Summary
A handwritten letter from the third Earl of Stradbroke, to H. V. McKay, dated 1st April 1925.
The letter asks that if H.V. McKay is going to be at Wembley, while in England, that he should call on Mr Mitchell, who is his manager for the properties of the Earl of Stradbroke in Suffolk, England. Stradbroke is very interested in the latest labour saving developments of the McKay agricultural machinery. He also mentions his cattle and pig breeds, and the local agriculturl shows.
The Third Earl of Stradbroke (1862 - 1947) was the Governor of the State of Victoria from 24th February 1921 until the 7th April 1926.
Part of a collection of photographs, negatives, moving film, artefacts, documents and trade literature belonging to the H. V. McKay Sunshine Collection. The McKay collection is regarded as one of the most significant industrial heritage collections in Australia. The collection relates to the agricultural manufacturing firm, the Sunshine Harvester Works. The Australian operations of this company were originally founded by Hugh V. McKay in the 1890s in Ballarat. Between 1906 and 1907, McKay moved production to Sunshine where the firm became one of the largest industrial businesses in Australia. Change in ownership is a recurring theme in the company's history. In 1930, it merged with Massey-Harris to become H.V McKay Massey Harris. In the mid-1950s, the company was absorbed by Canadian agricultural firm Massey-Ferguson. Production in Sunshine ceased in the mid-1980s, following almost 100 years of manufacturing agricultural equipment.
Physical Description
Single sheet of off-white paper with printed letterhead and Coat of Arms of the State of Victoria. Black border on front page. Handwritten text in black ink on both sides.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
Working Life & Trades, Public Life & Institutions, Sustainable Futures
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Mrs. Cecil Newton McKay (nee Shaw), University of Melbourne Archives (The), circa 1970
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Recipient
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Place Named
Office of the Governor, Government House Drive, Melbourne, Central, Victoria, Australia
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Sender
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Inscriptions
Handwritten, pencil: ' 2/2/15 / Series B ' Printed: ' STATE GOVERNMENT HOUSE, / MELBOURNE ' Handwritten, ink: ' Dear Mr McKay / I am sorry that I did not see you before you sailed but I hope you have quite recovered from your indisposition & that the tour around England will quite set you up. / Last year my manager, Mr W. C. Mitchell at my request took my head farm bailiffs to Wembley to see your exhibit & they were naturally much interested. If you are going to be at Wembley this year I should be much obliged if you could arrange to meet Mr Mitchell & explain some of your labour saving machinery to him. Have you perfected the one you shewed me at Rupertswood last year which was to save horse power on the "Header"? / My home, Denham is in Suffolk about 100 miles from London; I should be very glad if you would go down & see it. Mr Mitchell would show you round & you might be interested in seeing the stock etc./ I am having a sale of Red Poll cattle in June which might be a convenient time for you to motor (or train) down; the country looks its best then & the Suffolk Agr'l Show & the Norfolk A'l Show are held about the same time. We also have some good pigs, Gloucestor Old Spots, which are a popular breed at home & are being enquired after here a good deal now. - The Suffolk Punch is at his best in his home country too. - / Mr Mitchell's address is Denham Park farm / Wangford, Suffolk. / I wonder how the share farmers you introduced me to last year are doing? I saw by the papers one had been burnt out. / Wishing you a happy time in England/ Yours sincerely / Stradbroke ' [Further text]
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Classification
Manufacturing & industry, Agricultural & horticultural equipment, Correspondence
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
255 mm (Width), 198 mm (Height)
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Keywords
