Source and Assess Information for Zippers

How I decided what to look for
I used a variety of search terms in Google to start with:
"zip cloth australia" retrieved 14,700,000 results
zip cloth australia history but not sale retrived 58,400 results
history of zip manufactuire in Australia got no results
zip manufacturers in Australia got no results
lightning zippers took me to "http://www.thefedoralounge.comshowthread.php?t=6076&page3
also http://steelzipper.com a 2005 zite
In flickr there were photos/tags/zippers
http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa082497.htm a page written by Mary Bellis
Through library catalogues I found references to:
Technology in Australia 1788 - 1988, Melbourne Uni
Zipper: an exploration in novelty by R. Friedel 1996
The Evolutionof useful Things by Henry Petroski 1995

I found a reference to wooden box with with Lightning Zippers written on it at an auction site http://invaluable.com which was auctioned 2002

Searching for ICI Australia I found the referenfce Making the Future: A History of ICI Australia Research

I also found a reference to zippers in the Cuckson Family papers held by the ANL and Asked a Librarian for some advice about the contents of the boxes. That was helpful.

My main goalwas to find out information about the things I have collected. So far I need to do more about ICI Australia. I have founduseful information about Rondo brand zippers in the collection and the assumption that Cuckson factory may have packages zippers for other brands because one older package had the Cuckson name and address on it and once I noticed that I saw the Rondo brand on the zipper packets in other branded packets.

I have several different styles of Lighning zipper packets which I assume were made in different decades. The font used changed over the decades and when I first saw that ICI Australia started in the 1930's I thought my wooden box may be that old. But I have since noticed that the font used on the printing on the box is not as old as the oldest packets which say made in Australia, so the wooden box may be from the 1950's or 1960's. Until I find more information I can't even really say the box was made in Australia, it could be badged with an Australian decal but mass produced in Canada.

I have enjoyed this process because I have looked more closely at what I have under my nose as well as finding out some of the background to some of my collection.

As with every topic there have been many things I have omitted. The history of the actual invention is interesting but not what I have wanted to study. The cultural aspects of the effect of zippers on speed an ease of dressing is also interesting. What I wanted to learn about was who was making zippers in Australia, when did they start, where were they, how big did the Australian industry become, what made the local industry disappear.