Mill, given to Mr Alexander Lau before the mill closure.Sample book: textile sample book, cardboard cover, cloth bound. The cover is in a mottled brown pattern, the spine has "1928" handwritten at the top. Inside , small textile sampples are glued and later stapled, to paper pages. The pages have numerous handwritten inscriptions and are headed by dates, beginning 1958-1959.1958-1959 varioustextile design fashion textile industry - history, alexander lau pty ltd returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile design, fashion, textile industry - history

Photo depicts the Geelong Returned Soldiers and Sailors Woollen and Worsted Mill Board of Directors in 1938. Pictured are: Secretary - E.J. Fairnie; Director - G.W. McDonald; Chairman - D.P.C. Wilson; Managing Director - A. Schofield; Director - Padre Charles Neville; Director - F.H. BurnRSS Mill Board of Directors, 1938.GEELONG R.S. & S. WOOLLEN & WORSTED CO-OPERATIVE / MANUFACTURING COY. LIMITED / BOARD OF DIRECTORS / 22nd OCTOBER, 1938 The / Lockwood Studios / Geelongtextile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, fairnie, mr edward john - returned soldiers and sailors mill schofield, mr albert m.b.e. - returned soldiers and sailors mill wilson, mr d. p.c. - returned soldiers and sailors mill

'Retsol' brand travel rug produced by the Returned Soldiers and Sailors Mill, Geelong. Retsol rugs were one of the specialities of the RSS Mill. This one was owned by Mrs A.T. Lucas who gave it to Running Stitch.RETSOLtextile production, textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill running stitch group, retsol rugs, running stitch collection, blankets, lucas, mrs a. t., geelong

Photograph of Margaret Keown, Mr E J Fairnie's SecretaryMargaret Keown/ E J Fairnie's Secretary G Kidmantextile mills - staff textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, keown, margaret - returned soldiers and sailors mill fairnie, mr edward john - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff, textile mills

Commemorative, souvenir booklet of the visit to the RSS Mills by HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester on Saturday, 3rd November 1934. HRH stayed at 'Ercildoune' at Burrumbeet, Victoria, home of H. Alan Currie, MLC, and a merino stud containing descendents of the historic King George III flock. HRH sheared a sheep during his stay, and the fleece was taken to the RSS Mill where HRH later visited to see it being made into a Royal and Hunting Stewart tartan travelling rug.WITH THE COMPLIMENTS / OF THE DIRECTORATE OF / THE GEELONG RETURNED / SOLDIERS' WOOLLEN MILLS / GEELONG / VICTORIA, AUS., / NOVEMBER, 1934royal visits, textile mills history, merino sheep history, textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, 1918: australians in france - exhibition (19/02/2000 - 30/04/2000), fairnie, mr edward john - returned soldiers and sailors mill schofield, mr albert m.b.e. - returned soldiers and sailors mill currie, hon. h. alan m.l.c., ercildoune stud, burrumbeet, textile mills - history, merino sheep - history

Reference letter from Chief Designer of Retsol Mils, Geelong, Mr JW Callander about Mrs Anna Kiricenkovs, dated 3rd September 1975.Reference letter from Chief Designer of Retsol Mils, Geelong, Mr JW Callander about Mrs Anna Kiricenkovs, dated 3rd September 1975.textile industry textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, callander, mr john - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile industry, textile mills

One of two albums presented to Mr EJ Fairnie in appreciation of his work towards the exhibitions of 1928 and 1938.Photograph album, 22pp - Loose leaf album, grey board pages with four holes punched at left side and tied with cord. "Geelong Made in Australia Exhibition 1928" is on front cover, the first page is inscribed in white ink. The rest of the album contains two handwritten letters and black and white photographs in connection with the exhibition.An Appreciation/ of Courtesy to/ E J Fairnie, esq Photographs by the Lockwood Studiostextile mills - history textile machinery textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill valley worsted mill collins bros mill pty ltd albion woollen mills co. pty ltd james munday & coy j c brown & co bright & hitchcocks pty ltd, fairnie, mr edward john - returned soldiers and sailors mill walter, mr a l, textile mills - history, textile machinery, textile mills

One of two albums presented to Mr EJ Fairnie in appreciation of his work towards the exhibitions of 1928 and 1938. Mr Fairnie was Hon Sec of the 1928 committee. The both exhibitions were in the Dennys Lascelles Bow Truss building.Presented to/ E J Fairnie esq/ whose efforts ..... Photographs by Lockwood Studiostextile mills - history textile machinery textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill valley worsted mill collins bros mill pty ltd albion woollen mills co. pty ltd felt and textiles pty ltd excelsior woollen and worsted mills federal woollen mills ltd gordon institute of technology, fairnie, mr edward john - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - history, textile machinery, textile mills

Photograph of Sue FairnieSue Fairnie Horsted G Kidmantextile mills - staff textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, fairnie, ms sue - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff, textile mills

Photograph of Sue Fairnie's weddingLindsay Fairnie/ Sue Fairnietextile mills - staff textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, fairnie, ms sue - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff, textile mills

Photograph of Sue Fairnie's weddingSue Fairnietextile mills - staff textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, fairnie, ms sue - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff, textile mills

Colour blending, R S & S mill.Blending section/ Alf Harper - the colour blender ROBERT POCKLEY/ PHOTOGRAPGER G Kidmantextile machinery textile mills - history textile mills - staff textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, blending, colour blending, finishing, harper, mr alfred - returned soldiers and sailors mill kidman, mr g. l., textile machinery, textile mills - history, textile mills - staff, textile mills

Mrs Stan/ nee (Ruth Thompson)textile mills - staff textile mills - history textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, kidman, mr g. l. thomson, ruth - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff, textile mills - history, textile mills

Mrs Duncan McLennan/(nee Cath Blant) GK Robert Hockley/ Geelongtextile mills - staff textile mills - history textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, kidman, mr g. l. blaut, kath - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff, textile mills - history, textile mills

Johnny Broughton, organiser of Annual Christmas Party made toys all year/ all children under 12 received presentstextile mills - staff textile mills - history textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, kidman, mr g. l. broughton, mr john - returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff, textile mills - history, textile mills

Part of set of 53 photographs taken of exterior and interior of Godfrey Hirst Ltd Mill.woollen mills history, textile mills, returned soldiers and sailors mill, the spirit of anzac, fairnie, mr edward john - returned soldiers and sailors mill, woollen mills - history