Sunday, January 09, 2011

FADED SIGNS

I probably should have more accidents - well I'm lucky not to have any due to my usual past time of searching for faded signs (while driving or riding my bike). Sound's a bit like a C&W song that Willie Nelson would sing. Ohhhhh, faded signs - nope, I can't find a rhyming word that incorporates a dog or horse. I'll let that go.

Anyway back to faded signs, they promote questions, offer some history but are shy and hide their past well.
Take the one below for instance. I found it above a shop in Sydney Road, Brunswick on our recent shopping spree.


Nestles, in my childhood days was always pronounced as Nessles, but today we call it Nesslay. How things change! However the general logo remains similar although the font has changes slightly. Why fix it if it ain't broken.
I discovered a little of Nestles' history from their website.
Henri Nestlé gave his name to what is now the world’s largest food and beverage business, with over 280,000 employees, 456 factories in 84 countries and sales of more than $110 billion in 2008. In our region, Nestlé products have been available since the 1880s and by 1906 Australia had become Nestlé’s second largest export market..

The other faded sign didn't come from an old building but this time from an old bike. Old bikes are being resurrected around Melbourne and rather than paint this one, it's owner wanted to retain its paintwork, with its old style (almost art deco) font and pin striping that was very popular of the time.
My first racing bike was a Healing. I pulled it down from the rafters of our old garage. It belonged to my father and initially I raced it as it was - until later it was painted in a more modern way - wish I still had it in its original paint like this one below.


From the Net:
 A. G. Healing Commenced building & selling Bicycles in Bridge Rd Richmond Victoria 1907 - From which the A. G. Healing empire developed - selling electrical appliances (remember the Healing Golden Voice radio) Healing Cycle division was sold to General Accessories in 1959.

More faded signs to come and even some from our "Wednesdays in France".

2 comments:

  1. I love old 'things' like that. Talk about painting your bike! My husband had a set of dinkie racing cars which as a set were quite valuable. Unfortunately as a kid he decided that he would paint them all......... When he was older he could have kicked himself!!! Diane

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  2. I know the feeling - had an antique shop once and people would bring in furniture that they revated with a new coat of paint.

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