Eric James Corran was last seen at the Guild when he and his
family launched his book, Understanding the Spinning Wheel, in
1997. This was the culmination of a long association with Wheels,
for it explained how to create a Wheel and also gave much of
their history. In particular, he took Leonardo da Vinci's drawings
for a prototype of a Wheel and sorted out how it could have been
made to work. However, long before this, Eric had been busy building
looms and wheels at his Sheridan factory. Sadly, he passed away
on 14th January, 2002, but his legacy to textile workers remains.
Eric met Min at the Kew Presbyterian Church when they were
both sixteen. They married in 1940 and went to live in their
house in Kew. Eric had 26 jobs during his lifetime, starting
as an Office Boy. When he was called up for War Service, they
found out about his deafness and he was rejected for military
service. However, he was sent to work at the Commonwealth Aircraft
Corporation factory, Fishermen's Bend, making Wirraway aircraft,
which helped save Australians in the battles in New Guinea and
the islands to the north of Australia. At the same time he trained
as fitter and turner on a special training course at Richmond
Technical College.
Eric set up the Sheridan Workshop at Mitcham, in 1969, making
hundreds of spinning wheels and looms, with up to nine workers
on the payroll. In 1985, he closed the factory in Bayswater as
demand slackened. The Corrans went to Europe in 1974 to investigate
Spinning Wheels. They travelled to Sweden, Norway, Holland, Germany
and Italy taking around 4,000 photographs. Visiting the Gobelin,
Aubusson and Beauvais tapestry workshops, enabled them to advise
the Victorian Tapestry Workshop before it opened and Eric built
some of the initial looms and the seating that is still in use.
Later he worked at RMIT helping them installed his computer-driven
looms. In retirement he repaired and renovated many wheels. One
is the blue-painted horizontal Spinning Wheel, belonging to Barbara
Dalziel, which graces the front of Understanding the Spinning
Wheel. Another is the little Wheel that sits above the dyes in
our Craft Outlet. It is a Turkish Wheel and Eric had to rebuilt
many parts, repaint the decorations in the correct colours, as
well as ensure that it worked.
Eric was always willing to help and the first time I saw him
he was at a Guild Meeting, where he offered to help people fix
their Spinning Wheels. He had great respect for Mr W, Zakrzewski
and valued a tiny wheel that was given to him. So many of our
members remember Eric with respect for the many good years his
looms and wheels have given craft-workers. Min died 25th August
of last year, so our thought and wishes go to their children,
Russ, Shirl and Rex.