When Woolloongabba was Wattle Scented

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Mother Needs an Aspirin and a Cup of Tea! 1954




In recent years Aspirin has been reinvented as a treatment for the prevention of heart disease, in the 1950's it was marketed as a cure all for housewives. The main illustration in the advertisement above is comic like, while the smaller image of the woman lounging seems a little dark and creepy. Cup of tea, a packet of Aspro and cigarette billowing smoke on the stand ashtray, looks well self-medicated. No wonder that  smile on her face.

Citations:
1954 'Advertising.', The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933-1954), 16 September, p. 7, viewed 27 March, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50615479

Friday, March 11, 2011

Japanese Earthquake! Photos & Newspaper Articles, 1923.



An earthquake and tsunami struck Japan in 1923. Here are some images I found from The Brisbane Courier. The photo below is notable, showing an outdoor meeting of the Japanese cabinet of the day.



Something of note I found amongst the timeline of newspaper articles were references to earthquakes in Japan and Canterbury (Auckland) within months of each other in 1869. Seems the 'ring of fire' was truly active in the year of 1869, as it's proving currently. San Francisco was rocked by an earthquake in 1868 that originated in Chile.




The caption above has Tokyo spelt Tokio, the latter being the accepted spelling of the day. I'm not sure when, how or why the I was replaced by Y. To view and read the full articles in which these images were published, follow the citation links at the bottom of the page.





Citations:
1869 'PARTICULARS OF THE EARTHQUAKE AT CALIFORNIA.',Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842-1899), 16 January, p. 5, viewed 12 March, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36701816
1923 'THE EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE IN JAPAN.', The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864-1933), 12 October, p. 8, viewed 12 March, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20644591
1923 'JAPANESE TRAGEDY: EXCLUSIVE PICTURES.', The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864-1933), 24 October, p. 13, viewed 12 March, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20657181
1923 'HAVOC IN JAPAN.', The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864-1933), 3 September, p. 7, viewed 12 March, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20639004

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Sunbeam Mixmasters, Australia's Favourite Kitchen Appliance! A Personal history.

 

 

My Mum had a Kenwood and my Aunt had a Sunbeam Mixmaster; the mixmaster was a gift from her 1960's wedding. As a kid I was fascinated by the way the bowl turned while it mixed, Mum's Kenwood had a fixed bowl. About 30 years later my Aunt told me that I could have the Sunbeam when she passed on. Imagine my surprise when my Mum turns up at my place one day for a visit, with the said Sunbeam mixer. My initial concern was that my Aunt had died and someone had neglected to tell me, Mum assured me that was not the case and that my Aunt had decided to give it to me now as she had not used it in years. I was the proud owner of a vintage Sunbeam Mixmaster but not in the vein of the advertising from the Brisbane Courier, I'm no mother and I wasn't looking for "another pair of hands".

 

Within days I had the misfortune of breaking the small, white, glass bowl. About a week later I found myself in a Lifeline opportunity shop and just happened to find an original mixer bowl, sized small. Hooray! I used the mixer for about 12 months without incident until one day I made the fatal mistake of putting the beaters in the wrong way. Anyone who has used a Sunbeam Mixmaster would know, square beater inserted right, curved beater (for the bowl edge) left. Di it the other way you run the risk of breaking or bending the beaters, which I did. The mixer was retired to the back of the cupboard until the replacement beaters were found. To date, still no beaters.

On the weekend I welcomed a brand new Sunbeam Mixmaster to my kitchen. Sunday was not suppose to be an appliance shopping day but whilst out on other errands I found it in a discount department store for nearly 50% of recommended retail price. I bought it. All cast alloy body (no plastic) and the heavy glass bowls are replaced by lighter stainless steel versions. It tilts and locks but does not detach from it's base like the older version and the paint finish is not enamelled but is a very smart off white powder coat. Earlier models were available in colours (green, yellow, blue and red) it mixes only as the optional mince, citrus juicer and blender attachments are gone. Excellent! Do one thing and do it well. The styling makes a number of nods to the earlier versions including the swept back handle and curved base rise. The new chunky front livery is much better looking than the tin plate panel front plate that my Aunt's original mixer has. The new Sunbeam Mixmaster is great and I will keep my Aunts as a show piece. Best I get baking.

 

 

Citation: 1956 Advertising,The Australian Women's Weekly (1932-1982), 31 October, p. 78, viewed 11 March, 2011

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52268783

1939 Advertising, The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933-1954), 9 May, p. 2, viewed 11 March, 2011

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article40832638

Original Images by The McWhirters Project

Saint Patricks Day Brisbane! Fourex Beer, 1929.


The Saint Patricks Day parade hits the streets of Brisbane city tomorrow. Here's example of seasonal advertising of Fourex beer from 1929.

To see more from our forage for Castlemaine Perkins and Fourex advertising, follow the label below.

 
Citation: 1929 Advertising, The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864-1933), 18 March, p. 7, viewed 11 March, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21386826