Historical information

This Kandy Koola Tea tin dates to the early 20th century and was made and sold in Melbourne, Victoria. It once belonged to the Giles family.

About Kandy Koola

Kandy Koola ran an advertisement in the West Gippsland Gazette on 2 May 1911 promoting its tea as perfect for a picnic. The text reads
“Picnicing. All as hungry as hunters – made a fire of small twigs – put on our billy of fresh spring water – and waited. Soon bubble, bubble, bubble and the billy boiled. In goes the pure Kandy-Koola Tea. Tea! Tea is not the word – it tasted like nectar! One cup, two cups, three cups – then had to make a fresh billy full. Lazed away the rest of the day sipping our Kandy Koola and chatting. How good indeed!
“All grocers sell Kandy Koola Tea. It is pure leaf, selected and blended with the greatest care and skill. Ask your grocer for Kandy Koola. Sold in three grades, i.e. red, blue and green packets”

About the Giles Family

There are many 19th century items of furniture, linen and crockery donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by Vera and Aurelin Giles. The items are associated with the Giles Family and are known as the “Giles Collection”. These items mostly came from the simple home of Vera’s parents-in-law, Henry Giles and his wife Mary Jane (nee Freckleton), whose photos are in the parlour. They married in 1880.

Henry Giles was born at Tower Hill in 1858. He was a labourer on the construction of the Breakwater before leaving in 1895 to build bridges in N.S.W. for about seven years.

Mary Jane was born in 1860 at Cooramook. She attended Mailor’s Flat State School where she was also a student teacher before, as family legend has it, she became a governess at “Injemiara” where her grandfather, Francis Freckleton, once owned land.

Henry and Mary’s family of six, some of whom were born at Mailor’s Flat and later children at Wangoom, lived with their parents at Wangoom and Purnim west, where Henry died in 1933 and Mary Jane in 1940.

Significance

The Giles family collection has social significance at a local level, because it illustrates the level of material support the Warrnambool community gave to Flagstaff Hill when the Museum was established.
The tin and the tea that was in the container are significant for their association with the Australian and Victorian food industry, being blended and packed by John Connell and Co, Proprietary Limited Melbourne.

Physical description

Container; tin, for Kandy Koola Tea, part of the Giles Collection. Round tin, green background, gold band on top and bottom, printed on gold background. Ceylon flavoured tea. Also five gold flowers of various sizes with scalloped band, large golden inscription “Kandy Koola Tea” and “Ceylon Flavoured” and “Blended and packed by John Connell & Co Pty Ltd Melbourne”

Inscriptions & markings

“Kandy Koola Tea” and “Ceylon Flavoured”and and “Blended and packed by John Connell & Co Pty Ltd Melbourne”. Printed on lower band “MADE AND PRINTED BY WILSON BROS. NORTH MELB.” “1LBS NETT”