Biographical entry Ramsay, William (1868 - 1914)

Summary

William Ramsay and Hamilton McKellan opened a small factory producing cleaning products in Carlton, Victoria in 1901.Their products included fire-kindlers and antiseptic sawdust, but their most important product was boot polish. In 1906 they produced a new polish called Kiwi and two years later produced Kiwi Dark Tan, which polished, preserved and restored the colour to dark tan shoes.

Published resources

Book Sections

• Langmore, Diane, 'Ramsay, William (1868-1914), manufacturer', in Geoffrey Serle (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 11, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1988, pp. 328-329. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110340b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• 'Ramsay, William', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1464897. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_r.html. Details