At eight years old, David Stinson’s father brought home a curious soda bottle with a marble lodged in the neck.
That moment in 1968 set him on a path that has lasted a lifetime, travelling across Western Australia with his dad in search of discarded bottles at old refuse sites. More than five decades later, Stinson is president of the Colonial Bottle and Collectors Club of WA, which this year marks its 55th anniversary.
The club will host the Antique and Collectors Fair at the Cannington Showgrounds on October 11 and 12. The weekend doubles as the National Bottle Show, a travelling event shared around Australia and, this year, held in Perth. More than 30 exhibitors from interstate and New Zealand are expected to join local collectors, along with many visitors from regional WA.
Club secretary Cheryl Stinson said the national show was a chance to celebrate the long history of collecting in the state.
“Our club is proud to continue to meet face-to-face on a regular basis and this national event is a time for our members to show their collections to the rest of the world,” she said.
The fair will feature more than 100 tables of antiques and collectables for sale, with experts on hand to assist with valuations. Displays will include clay ginger beer bottles from country towns, memorabilia from one of Perth and Fremantle’s earliest cool drink factories Crowder and Letchford, and rare Red Hand logo ginger beers. Vintage toys, enamel signs, ephemera and advertising memorabilia will also be on show.
Beyond the glass cabinets, organisers have added activities designed to capture broader interest. On the Saturday morning, Curtin Radio will broadcast live from the showgrounds. Vintage cars will be available for viewing and photographs, and there will be demonstrations in metal detecting, a growing branch of the collecting hobby. An auction of rare items will be held at the Kenwick Football Club on Saturday evening.
David Stinson explained that collecting has always been about more than the objects themselves. “It gives me good friends and social times. I have travelled all over Australia, New Zealand and the world to meet people with the same interest,” he said. “The friendship that you forge with the bottle collecting fraternity is life-long. Time does not weaken the connection.”
The Colonial Bottle and Collectors Club was founded in 1970 by Colin Smith, who placed an advertisement inviting like-minded people to meet. A handful responded, and friendships formed then still endure today.
Stinson said one of the most rewarding aspects of his long involvement was seeing new generations take an interest. “The favourite part is when a young person joins our club and their interest is just as keen as what mine was all those years ago,” he said.
He added that this year’s fair would appeal to more than just seasoned collectors. “Some of the displays will take you down memory lane,” he said. “There will be something for everyone to see, reminisce about or buy.”
The Antique and Collectors Fair runs Saturday, October 11 from 9am to 3.30pm and Sunday, October 12 from 9.30am to 3pm at Cannington Showgrounds. Entry is $2, with free admission for children under 14.
