OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Company Histories SCOTT BONNAR and ATKINSON & Co. c1919

PART ONE

This story is a SUPPLEMENT to the Scott Bonnar Bloor Court Story.

The story of the relationship between Scott Bonnar and the William Anderson Atkinson Company is
a complex one; and the passage of time compels me to speculate as to the events and meaning of
the original research I present here. I hope it is a reasonable interpretation of the facts.

Atkinson & Company were wholesale and retail printers, stationers and button manufacturers of
Leigh Street, Adelaide.

Here is their location on my Bloor Court Mud Map. Leigh Street is a side street off the north-
side of Currie Street. The Atkinson building was only about 150 metres north-east of Scott Bonnar's
Bloor Court premises.



GUIDING QUESTIONS:-

The Atkinson Story is important to Scott Bonnar history because their involvement with the man
Scott Bonnar helps explain and answer a number of questions I had about these early years, prior
to the formation of the 1920 Scott Bonnar Company we know about. Here are the questions I hope
to answer in this supplement story:

[1] What was the nature of the relationship between Bonnar and Atkinson?

[2] What happened to the Lightning Cutter? If this green feed cutter was so successful, why do
we have no record of Scott Bonnar continuing to manufacture and sell it when the new Scott Bonnar
business was started in 1920?

[3] What happened to Scott Bonnar's Bloor Court business? Why start a new business in 1920, and
move premises to the outskirts of the CBD (Chapel Street)?

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - A NOTE on BUTTON MAKING

I digress here as something should be said about Atkinson being 'button manufacturers'.
That seemed odd to me - the connection between printing and - button making?
And what did that have to do with a young Scott Bonnar!

It all became clear when I learnt that these buttons were better described as 'button badges'.
Button badges were worn as a means of advertising awareness of certain causes and events. During
the First World War, these buttons were used to raise money for the war effort and were sold from
trays during meetings and gatherings, and at the local pubs and hotels.

Button badges were now an established means of getting a message across as well as fund-raising.
It was not only fashionable but patriotic to show on your lapel that you supported various military
units, hospitals, nurses or other noble causes.

History remembers Atkinson as one of the top button manufacturers of the period. Their buttons are
now highly collectible, and some fetch very high prices on auction sites. Here is a sampler of badges
produced by Atkinson when Scott Bonnar was at Bloor Court.


[Images: Australian War Memorial Collection]

Source: http://www.dandy.com.au/the-history-of-button-badges/

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - Atkinson Premises

The Atkinson Building survives today. It is now occupied - appropriately - by the S.A. State Archives.
This 1923 photograph has Atkinson as the middle building on the left, looking toward Currie Street
and the Topham Mall, opposite. Quite the trendy street today.


[Image: 1923, State Library of S.A.]
See PHOTO Set #4 on Mud Map


[Image: 2015, Google Maps]
See PHOTO Set #4 on Mud Map

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FOUR - BONNAR & ATKINSON - The Connection

In this part I attempt to answer the first question I set myself in PART ONE:

[1] What was the nature of the relationship between Bonnar and Atkinson?

This is the most difficult question of them all - but so important to the pre-history of the great
Scott Bonnar Company. It would appear that the two companies - one large; one small - entered into
a business arrangement, whereby Atkinson acquired (at some point) the business conducted by Scott
Bonnar at Bloor Court.

I believe the relationship came about because of a known fact: Scott Bonnar re-enlisted in the A.I.F.
(Australian Infantry Force) in mid-1918. The uncertainty of that action required Scott's consideration
and planning as to the running of the business he had built up since 1916.

Part of that arrangement - I speculate - involved Scott Bonnar continuing to trade under his name
(and involving him) right up to the very end of 1919.

Spot the difference(s) in these two advertisements:-



In 1920, perhaps ownership of the business was transferred to Atkinson. In the early 1920 advertisement
below, note the attribution to the 'Late S. Bonnar,' an indication of the good will and reputation of
the previous owner:-



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FIVE - THE LIGHTNING CUTTER - Question 2

In this part I attempt to answer the second question I set myself in PART ONE:

[2] What happened to the Lightning Cutter? If this green feed cutter was so successful, why do
we have no record of Scott Bonnar continuing to manufacture and sell it when the new Scott Bonnar
business was started in 1920?

The evidence I have dates to late 1918, when Atkinson commences advertising (in their own right)
for the Lightning. Note that the machine is advertised as being available from "all Good Ironmongers,
Seed Merchants, &c.", BUT Atkinson in Leigh Street is listed as - the 'Manufacturers'!



'S. Bonnar' would continue to advertise the Lightning cutter as well, but, interestingly, the
advertisements no longer present Scott as the patentee (the holder of the patent).



It's easy to speculate here. It would appear that, as part of the business arrangement between
Bonnar and Atkinson (discussed in PART FOUR above) the manufacturing rights to the Lightning were
transferred to Atkinson & Co.

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART SIX - Question 3

In this part I attempt to answer the third question I set myself in PART ONE:

[3] What happened to Scott Bonnar's Bloor Court business? Why start a new business (with Brother Malcolm)
in 1920, and move premises to the outskirts of the CBD (Chapel Street)?

This is another self-imposed question inviting reasoned speculation. Bloor Court was small enough
to only contain a few businesses. Some were at ground and/or basement; others occupied the second
floor of buildings. All these businesses were at the rear of three large Currie Street buildings
located on each side of the entrance to Bloor Court - Thomas Hardy & Sons (spirit & wine merchants)
on the left side; Wilcox, Mofflin, Ltd. (wool & skin merchants) and S.C. Eyles & Co. (importers and
commission agents) on the right side.

Scott Bonnar was at Bloor Court for about two and one half years: (1917-1919). 'S. Bonnar' is listed
only in the 1918 Directory, where the business is stated as being 'motor and general engineers'.

Note that in the final year (1919 Directory), the S. Bonnar premises have changed to be listed as,
'Atkinson & Co, machine shop'!



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART SEVEN - Analysis & Comment

In this Supplement Story to my main Bloor Court Story I have argued that Scott Bonnar entered
into some arrangement whereby Atkinson & Co of nearby Leith Street would acquire the business
formerly run by Scott at Bloor Court.

It may be that Atkinson saw this as an opportunity to expand into a new area - of lawnmowers.
It would appear that the arrangement was a contingency Scott needed whilst he was in training
for the A.I.F. in late 1918 and early 1919. In any case, this arrangement does explain why
Scott Bonnar would start a new business (involving his brother Malcolm) in early 1920 at Chapel
Street. That business would become the famous Scott Bonnar Company.

The lawnmower repair division of Atkinson & Co. would heavily advertise in the years ahead.
They moved from Bloor Court to Morphett Street (near the bridge) in early 1923, and appear to
have also become an automotive accessory supplier. The advertising record for Atkinson trails
off from late 1927.

It was not uncommon for Atkinson and Scott Bonnar to advertise lawnmower repairs in the same
paper. In the 1925 advertisement group below, note Atkinson, Dobbie, and Scott Bonnar. Given
that a young Scott Bonnar did his apprenticeship at Dobbie's, it's a great representation of
the development and sphere of influence the man Scott Bonnar had.

The rest is history.
-----------------------------------------
JACK

BLOOR COURT STORY
TOM HARRISON STORY



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