These wooden trees for riding stocks are a concept that was brought to early colonial days from "mother" England. Gentle folk of wealth and status used these trees from early 1800's to keep and maintain their riding boots in their correct form. This form of maintaining the tall riding boot structure was maintained in Australia by the rural "elite" both on cattle properties and smaller cattle stations in the early 1900's. Good riding boots were a status symbol in rural and outback Australia. The riding stocks "wooden trees" are very significant in the Kiewa Valley because they were used by members of some of the original grazing cattle families to settle there. Both cattle and sheep properties occupied large areas of the Kiewa Valley and they also herded their flock and herd on the Bogong High Plains region. These stocks and boots were worn by Fred Roper whose great grand daughter donated them to KVHS. Therefore these boots and stocks would date from 1880's to 1920's and are a good representation of the style of boots worn during this period. This pair of wooden stocks for riding boots trees has been manufactured to a very high standard. Each of the four boot tree parts fit snugly together and maintain their form, and that of the boot that they occupy. The groove channels and foot forms (tongue and groove) are exact and once snapped together become very solid. There is a brass ring, attached by a small brass "peg" on each of the thin "sliding" middle uprights. See KVHS 0177 - Riding boots.On top "L" (for left boot), "R" (for right boot)horse. country. leather. gaiters. high plains. grazing. cattlemen. laces. studs. stocks. roper family. bogong high plains.

Edwin Parr Hood cam to heathcote in 1891. at the age of twenty he had already leaned the tailors trade.He set up his business in High Street opposide the Mt. Ida Hotel. he advertised his stocks of mens clothing in the McIvor Times.2 suits made by E. P. Hood donated to the Museum by a local family whose father had purchased the suits in Heathcote. Worn on several occasions in and around the district of Heathcote.3piece man's suit, navy blue with pale blue and grey pin stripe,wool woosted material fully lined with silk tafeta. has label on back of inside jacket collar E P Hood /Heathcotenavy blue pinstripe mans suit