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Post by stephen on Feb 8, 2006 23:53:07 GMT -8
I found a back pack today in a thrift store. It was made in Australia but had no name-brand. They only wanted $5 for it, but I did not buy it (though the straps were in great shape). Does anyone know anything about this item might be?
Stephen
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YankDownUnder
Pro Diver
Broxton 'green label' Aqua Lung and 1954 USD Rene triple 44s.
Posts: 162
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Post by YankDownUnder on Feb 9, 2006 22:47:57 GMT -8
Stephen, Without a better discription I cannot identify the back pack. However, there have been three companies making scuba diving gear in Australia. "Airdive", (formerly "Sea Bee") began in 1954, but now specializes in hookah. www.airdive.com.au. Their retail store, along with the "Sea Bee" name was sold to Ern Ireland and now run by his daughter Jill. The store is called "Diving Headquarters", 436 High Street, Prahan (a Melbourne inner suburb). The name "Sea Bee" was never again used. The seller continued as "Airdive". They make one of the ugliest, but most rugged of all professional regulators. The company usually used the colors of black and orange to identify their products. That may be a key to your back pack's identification. If you go to their site and email Jim Agar (founder) or Adrian Morris, they may be able to help. "Breathing Appliances Pty Ltd.", maker of the first single hose regulator, the Porpoise, sold their first regulator in 1952 and were bought out by "L'Air Liquide" in 1962 and renamed "Australian Divers Spiro Pty Ltd". The Porpoise diving lung was taken off of the market and the company marketed "U.S. Divers" products. Porpoise never made a hard back pack, like modern ones, but only a canvass model. I left Australia in 1965, so I am not too current on the "Australian Divers" models, but that is a possibility too. "Australian Divers" marketed some items like the "US Divers Vulcan" knife with the "Australian Divers" label on them. "Australian Divers" no longer exists per se, but the name is still registered to "L'Air Liquide". "Aqua Lung" is imported now by "Aquanauts". The company that most likely made the back back is "Sea Hornet", in Sydney. www.seahornet.com/. As back packs are no longer made in Australia, there may be nothing on these sites to help you identify it. In any case that would be a rare item. Yank Down Under
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