Coat of Arms Carved Cask
1888 Coat of Arms Carved Cask at Chambers Rosewood Vineyards
Why Chambers?
According to William (Bill Chambers), fifth generation Chambers winemaker, the cask ended up at Chambers Winery in Rutherglen Victoria, as payment to his grandfather from another winery in the 1930s, and it has remained at Chambers since. The cask is still in use, and up until the early 2000s it was still used for red wine maturation. It now holds Rutherglen Muscat.
1960’s pic vs 2000s pic
1888 Carved Cask
The carved cask was built and sent out to Australia from Germany for the Melbourne Centenary Exhibition in 1888, which was held in the exhibition buildings in Carlton. The writing carved on the cask says that the head was carved by W. Koch Barrel Fabricators in Berlin. On this barrel, the coat of arms is a mixture of various different designs, each pre-dating federation. The kangaroo and emu are on the opposite side to the first official Commonwealth Coat of Arms designed in 1908. This cask also shows that the rising sun, often associated with the armed forces, predates the First World War. The cask was sent to Australia in pieces and was put together by Patrick Smithwick, a cooper from South Australia. Brandy was housed in the cask during the expedition to keep the cask sound.
The Melbourne Centennial Exhibition (1888) was organised to celebrate a century of European settlement in Australia. The Exhibition Building, constructed in 1880 for the Melbourne International Exhibition, was extended and reused. The Centennial Exhibition focused on Australia itself, and emphasised music and painting that attracted many visitors.
Traditions Kept Alive
George (Bluey Smithwick) Descendent of Patrick Smithwick
Just as Stephen Chambers, sixth generation winemaker is keeping the Fortified Winemaking traditions alive, so too is George “Bluey” Smithwick.
Following in his Great Grandfather, Patrick Smithwicks footsteps, “sixth-generation cooper George has made a living from his craft - making wooden barrels, buckets and tubs hooped in metal - for more than four decades.” Brisbane Times.
We were lucky enough to have George visit Chambers and we took the opportunity to grab a snapshot of him with the cask.
W.Koch, Fassfabrik. Berlin
W.Koch, Barrel Factory. Berlin