Vintage Australian adverts - fantastic resource!

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matchboxpaul

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Hi all.

Stumbled across this excellent website over the weekend. Its part of the National Library of Australia and contains digitised magazines and newspapers, with a search function.

Obviously being in the UK, I have been searching out adverts for the many clones of machines that were sold in Australia, but which originated in the UK.

Some of the adverts I have stumbled across are fantastic and offer an insight into versions of models that we had in the UK, but which were sold in Australia under the guises of GEC and Wilkins-Servis. Obviously Hoover are there too.

I attach links below to some of these great adverts - happy browsing :-)

Paul
p.s no copyright infringement intended - too good a research tool not to tell you all about though. With thanks to the NLA.
 
Wilkins Servis - the 1975 Range

Hopefully someone will clear this up. When I saw this advert I was surprised to say the least.
Servis UK, until they began producing regular height machines, only ever produced one compact Supadry.

This advert appears to show TWO different Wilkins Servis compact Supadry's, with subtle differences in the fascia. Anyone know what the two versions were and the differences between them were?

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/43458798?searchTerm=wilkins washing machine&searchLimits=l-title=112|||fromyyyy=1981|||tomm=07|||toyyyy=1981|||todd=29|||fromdd=29|||frommm=07|||sortby=dateDesc|||l-category=Advertising

matchboxpaul++3-9-2015-13-34-52.jpg
 
That's all from me.

There are also a handful of Zodiac adverts and other Wilkins Servis toploader adverts, but I stupidly didn't save the links.

Thanks to the National Library of Australia for providing such an excellent resource.

Wish we had something similar over here.
Paul
 
Aussie Ads

That was a good piece of detective work Paul.

The earlier Hotpoints (supermatics and fridges) were branded under the Gala name although with some differences



I think though that the HP 1600 that turned up a few years back in Malta(?) was branded GEC too. I would not have thought the EE branding on the Reversomat would have done much for the sales.

Wilkins Servis - "In the UK we had white, whilst in Australia there was Pink, purple, orange, yellow " - no mention of what the orange was but the others were Mulberry Mist, Mod yellow & Wind Cherry (sounds like fabric softener!). Interesting too the polypropylene tub, I think here it was vitreous enamel until the end - and we have the rusted through tubs to prove it! Curious that the twinnies are available in colours but the automatics are not, I wonder why? And like you I wonder what the differences in the Supa-Drys was.

Hoover Spacemakers were fridges in the UK - another example of how Hoover re-cycled different product names across different products in different countries.

Excellent information, thanks Paul

Al
 
Hi Al.
Just did a quick search for GALA and GALAMATIC came up, in the form of a rebadged Hotpoint 1400.
No sign of the Hotpoint 1600 - expected it to come under GEC, but appears that Australia had the EE Liberators, then the Reversomatic and then on to the purple Liberators, missing out the fabled 1600. anyone able to confirm?

I didn't expect English Electric to have been heavily marketed over there in the 60s, so was surprised when the Reversomatic turned up. Lots of refrigeration though.

I like the pink one best :-) Is that Mulberry?

Paul
 
Great finds Paul.

Hi Paul,

Great find! The last time i checked that website, there wasn't a lot on it, but obviously its been a work in progress.

Many of those 'Wilkins Servis' adverts i have in hardcopy: years ago i spent 3 months going through all the microfilm they had and slowly bought the old Women's Weekly magazines. I have a 'Coppertone' twin tub and eventually access to Avocado green and Mod Yellow twin tubs as well. From this same source, i'll also get access to a Galamatic twin tub!

What is the 'Hotpoint 1600' you made mention of?

Cheers
Leon
 
English Electric Australia

Paul
The EE Rail Traction Division certainly had a plant in Australia making the same range of diesel engines as the UK and building locomotives, I think they also had the Power Generation Division for power station equipment so I wouldn't be too surprised if the Domestic Appliance division were based there too. Although I don't recall seeing any reference to this in the copies the EE house magazines, English Electric and It's People, that I have. Off the top of my head I think the location may have been called Rocklea.
Ian
 
Oh WOW!

This is an awesome website :-)

I can tell im going to spend quite a lot of time searching for as much as I can laundry related :-)

Already found a few gems . THose Philips machines look great. I'm curious about the twin tub, I remember seeing one on the side of the road a few years ago but didn't investigate it too much.
 

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