My name is Anthony; I am ten years old and live in Western Australia. My dad is also a big collector of insulators. He has over 678 of them. In Australia we go on trips following old telegraph lines. We get all the insulators we want more of, or just the ones we don't have yet. We have been to Narambeen, Jerramungup, Albany (our home town), Boyup Brook, and Katanning and Kojonup.

Last time my dad and I went to Katanning for an overnight insulator hunt. We found eight three-groove Bullers, and two two-groove Bullers. I started collecting about two years ago and I already have about a hundred insulators on my shelf. In my collection I have two brown Doultons, an aqua Mickey Mouse ear, a clear Mickey Mouse ear, amethyst CD 490's, brown and white Bullers, three-groove Bullers, two-groove Bullers, a green and white made in occupied Japan, firebrick insulators, amber C.C.G. CD 430's, ginger ale and minty green A.G. M. CD-430's, mint, clear, and amber CD 423's smoky and green CD 121's, amethyst and clear CD 422's, spools, electric fence strains, Made in Japan shackles, a dark brown CD 590, and a brown NZI U-1154.

My favorite insulator is my aqua Mickey Mouse ear. Dad bought it off eBay. I also got my clear one from dad at Christmas from his collection. Two days after Christmas Dad got another one. I just love collecting INSULATORS! And so does my Dad! Here is a story I wrote:

One day in a far way town in Albany, Australia there lived a little insulator on a pole. He was so lonely, but one day from a village nearby their came a villager name Tom who worked for Western Power. When he came to the pole he added six insulators to the pole and they were a royal purple CD 422, coke brown CD 423 C.C.G., a brown small bell, a big bell U 1493, purple bell and red Bullers. The next day all of the insulators had so much fun together.

Then there was a man, Graeme Snell in Coolgardie, who loved to collect insulators. One fantastic hot sunny day he got so sweaty he dropped his favorite red BULLERS Itd LONDON. But he remembered where he seen a red Bullers. He packed a rope ladder, sleeping bag, tent, and oh... lots of food. He began his long journey from Coolgardie to Albany. When he got there he noticed that someone had already taken the absolutely perfect red Bullers but there were a couple of other rare insulators on the pole.

Two days later when he got home he was so happy that he got some rare insulators. After he cleaned the insulators, he decided to ring up Brad Beitzle to ask if he had a good condition red Buller's to trade. Brad said that he had never had one. So then he called Luke. He said he had five that he was willing to trade for some different insulators that he didn't have.

Luke decided to trade four of them. Graeme brought him the insulators he wanted. He ended up trading a copper top, a Mickey Mouse, a Bullers fatty, and a dark coke brown CD 430 for four red Bullers! The next day Graeme rang up Brad to tell him about the "Reddies". Brad wanted one so they made up a trade. Then he decided to give one to Tom for his Birthday.

Graeme also kept his eyes open for insulators on the net. He found an emerald green Hemingray and got a bid in at the last eight seconds of the auction and won it!

After many years of collecting Graeme finally completed his collection of every single insulator. When he was ninety-six, he finally sold his collection. Luke was the one who bought it.

Any young collectors who would like to communicate with Anthony can do so by via Email: termiteman@bigpond.com or write to, Anthony Snell, 5 Yokanup Road, Albany, Western Australia 6330 Australia.