Akubra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Akubra is an Australian brand of hat, whose wide-brimmed styles are a distinctive part of Australian culture, especially in rural areas. The name is believed to be derived from an Indigenous Australian word for head covering.[1]
Akubra's best-known products are made from rabbit fur with wide brims, and the term "Akubra" is often used to refer to a hat of this kind.
Contents |
[edit] History
The original hat-making factory, not called Akubra at that time, was founded in the early 1870s by Benjamin Dunkerley. A recent immigrant to Australia, Dunkerley set up shop in Tasmania after inventing a machine that removed the hair tip from rabbit fur, leaving the softer under-fur for use in the making of felt hats.
Dunkerley and his family later relocated to Sydney, in New South Wales, where he hired a young man named Stephen Keir. While working for Dunkerley Hat Mills, Keir married Ada Dunkerley, Benjamin's daughter. After Benjamin Dunkerley's death in 1918, Stephen Keir took over the reins of the company, moving to a larger premises and adopting Akubra as a brand name.
Akubra is famous for providing the many of the Slouch hats used by Australian forces in both World War One and Two. In the 1950s, the Akubra company expanded its range when it won the licence to produce Stetson hats in Australia, and by the 1970s, the business relocated from Sydney to larger premises in Kempsey. Steven Keir's sons Herbert and Stephen Keir II later ran the company, followed in turn by Stephen Keir III and now Stephen Keir IV. The company is still a family concern. Its current owners are the great, great-grandchildren of Benjamin Dunkerley.
[edit] Stage musical
Cast members and 'crack riders' (expert riders), in the musical The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular, wore Akubra hats.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Bowen, Jill (1988). The Akubra Hat. Sydney, NSW: Weldon Publishing. ISBN 0-947116-52-4.
- ^ The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular — Theatre Programme and DVD credits
[edit] External links
