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ABOUT US

Colin Usher & Co began manufacturing headwear for schools and colleges throughout Australia in 1970, after a short, but illustrious career, manufacturing jeans and bikinis.

All the components, fabrics and manufacturing techniques used in all of our headwear have been developed and tested extensively, in the toughest arena in the world, "The School Playground".

We have always had to compete with cheaper imported headwear. So we developed a niche market, for customers who want a quality product, designed to do the job the wearer intended.

We have achieved this with: a unique combination of the best Australian fabrics; a diversity of styles to suit all head and face shapes; and a quality of manufacture that is second to none.

Because of our climate, Australians participate in an enormous diversity of outdoor activities in all types of weather conditions. That is what makes Australia a perfect place to develop HEADWEAR that WORKS.

The FUNNEL WEB Range was developed over a 10 year period, in response to demands from customers, who wanted good quality cloth hats & caps that are specifically designed for the Australian environment.

As well as Schools and Colleges, we now supply Department Stores, Specialty Hat Shops, Outdoor and Camping Shops, Sailing Shops, Souvenir Shops, Mower and Workwear Shops throughout Australia.

It has often been remarked by international customers in these outlets, "we have nothing like the style and quality of the FUNNEL WEB Headwear Range, available in our home country".

Poster (60cm x 40cm) for sale
$15.00 AUS

WHY FUNNEL WEB?

» It's a very Australian and an internationally recognised name.

»They come from Sydney and so do we.

»The spider logo stands out amongst its competitors.

»Whether they are arachnophobic or not, people still turn and look at our advertising, brand name and logo.

»The Funnel Web Spider and FUNNEL WEB Headwear are both the best at what they do.

About The Funnel Web Spider

The male and female (Atrax Robustus) Sydney Funnel Web spiders are known to be amongst the most dangerous creatures on earth. On most occasions the male venom is 6 times more toxic than the female.

Habitat: Along the South Eastern seaboard of New South Wales, stretching from about 100km north to 100km south of the Sydney Basin. It likes to weave a long (20cm to 60cm) silken tube beneath rocks or fallen logs, but will burrow in soft moist ground.

Description: It has large fangs and venom sacs. These fangs fold parallel to one another beneath the head region, and fit into the fang groove like pocket knives. The glossy body and limbs are a characteristic of the Funnel Web, as is the abdomen, which is covered with fine velvet like hairs. Its colour varies, although it is usually a glossy blue-black colour. A mature female measures about 35mm in length, the male about 25mm. The male has large palpal bulbs (a sensing organ at mouth). He also has distinctly pointed spurs on the tibia of the second pair of legs, used to fend off female attacks during mating.

Toxicity: Regardless of the size of the threat, if threatened, an agitated Funnel Web will attempt to attack with astonishing and frightening ferocity. One component of the venom is a neurotoxin called atraxtoxin. This toxin prevents the normal passage of the electric signals from the brain to the other parts of the body. When this occurs false impulses are triggered, which cause uncontrollable muscle twitching, leading to frothing at the mouth and vomiting. The eyes retract and cease to react to light and the victim will turn blue. All very unpleasant! Fortunately antivenom is available in all hospitals and the chances of full recovery are extremely good. There have been approximately 15 deaths in the last 60 years attributed to Funnel Web bite, but none since the introduction of the antivenom 28 years ago.

Mating: Summer to early autumn is the mating season and the time when you are most likely to find a wandering male in search of the female. The female rarely moves more than a metre or so from her nest. The act of mating is a dangerous business for the male as he has to pin her fangs open with the spurs on his second legs to reach the genital opening. He is sometimes bitten whilst engaging or disengaging himself. A sad end! The male will usually die within 9 months of mating, as he is exhausted and loses the will to feed himself.

I hope this information is of interest to you.

Regards