I have in my possession what was possibly known as the most comprehensive collection of literature and photographs,
of the Howard Rotavator Company, whilst in existence at Northmead NSW.
This collection was known as the Penn Richards Collection, even though he was not the only individual person who put it together.
The Collection contains the Agreement with Arthur Clifford Howard, Albert Howard, Penn Richards and Graham A.Quick, to put together a pictorial and written documentation of the Howard Rotavator Factory, its employees, the foundry and machinery sections, which includes the Fabrication Shops and Research and Development Departments. I even have the factory blue-prints, complete with photographs, on its construction and continued expansion.
I also have the blue prints of the washing machine the company manufactured as well. there are also many a reference and manuscripts on all the machines before they were manufactured and the Manuals being printed. This is all on rice paper and a special type of print, so handling them correctly is a priority. The historical value is priceless, as there are machines not heard of or seen by the many Howard enthusiasts out there. These items cannot be disputed and were made available to Shane Djuric and Tony Pettitt and their proof readers, Matthew Vella and Peter Robinson, during their efforts to put into production the Howard books, now on the market. The Howard Family has been involved in every step of the way with not only this collection, but the movement supporting the Register.
The steps taken to keep this material safe when travelling to Clarendon NSW in 2017 and Colac VIC in February of 2018 was a bit over the top, but the collection travelled in insulation and air-conditioned comfort to stop the photos from curling. The many Howard contracted photographers and artists are to be congratulated for their efforts. As it turned out, I have been able to locate a female artist, living not too far from my residence.
I also have to acknowledge Paul and Wendy Browning. Paul was a foreman, Wendy was an employee. Each year they make a trip to Wellington from Galston, and spend the weekend putting names and contents, to pictures within the collection.
As far as I am concerned, if someone wants to challenge the literature and members of the Register, entrusted with the knowledge of the Howard Rotavator Company and its manufactured machinery, need to have the correct literature and pictures to back up their argument. This is no more clearer, than the letter by Arthur Clifford Howard, stating his disappointment at the amount of mis-information out there regarding his Howard products. It seems many an individual is an expert and I have never, nor will I claim to be, without Register member support, the Register would never have been able to become the huge success it is today.
Arthur Clifford Howard always promoted his product as "Manufactured in Australia". At no stage did he say "Made in Australia", nor place a decal on a machine to that effect. It was always "Manufactured".
The "Penn Richards" Collection, which is now in my possession, will be made available upon request to any Rallies we attend by prior arrangement. It is also available if you are travelling through Wellington. We can also arrange certain photographs to be copied correctly, at a cost. One photo I do have is of Arthur Clifford Howard on a steel wheeled DH22 presented to him in England. Collating it all into proper categories now is going to take some time. I would like to thank the Richards Family for this great opportunity to preserve the past for the future.
Don't forget to support Shane by buying his book so as he can do a follow-up and maybe a more detailed version with all the information that has come to light, since production commenced.