Trolley used by waterfront workers to move cargo
Date1960s
Object number00006253
NameHandtruck
MediumWood, metal
DimensionsOverall: 1548 x 715 x 1540 mm, 103 kg
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Patrick Operations Pty Ltd
DescriptionThis trolley was typically used by waterfront workers to move cargo on or about the waterfront. It was modified to carry glass and heavier loads. Until the late 1960s most goods were manually loaded and unloaded by waterside workers. It was hard, dirty and back-breaking work. A ship usually carried more than one type of cargo and each had a different packing method, including bags of sugar, sacks of flour, carboys of chemicals and bales of wool.HistoryWaterfront workers hold a strategic place in the economy because the movement of exports and imports depended on their work. During the 1930s waterfront workers or wharfies received poor pay and irregular work. They were divided between two rival unions: the Waterside Workers Federation (WWF) and the Permanent and Casuals. Jim Healy, the secretary of the WWF absorbed the Permanent and Casuals after a campaign that crossed traditional enmities. The move gave the WWF a new strength and led to big gains in pay and conditions for wharfies. In 1993 the WWF joined the Seaman's Union to form the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA).
The introduction of the container was revolutionary in making possible the totally mechanised handling seen today. This new technology however reduced wharfie numbers from 20,000 in the 1960s to less than 10,000 in 1993.SignificanceThis trolley is typical of stevedoring gear used on all ports up until the full-scale introduction of mechanised technology in the 1960s.
19th century
