How gold prospector Sam Knott coined one of the most famous slogans in advertising history

Sam Knott’s forthright explanation for his pre-lunch ale at a bush pub has become immortalised in Australia’s drinking history.

Sam Knott in the original Carlton poster. Picture: National Archives of Australia

His name has been lost to history, but Sam Knott was responsible for one of the most well-known slogans in Australian advertising history.

The gold prospector turned gardener – and copious beer drinker – uttered the immortal phrase “I allus has wan at eleven” when questioned once about his pre-lunch tipple.

The slogan and Sam’s photo became the centrepiece of a long-running ad campaign for Carlton Brewery, and the image and words are still seen in hotels today.

Sam’s amusing tale is the subject of the latest episode of the In Black and White podcast on Australia’s forgotten characters, available today:

His story is told in the Melbourne edition of the Grave Tales series of books, by co-authors Chris Adams and Helen Goltz.

Sam Knott, also known as Sam Nott and Sam Griffin, was born in 1841 in England, and worked on the Victorian goldfields.

By the early 1900s, he was working as a gardener for Paddy McVeigh at McVeigh’s Hotel in Walsh’s Creek in the Upper Yarra area.

“Sam wasn’t averse to a jar or two of ale and rarely went unrefreshed,” Chris says.

“So he came to an arrangement with Paddy, the owner of the pub, that he should be paid one pound a week and ‘found’, in other words this was his wage – a bed, a roof over his head, all his meals, plus one pound a week.”

An undated photo from the Charters Towers Archives of people wearing costumes reminiscent of Sam Knott and the famous Carlton Brewery “I allus has wan at eleven” poster, which can be seen in the background.

It wasn’t long before the one pound weekly payment became part of a strange tradition between Sam and Paddy.

When Paddy handed Sam the one pound note each week, Sam immediately paid it back as payment for all the ale he had consumed over the previous week.

“This curious ritual went on for over a year … and the one pound note continued to be traded back and forwards,” Chris says.

One day in 1906 a young man arrived at the hotel from the city with a camera, and commented to Sam that he seemed to be enjoying his pre-lunch ale.

The original 1907 poster. Picture: National Archives of Australia

Another version of the famous image. Picture: The Brewery: Carlton Brewery book.

Sam replied with the line that would live on for more than a century: “I allus has wan at eleven.”

While it’s unclear if the visitor worked for Carlton Brewery, that photo soon began appearing in hotels across Victoria carrying an extended version of Sam’s reply:

I allus has wan at eleven, it’s a habit that’s got to be done.

Cos if I don’t have wan at eleven, I allus have eleven at one.

Sadly, Sam died in 1907 without seeing the tremendous influence his photo and words had.

“You can still see the photo of Sam in some pubs today, so it’s got to be one of the most successful campaigns in Australian advertising history, from 1906 to now,” Chris says.

Listen to the interview with author Chris Adams about the life of Sam Knott in the In Black and White podcast on iTunes, Spotify or web.

See In Black & White in the Herald Sun newspaper Monday to Friday for more stories and photos from Victoria’s past.