This book, written for girls by the English novelist, Bessie Marchant, was given as a prize to Claire Gilbert. She was the daughter of Roy and Miriam Gilbert and lived in Coulstock Street. Her father worked at Swintons Store in Warrnambool. She would have been at school in the 1940s. She married a farmer, Ainslie Crothers. It is presumed that ‘Y.W.L’ stands for ‘Young Women’s League’, but no Warrnambool group with this name has been found (apart from a Young Women’s Association run by the Presbyterian Church in the 1920s). This book is of interest as it belonged to a local girl, Claire Gilbert, at school in the 1940s. This is a hard cover book of 152 pages with 16 pages at the back giving information on other books published by the same company. The cover is green with the title information enclosed in dark red text boxes with green printing. The spine has red printing with red lines and squares for ornamentation. The inscription is handwritten in black ink on a printed book plate pasted onto the first page. There is a colour plate at the beginning of the story. ‘2nd prize Awarded to Claire Gilbert, Y.W.L., Warrnambool’ claire gilbert, history of warrnambool, young womens league

This creative tapestry, woven in 1988, documents a thousand years of Warrnambool history. It hangs in the Great Circle Gallery at Flagstaff Hill and complements the theme of the display. Three local women, with the help of Museum staff, researched and designed the tapestry, which was woven in 1988 from wool and cotton. It is ten meters long and seventy centimetres high. The beautiful creation took seven months to create. The tapestry introduces the seafaring theme of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, and illustrates a timeline of events dating back to the arrival of Europeans in the Warrnambool area. It begins with the settlement of the area by Europeans and travels back in time as you walk further into the gallery, depicting shipwrecks along the coast, whaling in the area, early exploration by Europeans James Grant and Nicholas Baudin, back to the indigenous settlement of the area, represented by middens and indigenous symbols. Interestingly, before being hung in the gallery, the tapestry was originally hung with the intention of being framed from right to left. All materials in the cotton and wool tapestry, including dyed wool, were prepared for a cost of $33,000. The project was supported by local philanthropic groups.The tapestry is a hand worked creation by local women. It shows a visual display of a thousand years of Warrnambool's history, connecting the land and sea to people and events.Tapestry of the early history of the Warrnambool area, rectangular in shape. Materials include cotton and wool, some of the wool being hand-dyed. Handmade in 1988 by local women.A plaque accompanies the Tapestry "Flagstaff Hill Maritime Tapestry / 1989 / Tapestry: Woven Cotton and Wool / Mary O'Brien Gerda Shanley / Judith Stewart Beryl Conlan"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, tapestry, warrnambool history, warrnambool textiles, wall hanging, weave, south west victoria history, south west victoria timeline, indigenous people, early settlement, whaling, james grant, nicholas baudin, cotton, wool, dyed yarn, handmade, hand-dyed yarn

This booklet has been produced as a handbook for the employees of the Warrnambool-based clothing business of Fletcher Jones and Staff. Sir David Fletcher Jones (1895-1977) was born in Bendigo and served with the A.I.F. in World War One. He and an ex-war mate began trading in the Western District as itinerant hawkers of manchester and later Fletcher Jones continued on his own, gradually expanding the business until, in 1922, he opened a menswear and tailoring business in Warrnambool. By 1941 he was making nothing but men’s trousers, supplying retailers in over 100 outlets. In the late 1940s he turned his business into a Co-Operative and later expanded the business to include both men’s and women’s clothing. He opened a factory in Warrnambool, which, with it beautiful gardens, became a tourist attraction. The factory site was called Pleasant Hill. When he died in 1977 his business was one of the largest clothing manufacturers in Australia and possibly the world but, with the competition from imported clothing, the enterprise did not survive into the 21st century. It is presumed that Doug Ferguson was an employee of Fletcher Jones and that the gold label award was for his work or that of his department. This staff handbook for employees of the clothing business of Fletcher Jones & Staff is of major interest as this business, known nationally, was one of the most significant businesses ever to operate in Warrnambool. The handbook is of interest in itself as it has the Fletcher Jones logo, interesting material about the business philosophy of the business and Fletcher Jones himself, an autographed photograph of him and some significant photographs of the business, including indoor photographs of the factory.This is a soft cover booklet of 14 pages. It has a blue cover with the red and gold badge of Fletcher Jones on the front cover. The first page has handwritten material in black ink and a photograph of Fletcher Jones. There is also a gold label stuck on to the first page. There are many black and white photographs scattered throughout the text. ‘Presentation Copy. This copy is the property of Doug Ferguson, Pleasant Hill, With Best Wishes Fletcher Jones, Dec. 20 1951.’ Gold stamp: ‘Highest Award Cut, Make & Trim’ fletcher jones and staff, doug ferguson, history of warrnambool

The Davidson brothers, James and John, were pioneer settlers in the Warrnambool district, with John establishing th property of Rosebrook in Woodford and James establishing the homestead of Woodend in West Warrnambool. Another brother William was an early storekeeper in Woolsthorpe. He died in 1904 and may be the W. Davidson who was the recipient of this book. The Midgleys came to the Yangery Creek area in 1852 and established the property of Yangery Grange. Mrs Midgley presumably belonged to one of these families from pioneer times. Ethel Davidson would be a descendant of one of the Davidson families but there were several women with this name born in the 19th century though one born to a William Davidson in 1887 may be the later owner of this book. This book is of interest because of its connection to members of the Davidson families – pioneer settlers in the Warrnambool area.This is a hard cover book of 461 pages. The cover is dark red with some ornamental borders and gold lettering. The book has two black and white full page illustrations, with the first one protected with tissue paper. The inscriptions are handwritten in blue and black ink. ‘To W. Davidson from Mrs Midgley’ ‘Ethel M. Davidson’ william davidson, ethel davidson, history of warrnambool.

The Uncounted Cost is one of a number of works written by Mary Gaunt. Her other works include, Alone in West Africa, A Woman in China, The End of the Earth, Kirkhams Find, The Moving Finger and Deadman’s. Mary was born at Indigo near Chiltern in 1862 and lived for many years in Ballarat where her father W.H. Gaunt was gold commissioner and later a judge. The original Gaunt family home was converted into St Patrick’s College. She married Dr Lindsay Miller and moved to Warrnambool and after his death in 1899 she embarked on her travels which took her to many parts of the world. She died in Cannes, France in January 1942.Mary Gaunt wrote over 25 novels, numerous travel books and many stories and articles. She had a strong link with Warrnambool and details of the district are included among her writings. She also wrote regularly in the early 1900’s for the Times in London on women issues. She was an independent thinker and worker. Blue hard cover with illustration in dark blue depicting one person sitting looking upwards to another person holding spear. 248 pages. Clementine E Coles written in black pen inside front cover. Dedication: To my friend Agnes Herbert. the uncounted cost, mary gaunt, alone in west africa, warrnambool

This book was written by Winifred James. She was born in Melbourne in 1876 and began writing in the early 1900s. ‘Bachelor Betty’ was published in England in 1905 and was a successful publication. The book is marked ‘Vickers’ and may have belonged to Daisy Vickers (1907-1987), later Mrs Ogier. She was a long-serving and very respected teacher and Senior Mistress at Warrnambool Technical School. This book is retained because the author was an early advocate for women’s rights and because it may have a close connection to Daisy Vickers, an important 20th century teacher in Warrnambool. This is a paper back of 127 pages. It has 46 chapters and several advertisements inside the covers. The front cover, partly detached from the binding, has an image of a woman near a chair in mauve, grey and buff tonings. The book is a little tattered and dog-eared.‘Vickers’daisy vickers, winifred james, history of warrnambool