Tasmanian woman Reima Miezitis and her brother restored this bicycle in 1945, on his return from the Second World War. Miezitis rode the bike to school and work and on day trips around Hobart.
Modified Roadmaster bicycle belonging to Reima Miezitis, about 1945
Reima Miezitis (1931–1995) was born and educated in Tasmania.
At the age of 15, Miezitis rode the bike most days to Hobart Technical College from her home at Moonah, a journey of about 7 kilometres.
After she completed her studies, Miezitis took her bike on the train to work so she could ride regularly at lunchtime. From her early 20s, she rode it on day trips around Hobart, and took longer tours to Bruny Island to go riding for the weekend.
Miezitis graduated from Hobart Technical College in 1949 and worked as a commercial artist at Cadbury-Fry-Pascall.
In the 1950s she was keenly involved in outdoor recreational activities including bushwalking and snow skiing.
Restoration work
In a 1993 interview with the Museum, Miezitis explained the history of her bike:
There were very few bikes at schools during the 30s and 40s. I knew only one family where all 4 children had bikes. My bike was restored by my brother and myself after the Second World War. We used a Roadmaster frame and my brother's Malvern Star wheels, which had been up in our loft waiting for him to come home after the war, with me wanting to ride so badly.
My brother bought a brand new bike and we got to work on mine. I did the masking with brown paper and Clag [glue] and spray-painted it with 2 blue enamels using the old tin fly spray. The fine lines were difficult on the round surface. I saved up one-pound twice, as the first lot was stolen, but eventually I was able to get the handlebars replaced.
Meizitis collection
The Museum's collection includes Meizitis' snow goggles, Tasmanian YHA (Youth Hostels Association) membership card and her diaries from 1950 to 1954. The diaries include sketches of people, plants and scenes she observed while travelling in Tasmania and New Zealand.
In our collection