Summary

Wooden floor polisher used primarily by patients at Larundel Mental Hospital, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, circa 1955. Pumpkin polish was applied to wooden floors and old blanket pieces were attached to the bottom of the bumper. It is reported that the polisher was pushed and dragged up and down the dayroom floor for hours, seven days a week, for years on end.

Physical Description

Bumper floor polisher, handmade, is a large, heavy cube of wood, with a brush on bottom. The block of wood has a whole in the centre top, in which a long wooden handle is fastened by a nail.

Significance

Example of activities undertaken by patients at Victorian mental health hospitals

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