Editor Trudi Anne Gribble
Author Vivienne Sinclair
The History of Aerated Water Manufacturing in Margaret River
Today, Margaret River is a destination known for its surfing and wine culture, but years ago, it was a heavily forested region where dairy farmers labored to establish their farms. In the 1940s, in addition to the town’s hotel, Thomas Henry Vickers began operating an aerated water business, marking the start of soft drink production in the area (Margaret River & Districts Historical Society).
Vickers, born in 1898, married Rebecca Burak in Shanghai, China, in the 1930s. By 1943, he had taken up farming in Bramley, within the Shire of Margaret River. Later, he moved to Townview Terrace (Location 18) in Margaret River, and in February 1949, he applied to operate an aerated water factory on Lot 19, where he had constructed a large shed (Government Gazette). His 26-ounce amber bottle bore a distinctive THV logo inside a triangle and was inscribed with Vickers Margaret River Aerated Water Factory. Due to post-war bottle shortages in December 1949, he advertised a request for customers to return empty bottles for cash payment (South West News Busselton, 1949, December 15). Vickers also served as the first captain of the local fire brigade in 1951, held a Marine Collector’s Licence in 1952 (Margaret River & Districts Historical Society), and by 1963 had moved to Alfred Cove in Perth, where he lived until his death in 1983 in Melville (Metropolitan Cemetery Records).
Around 1957, it is believed that Raymond John (Jack) Chester and his wife, Lorna, leased the factory from Vickers. Chester’s 26-ounce clear bottle was marked with CMR and their name around the base. Due to Chester’s brief tenure, bottles bearing this mark are rare. Chester, a former clerk in Mount Barker, settled in Margaret River on Le Souef Street by 1954, but had moved to South Perth by 1963. In January 1960, Vickers listed the factory for sale, and it was purchased by William Ernest Bailey (Margaret River/Busselton Times, 1960, January 14). Chester was born in Subiaco in 1916 and died in Willetton in 1994 (Metropolitan Cemetery Records).
Born in Albany in 1902, Bailey married Edith May Nicholls in Perth in 1925. After farming in Konnongorring, he moved to Maylands in 1936, where he worked as a bread carter, though he returned to farming in 1949 with a property in Witchcliffe. By 1960, Bailey had taken over the Margaret River Aerated Water Factory. He initially used paper labels before introducing ceramic labels on bottles. His 8-ounce bottle featured Baileys for Quality in blue text, with a yellow line pattern around his name. Bailey resided on Fern Avenue, Margaret River, by 1972 and passed away in 1974; he is buried in the Margaret River Cemetery alongside his wife, Edith, who died in 1996 (Metropolitan Cemetery Records).
The factory changed hands again in 1968 when it was acquired by Jesse Cyril Tibenham, born in 1907 in Sheffield, England (Find My Past). Tibenham arrived in Fremantle in 1927, worked as a laborer in Cowaramup in the 1930s, and later became a storekeeper in Nannup by 1943. He moved to Margaret River in 1949, where he continued as a storekeeper while managing the factory. Tibenham’s tenure produced the Corona brand ceramic-labeled bottles, available in 225 ml and 26-ounce sizes. As Coca-Cola expanded in the 1970s, small country factories struggled to compete and eventually closed. Tibenham lived at Townview Terrace until 1982, listing his occupation as aerated water manufacturer on electoral rolls, although he was still noted as an assistant storekeeper (Electoral Rolls). He passed away in Augusta in 1982 and is buried in the Margaret River Cemetery alongside his wife, Annie, who died in 1974 (Margaret River & Districts Historical Society).
References
Electoral Rolls.
Find My Past.
Government Gazette.
Margaret River & Districts Historical Society.
Margaret River/Busselton Times. (1960, January 14).
Metropolitan Cemetery Records.
South West News Busselton. (1949, December 15).
