Historical information

The donor inherited this Wardana machine from her mother, who bought it in about 1933 and used it to sew garments for her sister's dressmaking business in Frankston, Victoria. The donor often used this machine until she purchased an updated model.

There were originally three Ward Brothers who owned the North Melbourne sewing machine business but they had a falling out. This machine's decals on the map of Australia only include the two remaining brothers.

The Ward Brothers, G & S Ward, established their sewing machine business in North Melbourne in 1888. The cabinets and ironwork of the machines were made in Australia and the Ward Bros. imported their machines from overseas manufacturers in England, America and Germany. The assembled machines were sold under brand names that included Ward, A.N.A. the patriotic-sounding Australian Sewing Machine Company. The "Wardana" was one of their brands.

Significance

This sewing machine was fabricated in Australia from imported parts from England, giving a snapshot into the early manufacturing industries that were operating at the time just after Federation.

Physical description

Sewing machine in a wooden cabinet with iron foot-operated cast iron treadle mechanism. The hinged cabinet top opens out to form a worktop. The sewing machine lifts out of the cabinet to sit level with the worktop, resting on two supports within the cabinet. The lockable cabinet door opens from right to left revealing fitted shelves and spikes for spools and bobbins. The gold-painted maker's name is cast into the black treadle. The machine has its original instruction book, oil can, and eighteen accessories in an enclosed cardboard box. The round shallow oil bottle has a rubber dispensing tube. Colourful decals decorate the black body of the machine. Inscriptions include a Serial Number stamped on the bed of the machine.
The Wardarna Central Bobbin machine was made in England for the Ward Brothers of North Melbourne.

Inscriptions & markings

TREADLE: cast into metal ACROSS THE TOPE AND ON THE FOOTPLATE "WARD", "WARD"
SERIAL NUMBER stamped into oval plate "28383"
DECAL: (Map of Australia ) with images of [two brothers] , "WARDANA" above (logo of the rising sun)
DECAL: (Decorative floral design with heraldic-like emblems) above "MADE IN ENGLAND"
ARM: "WARDANA"
PEDESTAL: "C.B." (representing Central Bobbin)
"MADE IN ENGLAND" "MADE IN ENGLAND / FOR / WARD BROS / NORTH MELBOURNE"
BOOK TITLE: "Instructions for Treadle Machine"
ACCESSORIES: some have indecipherable embossed stamps
OIL BOTTLE base: (image of log and short lines radiating from a central inscription (indecipherable)