Centenary of Harrison RefrigerationPrint Page

A plaque commemorates the centenary of Harrison refrigeration 1856 - 1956 and is a tribute to James Harrison, editor of the Geelong Advertiser from 1840 to 1864 and pioneer of refrigeration.

James Harrison worked as a journalist on various newspapers in Victoria from his arrival there in 1839 until his return to England about 1873. He was also a keen inventor, being a pioneer in all kinds of refrigeration and in 1873 he won a gold medal at the Melbourne Exhibition by proving that meat kept frozen for months remained perfectly edible.

A pilgrimage will be made at 3 o'clock this afternoon to the grave of James Harrison, in Geelong's Eastern Cemetery. Just over 100 years ago, James Harrison, of Geelong, made the greatest single contribution in history towards dealing with the world's food problems. He was the first man in the world to make artificial ice, thus making possible the large scale preservation of a host of foodstuffs, and providing means by which the meat of Australia and Argentina could be sold in the butchers' shops of Europe. 

Mr. A. S. Emery, secretary of the A.I.R., said yesterday that the pilgrimage would testify to the great work of Harrison and serve to acknowledge the vital role his enterprise and genius had played in the development of the nation. After the graveside ceremonies a plaque, set outside the offices of the "Geelong Advertiser" by the Geelong section of the Chamber of Manufactures, will be unveiled by Mr. J. V. Harrison. During the observance of the Harrison centenary, many of the awards won by this remarkable man and many of his personal relics and significant possessions, will be exhibited in Geelong's shops on loan from members of the Harrison family.
Excerpt from the Argus (Melbourne), 13 September 1956. 

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