Historical information

This tin comes from the Melbourne firm of Rolfe and Co. and would have held tea. Rolfe & Co. was established by George Rolfe (Senior) in 1854 as a wholesale wine, spirit and provisions business. George Rolfe was a member of the Upper House of the Victorian Government from 1860 to 1862 and in 1867. He died in 1871 and his son, also George, succeeded him as the managing director of the business. This George Rolfe (1837-1919) came to Australia with his family in 1849 and lived first in South Australia and then came to Melbourne, joining his father’s business, George Rolfe was a keen farmer and fisherman and after holidaying in Warrnambool for some time, bought, in the early 1870s, the property at the mouth of the Hopkins River which he named Lyndoch after the town in South Australia. He came frequently to Warrnambool. He later extended his farming interests which included the properties of Fairy Hill and Shipley. George Rolfe married Jane Ann Lake in 1891 and the Lyndoch property passed to two of his stepdaughters. Today the Rolfe property is the site of an aged care facility. The business of Rolfe & Co. continued well into the 20th century.

Significance

This tin is of great interest as a memento of George Rolfe of Lyndoch, Warrnambool and his Melbourne business, Rolfe & Co. George Rolfe was a prominent person in the Warrnambool district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Physical description

This is a metal container, rectangular in shape. It originally held tea. The sides of the tin have painted lettering regarding the contents and the supplier. This paint was originally in yellow, blue and brown tonings. The lid is round and slots into the rounded opening. The tin has been re-painted in a silver colour on the top and inside. The tin, especially the lettering on the sides, is much rusted and in some places the words are illegible. A small hole has been pierced in the top of the tin

Inscriptions & markings

‘Rolfe’s Tea’
‘Rolfe & Co. Ltd 300 King Street Melbourne’