Tuesday 2nd December 2014
While attending a tourism meeting of the Wimmera Mallee committee in Dimboola, We were taken for a look at the print Museum that is soon to be opened in the town. It is almost complete and it was amazing to see all of the equipment fully operational. some of the pieces are over 100 years old, one has been in a building that was burned down and it is restored and fully functional today. We were privileged to be shown through the display by a man that had apprenticed in the business eventually becoming the owner and then selling it to retire. He is still a very capable operator and surprised all as he started up each machine and operated it. Some of these were powered by a peddle that he pushed with his foot as he placed the sheets of paper into it and then removed it again on the next cycle as he placed the next in to be printed. (It reminded me of a person rubbing his stomach while patting his head but with the added piece of pushing a peddle with the foot at the same time.)
As you pass through this building you walk through the history of the local newspaper industry in these towns and see how much effort it took to produce a newspaper. The picture of the fireplace in the photo section is where he worked every Saturday morning melting down the lead from the past week to form the ingots ready for the next print run. He filled hundreds of ingot moulds with the molten lead each week.
This shop is well worth a look if you are passing this way.