Through the National Library of Australia, we have recently come across two asbestos product catalogues from Asbestolite which shows the historical use of asbestos in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
In 1941 joint ownership was established by James Hardie and Wunderlich for product made in South Australia under the brand name Asbestolite. This was necessitated by wartime difficulties in the transport of supplies into the South Australian market. In 1956 Hardie’s acquired Wunderlich’s shareholding, after which the Asbestolite brand was phased out.
These catalogues highlight Australia’s extensive use of asbestos in the past. The images below are approximately ten years apart and show the significant change in house design during the post-war period.
Like other Australian manufacturer catalogues for asbestos cement products, a key selling point was the material’s durability and the ‘next to nothing’ maintenance costs to the owner.
