It’s been a great week for historic finds in our Junk Warehouse! First, we found a historical artefact of importance that’s now on display at the Province Archives at Loreto College in Ballarat.

But today we’ve found a collector’s item that has great cultural significance to the city of Geelong.

Arriving in the port city of Geelong, International Harvesters had a casting factory for their engine production. They arrived just before World War 2 in 1939 and remained there until 1982.

Branded with the IH logo on one side and the Geelong mark on the other haunch, their brass Kangaroo was a paperweight given to customers. Undoubtedly a great piece of ‘advertising’ from this era.

 

According to the website ‘Collection Explorer’, this item is part of a collection that consists of approximately 180 objects from

Australia, predominantly featuring the kangaroo. The collection includes a wide range of styles produced in Australia and overseas over a period of 150 years. The collection is diverse and includes decorative art objects.

Former Senior Curator of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Victoria, Terence Lane, has collected items for this collection over a period of 20 years.

During this period, many of the items collected were not in high demand. However, they have since become eagerly sought and the result is a collection that has increased in cultural value. It is considered the best collection of kangaroo theme items in Australia.

If you’re interested in seeing what other great finds are available at the Junk Warehouse, look at our Instagram Page or come down in person to 116 Furner Avenue, Bell Park and see for yourself!