Australian Dress Register

Stanley Charles Braybon (1905 – 2000) was a man of intellect, a man of willpower and very much a man of the 20th Century. The key to his survival was his ability to adapt to change and to make the most of what he had.

Born of British parents in Bloemfontein, South Africa, where his father had been appointed Superintendent of Post and Telegraphs after the Boer War, his family subsequently returned to England and in 1911 migrated to Australia.

After finishing Primary School at Blacktown and completing a course at Auburn Technical School, Stan worked on the family farm at Blacktown until he was 16 years of age and old enough to start work as an apprentice to Electrical Fitting at ‘O’Donnell and Griffin’ in 1921. That year he commenced at Sydney Technical College, completing further supplementary studies in 1929.

On 6 April 1935, Stan and his older brother, Clifford, started a business as Electrical Engineers at 14 Washington Street, Sydney and the business prospered. After 46 years of successful trading, ‘Braybon Bros Pty Ltd’ was sold as a going concern in 1981, with Stan still at the helm.

Stan’s love of machinery extended to riding to racing motorbikes. He had been introduced to this mode of transport by his brother who had encountered them in Europe in World War 1. Mobility and speed were certainly attractions, but his real interest lay in how to make the bike go faster. Parts were scarce. This was the Great Depression. What you wanted, you had to make from whatever you could find.

Stan joined Ashfield, Western Suburbs and Chatswood Motor Cycle Clubs, racing both solo and sidecar, and earned many trophies. Only fragments of these amateur records from that time still exist. In the late 1920s or early 1930s, he was reputed to be the first solo rider to clock 100 miles an hour in an official time trial along Gerringong Beach.

Safety of the rider was of paramount concern and protective clothing was essential – helmet with chinstrap, goggles, leather coat, leather gloves, and long leather boots. Whether Stan’s leather coat was bought new or second-hand is unclear, but he kept good care of it for the rest of his life, not only for sentimental value but also because he appreciated its worth as protection from serious skin injury. No one else is known to have worn it.

Charles Stanley Braybon was born 1905 in Bloemfontein, South Africa to English parents.

The family migrated to Australia in 1911.

He died in 2000 in Australia.

Ann Braybon, daughter of Stanley Charles Braybon 

The coat was presented at the Powerhouse Museum as part of History Week in 2012 by NIDA Cotume students Christie Milton, Rebecca Clark and Robyn Murphy. They selected the coat from the NIDA Archive to add to the Australian Dress Register as part of their history of costume studies with Fiona Reilly. As part of this study they contacted and met Ann Braybon to learn more about the coat and her father's story. They also filled in much of the information in this submission.

Colour: Dark Brown with khaki lining

Fibre; possibly cow hide leather and cotton lining

Weave; twill weave lining, flannel pocket lining

All parts of the outer jacket and belt are leather and the lining is cotton.

All seams are manufactured by machine with plain or welt seams. The collar, pocket flap and belt are top stitched. Repairs have been made by hand at the left armhole and both internal pockets. Buttons are hand sewn.

The label details are too worn to read.

An inexperienced hand has poorly repaired this garments lining. Thread used is possibly 50 weight cotton dark brown to stitch tears in the lining and repair where the lining has come away around the internal pocket and left armhole. The stitches used are a combination of whipstitch and darning stitch in all the repairs. The one remaining 18mm button inside has been poorly re sewn possibly using the 50 weight cotton thread.

The body of the coat is cut in 4 pieces with a slight flare. It is double breasted, has raglan sleeves and a collar and revere that is cut with a separate stand at the back neck. The length is 3/4 with angled welt pockets at hip level.

The double-breasted front had 6 x 28mm buttons of which 3 remain, and 42mm bound buttonholes, 1 x 18mm button at neck with bound buttonhole on both sides of the lapel. Of 6 x18mm internal support buttons only one remains.  The belt has a metal buckle, which was leather covered, and 6 eyeleted holes 3 of which are missing their metal eyelets. The wrist tab on sleeve has brass press-studs with 2 position options. Inside the cuff excess lining is drawn in with a drawstring to prevent a draft from travelling up the sleeve whilst riding a motorbike.

No stiffening or padding. Lined with a khaki polished cotton twill weave and khaki cotton flannel lining in pockets.

The coat was worn for motorbike riding and racing.

Stanley Charles Braybon was a keen motorcyclist in the early days of motorcycle racing in Australia and he wore this coat to race in. Some newspaper cuttings of those days are included here.

The coat is generally in good condition but the leather on the shoulders is dry and worn.

An inexperienced hand has poorly repaired the lining of this garment. Thread used is possibly 50 weight cotton dark brown to stitch tears in the lining and repair where the lining has come away around the internal pocket and left armhole. The stitches used are a combination of whipstitch and darning stitch in all the repairs. The one remaining 18mm button inside has possibly been poorly re sewn using the 50-weight cotton thread.

None

Mould damage to lining.