“Wonga” sprayer

Pesticide backpack and compression sprayer

Limbert Blower

1950s

Herbicides and fertilisers were applied manually with sprayers like these. The blower was made locally by Limbert and Sons and was used to blow herbicide into the rows of bananas. Jim and Bob Limbert designed and made machinery specifically for the local banana industry, most notably an air blast backpack spray machine for banana leaf fall.

These methods were overtaken in the late 1950s with the advent of aerial spraying, with misting machines and power sprays on planes used over plantations in rugged country. From the mid-1950s, the Department of Agriculture trialled a range of insecticides, concluding that beetle borers were best controlled with dieldrin and aldrin. The use of these chemicals caused regret in later years due to persistent soil contamination and concerns about impacts on human health.

Knapsack sprayer used to spray herbicides and fertilisers on banana plantations. The sprayer was worn as a backpack, and the lever on the right hand side would be pumped to produce the spray. This method was overtaken in the late 1950s with the advent of aerial spraying, with misting machines and power sprays on planes used over plantations in rugged country. Made of metal with leather straps and rubber hose. The word 'Poison' has been written on the back.