There are not too many bakeries in Australia that still own equipment from the 1940s. Nonetheless, Ross Village Bakery in Tasmania has not only housed a mixer that would be in at least its 70th year, but has also used it daily to produce hot bread, croissants and pastries.

The vintage mixer (pictured on the left), which has been repainted a couple of times over the years, was recognised by bakery equipment and machinery company W & P Reedy as the oldest in the country. As a result, owners of Ross Village Bakery Chris and Dot Lloyd-Bostock were awarded a brand-new black 40-litre Bear Varimixer (pictured on the right).

W & P Reedy general manager Adam Mining said the competition was particularly close in the Hobart region.

“It was a very simple competition to enter, so we had a lot of bakeries sending in photos of really old mixers,” Adam said.

“In the end, it came down to three mixers in Hobart, and our technicians looked into the serial numbers and manufacturing dates to determine which mixer was around first.”

Although sad to see their old machine go after so many years of faithful service, Chris and Dot said they were excited to have a new machine with digital controls and a Perspex safety guard.