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Object type
Toy tractors
Object number
2007.0012.0001
Description
A grey-green painted wooden toy tractor modelled on a Ford-Ferguson 9N, which was constructed from timber salvaged from banana boxes and wire. The tractor has two large wheels at the rear and two small wheels at the front. The front wheels are connected to a wire steering wheel at the rear of the tractor by a length of twisted wire along the underside of the body. A twine pull-cord is tied to a loop of wire that protrudes from the front of the tractor.
Collection name
John McNally collection
The toy tractor made by Brian Burns is illustrative of a "make-do" response to wartime conditions and offers us an insight into what life might have been like for a young boy living on a farm in 1943. World War II was a time of enormous change for primary producers and their families, at work and at home. The official message promulgated by government was that military victory would inevitably be linked to civilian deprivation and self sacrifice. Rural families like the Burns' would have experienced this aspect of the war directly through supply shortages and rationing.
Maker
Mr Brian Burns
10 year old
Materials
Wood, Metal - non specific, Twine
Dimensions
Length: 260mm
Width: 130mm
Height: 135mm