HENTY’S men’s shed has spent the past fortnight trying to reconstruct a historical piece of engineering for the show.
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Not many engines were built in Australia early in the 20th century, but the organisation has managed to get its hands on a vintage Aussie-built eight-horsepower engine from Ballarat’s Ronaldson and Tippets.
It is believed to date from the late 1920s.
The engine, usually imported from England at the time, was considered extremely multipurpose because it could be used to power several machines, including chaff-cutters.
The engine wasn’t in great condition when it arrived but, thanks to some good-old fashioned elbow grease, it is once again looking brand new.
Men’s shed member Ed Knight said the group had put a lot of hours into the project.
“We’ve been working on it for about a fortnight,” he said.
“We had to get it ready for the show so we had to get at it.
“We hope to have it running in the antique machinery section.”