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Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Book - LYDIA CHANCELLOR COLLECTION: THE LIFE OF PETER THE GREAT
A book titled 'The Life of Peter the Great Czar of Russia. The founder of a mighty power; a working king; sparing neither his country, his people, nor himself, in the effort to regenerate his empire.' London : Ward, Lock & Co., Salisbury Square, E.C. 385 - 400 pgs. This booklet is one of a series of 53 ' Ward & Lock's Penny Books for the People.' 'Biographical Series.' Price one penny. There are also advertisements of note.books, biography, peter the great, lydia chancellor, collection, peter the great, the life of peter the great, person, individual, male, russian history, russia, czars, ward & lock's penny biographies, biographical series, biographies, ward & lock's penny books for the people, famous people, penny books, advertisements -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Book, Campbell, Colin, More Bang For No Bucks (Copy 2)
The unique story of Australian armoured, atrillery and infantry soldiers drawn together during the Vietnam War to form 6 Troop, A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment that served in six self-propelled M108 Howitzers, loaned at no cost from the US Army. PHOTO DONEThe unique story of Australian armoured, atrillery and infantry soldiers drawn together during the Vietnam War to form 6 Troop, A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment that served in six self-propelled M108 Howitzers, loaned at no cost from the US Army. PHOTO DONE australia, army, cavalry regiment, vietnamese conflict, 1961-1975, regimental histories - australia, howitzers -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Booklet, Brennessel - No 9, 30 November 1941
Produced fortnightly by internees at camp 1, Tatura as a newspaper or periodical of camp 1 events. Contributions from internees. Title translates as "Stinging Nettle" with "Behind Barbed Wire" written below that title.No 9 30.Nov.41. Booklet of loose leaves with sketch on front cover of sketch of paper manufacture industry/row of men at desks, large figure of man on right holding banner. Contains typed articles, advertisements, sketches, written in German. 12 pages.brennessel, stinging nettle, behind barbed wire, internment camp newspapers -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Book, Burstall, Terry, The Soldiers' Story: The battle at Xa Long Tan (Copy 1)
It is twenty years since the controversial Battle at Long Tan took place in South Vietnam on 18 August 1966.It is twenty years since the controversial Battle at Long Tan took place in South Vietnam on 18 August 1966. 1961-1975 - campaigns, vietnam war, 1961-1975 - personal narratives, australian, battle of long tan -
The Mrs Aeneas Gunn Memorial Library
Book, Jarrolds, Twenty-five years with Earl Haig, 1929
Reminisces of the personal servant of Earl HaigIll, p.288.non-fictionReminisces of the personal servant of Earl Haigworld war 1914-1918 - campaigns - france, generals - great britain - biography -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Book - BENDIGO'S NOTORIOUS COURT CASES OF 1856-1858
46 page soft cover booklet 'Bendigo's Notorious Court Cases 1856 to 1858. Compiled by Peter A Jaques. 1988 Bicentenary Edition Inscribed by the author to Ray Wallace 30/3/87 inside front cover. Includes some B&W sketches.Peter A Jaques -
National Wool Museum
Booklet - Practical Hints to improve the quality and performance of Australian wool during early stage processing, Stuart Ascough, January 1997
Part of a collection of books, manuals, photographs, letters and clothing relating to the working life of Stuart Ascough. Stuart's career in the wool industry spanned over 43 years from 1960 to 2003 in various roles including Topmaking Plant Manager at Courtaulds Ltd. in Spennymore, U.K., Operations Manager at Port Phillip Mills in Williamstown Victoria, Marketing Executive, Early Stage Wool Processing at the International Wool Secretariat Melbourne, Australia and General Manager of Victoria Wool Processors Pty. Ltd. in Laverton North, Victoria. Throughout his career Stuart travelled extensively, and in the 1990s worked at many topmaking mills in China on quality improvement projects. He also provided technical advice and training at mills in India, Ukraine, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Latvia, Byelorussia and other parts of Europe and Asia.Printed booklet bound with plastic black ring binder consisting of approximately 80 pages. Front cover shows graphic of Australian flag in top right corner and blue map of Australia, showing states and territories, in the centre.front: IWS / INTERNATIONAL / WOOL / SECRETARIAT / Practical Hints to improve the / quality and performance of / Australian wool during early / stage processing / Stuart Ascough / Australian Wool Technical Development / International Wool Secretariat / Melbourne / Australia / January 1997stuart ascough, international wool secretariat, victoria wool processors, port phillip mills pty ltd, topmaking, career, wool industry, training, technical advice, mills -
The Mrs Aeneas Gunn Memorial Library
Magazine, Angus and Robertson, Art in Australia, 1917
A journal discussing Australian art.Ill, text.non-fictionA journal discussing Australian art.art - australia, journals - art -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Michael Tyquin, Training for war : the history of headquarters 1st Division 1914-2014, 2017
Training for War encapsulates one hundred years of the history of Headquarters 1st Division and the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters. During that time the Headquarters has commanded subordinate formations and units; soldiers; and assets. They all have a place in this story as do many distinguished Australians who have had a close association with the Division, either commanding it or holding senior positions there. This study looks at the organisation's high water mark in World War One as well as quieter times between the world wars, before the tempo picks up again in the period closer to our own time. As with any military formation it cannot be studied in isolation from politics and policy and so reference is made to wider events in the Australian political and Defence environment. For those wanting new insights into one of the Australian Army's most historic divisions this work should satisfy their needs.Index, bib, ill, maps, p.254.non-fictionTraining for War encapsulates one hundred years of the history of Headquarters 1st Division and the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters. During that time the Headquarters has commanded subordinate formations and units; soldiers; and assets. They all have a place in this story as do many distinguished Australians who have had a close association with the Division, either commanding it or holding senior positions there. This study looks at the organisation's high water mark in World War One as well as quieter times between the world wars, before the tempo picks up again in the period closer to our own time. As with any military formation it cannot be studied in isolation from politics and policy and so reference is made to wider events in the Australian political and Defence environment. For those wanting new insights into one of the Australian Army's most historic divisions this work should satisfy their needs.australian army - organisation, australian army - 1st division -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Book, Heard, Barry, Well Done, Those Men: Memoirs of a Vietnam Veteran (Copy 5)
In this intensely personal account, Barry Heard draws on his own experiences as a young conscript, along with those of his comrades, to look back a life before, during, and after the Vietnam War.In this intensely personal account, Barry Heard draws on his own experiences as a young conscript, along with those of his comrades, to look back a life before, during, and after the Vietnam War.vietnam war, 1961-1975 - personal narratives, australian, soldiers - australia - biography, conscription -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Book, War Comes to Long An: revolutionary conflict in a Vietnamese Province
vietnam war, 1961-1975 -- vietnam -- long an (province), long an (vietnam : province) -- history -- 20th century. -
Port Melbourne Historical & Preservation Society
Book, Huddart Parker & Co Ltd, Day Excursionist's Descriptive & Pictorial Handbook, 1890s
"Day Excursionist's Descriptive & Pictorial Handbook" Neutral colour booklet with gold and green lettering. Green background of floral images and a drawing of "Hygeia" Written in ballpoint on front "Date 1893 see page 27" Back cover has drawing of "Hygeia" in oval medallion with foliage top and bottom. Booklet was presented to all excursionists per the paddle steamer "Hygeia"maritime, transport - shipping, social activities, ps hygeia -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Booklet, Australian Army: Infantry training, vol. 2: Infantry heavy weapons pamphlet No. 26, handling drills for the 81mm mortar, 1970
australia - armed forces - service manuals -
Port Melbourne Historical & Preservation Society
Book - Journal of the Australian Historical Association, Australian Historical Association, 2018
Journal of the Australian Historical Association with coloured cover and photo of Swallow and Ariell "Busy Bees". Article on letters between "Busy Bees " and French soldiers. Vol 15 issue 4 December 2018industry - manufacturing, war - world war i, busy bee, swallow & ariell ltd -
Mission to Seafarers Victoria
Magazine (item) - Newsletter, Mission to Seafarers Victoria, Ship to Shore , Issue 2 2021, November 2022
Ship to Shore was first printed in 1997. Inspired by the Jottings From Our Log, this modern version is generally published quarterly (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring) Articles are written by the mission's staff and give updates about shipping and seafaring news, staff, events, board Committee, heritage. It is sent by post or email to supporters, members, volunteers and friends of the mission. It is also available to the public in the Flying Angel club and online on the website.Ship to Shore is a valable source of informationship to shore, mission to seamen, mission to seafarers, flinders street, melbourne, victoria, news, events, art prize, exhibitions, concerts, open house, seafaring life, shipping, sailors, seamen, sponsors, marketing, festival, flying angel, staff, chaplains, heritage, collection, archives, maritime art prize, sue dight, 2021, community, docklands, covid 19, vaccination, covid vaccine, xmas, christmas, pandemic, simon burton, welfare, postcards, glass slides, nigel porteous, catherine aviss (nee frampton), herbert aviss, heritage tours, vera moore foundation, board members -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Booklet, Australian Army: Infantry training, Vol. 1, Infantry Platoon Weapons, Pamphlet No. 3B: the 7.62 mm self loading rifle and bayonet and the 7.62mm automatic rifle (All arms) 1971 (7 copies), 1971
australia - armed forces - service manuals -
Moorabbin Air Museum
Book (Item) - Private Pilot Licence Course - Meteorology Volume 3
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Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Book - ANNALS OF BENDIGO 1851 - 1867 VOLUME 1, 1912
Loose leaf copy of Annals of Bendigo 1851 - 1867' on front cover. Pink cover.Picture of 'Bendigo from the Eaglehawk Road in the early fifties' on front. Price one shilling. Held together wirh metal clip. Silver duct tape on spine.G. Mackay. Printed by Mackay & Co. Market Square, Bendigobendigo, history, annals of bendigo, bendigo, history, annals of bendigo, mining, culture, industry -
The Mrs Aeneas Gunn Memorial Library
Book, K. Langloh Parker, The Euahlayi tribe : a study of Aboriginal life in Australia, 1905
Belief in Supreme Being; male and female descent; relationship terms (with mention of Vic., N.T. tribes); list of totems; totemic food taboos; medicine men; witch woman and native remedies; bonepointing; belief in spirits; conception beliefs; childhood customs; betrothal; firemaking; bullroarers; message sticks; initiation ceremonies & corroborees; mourning & funeral; legends & cosmology; hunting finding food & cooking; clothing & body painting; weapons; recreations; childhood songs & song about Byamee (texts with translations)Glossary, index, p.156.Belief in Supreme Being; male and female descent; relationship terms (with mention of Vic., N.T. tribes); list of totems; totemic food taboos; medicine men; witch woman and native remedies; bonepointing; belief in spirits; conception beliefs; childhood customs; betrothal; firemaking; bullroarers; message sticks; initiation ceremonies & corroborees; mourning & funeral; legends & cosmology; hunting finding food & cooking; clothing & body painting; weapons; recreations; childhood songs & song about Byamee (texts with translations)aboriginal australians - social life and customs, aboriginal australians - religion -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Book, Vietnam: Viet-Bloody-Nam, 2015
vietnam war, 1961-1975 -- fiction, post-traumatic stress disorder -- fiction, conscientious objection -- australia -- fiction -
Ringwood and District Historical Society
Book, Billanook Country Revisited, 1994
Shire of Lilydale History 1972-1994 -
Clunes Museum
Booklet - PRESENTATION FOLDER FRANK COLLINS
.1 PRESENTATION FOLDER CONTAINING INFORMATION ABOUT FRANK COLLINS AND HIS FREEZING WORKS IN CLUNES, HIS LIFE STORY. HE PLAYED FOOTBALL AT GOLDEN POINT AND LOVED BOXING . HE JOINED THE TEAM AT TALBOT &CLUNES SHIRE COUNCIL IN 1967 AND RETIRED IN 1986. HE WAS A MEMBEROF THE CTDA AND WAS THE INAUGURAL PRESIDENT. THE FOLDER INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS OF CLUNES AND SPORT TEAMSfrank collins, freezing works, shire of talbot & clunes -
Victorian Railway History Library
Book, Kenn Pearce, Australian railway disasters, 1994
A chronological description of Australian railway disastersBib, ill, p.224.non-fictionA chronological description of Australian railway disastersrailway accidents - australia, railway safety - australia -
Stawell Historical Society Inc
Book, Stawell Historical Society, Thomas Kinsella and his 8 Children - Previously Cat No 3652, 2000
stawell -
National Vietnam Veterans Museum (NVVM)
Book, Boxall, Ron ed. and O'Neill, Robert ed, Vietnam Vanguard: The 5th Battalion's Approach to Counter-Insurgency, 1966. (Copy 1)
the Vietnam War, and Australia's part in it, was a major military event, calling for willingness to face death and destruction on the battlefields on the part of those sent there, especially the men of our infantry battalions who formed the spearhead of our forces in Vietnam,the Vietnam War, and Australia's part in it, was a major military event, calling for willingness to face death and destruction on the battlefields on the part of those sent there, especially the men of our infantry battalions who formed the spearhead of our forces in Vietnam,australia. australian army. australian task force (vietnam), 1st., vietnam war, 1961-1975 -- participation, australian, counterinsurgency -- vietnam (republic), 5 rar -
Monbulk RSL Sub Branch
Book, Faber and Faber, Churchill's bomb : a hidden history of science, war and politics, 2013
A brilliant insight into Britain's atomic scientists during the war from the Costa Award-winning author of The Strangest Man .Index, notes, references, ill, p.554.A brilliant insight into Britain's atomic scientists during the war from the Costa Award-winning author of The Strangest Man .world war 1939 – 1945 – science – britain, atomic bomb - great britain -
Moorabbin Air Museum
Book - A CALL TO ARMS, ARTHUR GATELY, 2003
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The Mrs Aeneas Gunn Memorial Library
Book, Gollancz, The trial of Mussolini : being a verbatim report of the first great trial for war criminals held in London sometime in 1944 or 1945, 1943
A fictional account of an imagined trial of Italian dictator, Benito Mussolinip.82.fictionA fictional account of an imagined trial of Italian dictator, Benito Mussoliniworld war 1939-1945 - fiction, war crimes trials -
Moorabbin Air Museum
Book (Item) - Aircraft Engine Log Book , Lycoming Model 10-540-KIA5 , Serial No. L-4865-48
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Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Reference, The Birds of Australia Vol 9
The Birds of Australia is a 12 volume work, in a total of 14 books. The books were used as an ornithological handbook. They contain scientific text as well as over 600 hand-coloured lithographed plates by J.G. Keulemans, H. Grönvold, Roland Green, H. Goodchild and G.E. Lodge. The work was written, sponsored and organised by Gregory M. Matthews, F.R.S.C. Erc. who was a wealthy Australian and an amateur ornithologist. His titles included – -Fellow of the Linnean and Zoological Societies of London -Member of the British Ornithologists’ Union -Corresponding Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union The volumes in our collection were originally donated to the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library by William Lindsay. THE LINDSAYS (quoted from the book Of Many Things – A History of Warrnambool Shire by C.E. Sayers) The Lindsays were amongst the most prominent families in the Shire of Warrnambool, as pastoralists, sportsmen, municipal councillors, community leaders. The first of the family William arrived in Melbourne in 1841 and started business as a livestock agent. The gold rushes sent him to the central Victoria diggings dealing in cattle. This was a business that boomed in the early 1850s, and he prospered. In 1859 he took over the Quamby run near Woolsthrope from Paul de Castella, the Yarra Valley Swiss vigneron who had brought the leasehold and improvements in 1853 from George Youl, who had pioneered the run. Quamby was originally 25,000 acres. It was heavily timbered, rough country, much of it swampy, a characteristic of the district. Lindsay used it to fatten cattle which gave large returns with the booming gold diggings towns paying high prices for beef. In 1862 purchases at auction made Quamby a freehold. In the next six years a further 20,000 acres of Crown land were brought at auction to make the run one of the largest in the south-west district. The great profits from his cattle trading enabled Lindsay to make improvements to the holding, and to Union which was added in 1864. Much of the thick timber was cleared and the worst of the swamps drained. Union was 15,000 acres of freehold when Kennedy sold it to Lindsay. It was heavily timbered, mostly blackwood, with large belts of wattle and honeysuckle. Much of the heavy native was ringbarked and cleared; much more was swept away by bushfire. It was expensive work, but Lindsay’s bank passbook was heavy with credit, and he did not spare money to make both Quamby and Union heavily developed stock runs. He was as lavish in social living; the bluestone Quamby homestead was one of the most hospitable in the district when William Lindsay was host there; its paddocks carried high quality thoroughbreds: its stables housed steeplechasers and flat racers which won many races on Warrnambool and other courses; its coach houses were filled with carriages which took his guests to the great racing carnivals of the district. After William Lindsay died in 1897, in his eighty-fifth year, his two sons, William and James, managed Union and Quamby as a joint venture. This partnership ended in 1906 when William took over Union and James kept Quamby. The following year 10,000 acres of Union were subdivided and sold in lots of 100 acres to 700 acres for dairying and general farming. It was well improved country, much of it alluvial flats. By then many of the paddocks were sheltered with blue gum belts, and they carried good pastures. The three Lindsays, father and two sons, gave many years of service to the Shire, and to many charitable, sporting, social and community organisations in the Warrnambool district. William Lindsay senior, was a Shire councillor for 15 years, and President several times. James Lindsay followed his father as a north riding councillor. He served nineteen years, from 1887 until his death in March 1908. He was President four times. Jimmy Lindsay was one of the most popular men in the south-west of Victoria. He was a fine sportsman: horse breeder, owner and a dashing amateur rider. He lived lavishly and played hard. For many years he guarded a herd of kangaroos, as many as 100 head, at Quamby. Descendants of the Lindsay kangaroos are still in the district. James Lindsay’s wife, Margaret Esther was a daughter of Samuel Shaw Parker, the first engineer of the Shire. Nell Lindsay, a daughter, lives in the Bluestone Quamby homestead. Only a little more than 60 acres of the original run still belongs to the property. William Lindsay junior succeeded his brother as a Shire councillor. He served for 25 years from 1908 until his death in 1934. So, the Lindsays, father and two sons, served as Shite councillors for an unbroken period of sixth-five years. William Lindsay junior had a life-long interest in horse racing, as breeder, owner and enthusiastic amateur steeplechase rider. He was elected a member of the Warrnambool racing club in 1901 and was president of the club for thirty-two years. He raced and rode horses for the love of the sport. He won the Villiers and Heytesbury Hunt Cup in the 1870s on his own horse, Ventura. In the year he died his horse Flavedo won the Warrnambool Grand Annual steeplechase. It was a sensational race. All of the contestants fell, or lost their riders. When Flavedo baulked at a jump, its jockey R. Sweetman, remounted and completed the course to win the race. All of the Lindsays were passionately fond of the thoroughbred horse. Nell Lindsay talking to the author in the drawing room of Quamby homestead - with many memories for her of its lavish years – said of a brother that he was put on a horse when he was two years old and never got off. William Lindsay junior made Union into a fine, high-producing property, breeding cattle and horses. He added to the bluestone house that David Kennedy started, established plantations of pines and gums, and made an attractive garden. WARRNAMBOOL MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE Warrnambool's Mechanics' Institute (or Institution as it was sometimes called) was one of the earliest in Victoria. On 17th October 1853 a meeting was held where it was resolved to request the Lieutenant Governor of the Colony to grant land for the erection of a Mechanics' Institutes building. A committee was formed at the meeting and Richard Osburne chaired the first meeting of this committee. The land on the North West corner of Banyan and Merri Streets was granted but there were no funds to erect the building. The Formal Rights of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute's encompassed its aims and these were officially adopted in1859; "This Institution has for its object the diffusion of literary, scientific, and other useful knowledge amongst its members, excluding all controversial subjects, religious or political. These objects are sought to be obtained by means of a circulating library, a reading room, the establishment of classes, debates, and the occasional delivery of lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, mechanics, astronomy, chemistry, natural history, literature, and the useful and ornamental arts, particularly those which have a more immediate reference to the colony." The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute opened its first meeting room in November1854 in the National School building at the corner of Banyan and Timor Streets. The Institute was funded by member subscription, payable on a quarterly, half yearly or yearly basis. Samuel Hannaford, the Manager of the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, was the first Honorary Secretary of the Mechanics' Institutes, and an early President and Vice-President. He also gave several of the early lectures in the Reading Room. Another early Secretary, Librarian and lecturer was Marmaduke Fisher, the teacher at the National School. Lecture topics included The Poets and Poetry of Ireland', 'The Birth and Development of the Earth', 'The Vertebrae - with Remarks on the pleasures resulting from the study of Natural History' and 'Architecture'. In 1856 the Reading Room was moved to James Hider's shop in Timor Street, and by 1864 it was located in the bookshop of Davies and Read. In the 1860's the Mechanics' Institute struggled as membership waned but in 1866, after a series of fund raising efforts, the committee was able to purchase land in Liebig Street, on a site then called Market Square, between the weighbridge and the fire station. A Mechanics' Institute building was opened at this site in August 1871. The following year four more rooms were added to the main Reading Room and in 1873 the Artisan School of Design was incorporated into the Institute. The same year Joseph Archibald established a Museum; however it deteriorated when he was transferred to Bendigo in 1877. In 1880, with Archibald's return to Warrnambool, the Museum was re-established, and in 1885 a new building was built at the back of the Institute to accommodate the re-created School of Design, the Art Gallery and the Museum. In 1887 the Museum section was moved to the former court house in Timor Street (for some time the walls of the building formed part of the TAFE cafeteria but all is now demolished)). In 1911 the Museum was transferred back to the original building and the management of the Mechanics' Institute was handed over to the Warrnambool City Council. The Museum and Art Gallery became one and housed many fine works of art, and the Library continued to grow. The building was well patronised, with records showing that at the beginning of the 20th century there were between 500 and 800 visitors. During World War One the monthly figures were in the thousands, with 3,400 people visiting in January 1915. The Museum was a much loved Institution in Warrnambool until the contents of the Museum and Art Gallery were removed to make room for the Warrnambool City Council Engineers' Department. The contents were stored but many of the items were scattered or lost. When the original building was demolished the site became occupied by the Civic Centre, which included the new City Library. (The library was temporarily located in the old Palais building in Koroit Street.) In the process of reorganisation the Collection was distributed amongst the community groups: -The new City Library took some of the historic books and some important documents, historic photographs and newspapers. -The Art Gallery kept the 19th Century art collection and some of the artefacts from the museum. -The Historic Society has some items -The State Museum has some items -Some items were destroyed -Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village has old newspapers, Government Gazettes, most of the Mechanics' Institute Library, ledgers and documents connected to the Mechanics' Institute Library, some framed and unframed art works and some photographs. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute Library book collection is deemed to be of great importance because it is one of the few collections in an almost intact state, and many of the books are now very rare and of great value. THE PATTISON COLLECTION This book is also part of the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library, as the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute was then called. When the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. The Birds of Australia by Gregory M. Matthews is now considered a rare and valuable scientific and historic work on its own. These 12 volumes were donated in 1934 to The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute and were included as part of the Pattison Collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. The Birds of Australia Vol 9 Author: Gregory M Mathews Publisher: H F & G Witherby Date: 1921-1922 Tan leather bound illustrated work.Label on spine cover with typed text RA 598.2994 MAT Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library that reads “Presented by W. Lindsay Esq. ‘Union’ Woolsthrope” Accession Number: 15240 Date Received: 3-34 “W. Lindsay” embossed in gold on front cover, bottom right of book flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, the birds of australia, gregory m. matthews, witherby & co., h.f. & g. witherby, w lindsay, william lindsay, quamby woolsthorpe, union woolsthorpe, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool art gallery, joseph archibald, warrnambool mechanics’ institute and free library, ralph eric pattison, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, the birds of australia vol 9, quamby station, union station, woolsthrope