Hear about the cable station with the voice of Bob Davis (staff at the station in the 1950s and 60s, recorded 1986) and Postmaster General archival soundapollo bay, cable station, telecommunications

Yields information about the correspondence between the PMG and the SEC re installation of a service in Albert St.Letter from the Postmaster General's Department, Ballarat Divisional Engineer's Office, dated 27-8-1957 about the installation of a 4" conduit under tram lines in Albert St. On white quarto paper. Has receival stamp, and others notes. See Reg Item 4953 for copy of response.Has receival stamp, and others notes. in blue and red ink.trams, tramways, letters, sec, tram track, pmg

The Ericofon, sometimes known as the 'Cobra' for its distinctive single-piece design, was distributed by the Postmaster General from around 1963. Components were imported from Sweden, with the outer casing produced at the Ericsson factory in Broadmeadows. LM Ericsson Rotary Cobra Handset - grey upright handsetwalsh st furnishings, robin boyd

A Broadcast Listener's Licence was issued by the Commonwealth of Australia, in Melbourne via the Postmaster General's Department. In this era (1960s) 'free to air' radio required the payment of a licence fee. The fine for operating unlicenced equipment was up to 100 pounds.Although the address on the licence is Garden City, Mrs Bray is a long-time resident of GreensboroughLicence, black text on buff card.radio licences, telecommunications

A Television Viewer's Licence was issued by the Commonwealth of Australia, in Melbourne via the Postmaster General's Department. In this era (1960s) 'free to air' television required the payment of a licence fee. The fine for operating unlicenced equipment was up to 100 pounds.Although the address on the licence is Garden City, Mrs Bray is a long-time resident of GreensboroughLicence, black text on buff card.telecommunications, television licences

Item/s in this collection re B.J. Ruler VX40780 refer Cat. No 5790 for his service details.Telegrams - sent from camp to family and from overseas home to family. Paper has printed or handwritten message. Printed “ Commonwealth of Australia Postmaster - Generals Department. Office of Origin” Various places Australia. Abroad - places names have been deleted (Censored) One telegram “ No news for five weeks very worried all my love Margaret “ telegram, ww2, letters

Authorisation to use all radios and televisions ordinarily kept at the address shown on the licence. Licences were issued by the Postmaster General under the Commonwealth Broadcasting and Television Act. The stamp on this licence indicates that the fee was paid at Elsternwick Post Office. The holder had previously held a Broadcast Listener's Licence, which applied only to radios.Buff card printed in blue on one side. Date stamped in black ink and signed in blue ink.Details of licence holder: G Watson 12 Austin Ave S3 Licence number: 20 18149 Fee: £8 10 0 Expiry: 28 10 66 Signature of issuing officer: indecipherable Time issued: 11.23 am Stamped: Elsternwick Vic 1 No 65radio licence, television licence, combined receiving licence

Authorisation to use all broadcast receivers (wireless radios) that are ordinarily kept at the address shown on the licence (including any installed in a vehicle). Licences were issued by the Postmaster General under the Commonwealth Broadcasting and Television Act. The stamp on this licence indicates that the fee was paid at Elsternwick Post Office. Separate licences were required to view television.Buff card printed in black on both sides with a red stripe along the top front edge. Date stamped in black ink, and signed in blue ink.Details of licence holder: G Watson 12 Austin Ave S3 Licence number: 15 3931 Fee: £2 15 0 Expiry: 2 8 65 Signature of issuing officer: indecipherable Time issued: 1045 am Stamped: Eltsernwick Vic 27 Au 64wireless licence, radio licence, listener's licence

Prepaid MMTB tickets for use on MMTB services, printed for PMG (Postmasters-General) department. Has the condition of use on the rear. Available for one section only. Printed on blue card. Two further examples added 15-3-2016, from donation of Harry Jackson, 31/1/2016. The PMG was abolished in 1975 and replaced by Australia Post and Telecom. .2 - A sample of an Australia post - two section card added 20-12-2015, from donation of Harry Jackson. Similar details except for name.trams, tramways, mmtb, buses, tickets, pmg, australia post, post office

The Postmaster-General's Department (PMG) was a department of the Australian federal government, established at Federation in 1901, whose responsibilities included the provision of postal and telegraphic services throughout Australia. It was abolished in December 1975 and replaced by the Postal and Telecommunications Department. Telephone calls were transferred through exchanges by manual operators who staffed switchboards throughout the country. The clock was used to time calls in order to levy appropriate charge for telephone usage.The use of manual telephone exchanges played an important role in Australian telecommunications history, not just for day -to-day business and commercial use, but for social connections and communication during emergency. This timer has local significance as it was used at the Wodonga Telephone Exchange.A small clock used by switchboard operators to time calls at the Wodonga Telephone Exchange. Lever on the side operates timier.In centre of clock 'C. of A./P.M.G -50" Insignia of the Junghans Clock Manufacturers At the bottom edge of the time "Made in Germany",telecommunication, wodonga telephone exchange, p.m.g., timer, wodonga

Colour photographs of a stone memorial commeorating the first overseas wireless message sent from Australia. From this spot on twlfth July 1906 The first overseas wireless messages from Australia were sent by Lord Northcote Governor-General Sir R. Talbot Governor Hon. A. Deakin Prime Minister Hon. A Chapman Postmaster General Hon. R.A. Crouch M.P, For Corio Equipment supplied and operated bu Marconi Wireless Coy Ltdwireless, telegram, queenscliff, lord northcote, alfred deakin, a. chapman, r.a. crouch, r. talbot, marconi wireless company

Contents: • Russell Yeoman – our Secretary for 50 Years by Jim Connor • Our Next Meeting – Wednesday 14th August 2019 • September Excursion – Culla Hill Walk • The Value of History Statement • Eltham Reminiscences by R.D. Taylor • Australia post: Gold brought life to the township • Postmaster-General’s Department of Australia • Eltham Cemetery Stories by Richard Pinn o Patrick Carrucan o Nina Mikhailovna Christesen • Our Recent Heritage Excursions by Jim Connor • Contacts for the Eltham District Historical Society The Shire of Eltham Historical Society was formed in October 1967. The first newsletter of the Society was issued May 1978 and has been published continuously ever since on a bi-monthly basis. With the cessation of the Shire of Eltham in late 1994, the Society's name was revised to Eltham District Historical Society and this name first appeared with issue No. 103, July 1995. The collection of the Society's newsletters provides a valuable resource on the history of the Society's activities, office bearers and committee members, guest speakers and subjects of historical interest pertinent to the former Shire of Eltham and the Eltham District.A4 newsletter distributed to membersnewsletter, eltham district historical society

When the Commonwealth Post and Telegraph Act was passed in June 1902, and a national Postmaster General's Department (the PMG) was established and the responsibility for the nation's mail and telephone services fell on Post Offices. The Bendigo Post Office, built in 1887 and situated on Pall Mall was the central distribution centre for receiving and delivering telegrams and continued to deliver communication and postal services until 1997. This stamped, addressed Commemorative Pictorial Postmark envelope celebrates the 1951 Bendigo Gold Centenary Philatelic Exhibition. Registered, postmarked 02 July 1951. Printed and stamped envelope featuring an image of a poppet head on the left and four commemorative stamps celebrating 100 years of gold top right. Letter is addressed.Obverse Top left; $30 Centre top and bottom; various pencil markings Lower right; T. Clark / 5 Princes St / Oakleigh s.12 / Vic Reverse- Two red pencil lines Centre - postal stamps bendigo post office, bendigo tourism, city of greater bendigo tourism, post office collection, making a nation exhibition

112 Page soft cover book titled 'The Victorian Readers Second Book' dark orange in colour with a cloth strip at the spine. On the front cover is a female child sitting on a wooden chair reading a book. The book consists of 102 pages of stories and poems plus 9 pages of language list. The back page has three children in various poses looking at a monkey on a swing hanging from two trees. Below the monkey written in script is 'The End' Inside the front cover hand written in blue ink is the name 'John M. Merifield' Registered by the Postmaster General for transmission through the post as a book.Education Department of Victoria. H.J. Green, Government Printer, Melbourne 1930.education, primary, victoria, the victorian readers second book

Document prepared by the Electric Supply Co of Victoria, as part of an order under the Electric Light and Power Act 1896, section 5 of order No. 17 granted to company. Dated 19/2/1901 and signed by the Postmaster-General. Shows the order area being parts of the City of Ballaarat, Sebastopol and Ballarat East. Shows the street names, boundaries, principal power line routes, land reserves, parks, mine locations, railways and Lake Wendouree. Signed by R L Williams Town Clerk City of Ballarat, J R Hall for the Borough of Sebastopol, and John Gent for the Town of Ballarat EastYields information about the power supply to the Ballarat area.Cloth backed paper map, coloured and marked up as exhibit 17.Notes in ink including the signature of Benjamin Deakin 24/9/00 and certified by the three involved municipal Town Clerks.ballarat power supply, esco, electric supply co of victoria, city of ballaarat, east ballarat, sebastopol, orders, power lines, power supply

When the Commonwealth Post and Telegraph Act was passed in June 1902, and a national Postmaster General's Department (the PMG) was established the responsibility for the nation's mail and telephone services fell on local Post Offices. The Bendigo Post Office, built in 1887 and is situated on Pall Mall, it was the central distribution centre for receiving and delivering communication and postal services until 1997 and is now the Bendigo Visitor Centre. Clocks such as these were issued by the Post Master General's Department which was a department of the Australian federal government, established at Federation in 1901, whose responsibilities included the provision of postal and telegraphic services throughout Australia. It was abolished in December 1975 and replaced by the Postal and Telecommunications Department.city of greater bendigo post office

The Ericofon was the first commercially successful telephone which incorporated both handle and dial within a single unit. Manufactured by the Swedish company Ericsson, and available for lease from the Postmaster-General’s Department, the streamlined design has been praised for anticipating the cordless phone, and later mobile phone, by several decades. The ‘cobra’ design was formulated in the 1940s and manufactured in the 1950s; Australian cases were likely made in the L M Ericsson Broadmeadows factory. Although new thermoplastic technology allowed for a bolder aesthetic than traditional black Bakelite telephones, Ericofon sales accounted for only 4% of the market and it never enjoyed popularity with Australian subscribers. The design did, however, spark a conceptual shift whereby the telephone “was seen more as a consumer product than merely an extension of telephony” (Ericsson).Clear plastic telephone casing inside which are coloured electrical wires. Telephone has a broad base that contains the dial, mouthpiece and cord with cream plastic coated wall plug attached at rear. Handle tapers in a curve to a stylised squared earpiece. Dial underneath is a rotary dial with red disconnection button in the centre. telephone, design, domestic, ericsson, industrial design

When the Commonwealth Post and Telegraph Act was passed in June 1902, and a national Postmaster General's Department (the PMG) was established the responsibility for the nation's mail and telephone services fell on Post Offices. The Bendigo Post Office, built in 1887 and continued to deliver communication and postal services until 1997. Ted Rankins was the last Post Master at the Bendigo Post Office and a long term telegraph volunteer post his retirement. Now a Visitor Centre, dedicated volunteers at the Post Office continued to demonstrate and educate the public about the daily workings of the Post Office up until 2019 when Covid 19 disrupted every day life. This sign was issued to Ted during his time working at the Post Office and is part of the postal collection donated by the Rankins family in memory of Ted. Yellow plastic desk plate. Made from one piece of plastic which has been folded to make the 'A' frame shape. Name printed on front.MR. E. RANKINSted rankins collection, bendigo post office, bendigo tourism, city of greater bendigo tourism, post office collection

When the Commonwealth Post and Telegraph Act was passed in June 1902, and a national Postmaster General's Department (the PMG) was established the responsibility for the nation's mail and telephone services fell on Post Offices. The Bendigo Post Office, built in 1887 and situated on Pall Mall was the central distribution centre for receiving and delivering telegrams and continued to deliver communication and postal services until 1997. Now a Visitor Centre, dedicated volunteers at the Post Office continued to demonstrate and educate the public about the daily workings of the Post Office up until 2019 when Covid 19 disrupted every day life and Ted Rankins, the last Post Master and a long term telegraph volunteer at the Post Office, died. Manuals were issued to postmen to guide them in the delivery of letters and parcels and were small enough to be carried with them. This manual was used by the Bendigo Post Office postmen and is part of the postal collection donated by the Rankins family in memory of Ted Rankins,. Small, creamed coloured cloth covered manual. Contains forty four printed pages and two blank end pages covering all aspects of how to correctly deliver the post. Topics include 'Behaviour', 'Deceased Persons' and 'Bicycles' amongst many others. Book is bound and contains many extra additional paragraphs stuck in on appropriate pages noting changes and amendments. Additional amendments in handwritten red pen also occur on pages 28, 29 and 36.Front cover; Postmen's Manual / Australian Post Office Various annotations and updates throughout. ted rankins collection, bendigo post office, bendigo tourism, city of greater bendigo tourism, post office collection

This seal was used for official police and court documents by the Belvoir Police Office.The initial land survey for the city now known as Wodonga was first undertaken in 1852 by Thomas Wedge - Assistant Surveyor. The new township was called "Belvoir" and was proclaimed by that name in 1852 and again in 1861. The first sale of land in Belvoir was held at Wangaratta on April 28, 1854, when all the allotments surveyed by Thomas Wedge (excepting those set apart for reserves, government and public areas) were offered at auction. Following representations by the Postmaster General on June 23, 1869, the Governor in Council, on July 12, 1869, approved of its Aboriginal name "Wodonga" being restored. The seal was found at the Yackandandah Courthouse by the Circuit Judge, the late Mr. Jim Humphrey. As the Wodonga Historical Society was in recess at that time, the seal was held in trust by the North-East Historical Society in Wangaratta. It was donated to the Wodonga Historical Society in 1987.This item was the official seal of the Belvoir Police office from the beginning of the European settlement of the modern day city of Wodonga, then know as Belvoir. It is one of the earliest relics of that period of history, until its name was changed in 1869.Wood and metal seal bearing the official emblem of the Police Office Belvoir. It would have been used to apply a wax seal to official documents. The seal is mounted in a timber and glass case so that the imprint of the seal can be seen reflected in a mirror mounted in the base of the box.Around the edges of the seal "POLICE OFFICE / BELVOIR"belvoir police, official seal, history wodonga

Premier 23rd January 1893 – 27th September 1894. Born in Alnwick, England, Sir James Patterson (1833-1895) migrated to Victoria in 1852 to try his luck on the goldfields. After little success he turned his hand to farming, and later operated a slaughter yard at Chewton. Patterson served on the Chewton local council, being elected mayor four times before moving with his wife Anna and family to Melbourne in 1870. Patterson established a real estate business, and after two unsuccessful attempts to enter parliament in 1866 and 1868, he won the by election for Castlemaine in the Legislative Assembly in December 1870. He would hold this seat until his death 25 years later. Patterson served in Sir Graham Berry’s brief August to October 1875 government as Commissioner of Public Works and Vice-President of Board and Land Works. He repeated these roles two years later in Berry’s second government and additionally served as Postmaster-General, and in Berry’s third government was Commissioner of Railways and again Vice-President of the Board of Land and Works. In April 1889 after a time in Opposition, Patterson became Commissioner for Trade and Customs in Duncan Gillies’ Government. The following year he returned to the familiar positions of Public Works, Board of Land and Words and Postmaster-General. By 1891 Patterson was leader of the opposition, and when William Shiels’ government succumbed to a motion of no confidence, led by Patterson, he became premier on the 23rd of January 1893. During his premiership, James Patterson was also Chief Secretary and Minister for Railways. His term as premier coincided with a period of severe economic depression, and his enforced economies earned Patterson few public admirers. In May 1893 his government attempted to prevent a run on bank withdrawals and stabilise the sector, by declaring a 5 day 'bank holiday'. Patterson was awarded a knighthood in May 1894, however this did not increase public confidence in his government who were not returned to power in the August 1894 election. Again leader of the opposition, James Patterson died suddenly of influenza on the 30 of October 1895.This portrait was presented to Sir James Patterson by 'grateful citizens of Victoria' in appreciation of his services during the land boom depression. In 1929 the painting was donated to the Victorian Parliamentary Library by H. Lavinia Patterson, the wife of Sir James Patterson's nephew Colonel George Patterson.Oil on canvas, framed. Frame: ornate wood, gesso mouldings, unglazed. Signed on bottom right corner "G. Coutts" Stamped inscription along inner edge of canvas: "WINSOR AND NEWTON". Inscription on canvas, handwritten in ink: "13 1 92" from reverse.patterson, james brown (1833-1895)

The newsletter from December 1957. It featured a a girl with lots of donated toys on the cover. The president's introduction talked about Christmas. A photo announced the wedding of two junior legatees from the Harelands and Stanhope, Les Johnson and Diane Aldous. Another article on deciding a career for the children - this time the communications industry by working in the Postmaster General's department. The article about the Demonstration mentions; the graduation ball and a rendition of Cinderella, as well as Snow White and the seven dwarfs. The boys excelled at tumbling and judo. A newsletter published by Legacy in this format for many years from 1942. It mentions "Issued from time to time for Private Circulation among the Sons and Daughters of Deceased Service men and Merchant Seamen who served their Country during the War of 1914-18, or the present War". Many articles on the work of Legacy, including features on boys classes, girls classes, camps, the residences and where their past residents ended up. There are some suggestion for careers and some general interest articles. Some very interesting photos.Newsletter outlining news of Junior Legatee activities.Black and white printed newsletter x 8 pages from December 1957. Volume 10 Number 2.boys classes, activities, girls classes

Small, white card, Sandhurst Branch A. N. A. Legislative Convention. Possibly 1889, see newspaper article 22nd August, 1889, Bendigo Advertiser. Named are the Speaker - J. Quick, Esq., L. L. D., Premier and Minister of Public Works - Mr. W. F. Noonan, Treasurer - Mr. W. McLean, Secretary - Mr. J. H. Curnow, Minister of Mines - Mr. A. Dewar, Minister of Lands & Water - Mr. McConachie, Minister of Defence - Mr. J. B. Young, Commissioner of Customs - Mr. J. Fry, Minister of Railways - Mr. F. Haverfield, Minister of Justice - Mr. J. E. Buchan, Minister of Education - Mr. J. B. Roberts, Postmaster-General - Mr. W. Grimley. A. A. Lester, Clerk of the House. ' Meetings every alternate Thursday at the Temperance Hall, View Street, Sandhurst.' Printing surrounded by border with a flower where the corners intersect. On the back is a drawing with a vase of flowers sitting on a raised part which is wider at the bottom. It has a plant engraving and underneath are two doves and a feather pattern fan.bendigo, clubs, ana, document, sandhurst branch a. n. a., j quick, w f noonan, w mclean, j h curnow, a dewar, mr mcconachie, j b young, j fry, f haverfield, j e buchan, j b roberts, w grimley, a a lester

Standard Telephones and Cables Pty Ltd was a telecommunications company that began as part of Western Electric, a telephone manufacturing company set up by Alexander Graham Bell. Following the First World War, Western Electric diversified to include electric generators and wireless receivers, all still imported. In 1925, Western Electric was sold to the International Telephone and Telegraph Company. In Australia, it became known as Standard Telephones and Cables (Australasia) They worked closely the Postmaster Generals department to set up telephone and radio networks throughout Australia. Its first factory was in Chippendale, New South Wales but ut developed to have branches in all stated of Australia. By the end of the Second World War STC was Australia's biggest manufacturer due to its critical role in producing telecommunications equipment, domestic radio receivers, telecom cables, military equipment and electron tubes. The company returned to peacetime manufacture. Rather than reduce staff it used its excess capacity to produce electric irons and other domestic appliances including vacuum cleaners and floor polishers. This model was produced at the beginning of the 1950s. It was once owned by Mr. Stiff from Stiff and Gannon, Wodonga.This item has local and national significance. It was used in a local Wodonga business and is representative of domestic appliances used in the 1950s. It also has national significance as it is an excellent example of good produced by the manufacturing industry in Australia during that period.Model 30 Airzone Vacuum Cleaner and accessories. Manufactured in AustraliaMetal logo for Airzone including engine specificationsdomestic appliances, standard telephones and cables pty ltd

Basil Watson departed Melbourne on 24th January 1917, on the initial leg of Australia's first 'barnstorming' aviation tour, promoted by the entrepreneurs Albert Sculthorpe and R. Sissons. During the trip, which lasted over a month, Watson visited Warrnambool, Hamilton and Mount Gambier, before returning via stopovers at Casterton, Hamilton, Warrnambool and Camperdown. At each town he presented a public flying demonstration for crowds of spectators, featuring his usual aerobatic displays with feats such 'looping the loop', upside down flying, somersaulting and 'perpendicular nose dives', generating much amazement and admiration. The promoters had received approval from the Postmaster General's Department to carry an experimental airmail consignment on the return journey from Mount Gambier, and Watson landed in Albert Park on his arrival back in Melbourne on 27th February, carrying over 1,000 pieces of airmail collected from each of the towns on route. Much of the mail was in the form of official souvenir postcards commemorating the event, which were reposted on arrival to local addresses in Melbourne. Churchward, M. (2017) Basil George Watson, Pioneering Aviator (1894-1917) in Museums Victoria Collections https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/15473 Accessed 18 December 2018.Book. ' Basil G. Watson, Pioneer Airman, the Mount Gambier to Melbourne 1917 experimental air mail'. Grey cover, 39 pages with photographs and illustrations.H.N. Eustisbiography, aviation, basil g. watson, aviation, airmail, bendigo, basil g. watson.eric j. ames pty ltd printers, 14 chesser street adelaide

The etymology of the word portmanteau: A portmanteau was a travelling bag used as a mailbag. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, both newspapers and letters were transported in these leather mailbags that opened into two sections. A portmanteau is a word created by the blending of two other words in terms of the sounds and meaning. Portmanteau itself is a portmanteau; made up of the French ‘porter’ meaning ‘to carry’ and ‘manteau’ meaning ‘cloak’. The other meaning of this word is ‘a travelling case or bag' but was coined by Lewis Carroll with its new meaning in 1882. History: English merchant Thomas Witherings established mail routes throughout Europe in the 1620s. He drew up a proposal in 1635 for an English mail system based in London in which portmanteaux (containing 2 leather bags lined with cotton) could travel to European towns with sealed bags of mail for protection against spies. The system was put into motion and some 26,000 letters were mailed safely and unopened between London and European towns each week. In the nineteenth century, the official portmanteau was used to carry the mail, letters and newspapers on Americas New England stagecoaches that travelled the postal routes. Before 1789 newspapers were mostly excluded from the mail and the official portmanteau. After the first United States Congress (1789–1791) the postmaster general allowed printers free postage to communicate reports and articles of Congressional informational newspapers with other publishers in other towns and cities for distribution. Example of a mid-20th-century leather bag not connected to a person of significance from history or a historic event. The significance lies in the historic social aspect of this type of bag and how it got its name. This type of bag was popular from the mid 19th century for personal use and fell out of favour in until the 1950s and the origin and meaning of the word used to describe this type of leather bag "portmanteau". Portmanteau leather bag, with brass oval badge, tan interior with compartment separator. Inscribed "Allchin Bros Makers Ballarat". flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, portmanteau, allchin bros

The etymology of the word portmanteau: A portmanteau was a travelling bag used as a mailbag. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, both newspapers and letters were transported in these leather mailbags that opened into two sections. A portmanteau is a word created by the blending of two other words in terms of the sounds and meaning. Portmanteau itself is a portmanteau; made up of the French ‘porter’ meaning ‘to carry’ and ‘manteau’ meaning ‘cloak’. The other meaning of this word is ‘a travelling case or bag' but was coined by Lewis Carroll with its new meaning in 1882. History: English merchant Thomas Witherings established mail routes throughout Europe in the 1620 s. He drew up a proposal in 1635 for an English mail system based in London in which portmanteau (containing 2 leather bags lined with cotton) could travel to European towns with sealed bags of mail for protection against spies. The system was put into motion and some 26,000 letters were mailed safely and unopened between London and European towns each week. In the nineteenth century, the official portmanteau was used to carry the mail, letters and newspapers on Americas New England stagecoaches that travelled the postal routes. Before 1789 newspapers were mostly excluded from the mail and the official portmanteau. After the first United States Congress (1789–1791) the postmaster general allowed printers free postage to communicate reports and articles of Congressional informational newspapers with other publishers in other towns and cities for distribution. Example of a mid-20th-century leather bag not connected to a person of significance from history or a historic event. The significance lies in the historic social aspect of this type of bag and how it got its name. This type of bag was popular from the mid 19th century for personal use and fell out of Portmanteau soft leather bag with lock, leather handles (one broken) and with metal plate on front.No inscription flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

This tape is from the first telegram ever sent in Western Australia. This important event occurred on 21 June 1869. At this time the transmitted message was received on paper tape and later transcribed onto a telegram form for delivery. The original tape was presented to the Honourable Frederick Palgrave Barlee, Colonial Secretary of Western Australia, as a souvenir. "FPB" appears on an engraved shield on the lid. James Coats Fleming, the first telegraphist and later Superintendent of Telegraphs, sent the telegram. During 1875, Colonial Secretary Barlee transferred from Perth to Belize and then to Trinidad where he died in 1884. The fate of the case and spool, souvenir of that first telegram, was unknown. In July 1940, the WA Agent-General in London advised the Premier's Department in Western Australia that a Mrs EW Hillyer of Hertfordshire had the spool and case and was willing to sell it for ten guineas ($21). The Postmaster General's Department agree to the purchase and it duly arrived by registered mail. As a communications museum was planned in Melbourne, it was sent there to be included in the collection. Nothing more was heard until early 1980s when the relic arrived at the Post and Telecommunication museum in Perth. The case had been found in an old Melbourne strongroom where it had apparently been placed for safe-keeping and then forgotten. Initial attempts to decode the message on the tape were unsuccessful. Eventually, it was discovered that the Western Australian Telegraph Company, responsible for that first transmission, had devised its own code. A copy was obtained from the Battye Library and the message deciphered.This Morse tape is of historic significance as the first telegram ever sent in Western Australia. The occasion was momentous as the transition point between isolation and ease of connection for business and personal communications. The case is of aesthetic interest for the craftsmanship involved in the engraved text. Further, the tape has research potential owing to the unique information contained within this tape; that is, the code of the Western Australian Telegraph Company. This tape, may in turn be used to decode further messages sent by the Western Australian Telegraph Company. As the first telegraph message sent in Western Australia, this tape is rare. Despite a tumultuous journey from 1869 to the early 1980s, the tape's ceremonial wooden case provides provenance information which supports the tape's historic importance.Small wooden case (.1) holding a length of morse tape (.2) which was the first telegram ever sent in Western Australia . Wound onto a mother of pearl reel (.3). Accompanying signs and decoded message (.4,.5)..1 engraved on a metal shield shaped plaque on the lid: "WESTERN AUSTRALIAN / TELEGRAPHS / FPB" Inside: 'TRANSLATION OF REGISTER / TO THE CHAIRMAN OF FREMANTLE TOWN TRUST / His Excellency Colonel Bruce heartily congratulates the / inhabitants of Fremantle on this annihilation of distance / between the Port and the Capital, and he requests that this, / the first message, may be made publicly known. / GOVERNMENT HOUSE, / PERTH, June 21, 1869 / Transmitted 11 am / J.C.F."|.2: "Instrument Register / of the First / Telegraphic Message / in / Western Australia"|.3: "The first Telegraph Pole / in / WESTERN AUSTRALIA / was erected by / The Hon. Frederick P. Barlee / Colonial Secretary / on 19th Febr. 1869"telegram, commemorative item, morse inker, morse tape, morse code, code, postmaster-general's department

Inventor Biography: Percival Everitt was a Norfolk-born engineer and regarded as the father of the coin-op industry. in 1884 he patented one of his many inventions the coin-operated scales. For many people, it was their first exposure to coin-operated machines. As a young man in 1877, Everitt invented a hay and corn pitcher, a turnip thinner in 1878 and an “Automatic Travelling Anchor” in 1880. But he hit his stride in 1883 with the first postcard-vending machine over a hundred of which he distributed around London. Everitt went on to invent the one penny scale which prompted the formation of the Weighing Machine Company in 1885. Further inventions followed a blow tester in 1887 also the machine for testing a person grip in 1888 and the dispensing machine that opera glasses could be hired from in 1889 also the fortune-telling machine in 1890. He also invented a mechanism to shut coin slots when vending machines were empty, but then as now vandals posed a problem by jamming paper into the slot. Everitt sadly did not make his fortune he died suddenly in February 1893, in his late forties with £71 to his name. Penny Slot Weighing Machine: When the Australian colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 their post and telegraph departments were merged to form the national Postmaster General's (PMG) Department. The subject scale is an automatic public weighing machine, No.387, made in England by George Salter and Co. of West Bromwich. The Australasian Automatic Weighing Machine Co. Ltd in 1923 tendered for the right to place Automatic Weighing Machines on railway and tram premises throughout New South Wales subsequently for five-year terms in return for a fixed payment per machine and a portion of the revenue to the NSW Government. The company also made arrangements with the Postmaster General's Department to place machines outside post offices across the country. Weights were measured in stones and pound's up to 20 stone (127 kg) and average weights were shown separately for men, women, boys and girls by various heights in feet and inches. The subject item has had its scale change by the Eastern Scale Company to metric and it is believed to have occurred shortly after April 2000 as the company was first registered and began trading on this date. This weighing machine was originally installed by the Australasian Automatic Weighing Machine Co. Ltd at Warrnambool Post Office and was made by the firm, George Salter and Company, in West Bromwich, England to the Percival Everitt patent. Salter advertised that these machines were suitable for hotels, pleasure gardens, theaters, exhibition halls, clubs, baths and places of public resort. The company had been established in 1760 by the brothers, Richard and William Salter, manufacturing springs and pocket steelyards (spring balances). After several generations, the company was taken over by a nephew, George, and in 1884 the Salter trademark was registered to show a Staffordshire knot pierced by an arrow. The company's expanded range of products included the first coin-operated public weighing machines in the 1880s and in 1895 the first English made typewriter. When the last George Salter died in 1917, the company passed into the hands of other relatives but continued to grow before being bought out by Staveley Industries in 1973. Despite several subsequent mergers, the Salter name continues today on home ware products such as digital scales.A very rare example of a penny in the slot weighing machine imported into Australia and used in public places the item is significant as it gives a snapshot into community life at the time where the public could go and get weighed given there were no personal weighing machines or equipment that people could use at home. So if they needed to post a letter or go on a train journey they could use a machine to check their weight. Whats interesting is that this patent by Percival Everitt was the worlds first slot machine and the start of casino, arcade and other types of slot machines. Personal weighing scale metal large silver painted penny coin operated. Weight measurements are in stones and pounds. Australian Automatic Weighing Machine 60 lb Everitt Patent. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Melton Fire Brigade history In a letter to George Minns of 24th March 1942 from the Forests Commission the brigade was registered Class ‘F’ with the certificate of Registration N. 425. In December 1935 a public meeting was held with the purpose of forming a bush fire brigade. Constable Roy Corbett was elected Captain a position he held until 1941 and 1945 –1949. 1942 EW Barrie. 1st Lieut 2nd Lieut TL Barrie 1943 EW Barrie 2nd Lieut 1944 : : MELTON RURAL FIRE BRIGADE Established under CFA act 1944 1945- 1953 EW Barrie Apparatus Officer 1951- 1965 EW Barrie Captain 1967- 1979 EW Barrie elected Group Communication Officer of the Mt Cotterill Fire Brigades. RADIO In 1954 the Fire Brigade introduced 2 HF (high frequency) radios, one was installed in the Fire truck and the other in the Captains utility. 1956- 16th March Licence granted to the County Fire Authority Melton to establish a MOBILE transmitting and receiving station. Area of operation, Melton and District on the frequency (kc/s) 3836 for the exchange of messages relating to the fighting and prevention of fires during actual fires or periods of fire hazard with the CFA Bacchus Marsh base station VL3OX. 1958- 22nd May Commonwealth of Australia, Postmaster-General’s Department Special Licence No H 702 under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1905-1950 is hereby transferred to Mr. E.W. Barrie, Captain, Melton Rural Fire Brigade to establish a MOBILE transmitting and receiving station. Call sign VL3 OX 6 and VL 3OX 7Group officer Bon Barrie's invitation to a Fire Brigade formal dinner emergency services