The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo.Large black bound book with ribbon for fastening containing 12 double-sided blue pages. Pages have several samples of shorn wool mounted and annotated to include information such as specific breeding, shearing faults, and geographical area. The book concludes with four pages without wool samples. Two of these pages relate to plans for a shearing shed and other industry related structures. The final two-pages relate to the anatomy of a sheep. Wool sample books were constructed by Wool Classing students at the Gordon Technical School as examples of what to look for when classing wool. The students were tasked with constructing these books with samples they retrieved themselves from several different farms and animals. The book would serve as a reference point for the wool classers throughout their years in the field, it was always on hand to refresh knowledge. This book was constructed by Stanley Hucker over his schooling at the Gordon between 1936 and 1938Front Cover. Handwritten, White Ink "Stanley Hucker / Samples"90 years wool classing between father & son, wool classing, gordon technical school

Sample pages from "AACC Handbook No.3: Recipes and general hints on preparation of Army rations in SWPA". An example of a war time handbook issued to Australian Military Forces, and has a 'restricted' warning printed on cover. These sample pages include cuts of beef, mutton and pork, and a cross-section of a drum pug oven. An example of a war time 'how-to' book.Digital copy of sample pages from a bookaustralian army, rations, cooking, drum pug oven, meat cuts

"Sale by sample with clean colour measurement" - Australian Wool Corporation 1977."Sale by sample with clean colour measurement" - Australian Wool Corporation 1977.woolclassing - objective measurement wool marketing wool - measurement wool sales sheep stations - management, australian wool corporation, wool clip preparation, woolclassing - objective measurement, wool marketing, wool - measurement, wool sales, sheep stations - management

A sample product of the Legacy logo ordered by Legacy from an unknown manufacturer at an unspecified time. This is similar to a typical plaque used on headstones in some cemeteries. It is possible that Legatees asked to have the logo on their headstones and this was a sample provided by a manufacturer as a sample. The symbol of Legacy is the Torch and Wreath of Laurel. The Torch signifies the undying flame of service and sacrifice of those who gave their lives for their country.A record of the symbol of Legacy being manufactured into a plaque. Brass rectangular shape, raised edges, 3 symbols of Legacy in ascending order from left to right, brown background, Legacy symbols and raised edging brass colour. Rear of plaque. "Sample R,R, hot urgent. See James",handwritten in black felt tip pen.plaque, logo

Sample page from "Smocking Simplified", showing a line drawing of two small girls wearing smocked dresses. An example of 1940s advertising through sewing and homemaker books. In this book, instructions are given for smocking of garments. Smocking is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric. An example of mid 20th century advertising through 'how-to' books.Digital copy of sample page from a bookhistoric advertisements, smocking, embroidery, hand sewing, paragon art needlecraft

Sample pages from "Here's how for householders". An example of 1940s advertising through sewing and homemaker books. In this book, instructions are given for many aspects of household management, interspersed with advertisements for useful items. Inside front and back covers are advertisements for Shell products, the company publishing this book.. There is also an advertisement for Pennant Kerosine (kerosene)An example of mid 20th century advertising through 'how-to' books.Digital copy of sample pages of a bookhistoric advertisements, domestic science, shell company of australia, household hints, pennant kerosine, kerosene

An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria.An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria. After the devastating 1939 ‘Black Friday’ bushfires, Victoria’s tallest known trees were to be found in the Cumberland scenic reserve, 20 km north-east of Marysville. This stand of trees was set aside in the 1920s to preserve a ‘sample acre’ of tall trees. It originally contained 27 trees, the tallest of which was said to be 92 m, whilst the average height was 81 m. A severe wind storm in 1959 blew down 13 trees and left the ‘tall tree’ at a reduced 84 m (Munro 1992). An examination of the crown of this tree by arborist Tom Greenwood (Tom Greenwood pers. comm. 2001) suggested that it was unlikely that it ever reached the original figure of 92 m; the current height is 81.5 m, a figure used as the starting point for this search for Victoria’s tallest trees. This postcard was published by the Valentine Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd. as a souvenir of Marysville.VALENTINE'S/ POST CARD/ A GENUINE PHOTOGRAPHsample acre, tall trees, marysville, victoria, cumberland valley, postcard, valentine publishing co, souvenir, 1939 bushfires, cumberland scenic reserve

An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria.An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria. After the devastating 1939 ‘Black Friday’ bushfires, Victoria’s tallest known trees were to be found in the Cumberland scenic reserve, 20 km north-east of Marysville. This stand of trees was set aside in the 1920s to preserve a ‘sample acre’ of tall trees. It originally contained 27 trees, the tallest of which was said to be 92 m, whilst the average height was 81 m. A severe wind storm in 1959 blew down 13 trees and left the ‘tall tree’ at a reduced 84 m (Munro 1992). An examination of the crown of this tree by arborist Tom Greenwood (Tom Greenwood pers. comm. 2001) suggested that it was unlikely that it ever reached the original figure of 92 m; the current height is 81.5 m, a figure used as the starting point for this search for Victoria’s tallest trees. This postcard was published by the Valentine Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd. as a souvenir of Marysville.VALENTINE'S POST CARD A GENUINE PHOTOGRAPHsample acre, tall trees, marysville, victoria, cumberland valley, postcard, valentine publishing co, souvenir, 1939 bushfires, cumberland scenic reserve

This book dates from the 1940s and was part of the Running Stitch collection of quilts, probably because it was common for women to acquire these books from travelling salesmen. This sample book is an example of the type made by textile mills and given to tailors to sell fabric for made to measure suits. With little money to spare during the austere years of the war, women often acquired these books from tailors when the fabrics were no longer available. They made use of the fabric sample pieces to make quilts. The Australian Woollen Mills was an example of a woollen mill which went into worsted production making good quality English-type suiting. They were very successful until the 1960's when the oversupply of worsted fabrics from Europe and Asia led to the decline of the industry in this country. This book was displayed in the Running Stitch exhibition "Wool Quilts Old and New" of 1985 where it was catalogue entry number 40.Australian Woollen Mills Crusader fabric sample book, c.1940sKnight / QUALITY SELECTED / SUITINGS / of / Crusader / CLOTH / NEVER SOLD OUT Crusader / CLOTH / Makes the best suits "Crusader" / WORSTEDaustralian woollen mills pty ltd running stitch group, cloth - worsted, running stitch collection

An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria.An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria. After the devastating 1939 ‘Black Friday’ bushfires, Victoria’s tallest known trees were to be found in the Cumberland scenic reserve, 20 km north-east of Marysville. This stand of trees was set aside in the 1920s to preserve a ‘sample acre’ of tall trees. It originally contained 27 trees, the tallest of which was said to be 92 m, whilst the average height was 81 m. A severe wind storm in 1959 blew down 13 trees and left the ‘tall tree’ at a reduced 84 m (Munro 1992). An examination of the crown of this tree by arborist Tom Greenwood (Tom Greenwood pers. comm. 2001) suggested that it was unlikely that it ever reached the original figure of 92 m; the current height is 81.5 m, a figure used as the starting point for this search for Victoria’s tallest trees. This photograph was published by the Valentine Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd. as a souvenir of Marysville.sample acre, tall trees, marysville, victoria, cumberland valley, valentine publishing co, photograph, souvenir, 1939 bushfires, cumberland scenic reserve

An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria.An early black and white photograph of a sample acre of tall trees near Marysville in Victoria. After the devastating 1939 ‘Black Friday’ bushfires, Victoria’s tallest known trees were to be found in the Cumberland scenic reserve, 20 km north-east of Marysville. This stand of trees was set aside in the 1920s to preserve a ‘sample acre’ of tall trees. It originally contained 27 trees, the tallest of which was said to be 92 m, whilst the average height was 81 m. A severe wind storm in 1959 blew down 13 trees and left the ‘tall tree’ at a reduced 84 m (Munro 1992). An examination of the crown of this tree by arborist Tom Greenwood (Tom Greenwood pers. comm. 2001) suggested that it was unlikely that it ever reached the original figure of 92 m; the current height is 81.5 m, a figure used as the starting point for this search for Victoria’s tallest trees. This photograph was published by the Valentine Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd. as a souvenir of Marysville.sample acre, tall trees, marysville, victoria, cumberland valley, valentine publishing co, photograph, souvenir, 1939 bushfires, cumberland scenic reserve

Section of core sample taken from Eastland Stage 5 Nov 2014 - Donated by Terry Ahern, obtained through Probuild building contractorsSection of core sample taken from Eastland Stage 5 November 2014 +Additional Keywords: Eastland / Ahern, Terry / Probuild

Jane McGrath made this quilt 30 years ago from a tartan fabric sample book (c.1990). It was one of her first quilts. Jane was inspired to quilt by her mother Shirley Critchley. Jane recalls her mother being a very talented quilter, with one example being the “Unpicked Jumper Wagga” which can be found within the National Wool Museum’s Collection (REG 8283). Shirley taught Jane the basics in quilting and assisted her in preparing this quilt. The quilt is backed with material from disused woollen skirts. Jane could not recall what material was used for the internal insulating fabric. Jane donated the Tartan Fabric Sample Quilt to the National Wool Museum in 2021. The quilt had been languishing in her cupboard for many years and had found its way to the op-shop pile, as her children had no desire to inherit her quilts. The top layer of the quilt consists of five distinct rows of tartan samples appliqued together. The rows of tartan samples are broken with a boarder of white, grey, and brown fabric which runs in parallel lines. This fabric is also used to bind the quilt together at the edges. The internal insulating fabric of the quilt is not known. The backing fabric is a grey coloured wool originating from disused skirts. The Tartan samples contain stripes of varying width and colour. The samples have been arranged so that the stripes run diagonal on the quilt. Many different colours have been used. The predominant colours are red and black, with lessening amounts of blue, yellow, white, green, and grey featuring. quilts, tartan fabric samples, upcycle, shirley critchley/jane mcgrath collection

Four blue pages of a sample agreement. ballarat school of mines, cuthbert and wynne, ballarat school of mines staff, agreement, legal, lecturers

paint sample or paint chi from a tramcar showing various colours that had been applied over a number of years to the tramcar - shows about 12 different colours - green, undercoats, gold, city circle red.trams, tramways, paint, colour schemes, tramcars, city circle, the met

Some decades ago a card sorting set for the identification and description of Australian timbers was developed for timber species which were available commercially and were in common usage, by the Commonwealth of Australia (CSIRO, Division of Forest Products) To complement and inform this national timber set each State or Territory developed reference timber sets of representative species. The Commercial Timbers of Victoria set was Victoria’s most recent (circa 1984) expression of this Victorian timber samples were sourced from logs selected by Forest Commission of Victoria (FCV) District Foresters and milled locally. Kiln drying and machining was carried out at timber producers Row, Web and Anderson, in Port Melbourne. Labeling and boxing was done by FCV Timber Inspectors, with box and booklet design and graphics handled in-house More recent timber samples were badged as Conservation Forests & Lands, reflecting historical government restructuring in the early 1980s Info: Simon MurphyProvided the public, industry (timber and associated), and educational facilities with a reference collection of notable Victorian timbers. Initially in a reduced format from 1940-50s, with boxed sets produced from 1981 until 1984A boxed set of timber samples representing the 20 tree species that were considered to be the most notable in Victoria. The set also includes an information booklet. Each timber specimen has information on species, occurrence, uses and physical properties Produced for sale by the the FCV and later by the Department of Conservation Forests and Lands. (CFL). forests commission victoria (fcv)

Seat fabric sample brown vinyl as used in the first batch of Z class trams. Has a pink backing.trams, tramways, z class, public transport, equipment, seats, fabric

The Johnson Fare Box Co. was a manufacturer of Fare Boxes that enabled the viewing as the coin was deposited and receipt of a fare from a passenger - see reference. The MMTB Footscray X1 class trams used fare boxes in 1926 and this may have been a sample coin to show how it worked. See item 7470 for an associated pamphlet that notes the use of Fare Boxes. Further research is required.Demonstrates an item from the Johnson Farebox Co. of Chicago.Sample coin? - round, stamped aluminium with a piece of green felt glued to the rear."Johnson Fare Box Co. Chicago" in raised letters on both sides.trams, tramways, fares, tickets, fareboxes, fare box

Seat fabric sample green cloth as used in various trams with a light/dark triangular motifs / moquette with a green background. Has a label "Camira Development Sample", dated July 2017. Gives details of the product number etc. See Reg item 4585 for the priority seat colour - orange. See htd4584i4.pdf for an Article in The Age 4/3/2019, downloaded 16/5/2020. Gives the design details, designer and background. Title "No more sad streamers: the redesign of Melbourne's garish train seats".trams, tramways, ptv, public transport, equipment, seats, fabric

Sample of seed beading.- Sample of decorative beadwork - seed beads - floral & leaf motifNilcraft, sample, floral glass beading

Seppelts Study of A Sample Vigneron. Worker standing beside keg of wine with bottle and glass at Hans Irvine's Vineyard. 1890'sstawell

Sample of wire from the State Electricity Commission (SEC) Yallourn Morwell area. Shows wear on lower edge - from pantograph operation. About 75mm from one end shows marks of two screw ears, used to hold overhead into position. Images added 3-12-2016trolley wire, secv, yallourn

Sample pages from "Semco smocking instruction book". An example of 1950s advertising through sewing and homemaker books. In this book, instructions are given for smocking of garments. Smocking is an embroidery technique used to gather fabric. An example of mid 20th century advertising through 'how-to' books.Digital copy of ample pages from a bookhistoric advertisements, smocking, embroidery, hand sewing, semco

Seat fabric sample orange cloth as used in various trams with a light/dark triangular motifs / moquette with a orange background for use on trains, buses and trams for priority seating. See Reg item 4584 for the general seat colour - green. See htd4584i4.pdf for an Article in The Age 4/3/2019, downloaded 16/5/2020. Gives the design details, designer and background. Title "No more sad streamers: the redesign of Melbourne's garish train seats".On rear in felt pen "Camira Orange Fine"trams, tramways, ptv, public transport, equipment, seats, fabric

Trolley wire sample from the overhead at the former South Melbourne depot mounted with two nails from the rear on a white painted wooden block, with the label "Tramway Trolley Wire from South Melbourne Depot 1925-1997" The label has been printed onto a manila coloured sheet and nailed to the side of the block. The wire has a width of approximately 9mm. Understood to have been made by the TMSV following closure of the depot late 1997.trams, tramways, trolley wire, south melbourne depot, closure

Medical treatment for working animals Ca1900Imported and distributed by Holden and FrostPaper wrapped small sample tinTry this sample Bickmores cureequine, gall cure, ointment

The donor, Brian Licence, assembled this Wool Sample Book while studying at the Gordon Institute from 1960-62. Brian studied Wool Classing and worked for a decade in this profession before moving to Melbourne which required him to change careers. The National Wool Museum accepted a donation from Brian in 2022 of several mementoes relating to his career in the wool industry. This wool sample book joins a collection of 8 others within the museum’s collection, with the oldest dating to 1870 at the time of writing in 2022. Large black bound book with ribbon for fastening containing 12 double-sided blue pages. Pages have several samples of shorn wool mounted and annotated to include information such as specific breeding, shearing faults, and geographical area. The book concludes with four pages without wool samples. Two of these pages relate to plans for a shearing shed and other industry related structures. The final two-pages relate to the anatomy of a sheep. Wool sample books were constructed by Wool Classing students at the Gordon Technical School as examples of what to look for when classing wool. The students were tasked with constructing these books with samples they retrieved themselves from several different farms and animals. The book would serve as a reference point for the wool classers throughout their years in the field, it was always on hand to refresh knowledge. This book was constructed by Brian Licence over his schooling at the Gordon between 1960 and 1962. Front Cover. Handwritten, White Ink "Wool Sample / Book. 1961”wool classing, gordon technical college, brian licence