Monday, March 22, 2010
In two earlier blogs I introduced Harry Beanham to you....key his name in the search facility at the top of this blog....
I spent an afternoon scanning in the small 3" x 2" sepia photographs, the vast majority unlabeled, that I have in former photo albums of Harry's....
Regretably, other than one or two, most have nothing on them to indicate where or when they were taken..
But there content never ceases to interest me...looking at the machines they rode in that period in the later 1920's in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia.
So I'm sharing some more with you....
Left click on the images to enlarge....
I'll share a wry, interesting story on Harry, related to me today as it happened, by Mick Moyle of Moyles a secondhand machinery merchant, a dying breed today, who buys and sells used lathes, mills, taps, dies, you name it....I was around there after an 11BA tap...and he had it.
Harry became a wealthy man over his life by shrewd dealing in the secondhand machinery trade and frequented auctions, often Mick Moyle was there, they were rivals in the trade.
A one auction, run by Hymans, a large auction house in Sydney in the past, Harry had bought stuff and wanting to leave before the auction finished attempted to pay for the purchases with a cheque, refused curtly by the lady running this side of the auction.
At this stage I should mention Harry was rather eccentric and chose to dress in blue bib and brace workers overalls, looking like , well a hobo...
Mick offered to pay with his cheque which had been cleared previously...Harry was calm and refused and got the auctioneer, Mr Hyman's attention, while he was selling, much to Hymans annoyance. "They wont accept my cheque" Harry stated.
Irritated, Hyman re-iterated the terms of the auction..."cash or bank cheque !!" and continued with the sale.
Harry drew his attention again....
"What now" Hyman snapped....
"When you come to my office to pay your rent" Harry called out...."make sure you bring it in cash...!"
Harry of course owned the building the auction house was using.....
Mick Moyle started clapping, then the rest of those in the hall clapped as well, Hyman was scarlet faced...presumably with embarrassment...
Hyman was gob-smacked and quickly accepted Harry's cheque.....
