Farmer & Co. Ltd.
Victoria House, Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW (1840 – 1874)
Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW (1874 -1909)
Central Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW (1910-1929)
436-450 George Street Sydney, NSW (1929-1960)

The company was started as a drapery business but expanded to become a general department store. It was sold in 1969 to Grace Bros. The Now Myer Wireless Weekly magazine for July 1927 shows an advertisement on page 63 for two radios and offerings of headphones and a voltmeter.

The company was granted one of two Broadcasting Licenses on October 26, 1923. The broadcasting station 2FC went to air for test transmissions on December 5, 1923 using an AWA 500W transmitter. The official opening was January 9, 1924. The company charged a subscription of £3/3/-. The receiving sets sold were sealed so as to permit reception from one broadcasting station only. [1]

In 1839 Joseph and Caroline Farmer founded a small drapery business and the next year moved into premises known as Victoria House in Pitt Street, Sydney. The business grew and by 1909 they moved to Central Pitt Street (exact address not known.) Land was purchased on the corner of George and Market streets and an imposing building was erected. This was 436 - 450 George Street and opened in 1929.[2]

The Wireless Weekly advert of July 1927 shows the address being Market Street. Two radios were offered in the advert: "The Perfect Valve Receiver" and” Farmer's Standard Two Valve Receiver'. The ad also lists headphones and a volt meter. Radiotron tubes are mentioned as used in these sets. In 1960, Farmers sold out to Grace Bros who were already involved with the Myer group. Myers still operates today at the Market/George Street address.

[1] HRSA - The First Twelve Months of Radio Broadcasting in Australia, 1923-1924.
[2] Directory of Sydney, accessed, Sep 2018.