Handwritten extract of Early Bendigo Memories by an Old Bendigonian.document, names of bendigo pioneers, bendigo advertiser, early bendigo memories, bendigo advertiser 28 oct 1890, pike's corner, criterion hotel, the black swan, john harney, mr fenton

Supplement to the Bendigo Advertiser, December 15, 1999 Volume Seven: 1960-1969 titled Bendigo's Century. The front has a photo of the BCV 8 Studio. Contains photos and local news, council matters, planning, Who's Who, Weather, Sport and Business and some Advertisements. Photos include Early stages in the construction of the Eppalock tower and bridge pillars, Christine Wiseman, TV8's first news reader Ron Alderton, Dr Albert L Beischer, Advertiser buiding, fire at the Advertiser building, Oscar Flight, Bendigo Town Hall, William Basil Ashman, Lake Eppalock, Premier Henry Bolte, Que O'Hoy, Sandhurst Guest House, The Lyric Theatre, E C Thompson, The elm tree in Market Square, Leslie Galvin, The original Myer Store, The Joss House, Sidney Myer, Bendigo Police Barracks, Bunratty Castle, Albert Vivian Gray, The Victoria Hill site, Architects drawing of the new council administrative offices and Noel Beaton MHR.bendigo, history, long gully history group, the long gully history group - bendigo's century volume seven: 1960 - 1969, bendigo advertiser, bcv 8, eppalock dam, premier henry bolte, the criterion hotel, mccarthy family, teachers training college, bendigo original teachers college, long gully state school, stramit, bendigo university site committee, mrs christine wiseman, bendigo city council, the broadcasting control board, general television pty ltd, bendigo central victoria telecasters pty ltd, mr davidson, bennett's arcade, woolworth's, white hills swimming pool, herb elliott, sailor's guide, toni riley pharmacies, rising sun hotel, ron alderton, dr albert l beischer, channel 8, melbourne herald, 3bo, bendigo advertiser officeslyceum theatre, junior technical school white hills, mount alvernia hospital, most reverend dr b d stewart, sisters of the franciscan missionaries of the divine motherhood, lazarus family, bendigo's tramways, state electricity commission, george pethard, lance pethard, bendigo advertiser fire 29/7/1962, riverine herald, the herald and weekly times, bendigo art gallery, oscar flight, hollands foundry, eaglehawk u.f.s. dispensary, gillies famous pies, william basil ashman, golden gate hotel, grieves family, bendigo town hall, mr r r anderson, mr e h brown, cr neville oliver, cr tom flood, traffic commission, lansell family, abev-1, bendigo ordnance factory, actu, bendigo trades hall council, the ramsay report, bendigo benevolent home, bendigo home and hospital for the aged, princess theatre, amoco, lake eppalock, bendigo training prison, bendigo police station lock-up, shamrock hotel, rifle brigade hotel, hopetoun hotel, anz bank, marong shire offices, sir rohan delacombe, st paul's church, que o'hoy, waldron family, windermere hotel, aids & appliance shop, anne caudle centre, e c thompson, mayfair hams, sandhurst guest house, lyric theatre, chinese joss house, ordnance factory, sir john jenson, bridge street chinese quarter, bendigo city hall, cr r f turner, cr tom flood, victorian inland meat authority, new zealand insurance co, mrtropolitan security service, bendigo easter fair society, golden square high school, eaglehawk high school, bendigo technical college, mr ralph w birrell, bendigo fountain plaza, the bethlehem home for the aged, dick hazeldene, victorian egg board, bendigo united cricket club, south bendigo united cricket club, western mining corporation, les priest, alexandra fountain, bendigo advertiser, cr w cambridge, bendigo council, eaglehawk council, strathfieldsaye shire, huntly shire, marong shire, david thomas, senator john gorton, bendigo's college of advanced education, bank of new south wales, harp and shamrock hotel, the honorable leslie william galvin, kurmala, cain government, hanro knitting mills, myer store, sidney myer, davey brothers grocery store, national trust, myer emporium, myer's ltd, cox bros (australia) ltd, dame merlyn myer, baillieu myer, frank greenaway, institute of technology, gas & fuel corporation, bendigo railway station, anz bank, city family hotel, tab branch, senior constable alfred herbert wright, senior constable allan raymond brown, victorian football league, bendigo police barracks, camp hill state school, state electricity commission, the country party, the labor party, transport regulation board, stuart anderson, grose family, jean theodore de ravin, kyneton shire, sir william mcdonald, mines department, the loddon hospitals region group laundry and central linen service, kevin wynne, albert vivian gray, bradford cotton mills ltd, bradmill industries ltd, victoria hill, bendigo and district tourist association, professor brian lewis, melbourne university, victorian chinese community, loong, sun loong, stafford ellinson, coles' store, north deborah mining company nl, noel beaton mhr, durham ox hotel, taylor family

Shows picture of businesses at the Clock Tower intersection, Hogan Street, Tatura,.Colour photograph showing intersection where the Clock Tower is located in Hogan Street, Tatura. Photograph stuck onto piece of white cardboard. hogan street tatura, criterion hotel tatura, max's supermarket tatura, tatura handyman's hardware, tatura florist, tatura post office

Shows picture of businesses at the Clock Tower intersection, Hogan Street, Tatura. Looking east along Hogan Street.Colour photograph showing businesses at the intersection just up from where the Clock Tower is located in Hogan Street, Tatura. Photograph stuck onto piece of white cardboard. hogan street tatura, criterion hotel tatura, max's supermarket tatura, tatura handyman's hardware, tatura post office, tatura butcher

Shows picture of businesses looking east down Hogan street towards the Clock Tower intersection, Hogan Street, Tatura. Colour photograph showing businesses looking east down Hogan Street towards where the Clock Tower is located in Hogan Street, Tatura. Photograph stuck onto piece of white cardboard. hogan street tatura, criterion hotel tatura, westpac tatura, chemmart tatura, maskell real estate tatura, middle cafe tatura

Johnson Newsagency, Hogan Street, c1930s. Mrs Johnson and Jean Davies (nee Hill) in photo. The shop was opposite the Criterion Hotel, next to Saddler's Store.tatura, buildings, historic

The Memorial to Dr Park, unveiled in Hogan Street from the balcony of the Criterion Hotel, looking east across railway line. Old Post Office in right foreground; old Fire Station beyond memorial.clock, dr park, tatura, buildings, historic, transport, motor, vehicles, costume, male, female

Visible Nelsons Criterion Hotel, Wimmera Crushing Mill, Odd Fellows Arms hotel, F.H. Oliver & Co Grain Merchant, Reefs Restaurant.Holtermann Black and White photograph of Stawell from Big Hill with mining in foreground. April 1874. Wimmera Crushing Mill and settling pond at centre of photograph. Stawell water supply centre left of photo. Black Range in Background.mining, panorama

.1 SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH FROM CAMP PARADE LOOKING N EAST CRITERION QUARTZ MINING COMPANY REGISTERED CLUNES 1866 OR 1867 MINE IN BACKGROUND, HOUSES ON EDGE OF CREEK PORT PHILLIP HOTEL 1859 - 1890. PORT PHILLIP 1ST BATTERY. .2 SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH OF CRITERION MINING COMPANYCRITERION QUARTZ MINING COMPANYphotography, port phillip hotel, criterion quartz mining company

.1 SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH MOUNTED ON CARDBOARD OF CRITERION QUARTZ MINE, CLUNES. .2 SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH MOUNTED ON CARDBOARD .3 SMALL BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINT .4 ONE MEDIUM SIZE BLACK AND WHITE COPY .5 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINT .6 MOUNTED BLACK AND WHITED PRINT CRITERION QUARTZ MINING COMPANY, REGISTERED, CLUNES. HANDWRITTEN NOTES: PERIOD 1865, ON FLAT GROUND BELOW PORT PHILLIP HILL CREEK BROKE THROUGH INTO WORKINGS ABOUT 1861 VARIOUS NOTATIONS MARKING LOCATION OF BUILDINGS IN CLUNES, INCLUDING PICKFORDS STORE, VICTORIA HOTEL, CAMP HILL, ALBION HOTEL, CRITERION HOTEL, COMMERCIAL HOTEL, BOOT SHOPlocal history, photography, photographs, mining

.1 SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH OF CLUNES UNITED QUARTZ MINE .2 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINT .3 SMALL BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINT WITH HISTORY WRITTEN ON BACK BY F C WEICKHARDT .4 SMALL BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO PRINT .5 SMALL SEPIA PRINTCLUNES UNITED QUARTZ MINING COMPANY, REGISTERED, CLUNES. WITH HANDWRITTEN NOTES: LOOKING FROM NORTH SIDE OF CREEK NEAR PORT PHILLIP HILL OVER LOWER FRASER STREET VARIOUS NOTATIONS INCLUDING LOCATION OF BUILDINGS, INCLUDING ALBION HOTEL, CRITERION HOTELlocal history, photography, photographs, mining

This photograph was taken from the newly completed tower of the Ballarat Town Hall. Framed photograph showing Ballarat looking north west. St Patrick's Cathedral bell tower in Dawson Street South is evident at the top right. The street in the central part of the photograph is Errard Street South. Businesses shown in the photograph include: Klug Brothers, O'Farrell and Sons Horse Bazaar, Smith Brothers Timber Yard, J. McKay, Dobson's Timber Yard, Criterion Hotel, Saddler's Arms Hotel, Stork Hotel ballarat, kulg, smith, o'farrell, ballarat townscape, st patrick's cathedral, william bardwell, fotobiennale

This book has the stamp of G.G. Humm and was presumably owned by him. George Gordon Humm (1886-1959) was the son of Elizabeth and George Humm. He was a grocer in Warrnambool. His father came to Woodford with his first wife in 1860 and set up as a butcher. He entered the hotel business and was at one time the licensee of the Criterion Hotel in Warrnambool as were several members of the Humm family at a later stage. This book is of interest as it belonged to a member of the Humm family, prominent in the Warrnambool-Woodford area in both the 19th and 20th centuries, This is a hard cover book of 115 pages. At the back are several pages of lists of publications by the publishers, Gall and Inglis. The cover is dark green with black lettering on a gold background and orange, black and yellow ornamental patterns. The back page has the initials of the publishers. The cover is somewhat faded. The story contains 15 chapters and several black and white full-page illustrations. There is a blue stamp on the first page. ‘G.G. Humm Warrnambool’ humm family, woodford, history of warrnambool

Victorian Govenor's visit to Sandhurst (Bendigo)Agenda for The Govenor's reception by the loyal citizens of the Town of Sandhurst on Thursday 10th October 1861 On the procession appearing in view from the centre of the town, a salute of 13 guns will be fired from the Camp Reserve. Marching along High Street and Pall Mall, to Bull Street, to Hargreaves Street, down Hargreaves Street to Mundy Street and up to the Criterion Hotel, the procession will halt in front of the hotel when his Excellency, as he alights from the carriage, will receive a military salute from the Volunteers, under Captain Anderson. The procession will then proceed up Mundy Street, and along Hargreaves Street, and along Lyttleton Terrace and dissolve in the Market reserve.vice-regal visits

This ledger is a record of the sales of John Stewart from 1890 to 1905 in the districts of Warrnambool, Garvoc, Hamilton and Horsham. John Stewart was a printer and store keeper in Warrnambool from 1890 to 1895. He was also connected to several hotels in the district- the Pieter Both Hotel in Warrnambool in Raglan Parade, ( his wife was the Licensee in 1897), the Yallock Inn in Garvoc ( his wife was the licensee 1899), and hotels in Hamilton and Horsham.The Ledger is of some interest as it contains the names of many local people at the end of the 19th Century. It is a handy research tool. This ledger has 542 pages. It has a hard cover with a dark green cloth cover with leather binding on the spine and corners of the cover. There is a red label on the spine with gold printing and patterning. The inside of the cover has a mottled pattern. There is an alphabetical index at the front. The pages have red ruled lines and hand written entries in ink. John Stewart the original Owner of this book was beside being Printer & Storekeeper in Warrnambool 1890-1895 was Licensee of Peter (sic) Both Hotel -Warrnambool 1895 Garvoc Hotel Garvoc 1899 Caledonian Hotel Hamilton 1902 Criterion Hotel Horsham 1904 Farmers Union Hotel Horsham 1905 Presented to The City of Warrnambool April 1969 by his Son Roy A Stewart Written by J. Stewart's Grandson Bryce A Carter 13th April 1969john stewart printer and store keeper, pieter both hotel, garvoc hotel

Warrnambool businesses included in the booklet include Dalton’s Highway Panels, Saunders Toys and Hobbies, Ted Wilson Motors, Bob Hagan & Staff, Elliots Cleaning, Silver Ball Beauty Salon, Shamrock Hotel, Hotel Criterion. The carols included are all well known.Contains a list of businesses in the 1970’s around Warrnambool and districtCream coloured card cover with red and green drawing of Santa Claus and reindeer. Back cover has advertisement for G I Panels of Hamilton and Merry Christmas in green in the bottom part of page. 47 pages. It contains words to carols on alternate pages with advertisements for businesses from Portland, Hamilton and Warrnambool.warrnambool, daltons highway panels warrnambool, saunder's toys and hobbies, ted wilson motors, bob hagan, elliots cleaning, silver ball beauty salon, shamrock hotel

.1.2 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH OF PORT PHILLIP HILL TAKEN CIRCA 1859. .1 HANDWRITTEN ON BACK: PORT PHILLIP MINE AND HILL TAKEN CIRCA 1859 PORT PHILLIP MINE SOUTH SHAFT CLUNES HOTEL IN MIDDLE OF P.P. PADDOCK CLUNES UNITED MINE CRITERIAN MINE CRITERIAN BRIDGE WOOSTERS BALLARAT RESTAURANT, DOES NOT SHOW IN LATER PICTURES PORT PHILLIP MINE FIRST BATTERY PORT PHILLIP HOTEL OPENED IN 1859, CONTINUED UNTIL LATE 1890'S CRITERION HOTEL, FIRST MASONIC MEET UP, BURNT JAN 1871 NEGATIVE OF THIS PHOTO IS AT LATROPE LIBRARY MELBOURNE SIGNED: J CONRAD WEICKHARDT .2 HANDWRITTEN ON BACK: PHOTO OF PORT PHILLIP MINE AND HILL TAKEN ABOUR 1859 OR 1860 THE NEGATIVE OF THIS PICTURE IS AT LATROBE LIBRARY MELBOURNE FROM CAMP PARADE photography, mining, port phillip hill, port phillip

'Theatre on the Goldfields'' - paper by Frank Cusack. Two versions of this paper - an incomplete version (foolscap) of 6 pages and full version (A4) with pencilled annotations (19 pp). (Incomplete version covers pages to p11). Reference to Theatre Royal; Yates (lessee); Gregg (lessee); Carcross's Royal Exchange Restaurant; Wright's tent theatre; Victorian saloon; Sydenham Gardens; Burton's Circus; C H Rignold; Royal Victoria Theatre; Princess Theatre; Criterion Hotel; Fawcett Rowe; Lola Montez; Criterion Theatre; Henry Coleman; G V Brooke; Burralls Assembly Rooms; Nicholls Assembly Rooms; Shamrock Concert Hall; Bendigo Hotel; Billy Heffernon; John Crowley; Thatcher; Greville; Joe Small; Fanny Young; Frank Varley; Lyceum Theatre; Haymarket; Bendigo Histrionic Club; Garrick Club; Sandhurst Philharmonic Society; Abbott; new Lyceum theatre; Richard Younge; opera house; St. James Hall; Royal Princess Theatre; Masonic Theatre; Bendigo Dramatic Society; Bendigo Glee Club; Bendigo Amateur Dramatic Club; Bendigo Orchestra; Bendigo Liedertafel; Alice Crawford; Conservatorium of Music; E A Bindley.Frank Cusackentertainment, theatre, history, frank cusack, royal theatre, wrights tent theatre, burtons circus, c. h. rignold, burralls assembley rooms, nicholls assembley rooms, shamrock concert hall, garrick club, st james hall, royal princess theatre, alice crawford, lyceum theatre. e a bindley.

Twelve pages document titled: ''Theatrical traditions - stage and screen in Bendigo. The document details the history of theatres in Bendigo from the early days. Paragraphs titles are: The Shamrock Hotel, The Criterion Theatre, Abbott's Lyceum, St. James Hall, The Royal Princess Theatre, The Masonic Theatre, Open air picture Theatres, The Lyric Theatre, Plaza Theatre, Eaglehawk pictures. The Golden drive-in Picture Theatres in decline, Contemporary cinemas, Community traditions, Bendigo Regional Arts Centre, Ulumbarra Theatre. The document was prepared for the Post Office Gallery exhibition and is marked Confidential.entertainment, theatre, post office gallery

This photograph of the 10 crew of the SPECULANT would have been taken prior to Feb 10th 1911, when the ship was wrecked on the south coast of Victoria at a place called Cape Patton. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph, black and white. of the 10 crew of the SPECULANT on board the ship holding two 'Speculant Warrnambool' lifebuoys. Taken early 1900's flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, warrnambool historical photograph, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay

This photograph of the SPECULANT was taken while she was in dock at the Warrnambool, Victoria, Breakwater in the early 1900's. Crew seem busy on her decks and others are watching from the breakwater. There are also 2 steamships in the photograph. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph. black and white, of the three-masted barque SPECULANT in dock at the Warrnambool Breakwater in the early 1900's. A steam ship is docked behind her and another steamship is in Lady Bay on her left. There are people on the SPECULANT and others walking nearby. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay