The Party leads us on ...

One of the delights of op shopping are the unusual things you sometimes turn up, like this 1970s vinyl album by the Military Band of the Chinese People's Liberation Army "The Party Leads us on to Victory", found at the Sebas Salvos in the early 2000s.



I don't think I've seen a more happy and determined bunch of people. Check out the track listing on the back cover to see the titles that inspire this level of excitement!

Golden Era Vintage

The 1930s-1950s is considered the Golden Era of classic 20th Century style, and I unexpectedly obtained my own piece of it from Ruby Rouge last weekend, an original 40s/50s men's double breasted jacket. I've seen complete Golden Era suits recently ranging from $250 (2 piece @ Lost & Found) to $550 (3 piece @ Circa) so I thought $30 was a pretty good deal for an original jacket (pictured above with vintage shirt, modern vintage style tie and pocket square, the jacket is in great condition for a 60+ year old garment). For more original suits of the period see The Houndstooth Kid's vintage (US) menswear blog.

Also picked up a few more vintage style ties ($1-2 ea), including a wonderfully gaudy brown and orange paisley number from the Brace Bargain Browser.

Left: A late 60s look, the paisley tie with my recently thrifted 70s dress shirt.

"A Night at the Opera"

"Queen - the Unseen Archive" is currently on at the Ballarat Art Gallery, which has prompted me to go through my stuff and bring out these old treasures from my adolescence.


1975 Queen "A Night at the Opera" 12 inch vinyl LP (bought secondhand in 1977)


1976 Queen "A Night at the Opera" glam belt buckle (by Pacific Mfg. thrifted around 1980).

Labour Day Long Weekend

Being in Ballarat over the long weekend we did the usual rounds plus the Antiques Fair. I have to admit though I didn't enjoy the fair as much as previous years. Plenty of beautiful (highly priced) objects, but maybe my collecting focus is more grounded in 20th century vintage & thrift markets these days. The best find for the weekend was a 70s dress shirt for $1 from the St John's Op shop (Lydiard St N) last Friday.

While it was wet in Ballarat, it was nowhere near as stormy as other parts of the state. This didn't dampen our appetites though, as we also enjoyed the hosptality of Sweet Decadence, Nicks and Cafe Bibo over what was a restfully pleasant holiday weekend.

Left: 1970s (big collar) "Nevarda - Mr Silk" Australian made pale orange poly/cotton dress shirt. Now I need some big chunky 70s gold cuff links to go with it :)

Rob Olston

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Rob Olston recently after a long illness. A well known and long serving teacher at my old school, Rob was one of the most cheerful and genuine men I have ever met. He had a great sense of humor, and would frequently digress from the lesson to tell tall tales of his early days in the outback. He also had an incredible memory for ex-students, remembering me instantly when I ran into him at a Collectibles fair last June, even thought it had been several decades since we'd last met. A great man, held in high regard by all that knew him, he will be fondly remembered by his colleagues and many former students (Picture of Rob from the Ballarat Courier).

Postscript March 11, 2010: Attended Rob's memorial service with over a thousand other people yesterday. A fitting tribute to a great teacher, historian & family man. Rob had the last word with his open letter published posthumously last Monday.

Ballarat Antique Fair 2010

It's the Labour Day long weekend in Victoria this weekend, which means it's Moomba in Melbourne, and the Begonia Festival in Ballarat. It's also the time for Ballarat's Annual Antique Fair, now in it's 40th year, and always worth a look if you're in town.