J. Mann and Sons was first established as a farm produce store in 1921. The range of products was extended in the 1930s and included groceries and hardware, as well as the first petrol bowser in Wodonga outside the store. After WWII, the premises were extended and the range of products continued to increase. In the 1960s the Mann Family opened a new supermarket in Wodonga, in addition to the hardware business, providing steel, plumbing and industrial supplies, and they employed over 100 people at one stage. With changes in the retail industry, the Mann Family sold the main hardware business to Bunnings and the steel and rural produce business to the Kelly brothers in 2006. Bell Punch A/sia Ltd was a subsidiary of The Bell Punch Company, itself a part of (Cash) Control Systems. The Bell Punch Company was a British company manufacturing a variety of business machines, including several generations of public transport ticket machines and the world's first desktop electronic calculator The company was founded on 5 July 1878. By 1961 it employed a workforce of 2000 people. The circular mark on the back of the machine was adopted in the 1950s.On Back of machine: Supplied by BELL PUNCH LTD. A/SIA BPC CASH CONTOL SYSTEMS 160 CASTLEREAGH ST. SYDNEY, MA9337 427 LITTLE COLLINS ST. MELBOURNE. CENT. 2038 AGENTS AND SERVICE IN ALL STATES ADDING MACHINES TICKET REGISTERS CHANGE MACHINES TICKET PRINTERS GUM TAPE SEALING MACHINES, ETC.j. mann & sons, vintage adding machines, bell punch australasia

The fringed tablecloth is an example of a domestic item brought to Australia by early settlers in the Western District of Victoria as a home comfort.The fringed tablecloth helps tell the story of the arrival of European settlers and the small, light home comforts they brought with them to maintain a meaningful connection to home.Fringed and lined square tablecloth. The front is hand embroidered on brown loose weave fabric, the back a pale yellow polished cotton fabric. The edges on the back have been turned and machine stitched. Hand-stitching has been used to join the top to the back and to add the fringe around the edges. The embroidery uses tapestry wool in cream, yellow, brown and green tones. The style is possibly an example of European folk style embroidery. An inscription on a pink ribbon is sewn onto the reverse.“S F . 31303 OLIVER - - [undecipherable]”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, tablecloth, fringed tablecloth, embroidered tablecloth, european embroidery, hand sewing, domestic object, handmade, textile, silk thread, geometric design, vintage, long-stitch, zigzag design, decorative, home décor, domestic linen, table linen