MERRY GO ROUND
c. 1954Merry go round, disassembled, with metal frame and 8 pairs of wooden horses and 3 wooden carriages.
a) Framework and motor components, mainly metal comprising a big pile of long supports; painted red, yellow, blue and green (all unlabelled). Base & motor - metal 6m x 3.3m wide at base.
Supports in wood, metal bracing metal central pole, motor at base in wire cage. Blue, red and white stripes on central pole, with brace end a different colour.
b-d) Wagons, one each in blue, red and green. Seats two children facing each other.
e) White horses; pair of. Black painted eyes, rope for reins going through a hole drilled in the 'mouth' of the horse.
f) White pair of horses - right horse missing one front leg and piece of hoof on other front leg.
g) White horses; pair of. Black painted eyes, rope for reins going through a hole drilled in the 'mouth' of the horse.
h) Red horses; pair of. Black painted eyes, rope for reins going through a hole drilled in the 'mouth' of the horse. One horse has a broken left foreleg.
i) Black horses; pair of. White painted eyes, rope for reins going through a hole drilled in the 'mouth' of the horse.
j) Black pair of horses - right horse has 6 white splotches, missing both ears.
k) Red/Brown pair of horses - complete
l) Reddish Brown/White pair of horses - right, white horse missing one front leg, one ear, other front leg mended.
Toodyay’s merry go round made its first appearance in 1952.
Designed by Graham Jones, an engineer at the Industrial Extracts Ltd tannin factory, it originally had 6 gondolas and 5 aeroplanes. Two years later the merry go round was modified and horses installed.
Made for the Toodyay Sports Council with mainly volunteer labour, the merry go round was a popular attraction at the agricultural show, race meetings and community events for 30 years.
In 1981 the Toodyay Sports Council appears to have handed over responsibility for its maintenance and hiring to the Shire of Toodyay.
By 1986 it appears the merry go round was not operational. A Toodyay Herald newspaper report noted that its fate was being discussed by the Shire: it was determined it needed to be upgraded to get a certificate of machinery. There is no record this happened and by 1997 the merry go round had become a part of the Newcastle Gaol Museum collection.
Details
Details
The decade following the end of the Second World War saw the Toodyay community entering an era of regrowth and quiet prosperity.
In July 1952 the Toodyay Sports Council placed an advertisement in the “Wanted to Buy’’ column of the West Australian Newspaper:
MERRY-GO-ROUND / Good order / Apply Ron; Sec. Toodyay Sports Council, Toodyay
The lack of success of this first appeal did not deter the sports council.
A few months later it offered up the significant sum of £ 100 to partially cover the costs of manufacturing its own.
Local energy and expertise ensured it was finished in time for the show that year.
