This fire truck was made by Rev. Friedrich Schoettler, a Missionary with Lutheran Mission at Ammele and Wanjma in New Guinea. He fled to Australia, from the Japanese, during WW2, being a German national. He was interned at Tatura, Victoria, where the internees made toys to sell for spending money. This truck was given to me, Don Kuhne, by my parents for Christmas about 1944. I am surprised that it lasted as long. My brothers used it. We towed it around the farm behind push bikes, etc. In the early 1960's I worked with Lutheran Mission New Guinea and had the pleasure of knowing Rev. Schoettler, helping with aerial food drops to his small mission station.Maroon truck, yellow radiator, black running boards and mudguards, green tray, 2 wind up handles with a pulley and cord which operates an extension ladder mounted on the tray of the truck. SA 3012 SA 3012 on back of truck.rev. friedrich schoettler, lutheran missions new guinea, don kuhne, camp 3 internees

The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of the Commonwealth countries and Crown dependencies and possessions. The award of the medals was then at the discretion of the local government authority, who were free to decide who got a medal and why. A total of 90,279 medals were issued, including 6,887 to Australians 10,089 to CanadiansObject is a miniature. Description of full size medal: A circular, silver medal, 1.25 inches in diameter. Featured on the obverse are the conjoined effigies of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, crowned and robed, facing left. The rim is not raised on this medal and there is no legend. The Royal Cypher GRI appears on the reverse, surmounted by a large crown, with the inscription CROWNED / 12 May 1937 below the Royal Cypher in tow lines. Around the rim of the medal is the inscription: GEORGE VI QVEEN ELIZABETH (a V in Queen rather than a U). The garter-blue ribbon is 1.25 inches (32 mm) wide; with a narrow (0.25 inch) band consisting of three equal widths of white, red, and white, at each edge.nil

Geoff Evans was the third generation to run Evans Brothers Sawmills that operated from the northern end of the Echuca Wharf from 1923 to 1983. His grandfather Richard James Evans orig. of England, settled in Victoria at a young age. He first worked as a butcher and later cut firewood in the Heathcote and Bacchus Marsh area. ‘R.J.’, as he was known established a sawmill at Barmah in the 1890s, before relocating to this site in 1923. It became known officially as the Evans Bros. Echuca Red Gum Sawmill. This site proved more economical due to its position at the railhead. Paddlesteamers towed barges carrying the logs from the surrounding forests to this mill. The Steamers that were owned by the Evans family were the Edwards (built 1875) and the Melbourne (built 1912). The Edwards was the main towing vessel. Outrigger barges at this mill were the Impulse (1885), Alison (1907), Clyde (once a paddlesteamer, built in 1884). Insider barges at the mill were old wool barges with iron topsides, the J.L.Roberts (1894), ADA (1899) and the Whaler which was of wooden construction. The Evans Mill cut both red gum and Murray pine. There was a main mill for the red gum and a second one for the pine on this site. Two new Marshall steam engines had been purchased by the family, one was used in the P.S. Edwards and the other for the Barmah mill and later this site. The Evans Bros. Mill was very much a family concern with it being owned and operated firstly by R.J., then his son Frederick. R. Evans and later grandson Geoff Evans. The mill employed 18 workers and operated until the 1980s, only briefly was it in the hands of other owners before the construction on part of the site of a tourist-oriented building known as the Red Gum Works which eventually made way for the Port of Echuca Discovery Centre in 2014.Knowledge of the redgum timber milling industry and associated mechanisms such as log slips is scant with little photographic representations to be found. The industry created alongside the Murray River in various places was very unique given the nature of red gum not floating and ingenuity and making use of local resources was required. Geoff Evans had firsthand knowledge of much of this process and how the Echuca Wharf area used to be in past decades. Geoff was also a popular musician and mayor of Echuca so had much knowledge of the local history and community.Digital recording of oral history interview with Geoff Evans of Evans Brothers Sawmill Echuca. evans bros, evans bros saw mills, evans' sawmill, geoff evans, log slip, log skid, p.s. edwards, p.s. melbourne, impulse barge, allison barge, clyde barge, j.l. roberts barge, ada barge, whaler barge, murray pine, redgum, marshall engines, r.j evans, f.j. evans, discovery centre, p.s. marion