I looked on eBay to see if I could buy a pedal/cord for the machine and found a set in the USA. I was surprised at how many old sewing machines were online, though several of them were being sold for parts only. I also found a place in California that made the sort of rubber bands I needed.
The second hand pedal/cord in the US was a reasonable price but getting it to Australia would have been expensive, all up AUD 145.
So then I checked the cost of new Berninas online. The cheapest one was over AUD1,500 and all the new models have touch screens to help you choose the stitch you want. I have yet to be persuaded that touch screens on sewing machines are necessary. Will they still be functional in 50 years? I use the machine frequently but never use the fancy stitches. As long as I can sew seams and make buttonholes my needs are fulfilled.
I was considering my options when FB marketplace was suggested to me as another search option so I looked there as well. By a stroke of good fortune I found a machine just like mine at Hornsby Salvos, tested and working and with a year's warranty, all for AUD 200. I was a bit doubtful but I checked the Hornsby Salvation Army website and amongst the religious exhortations I found a note saying they were using FB Marketplace to extend their reach. The sewing machine was part of a deceased estate.
I bought it and it arrived safely, despite being put in its carrying case upside down.
So now I am sewing again and wondering if I should put my old Bernina on eBay as an item being sold for parts only. As with so many such items made in the 1970s most of the machine is in excellent working order. We need more companies like the rubber belt maker in California that make new parts for old and robust machines such as these that would go forever if only the parts that deteriorate could be replaced.
*The new old machine is pictured above with a recent painting of Wellington harbour in the background
