POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Diary used by Young Henrys Brewing Company concerning the production of hand sanitise

Object No. 2021/128/2

Young Henrys is an independent Sydney brewery that made hand sanitiser during the nationwide lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in late March - 1 June 2020. The existing brewing facility in Newtown was eminently capable of this task and a resourceful employee had already manufactured a small quantity for in-house use by the time there was a greater need for this product in the wider community. The impact of the lockdown on the hospitality industry forced Young Henrys to stop production of beer in kegs. Keg sales had accounted for the majority of their operating revenue until that time; this declined drastically and their workforce of 80 was stood down to a skeleton crew to maintain the facility. One way in which the public first responded to the pandemic was heightened attention to personal hygiene. The crisis brought about panic buying of hand sanitiser, among other items such as toilet paper, Panadol and grocery staples, bringing about shortages. After receiving several requests from the community for hand sanitiser, Young Henrys consulted World Health Organization guidelines and set about producing large quantities of hand sanitiser in late March. The production of sanitiser continued until supply and demand returned to balanced levels. Campbell Bickerstaff, Curator, and Jo Lyons, Curatorial Intern, 2020