G J Coles over the fence

I have just returned from a trip to the north of Tasmania where I visited the town of Wilmot yet again. I have had a couple of trips there recently. Although the weather was cool, the day was fine and sunny. Our target was the museum which has been set up in a little church and which proved to be really interesting. Along with displays of rural equipment and household items, there were folders of photos arranged in albums, which made it really easy to search for the ones you might be interested in. I found Auntie Bett in a newspaper article and a school photo which contained May, Roland and Charlie Doe. There was a photo of the original Coles Store with Ephraim the younger just squeezed into the side and a really large photo of Sylvena Carter who married Charlie Doe. There was not nearly enough time for me so I will have to go back again. I will contribute some items to the current stock but it will take a little while.
The Coles Store at Wilmot was the original in Australia. I am not sure how long George J Coles lived in Wilmot but he was Ephraim's next door neighbour and was the witness to his will. I wonder whether the two of them ever sat together and discussed George's vision of budget stores. They certainly would not recognise today's supermarkets and would have little idea how to use the many products.