As Philip Erickson looks fondly across the machines and electrical gadgets carefully catalogued by the Sir Thomas Playford Electricity Trust of South Australia Museum, he tells of starting work as a fitter and turner apprentice in the state’s power industry in 1969.

It is appropriate that he is now caretaker of the old training machinery ETSA once used for apprentices where his own career began.

Erickson is manager of the Kurralta Park museum and its “Men’s Shed” that is operated by the state’s past energy employees, but he fears this link to the past is perilously close to being disbanded.

“We really need more members,” he says. “I think the average age of our members is around 80 years of age and we are only getting about 20 people at the museum to help each Tuesday.”

The volunteer shortage makes it difficult to continue operating tours for school groups and community organisations at the site now owned by SA Power Networks where the collection is spread across three rent-free buildings.

Next week, graduate engineers from SA Power Networks are touring the museum and Erickson says there are regular visits from high school groups, former energy workers and other community groups like Rotary or the Burnside Gents’ Day Out.

There are early kitchen appliances to see, and the original 1923 rotary converter from Adelaide’s first electricity power station in Grenfell Street that is now home to the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute.

It was the apprentices’ training machinery that led to the museum opening in 1996, after it was donated to a group of former ETSA staff.

Since then, the collection has grown to 800 items connected to the state’s electricity history, dating from the late 1890s.

Among the collection is an original cast iron electric street lamp from the now demolished Bakewell Bridge and a display dedicated to Adelaide’s inventor of the Stobie pole, James Cyril Stobie.

A poignant roll call of the 100 Adelaide Electric Supply Company employees who served in World War I “for King and Country” is mounted safely on one wall – another alongside continues to remember the 36 employees who died fighting in the second.

In one of the sheds is the first ETSA twin cab line truck, a regular entrant in the Bay to Birdwood historic motoring run. Nearby there are old toasters, kettles, television sets and telephones.

ETSA Museum volunteers from left: Roger Williams, Tony Cam and Philip Erickson. Pic: Belinda Willis/InDaily

Three years ago, the group knew it needed help to rally new volunteers and drew in the talents of SA energy leader Monica Oliphant as patron.

Oliphant was ETSA’s principal research scientist for many years and is a leader in the renewable energy sector. She is also the former president of the International Solar Energy Society.

Oliphant, who is well-known in schools for delivering The Oliphant Science Awards in honour of her father-in-law Sir Mark Oliphant and as a former Senior South Australian of the Year, has been working hard to attract more members and interest.

She has written to the South Australian Science Teachers Association offering a lending service for equipment and has encouraged the association to include the oil and gas sectors.

“We need help or it will disappear just like the South Australian gas museum in Brompton and the telecommunication museum that was once in Electra House in the city,” Oliphant says.

For museum president and tour guide Roger Williams, it has been a long commitment, the former shift supervisor at Torrens Island Power Station is an original member of the past-employees association established in 1993.

When ETSA first offered the redundant apprentice training equipment to start the collection he received a call from Erickson.

“He said come now to the museum, there’s some wiring we’ve got for you to do. I think I connected every machine in here,” he says.

“The men’s shed side of it is important; we have quite a few men who are single and the fellowship when you cease working, they can feel isolated, they get a lot of benefits coming here.”

Erickson is clear on what needs to be done.

“Being a part of the museum is something important to me, if someone asks me to do something on a Tuesday, I always say ‘I’m booked out’. This is the day, a lot of the guys feel like that,” he says.

“We would like to see the museum continue: it protects the history of how electricity has been generated over the decades in our state.”

The museum is open every Tuesday and is located at 31-33 Broughton Avenue, Kurralta Park. Phone 08 8351 0509 on Tuesdays or leave a message anytime. New members are always welcome