Early Life and Background
Robert Walton was born in Ballarat in 1885 and trained as an engineer.
Establishing the Midland Cordial Works
In August 1911, Walton began his cordial business in Moora, establishing new premises in Lefroy Street, near the police station.
The building measured 42 × 20 feet, with concrete floors and a 10-horsepower Marshall engine in the power house.
He installed a complete ice-making plant so townspeople could enjoy cool food and drinks during the summer months.
Expansion and Production Improvements
By September 1912, he had added a Haywood Tyler soda-water plant with a capacity of 800 dozen bottles per day.
The factory also housed a carbolic acid making plant and a Rylands steam-powered filling and corking machine, representing significant innovation for a regional operation of the time.
Marriage and Community Life
In 1913, Robert Walton married Esther Teague in Moora and built a new home on Lefroy Street.
He was a well-known community figure, both for his cordial enterprise and for his involvement in local entertainment.
Fire and Business Challenges
In March 1914, he applied for a gallon licence, but this was refused following objections from competing businesses.
That June, while preparing for a picture show at the town hall, a fire broke out in his factory.
Walton rushed to the scene, and fortunately, only a few flavour essences were destroyed.
Closure and Career Transition
By April 1915, the cordial business had closed, as Walton accepted a position as a picture-theatre showman in Meekatharra for six months.
Before this appointment, he had already produced numerous local performances for the people of Moora, and after his departure, Rennie Bros. continued this entertainment role.
Walton was also a tenor and performed in several local musical productions.
Later Years and Other Occupations
Robert Walton appeared in the telephone directories from 1914 to 1916.
After leaving Moora, he worked across Western Australia.
By 1929, he was living on Ord Street, Fremantle, employed by the W.A. Meat Export Company at Robb’s Jetty and serving as Secretary of the Fremantle Bowling Club.
His wife Esther died that same year, and in 1930 he married Claudine Berliner of Merredin.
Sadly, Claudine died suddenly in Leonora in 1954, and Robert Walton passed away in South Perth in 1962.
Subsequent Developments in Moora
In November 1921, the Moora Cordial & Aerated Water Company appeared briefly in newspaper reports with William Westlake—a former Road Board member—as proprietor.
This enterprise seems to have been short-lived; only one newspaper reference has been found.
Legacy
Few bottles from the Moora Cordial Works survive in collections today, making them rare examples of early 20th-century regional production.
Complied by Vivienne Sinclair
Edited Trudi Anne Gribble
References
Find My Past. (n.d.). Genealogical records – Ireland and Australia.
Ancestry. (n.d.). Electoral rolls – Western Australia.
Post Office Directories. (n.d.). Western Australia listings.
The West Australian. (1910, September 10; 1947, December 10; 1953, September 15; 1954, May 20). Various news articles and notices relating to Western Preserving Works and John Joseph O’Heney.
Evening Star (Boulder). (1914, August 3). False trade description charge – Worcestershire Sauce case.
Daily News. (1915, April 15; 1935, May 20). Court proceedings and product advertisements.
The Advertiser (Adelaide). (1924, December 5; 1925, June 5). Sovereign Pickles and Sauce advertisements.
Truth (Perth). (1929, October 13). Local business feature – Perth food industries.
Toodyay Herald. (1929, December 6). Advertisement – Sovereign Pickles and Sauces.
Dalgety’s Review. (1932, May 13). Trade review – Food manufacture and condiments.
Westralian Worker. (1933, October 27). Royal Show awards for Western Preserving Works.
New Call (Perth). (1933, November 23). Local business update – Vinegar production in Perth.
Beverley Times. (1958, November 6). Sovereign Pickles still in production under A. C. J. McDonnell.