Ben Woods, Assistant Archivist, Australian Mutuals History
Some time ago we mentioned in a blog that we were gradually processing backlog accessions that were put aside when we moved office. But we didn’t mention that we had yet to process the objects that we had put aside for assessing and processing while we moved. Australian Mutuals History collects and makes available for research items of significance to the mutual banking industry. While this mostly means records, documents and publications , whether they be in hard or soft copy, it also means we have collected an astonishing array of objects that have been used by banking mutuals over the years for promotional purposes, at conventions, for celebrations and other idiosyncratic reasons.
We have now sorted through the objects that we put aside during the move and the following are some of the most interesting and fun and the best is left till last!
The above is a disposable camera produced by CUSCAL in the 1990s to promote “My Card”, a new debit/credit card produced for the mutual banking industry. Our photographic collection includes many photos of the “My Card” launch party where attendees are shown holding the above cameras.
The above is a pocket chess set (with the cover beside it) that was given to delegates attending the AICUM Conference in Albury in 1998. AICUM stands for the Australian Institute of Credit Union Managers. Formed in 1981, its role was to provide educational opportunities, services and resources to meet the professional development and networking needs of members. AICUM ceased in 2006 when its functions were taken up by the newly formed Australian Mutuals Institute.
The above is another object produced by AICUM and it is perhaps the oddest in the list. It is the menu for the official dinner marking the end of the 1993 AICUM conference. As you can see it is a mini gravestone! It would’ve been placed on the table in front of every diner for them to peruse the fare on offer for the evening. If the gravestone motif isn’t odd enough, the event is labelled “Murder and Mayhem” and dishes include, “Jack the Ripper Salad”, “Maniac’s Deadly Cold Soup” and “Tombstone Mocca”. I don’t think I need to add any more commentary to this one.
This one above is great. It is a drink coaster and it is also apparently credit union currency – it is equal to ‘’One Derm”. Some of you may be perplexed by this, but it is actually an ode to a legend of the Australian credit union movement, Dermot Ryan. Among many achievements in the industry “Derm” was a founding Director/Secretary of The Australian Credit Union Historical Co-operative, which was the original name of Australian Mutuals History. You can read our blog on the life and times of Dermot Ryan here.
The “Little Man Instant Rate Converter” was produced in the US by the CUNA Supply Co-operative “for the credit union movement” in 1963. It is quite a large device measuring 24 centimetres in diameter it “converts monthly payment contracts into annual interest rates, compares various interest rates and calculates monthly payments and the total amount to be repaid”.
The above item is a gavel with accompanying sound block with an engraved dedication to Beresford Calverley for his role as President of the Australian Federation of Credit Union Leagues (AFCUL) from 1967-1968. From the marks at one end of the block, it looks like the AFCUL meetings got a bit rowdy at times. You can read our blog on the history of AFCUL here.
This last one is by far our favourite. One can imagine someone writing a song about credit unions or building societies and singing it at Christmas parties and such, but what we have above is a vinyl record of a professionally composed song about credit unions, complete with professional singers and a big band consisting of guitar players, a drummer, numerous violinists, cellists and even a harpist! The song is called “Working Things Out Together – A Credit Union Musical Jingle” and it was commissioned by CUNA Mutual ca. 1950s-1960s
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