Tuesday 6 October 2026
A Little Trip Down Memory Lane – The Melcoa Silver Goblets
Today I came across the old Melcoa silver goblets that Mum had received back in 1984. They were looking a little worse for wear, so I decided to give them a good clean and polish. They came up beautifully! Of course, I should have taken a before and after photo, but I completely forgot. Typical me! They're inscribed with 500,00th TV Production.
I remembered Mum working for Panasonic Television in Penrith many years ago. I think it was the first job mum got after we built our house up in Woodford in the Blue Mountains. I would say that mum worked there from the early 70's to maybe mid 80's. Well, this little goblet cleaning job ended up sending me down quite the rabbit hole!
I can still remember Mum telling me how good she was at her job. She would often receive praise for the quality of her soldering, and apparently the inspectors never had any problems with her work. Back then, they had people whose job it was to check everything coming off the production line, making sure it was up to standard.
I remember Mum being quite proud of that, and rightly so. It's funny how little things like that stay tucked away in your memory. I probably didn't think too much about it when she told me all those years ago, but now I find myself wishing I'd asked her more questions.
What was a typical day like for her? Who did she work alongside? Did she enjoy going to work? There are so many little things I'd love to know now. I'm glad I have found some photos of her at some Christmas Parties so will save that for another post.
And all of this came about simply because I found those old silver goblets and decided to give them a clean. I had no idea they'd send me down such a rabbit hole, looking into the history of the factory and remembering Mum's working days.
It's made me think about how much of our parents' everyday lives we take for granted when we're younger. We know where they worked and what they did, but we don't always think to ask about the little details. Then one day, those are the very things we wish we knew.
I'm glad I remembered Mum telling me about her soldering and how good she was at it. It's a small memory, but it's part of her story, and one I don't want to lose.
And now those old goblets mean a little bit more to me than they did when I first pulled them out.
And to think, all I was going to do was polish some goblets! 😂
