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A discovery by Algernon
I recently needed a new pair of glasses and noticed a picture of the building that housed the Optometrist .
The picture circa 1900 showed that the building once owned by Trotter and Sons, now that got me thinking, could this be the Trotters famous for their fine ales, so it challenged me to find out more.
Now my research found the Trotters and Sons where potato importers to the landed gentry for a number of years. They in time managed to branch out into the production of fine ales and spirits. They had family connections in the past to Jack Spires who had renown for producing Ales at nearby Kissing Point.
The family had become wealthy on potato importing, Cecil Trotter, the family Patriarch had married Gertrude (nee Spires) many years before. They had several children including sons Bert, and Cedric and daughters Philomena and Pearl
They imported many potatoes including Golden Wonder, Belle de Fontenay, Irish Lumper, Kerr’s Pink, King Edward, Stobrawa, Ratte, Pink fir apple, British Queens, Bintje, Almond and Zapatona.
With Spires help the Trotters looked to produce a range of fine ales like:
Trotters Vintage a heady brew not unlike a Belgian Trappist beer, was a beer for laying down for a year or two.
Trotters Strong Ale – the longer you leave this the stronger it gets including the after taste.
Trotters Scotch ale was one for wondering what a Scotsman wore under his kilt
Then there was Trotters Best – a cleansing ale for the day after the night before.
Trotters Pale Ale was well so pale it looked like water but beware of the kick.
The Trotters tried experimenting with Potato Ale though I’m not sure that it actually caught on, though it did have a pink hue to it perhaps.
I also found that they were trying to perfect the potato wedge, these Trotters appeared to be a family ahead of their time, marrying the potato wedge with their range of fine ales. However I’m yet to ascertain if they’re the family that started producing the beer that the Pigs Arms relies on.
I’ll admit that my research is only in its early stages given that I’ve only had the new glasses since Thursday and I’ll admit that its only in its early stages however, I’ll keep the patrons informed on what I find.
vivienne29 said:
Might have discovered another Pig’s Arm – in Wodonga of all places. A young pig was on the loose, trotting around parts of the town and was snapped outside of one of Wodonga’s pubs last week. Nothing yet sighted at our local Jindera pub.
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sandshoe said:
We wait for updates.
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gerard oosterman said:
There is nothing worse than loosing screws. As for my glasses, I buy them almost weekly now. Next week, another exam, hopefully to reassure me I am not going blind. My E-Reader finally responded. I managed to down-load War and Peace and now have it twice. The advice to put the computer on ‘Auto Sync’ with the device was the very bit that was missing from the 52 page instructions.
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algernon1 said:
Well at least you can blow up the text. As for the screws I find a jewellers set of drivers do the trick when the screws fall out. Sometimes.
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Big M said:
Thanks Algy for uncovering some of the more arcane facets of the PA history. I’m sure there are corners, closets and cupboards that haven’t seen the light of day for decades. Does Granny have something to hide?
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algernon1 said:
You’re welcome Big M, Its amazing what you find when you scratch around.
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helvityni said:
Emmjay, I too had to get new reading glasses, proper ones, not the two dollar variety…
I was looking at some second hand books at Rozelle markets and left my glasses on the table. Very annoying as they were still perfectly good and had very nice frames as well…
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astyages said:
Perhaps someone found them and handed them in…? They could still be there, Helvi…
🙂
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helvityni said:
Yes, Asty they could be still there…it was a Sunday when this happened, and I’m not sure if he is there also on Saturdays (going to Sydney this Saturday)….
Gez buys his readers for twenty dollars, mine come to a minimum of $400.oo… I’m usually pretty careful, but that day I got side-tracked…. You pay for it…
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vivienne29 said:
This advice is obviously too late, but ….. our insurance companies ceased applying the excess to us (about 10 years ago) and as a consequence I can claim things which I could not before (broken windows being the main instance). We also have personal property covered so that mobiles and prescriptions glasses, watches etc can be claimed if something goes wrong. And that has happened – my prescription glasses (for reading) and hubby’s sunglasses are recent examples. My glasses were broken when the lady at our newsagents accidentally knocked my handbag to the ground. Hubby’s glasses went awol during one daughter’s graduation ceremoney. The company pays us each time. We use their agent in town who takes the details over the phone and upon receiving an emailed copy of the receipt etc it is all done and dusted.
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helvityni said:
I believe Daughter has something like that, we just pray for Gerard’s Catholic god not to lose anything, and if that ever happens for the God to find it….
God has not been helpful, so keeping track of things , my own or his, falls totally on me, I’m usually pretty good, but after all I’m also only human…. 🙂
Only today he asked me what did WE do with those screws we bought two weeks at Bunnings…as not to scream, I just shook my head.
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vivienne29 said:
Sounds familiar Helvi. Clothes lost in the wardrobe, the tin-snips have disappeared, glasses always missing, something in the fridge missing ……… everything can’t be at the front!
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astyages said:
Ain’t it the truth!
😐
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sandshoe said:
This is the truthest truth I’ve ever read. Not everything can be at the front. I think many a General has had to impress that on his troops and at the same time it illustrates the dangers of getting behind. 😉
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vivienne29 said:
Shoe – it has been my saying particularly for the last 14 years since hubby retired. He never learns though !
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algernon1 said:
Well Helvi mine are closer to the $400 mark as well and I have two pairs. My eyesight though was good enough to see the photo.
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helvityni said:
I did not find Kipflers in the mix, I could eat them every day, fantastic if you want a salad to be your main meal of the day..
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vivienne29 said:
Our family history as it were. Look forward to more of this creative research.
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algernon1 said:
It was a bit of a revelation I’ll tell you.
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Lehan Ramsay said:
Well if I get that Wedge stuck in my eye I’ll know to wash it down with a Pale Ale.
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algernon1 said:
I’d recommend the Potato Ale myself.
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