Historical information

This book was a text book used by Arthur Gregory, the test room technician at Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory in the 1930s. He tested the suppliers’ milk and cream for butterfat percentage in order to determine the payment to the suppliers. Arthur Gregory later became the manager of Jays Laundry in Fairy Street. In the 1930s Arthur Gregory boarded at 28 Spence Street in Warrnambool. This boarding house was run by May Taggart, the wife of Sam Taggart, a Warrnambool tailor. Les O’Callaghan was also a boarder there and it was through his contact with Arthur Gregory that he obtained the position of laboratory technician at the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory. Les O’Callaghan remained for over 40 years at this factory (leased at that time by the Kraft company) and was very important in the development of laboratory techniques used in the dairy industry. The Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory was established at Allansford in 1888 and is still in production today, operated by the Canadian firm of Saputo.

Significance

This book is of interest because of its connection to Arthur Gregory, a test room technican at the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory in the 1930s and to Les O’Callaghan, the Laboratory Manager and Microbiologist at Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory for more than 40 years.

Physical description

This is a hard cover book of 822 pages. It has a blue cover with gold lettering on the spine. It has 29 chapters, an appendix, a bibliography and an index. It has many black and white illustrations and drawings. The spine is slightly scuffed. The inscription is handwritten in pencil.

Inscriptions & markings

‘A.S.Gregory 28 Spence Street W’bool’