Eliza Rutledge (1820-1888) was the daughter of Rupert and Jane (nee Newby) Kirk. She married William Rutledge in St James’ Church, Sydney on 18th August, 1840. She and William had five children, two sons and five daughters. Recorded accounts tell that Eliza was “beloved for her kindness and hospitality” and that she and William kept open house for all manner of social events and occasions. Eliza died at Farnham Park, Dennington, on 31st August 1888. She is buried at Tower Hill Cemetery. The marriage of Eliza to William Rutledge, a man of historical importance in the development of Port Fairy, Warrnambool and the western district of Victoria, places her as a person of importance.Their daughter Susan Fleetwood is also memorialised in a window in Christ Church, Warrnambool. Their son Thomas Forster is also memorialised with a tablet positioned near the Eliza Rutledge windows. Stained glass, lancet window, south wall, main nave. Depiction of the ascension of Christ."By Thy Glorious Ascension Good Lord Deliver Us" In Latin: +In Memoriam+ Elizae Rutledge quae pridie idus Februarias/ MDCCXX nata pridie kalendas Septembres MDCCCXXXVIII obit/ liberi amantissimi Gulielmus Rutledge et Susanna Fleetwood pietatis/ indicio hane Jenestram posuerant Beati qui sunt mundi corde.rutledge, christ church warrnambool, eliza rutledge, eliza kirk, farnham park

The inscription tells of the person, Susan Fleetwood. That Susan Fleetwood was the daughter of William Rutledge, and the wife of Thomas Falkner Fleetwood places her with two men of historical importance in Warrnambool and district.Stained glass lancet window, west wall, north nave, second light from the left in the group of five lights, Depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary facing towards the central light of the Crucifixion, the predominant colours are blues and purple/magenta. Towards the top of the design is an angel holding the Alpha symbol. At the peak of the design is a golden crown. To the Glory of God, and in loving memory of/ Susan, daughter of William and Eliza Rutledge/ of Farnham Park Dennington, and wife of/Thomas Falkner Fleetwood/ born at Port Fairy, July 9th 1848, Entered into rest April 18th 1932./ By her devoted affection to her family and friends, and/ her generous help to all who were in need and distress/ she won the love and gratitude of many./ "Then are they glad because they are at rest, and so/ He bringeth them into the haven where they would be."/ This window is erected by her Son and Daughter.rutledge, fleetwood, st mary

These pennants have all been awarded to the premier bowls team in the Warrnambool district. The Warrnambool District Bowls Association includes the bowls clubs of Dennington, Koroit, Terang, Port Fairy, Timboon, Warrnambool, Lawn Tennis and City Memorial. As the pennants have come from the now-defunct St. John’s Bowls Club of Warrnambool it is presumed that the St. John’s Club was the recipient of the pennants. St. John’s Club ceased to operate in 2013. It was associated with St. John’s Presbyterian Church and was situated in Princess Street. These pennants are of some interest as being mementoes of St. John’s Bowls Club, Warrnambool. This club was a prominent sporting club in Warrnambool for over 80 years. Bowls is a popular sport in Warrnambool.These are 13 triangular-shaped pennants. They are multi-coloured and made of felt cloth. Some are yellow and green, some are dark blue and white, some are yellow and blue and some are yellow and white. They are all pennants awarded for the premier teams in local Warrnambool bowls clubs, ranging in date from 1959 to 1981. The lettering has been glued on and all have cloth tabs at the base of the triangle for attachment to pegs or a pole. They are mostly in good condition though a couple are rubbed and worn. The pennants have the lettering ‘W.D.B.A.’ (Warrnambool District Bowls Association) and the word ‘Premiers’ and the date.st. john’s bowls club warrnambool, warrnambool district bowls association, warrnambool

This is a flag awarded to the Premiers of the Warrnambool District Bowls Association for 1963-4. The members of the Warrnambool District Bowls Association are Timboon, Dennington, Koroit, Port Fairy, Terang, Lawn Tennis, City Memorial and Warrnambool Bowls Clubs. It is presumed that this flag was awarded to St. John’s Bowls Club as it was passed over from that club to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society in 2014. St. John’s Bowls Club in Princess Street, Warrnambool was associated with the Warrnambool Presbyterian Church. It was formed in the 1930s and ceased to exist in 2013. This flag is of some interest as a memento of St. John’s Bowls Club in Warrnambool. This club was a well-known sporting club in the 20th and early 21st centuries in Warrnambool. Bowling is a popular sport in Warrnambool. This is a triangular-shaped cloth flag or pennant. It is dark blue with yellow lettering stitched on (Warrnambool District Bowls Association Premiers 1963-4). The base of the triangle has a white canvas folded binding in which is enclosed a plaited rope with a metal clip for attachment to a pole. The smallest section of the flag has been stitched over with black cloth. The flag is somewhat grubby with the white binding particularly dirty.‘W.D.B.A. Premiers 1963-64’warrnambool district bowls association, st. john’s bowls club, warrnambool, warrnambool

This is a pennant from the Warrnambool District Bowls Association. This association is a division of the West Coast Bowls Association and the members are the Bowls Clubs of Dennington, Koroit, Lawn Tennis Club, Mortlake, Terang, Port Fairy, Timboon, Warrnambool and City Memorial. This pennant was awarded for the premiers of 1975/76 and, as the pennant came from St.John’s Bowls Club (Presbyterian Church Warrnambool) it is presumed that this club was the winner of this pennant. St. John’s Bowls Club, in Princess Street, Warrnambool, was prominent in the 20th century but has now been disbanded (early 21st century) with the land sold in 2014. The maker of the flag, Evan Evans Pty Ltd, is a well-known Australian flag-making business. It was founded in 1877 and a member of the family was a co-designer of the Australian flag in 1901. This pennant is of some interest as it was awarded by the Warrnambool District Bowls Association to St. John’s Bowls Club in Warrnambool. As the St. John’s Club no longer exists it is an important memento of this Warrnambool sports club. Bowls is a popular sport in Warrnambool. This is a large triangular-shaped pennant from the Warrnambool District Bowls Association (1975-6). It is a white cloth pennant made in two sections with stitched hems on the edges and through the centre. The side holding the cord is made of thicker folded cloth with a white plaited cord inserted. The lettering is made of blue cloth and machine stitched on to the pennant. The material is nylon and wool. There are some dirt smudges and rust marks where the pennant has been attached to a wall. ‘W.D.B.A. Premiers 1975-6’warrnambool district bowls association, st. john’s bowls club, warrnambool, warrnambool

This amber satin evening outfit was worn by Mrs. Isabella Mitchell (nee Russell, 1840 – 1929) at the wedding of her brother Alexander (c.1846–1938) and Eliza (nee Moore c.1854–1939). The jacket and skirt attach to each other at the waist by joining the metal rings that are around the base of the jacket and to the metal hooks that are on the waistband of the skirt. The outfit was donated with its own mannequin and fits it perfectly. In the colonial days, outer clothing was rarely, if ever, washed, due to the expense of fabrics and difficulty in careful laundering. Clever methods were employed to reduce the occurrence of soiling. The mannequin included with the donation would also help keep the outfit in good shape as well as being used for ensuring a flattering fit. FAMILIES’ HISTORY The families connected with this wedding for which this outfit was worn are from Warrnambool’s colonial days. Isabella and Alexander’s parents, Robert Russell and Elizabeth (nee Mitchell) were both born in 1808 and married about 1830. They were from farming families in Northern Ireland where they raised their seven children there before migrating to Australia in the early colonial days, around 1857. Their graves are in the Tower Hill cemetery. Alexander’s wife Eliza (nee Moore, born in 1854) was also from Northern Ireland and migrated to Australia in 1858 with her parents, Thomas and Nancy Moore, in the last voyage of the sailing ship “Chance”. Isabella (Bella) talked with her grand-daughter Ruby Akers about her memories of Alexander and Eliza’s wedding and other events in her life. Ruby recorded these memories in a letter. She says “They were married in the Warrnambool Congregational Church by a pioneer minister, the Reverend Uriah Coombs. The bride wore a pale blue silk wedding gown which was made by herself. Bella was Matron of Honora and Ian McCasker was best man. In those days the transport to the church was usually a carriage – similar to a cab – and a pair of white ponies. They would have the reception at home and then go for a drive afterwards and at night there would be a dance. They did all the catering themselves … Eliza carried on farming in the Dennington, Yarpturk and Purnim districts until they moved to Camperdown around 1905…” Ruby’s letter later mentions “[Isabella] could recall seeing a blackfellows’ corroboree being performed near where the Dennington Bridge now stands. It was rather a terrifying experience, they seemed in a warlike mood and one never knew what they would do next. One lubra came running to granny crying, Hide me, bad man kill me. She was bleeding from a wound in the head. Probably the result of a blow from a waddy. My mother [Margaret Jane McLaughlan nee Mitchell], coming home from school, often met blackfellows walking ahead with spears and boomerang, the two lubras – he usually had two – following in the rear, carrying the children or any burdens they had.“ Margaret would probably have been in primary school in the 1800s when she saw these things. Alexander and Eliza had ten children. One of their daughters, Margaret Jane, was born in Warrnambool in 1879. She married William McCullagh and they had eleven children. Margaret made headlines in the Warrnambool newspapers for celebrating her 100th birthday. She had lived in the district for 60 years before moving to Melbourne. Alexander passed away at the age of 92, and Eliza passed away six months later aged 85. Their graves are in the Colac cemetery. Isabella married Ralph Mitchell and their daughter Margaret Jane married John McLauchlan in 1891. Margaret and John’s daughter, Ruby Elizabeth, Jane married Fredrick Akers in 1938. Fredrick was born in England and was a Boer War veteran and served in the British Army. He migrated to Queensland, Australia, in 1913 and he joined the Australian Army to fight in World War I. In 1935 he moved to Warrnambool where he served in the Volunteer Defence Corps 1938-1945. Both Ruby and Fredrick are buried in the Tower Hill Cemetery.Together, the evening outfit and the mannequin are examples of female fashion of the mid to late 1900s. They are also significant for their association with the colonial pioneer families of Australia, Victoria and Warrnambool. The outfit and mannequin are significant for their connection with a wedding uniting two colonial families from Northern Ireland who immigrated to Australia in the mid-1850s. The families had a significant role in the history of Warrnambool and district. The evening outfit and its mannequin are significant for its connection with colonial families and their contact with the indigenous culture of the district and the contact between the native and European people. This ladies’ evening outfit is made from amber coloured satin fabric. It comprises a short-waisted, long-sleeved jacket and long skirt and it has its own neck-to-floor wooden mannequin on a pedestal. The outfit was worn by Mrs. Isabella Mitchell (nee Russell) as the Matron of Honour at the wedding of her brother Alexander Russell and his fiancé Eliza Moore in Warrnambool, 29th April 1874. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, evening outfit, wedding outfit, bridesmaid’ outfit, matron of honour outfit, clothing female, clothing late 19th century, clothing wedding late 19th century, clothing bridesmaid late 19th century, clothing antique, clothing ladies, women’s clothing, women’s fashion, alexander russell, eliza russell, eliza moore, isabella mitchell, bella mitchell, bella russell, isabella russell, ralph russell, ian mccusker, ruby akers, fredrick william akers, ruby mclauchlan, margaret jane mclaughlan nee mitchell, margaret jane mclaughlan centenarian, william mclaughlan, robert russell, elizabeth russell nee mitchell, irish immigrants, warrnambool volunteer defence corps 1938-1945, antique satin outfit, warrnambool wedding 1874, congregational church warrnambool, reverend uriah coombs, dennington farmer, yarpturk farmer, purnim district farmer, camperdown resident 1905, dennington bridge, indigenous corroboree in dennington, corroboree in warrnambool, 1880s corroboree in warrnambool, lubra and baby, indigenous corroboree in warrnambool

Winners: Uniting Premiers 1982; Uniting Premiers 1983; St Pius Premiers 1984; Combine Premiers 1985; Dennington Premier Champions 1986; Uniting Premiers 1987.Varnished rectangular wooden award shield with a large central metal shield surrounded by six smaller gold coloured metal shields which are attached to the wood with small nails."W.I.C.N.A. BARNHAM SHIELD "A" RESERVE"warrnambool inter church netball association, barnham shield

Winners: Uniting Premiers 1983; Dennington Red Premiers 1984; Salvation Army Premiers 1985; O.L.H.C. Navy Premiers & Premiers 1986; Team Award 1991 Uniting Blue; O.L.H.C. Orange Premiers 1987; St Joseph's Premiers + Champions 1988; St Joseph's Premiers 1989.Solid wood shield with eleven metal award plates on the front, three of which are blank.Front: "ROBYN MINNS SHIELD" "W.I.C.N.A. UNDER 12 DIVISION 1" Handwritten on back: "MADE FROM THE ELM BOTANIC GARDENS WARRNAMBOOL (THE MONEY TREE)"warrnambool inter church netball association, robyn minns shield