Showing 3736 items matching "1910"
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Ballarat Tramway Museum
Album - Photo Album, Keith Kings, Jul. 1970
Album comprises heavy cardboard covers with brown Rexene covers, with inside papers of heavy dark grey photo album paper, 36 leaves of dark grey photo paper and two brass interscrews within black grommets. See Condition Details re damage to back cover. Album contains 32 photos - personal prints of Keith Kings. Title page has been hand written to Les Denmead, dated 6/7/1970, thanking Mr. Denmead for his assistance over the years. Photos divided into the three SEC Provincial Tramway cities, each with a typed name proceeding the set of photos. Two further photos of Geelong were at the rear of the album, but were not in position when catalogued. One of these photos may be Reg. Item 1874 - photo of Geelong scrubber tram. Each of the photographs have been separately registered, as shown in the table below. Scanned images made of front and back of the photos. Back has Keith Kings ID number, description, notes and date of photo. Conservation Notes prepared - within the cataloguing sheet - see related documents. Folio Reg. Notes Item No. 1 Handwritten note to Mr. L. J. Denmead from Keith Kings. 2 Title sheet – “BALLARAT” 3 1903 Small photo of SEC Monogram from Geelong No. 1 1904 Photo of SEC plaques etc at Wendouree office 4 1905 Photo of front of Wendouree Parade depot – 1957 - with trams 40 and 25 in photo. 5 1906 Photo of Ballarat 23 at depot 6 1907 Photo of Ballarat 29 in depot. 7 1908 Photo of Ballarat 17 in Wendouree Parade 8 1909 Photo of Ballarat 21 at depot. 9 1910 Photo of Ballarat 15 and 31 in Sturt St. 10 1911 Photo of Ballarat No. 40 Sturt St. 11 1912 Photo of Ballarat No. 38 – Wendouree Parade 12 1913 Photo of Scrubber car in depot. 13 Title sheet – “BENDIGO” 14 1914 Photo of Bendigo depot 15 1915 Photo of Bendigo No. 17, 1949. 16 1916 Photo of Bendigo 22 and 4 at Eaglehawk. 17 1917 Photo of Bendigo 12 at Golden Square. 18 1918 Photo of Bendigo 13 and 26 at Eaglehawk terminus. 19 1919 Photo of Bendigo 17 (bogie) at Quarry Hill terminus. 20 1920 Photo of Bendigo 18 at Charing Cross 21 1921 Photo of Bendigo Birneys 28 and 29 at Charing Cross 22 1922 Photo of original sprinkler and track cleaning car in Bendigo depot 23 1923 Photo of Bendigo 2nd track cleaning car 24. 1924 Photo of trams at Manchester Loop, 1958. 25. Title sheet – “GEELONG” 26 1925 Photo of Geelong 19 in front of the depot. 27 1926 Photo of Geelong depot 28 1927 Photo of Geelong No. 3 at East terminus 29 1928 Photo of Geelong No. 23 outside depot. 30 1929 Photo of Geelong No. 16 at Eastern Park terminus. 31 1930 Photo of Geelong No. 28 at depot 32 1931 Photo of Geelong Birney No. 14 at Eastern Park terminus. 33 1932 Photo of Geelong No. 32 at Moorabool St. 34 1933 Photo of Geelong No. 37 outside depot 35 1934 Photo of Geelong No. 39 at West terminus 36. No photo – marks of four corners remained. 37 – back cover No photo – marks of four corners remained. Photos not to be taken out of the album unless for photographic copying. Use image files. Photo Album - The Commercial Photo Album - No. 1 - 36 leaves. See hand written note from Keith Kings to Mr. L. J. Denmead. Dated 6/7/70.trams, tramways, ballarat, bendigo, geelong, photo album -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Certificate - Certificate of Appreciation to Mr John Watson Esq, Kew Methodist Church, 1907
"METHODIST CHURCH. In 1881, during the ministry of Rev. W. H. Fitchett, B.A., at Hawthorn, a number of members of the denomination living at Kew considered that the time was opportune for founding a local Church. The Superintendent of the Circuit, the Rev. W. A. Quick of Richmond, met the members and formed them into a society class under the leadership of Mr. A. Brown and a Church was formally instituted at the house of Mr. T. J. Eaton, of Eglinton Street, in December, 1881. Services were regularly held for some time at the same place, and funds for purchasing a block of land were gradually collected, resulting in the present site in Highbury Grove being purchased for £350. Messrs. W. Cleverdon, A. Money, T. E. Serpell, and T. Vasey, of Hawthorn, and Messrs. A. Brown, R. Eyre, and T. J. Eaton of Kew, were appointed trustees. A public meeting was held a the Town Hall, when over £100 was raised. The Rev. John Harcourt, who had just been placed on the supernumerary list, was persuaded to undertake the charge, and commenced services in the Town Hall on 29th April, 1882, which were continued for eighteen months. A Sunday School was started, and altogether the effort progressed so satisfactorily that in October, 1882, the foundation and memorial stones of the present Church were laid by Mr James Huddart. At the tea meeting held in connection with this event nearly £200 was raised and a few months later £250 more was obtained by means of a bazaar. The contract for building Church was let for £1,200. The Sunday School celebrated its first anniversary in June, and the Church was opened on 7th October 1883, the preachers on the occasion being Revs. E. J. Watkin, S. Chapman, and John Harcourt, the collections amounting to £230. Towards raising these sums of money the ladies of the congregation helped very materially. In 1886 the foundation stone of a Sunday school, to cost about £900, was laid by Mrs. H Berry, the building being opened in April 1887. During the same year the Church was enlarged. In 1889 parsonage was erected, and again arrangements had to be made for a further enlargement of the Church, at a cost of nearly £2,000. The foundation stones of the tower were laid by Rev J. Harcourt, and of the transepts by Mrs. Job Smith and Mrs. John Watson. These additions were made during the ministry of Rev. P. R. C. Ussher, the first minister appointed to Kew by conference. He has been succeeded by Revs. Henry Howard, J. de Q. Robin, J. J. Brown, J. G. Wheen, A. E. Albiston, M.A., and F. J. Nance, M.A., who is at present ably filling the pulpit. For the musical portion of the services, the Church has been greatly indebted to the enthusiasm of Mr. C. Gardner, the leader of the choir, and Mr. C. E. Gardner, the organist. The Sunday School has had a number of excellent workers, among whom may be mentioned Messrs. Burchett, Allum, Hillard, Tonkin, Dent, Avery, McDonald, Green, and B. Hoadley, who have acted as Superintendents, and Messrs. Arnall and McCaghern as Secretaries. The present trustees are Messrs. H. Berry, Job Smith, A. Hoadley, F. Vial, C. Powers, H. L. Carnegie, C. H. Green, W. R. Rylah, E. M. Tonkin, S. Gaylard, J. Gregory, J. R. McDonald, T. J. Eaton, F. S. Fitchett, and S. Lamble; Society Stewards, T. J. Eaton and B. Hoadley; Poor Stewards, G. Hinchliffe and G. Fraser; Church Stewards, C. H. Green and G. Hinchliffe; Treasurer, F. S. Fitchett; Secretary, S. Lamble." Source: FGA Barnard, Jubilee History of Kew, Victoria, 1910Commemorative tributes were regularly produced in the 19th and early 20th Century to honour community service. Most were adapted from traditional lithographed models. This example, while created within a formal lithographed border has been transmuted into the equivalent of an illuminated document, hand-painted, and therefore rare. The use of flowers in the design emphasises the sentimental and spiritual aspects of the certificate. The document is a rare unique record of the Kew Methodist Church's history.A hand written testimonial for John Watson Esq from the Trustees of the Kew Methodist Church. The customised colour lithograph includes, at lower left, a turn of the century photograph of the Kew Methodist Church in Highbury Grove. The entire certificate is surrounded by floral art and scroll work. The central text uses neo-gothic lettering.‘Dear Sir … in view of your compulsory retirement on health grounds, from the position of Church Steward, [the Trustees] desire to express their great appreciation of your long service of over 22 years, in that and other offices in the Church. They trust that you will yet be spared many years in fellowship with our Church, and that God’s richest blessing be on you, and your family. We remain, Yours sincerely A. E. Albiston (Minister), S. Lamble (Secretary), F. S. Fitchett (Treasurer), T. J. Eaton (Trustee), C. H. Green and Hubert S. Howell (Church Stewards); March 28th 1907’. john watson esq, kew methodist church, highbury grove, certificates, tesimonials -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Marguerite Marshall, 'Landscape', 60 Lavender Park Road, Eltham South, 24 June 2008
Built by artist and cartoonist Percy Leason in 1927 in what was then New Street but renamed Lavender Park Road in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p121 Said to be a genius, cartoonist Percy Leason’s career was at its peak when in 1925 to 1926 he built his home at New Street (now Lavender Park Road) Eltham. The Herald newspaper owner, Sir Keith Murdoch, had hired Leason for his newly acquired Melbourne Punch magazine at a salary of £1750, making him ‘one of the highest paid cartoonists in the world’.1 With this salary and financial help from Murdoch, Leason was able to build his lovely home in Eltham. At the crest of a sweeping drive, the home now two-storey in white brick with a gabled grey slate roof and dormer windows is flanked by an extension built by another owner in the 1980s. Leason lived in the home with his wife, Isabel and children, until 1937, when he left for the United States of America, where he lived until his death in 1959. The four-bedroom house and garden would have been well-suited to bringing up his family and to entertaining their friends in style. Large airy rooms have high ceilings with moulded plaster, timber floors and several are brightened with bay windows. Leason made friends with many of the artists and personalities who gravitated to Eltham. Around 1931 Justus Jörgensen, founder of the Montsalvat Artists’ Colony, helped Leason build his large studio at the back of the house. Another friend was journalist Mervyn Skipper, father of jeweller and sculptor Matcham, and artists Helen and Sonia. Leason’s teacher, artist Max Meldrum, also visited and rented accommodation in Eltham, opposite Wingrove Park. Punch folded in 1925, but Leason continued as cartoonist for Table Talk. In 1926 Leason began the cartoons of a mythical Australian town Wiregrass, which were inspired by Kaniva, his home town. The art gallery in Main Road Eltham was named Wiregrass in Leason’s honour. Leason completed 1000 drawings from 1919 to 1937, which author Garrie Hutchinson claimed, were technically unsurpassed and had regional and universal interest. Leason’s acute observations of country life stemmed from his childhood in Kaniva in Victoria’s western Wimmera, where he was born, the son of a selector, in 1889. Meldrum claimed that Leason could name every plant and the habits of every animal.2 Leason also painted 28 portraits of the last full-blooded aboriginals in Victoria at Lake Tyers in Gippsland, most of which are in a private collection. In Sydney Leason illustrated Henry Lawson’s Selected Poems and worked for The Bulletin. Leason had begun his career at 13 as an apprentice lithographic artist at Sands and MacDougall. He attended night classes at the National Gallery and the Victorian Artists Society. Leason first visited Eltham in 1910 to paint with fellow artist William ‘Jock’ Frater. They camped near Bible and Pitt Streets and along the Diamond Creek on the site of the present Eltham Retirement Centre. Despite his success as a cartoonist, Leason wanted to be recognised as a serious painter and for his anthropological work.3 He was also conservative and felt uncomfortable with the modern art scene in Melbourne.4 So he left for the United States of America to work as a painter. Ironically his time in New York saw the burgeoning of modern art, notably by artists such as Jackson Pollock. But Leason found his niche by running an art school, painting society portraits and illustrating books and magazines.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, landscape, lavender park road, percy leason, new street -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - Connelly,Tatchell, Dunlop, Smalley and Balmer Image, January 1925
Thomas Jefferson Connelly (1858-18/10/1892) Son of Thomas James Connelly a well known JP at Inglewood. Admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court in 1880. Started own business as a solicitor in 1883 at Albion Chambers, View Street. By 1887 he had joined with George Henry Tatchell and in 1889 they moved their firm to Williamson Street. On 8th Jan 1885 he was elected to the Bendigo Council and was elected as Mayor 16th Aug 1887. He was the first Bendigo born Mayor and the youngest. He served on the committee of the Bendigo hospital and the Mechanics Institute and was a prominent member of the ANA. He was also a Captain of a local militia force. He married Frances Cresswell Reynolds and they had 3 children who were very young when they were left fatherless in 1892. Thomas died in Kerang, following an epileptic fit. He was attending a case at the time. He is buried at the Bendigo Public Cemetery. George Henry Tatchell was the son of Thomas Tatchell JP of Inglewood. He was admitted as an attorney by the Supreme Court in 1887 and formed a partnership with Thomas Jefferson Connelly 22/9/1887. By 1894, their practice had been joined by Adam George Dunlop. In 1904 he was elected president of the Bendigo Bar Association. George was a very bowler and was part of an Australian team that travelled to Britain in 1930, where he won the Veteran Pairs Competition competing with his brother William. He retired to “Woodford”, Toorak. Adam George Dunlop (1864 – 28/2/1921) Son of Andrew McBride Dunlop. He married Marion Ethel Nicholls, a widow in 1905. Admitted as a solicitor, proctor and conveyancer in 1892. When Thomas Connelly died, his will stated that his share in the law firm was to be sold and if it was sold to Dunlop, he would have 3 years to pay for. This clearly happened and by 1894 the firm was known as Connelly, Tatchell and Dunlop.He continued to work for the firm Tatchell, Dunlop, Smalley and Balmer for 25 years and retired several months before his death, to “Milltara”, Glyndon Ave., Brighton. He was heavily involved in the Sandhurst Mechanics Institute and served as president in 1899 and 1901. He was treasurer of the Zenith Lodge of Masons in 1907. He was president of the ANA in 1896 and president of the Bendigo Law Association in 1907. Whilst in Bendigo, the family lived in “Millewa”, Kangaroo Flat. Jonathon Smalley (1873-21/8/1961) Son of Peter, a mining investor and his wife Ellen. 1899 married Catherine Horsemann Manning with whom he had four children. Jonathon proved proficient in sign language when he stepped into a court case where the defendant was hearing impaired. In 1904 he was the president of the Eaglehawk Mechanics Institute. Other community postings included Vice President of Bendigo Football Association (1909), President Bendigo ANA (1899), Councilor for Eaglehawk Borough (1904- ), elected Mayor of Eaglehawk (1909),and President of Bendigo Law Association (1910). Jonathon and his wife resided at “Overton”, View Street, Bendigo (now Harry Little Childcare Centre). Jonathon was a champion Lawn bowler, winning the Country Singles Championship in 1913. He is buried at the Bendigo Cemetery. Sydney Raeburn Balmer (1869 – 24/11/1938) Sydney was the son of Robert and Elizabeth Balmer. He married Catherine HAswell McDonald in 1905 and they later lived in Lily Street, Bendigo. After qualifying as a barrister and solicitor, he was initially employed as a barrister for Mr Cussen (later a judge) for 2 years. He then spent 9 years working in Melbourne before joining the firm to be thenceforth known as Tatchell, Dunlop, Smalley and Balmer from 31sdt Dec. 1909 Black and White newspaper photograph of five Tatchell Brothers attending a cricket match. Undated on clipping. Clipping taken from 'The Argus, Wednesday 7th January, 1925, page 9, 'Five Brothers at the Test Match'.solicitors, councillors, connelly, t.j. connelly -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Vehicle - Tip Dray, Prior to 1930s
A Dray is a type of dead axle wagon that was used to transport heavy loads or objects. They had a flat level floor and while some had no sides, others had box bodies and sides. Tip Drays (also known as Tip Carts, Muck Cart, Scotch Cart, Tumbrel or Putt in different parts of England) were smaller than other drays as their loads were heavy and usually only pulled by one horse. Their basic design included two wheels, a tipping body and shafts. The Tip Dray has a unique mechanism that allows the top to tip backwards to tip the load out of the back of the dray. The tipper was activated by a handle at the front allowing the driver to operate it while still having control over the horse. A Tip Dray was an indispensable piece of equipment in the days before tractors and mechanical trucks. They were used by farmers and carters to transport hay, rocks, bricks, gravel and rubbish etc. and because they were useful for dumping loads, they were favoured for use in road and railway construction. A photo in the collection of the Lorne Historical Society shows a tipping dray being used during the construction of the Great Ocean Road. They were part of the daily street traffic in towns and cities around Australia from the early days of settlement. In Australia in the early 1900's, carters began to join unions to protect their jobs and pay. N.S.W. had a "Trolley, Draymen and Carters Union", Queensland had a "Tip Dray Men's Association" and in W. A. the "Top Dray Driver's Union" had a "cessation of work" in 1911 when they were fighting for an increase in their day's wages. In 1910 a meeting of Tip Carters was held in Geelong at the Trades Hall to discuss the formation of a union (The Geelong Tip Dray Carters) which was a success and a schedule of rates for all carting, whether by contract or day labor, was fixed. By 1912 they had "labelled" more than 50 drays and had representatives on the "Trades Hall and Eight Hours Committee". By the mid 1930's and early 1940's, tip drays were being superseded by mechanical trucks and utes. However tip drays continued to be used in some circumstances. They were a practical solution to the problem of petrol rationing during W. W. 2. It was noted in a letter to the editor in the "Sunshine Advocate" in 1938 that a positive argument for continued use of Tip Drays for rubbish collection related to the idea that a horse drawn vehicle involved with lots of stops and starts at different houses (very like a milkman's delivery route) often involved the horse "driving itself" while the driver picked up the rubbish - something a motor truck was unable to do! Another article written in August 1935 and published in the Age in a parliamentary report into the rubber industry noted "tip drays had almost disappeared and in their place, metal was carted in 5 ton motor trucks" but the report went on to say that as a part of the Government relief work (during the Great Depression) the Government had "to some extent reintroduced the tip drays so that a greater number of men would be employed". This particular tip dray was owned by Mr. Oswald (Jack) Bourke. He used it to deliver dry goods from Sunbury to the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne several times a week in the 1930's and then (between 1945 and 1962) Mr. Bourke used it on the garbage round in Springvale Victoria for the Springvale Council. The Council owned three drays and the "No. 3" painted on this dray is in recognition of its original number. After the death of Mr. Bourke in 1990, one of Mr. Bourke's sons (Andy) found the dray in a shed and restored it. The sign writing on the back and side panels were added during the restoration. This Tipping Dray is a significant example of a horse drawn vehicle that was used by workers from the early days of white settlement through to the 1940's and even into the early 1960's. It was used in a range of "working class" occupations - road construction, railway construction, carting goods, rubbish collection etc. and would have been found in cities, country towns and on farms.A wooden and metal tipping dray with a box body and four sides. It has two iron and wooden wheels (with 14 spokes), two wooden shafts and a metal tipping mechanism. The back panel folds down to allow loads to be dumped out. It is painted in green and cream with sign writing on one of the sides and on the front and back panels. It features decorative painted lines and designs in burgundy, cream and light blue on most of the wooden parts. The tipping mechanism is on the front of the dray's left side and consists of a metal pin secured with a metal ring, and a lever.Front of dray - "No. 3" Side of dray - "A. & M. BOURKE / Contractors / LONGWARRY" Back of dray - "G.T. ANDREWS / QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET - Stand C23 / Phone DANDENONG 225"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, shipwreck coast, tipping dray, dray, tip dray, tip cart, vehicles, horse drawn vehicle, springvale council, jack bourke, muck cart, scotch cart, tumbrel, putt, box body, oswald bourke, sunbury, queen victoria market, melbourne, no. 3 -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Anchor, Circa 1886
The anchor is one of four that were carried by the FALLS OF HALLADALE when she was wrecked near Peterborough in 1908. This Rodger’s Anchor was raised from the wreck site by Flagstaff Hill divers (Peter Ronald, Colin Goodall and Gary Hayden) in 1974 and is on permanent outdoor display at the Maritime Village. The imposing 2-tonne artefact required a raft of fourteen 44-gallon drums to raise it from the seabed before it was towed by a crayfish boat to the wharf crane at Port Campbell for loading onto land transport. Following Lieutenant William Rodger’s patent in 1831, anchor design moved away from the separate attachment of straight arms and flat flutes to each side of a long shaft. Rodger’s innovation included the forging of both arms and their flutes as a single uniformly curved piece which was then attached to the crown of the shank by a thick horizontal bolt. The two-inch diameter hole for the securing through-bolt at the crown is clearly visible in this example, the bolt dislodged by corrosion and now missing. The FALLS OF HALLADALE was a four-masted, iron-hulled barque, built by Russell and Co at Greenock in 1866 for the Falls Line of Wright & Breakenridge, Glasgow. The ship was 275 feet long, 42 feet wide, with a 24 feet draft and weighed 2,085 tonnes. She was built to carry as much cargo as possible rather than for speed. Her unmistakably square bilge earned her the title of “warehouse-type” ship and her iron masts and wire rigging enabled her to maintain full sail even in gale conditions. In 1908, with new sails, 29 crew, and 2800 tons of cargo in her hold, the FALLS OF HALLADALE left New York, bound for Melbourne and Sydney via the Cape of Good Hope. 102 days later, at 3 am on the 14th of November, under full sail and in calm seas, with a six knots breeze behind and a misleading fog along the coast, the great vessel rose upon an ocean swell and settled on top of a shelf of rock near Peterborough. There she stayed for nearly two months until the pounding seas and dynamiting by salvagers finally broke her back, and her remains disappeared back into deeper water. The iron-hulled, four-masted barque, the Falls of Halladale, was a bulk carrier of general cargo. She left New York in August 1908 on her way to Melbourne and Sydney. In her hold, along with 56,763 tiles of unusual beautiful green American slates (roofing tiles), 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6500 gallons of oil, 14400 gallons of benzene, and many other manufactured items, were 117 cases of crockery and glassware. Three months later and close to her destination, a navigational error caused the Falls of Halladale to be wrecked on a reef off the Peterborough headland at 3 am on the morning of the 15th of November, 1908. The captain and 29 crew members all survived, but her valuable cargo was lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. ABOUT THE ‘FALLS OF HALLADALE’ (1886 - 1908) Built: in1886 by Russell & Co., Greenock shipyards, River Clyde, Scotland, UK. The company was founded in 1870 (or 1873) as a partnership between Joseph Russell (1834-1917), Anderson Rodger and William Todd Lithgow. During the period 1882-92 Russell & Co., standardised designs, which sped up their building process so much that they were able to build 271 ships over that time. In 1886 they introduced a 3000-ton class of sailing vessel with auxiliary engines and brace halyard winches. In 1890 they broke the world output record. Owner: Falls Line, Wright, Breakenridge & Co, 111 Union Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Configuration: Four-masted sailing ship; iron-hulled barque; iron masts, wire rigging, fore & aft lifting bridges. Size: Length 83.87m x Breadth 12.6m x Depth 7.23m, Gross tonnage 2085 ton Wrecked: the night of 14th November 1908, Curdies Inlet, Peterborough south west Victoria Crew: 29 The Falls of Halladale was a four-masted sailing ship built in 1886 in Glasgow, Scotland, for the long-distance cargo trade and was mostly used for the Pacific grain trade. She was owned by Wright, Breakenridge & Co of Glasgow and was one of several Falls Line ships, all of which were named after waterfalls in Scotland. The lines flag was of red, blue and white vertical stripes. The Falls of Halladale had a sturdy construction built to carry maximum cargo and able to maintain full sail in heavy gales, one of the last of the ‘windjammers’ that sailed the Trade Route. She and her sister ship, the Falls of Garry, were the first ships in the world to include fore and aft lifting bridges. Previous to this, heavily loaded vessels could have heavy seas break along the full length of the deck, causing serious injury or even death to those on deck. The new, raised catwalk-type decking allowed the crew to move above the deck in stormy conditions. This idea is still used today on the most modern tankers and cargo vessels and has proved to be an important step forward in the safety of men at sea. On 4th August 1908, with new sails, 29 crew, and 2800 tons of cargo, the Falls of Halladale left New York, bound for Melbourne and Sydney via the Cape of Good Hope. The cargo on board was valued at £35,000 and included 56,763 tiles of American slate roofing tiles (roof slates), 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6,500 gallons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzene, plumbing iron, 117 cases of crockery and glassware and many other manufactured items. The Falls of Halladale had been at sail for 102 days when, at 3 am on the night of 14th November 1908, under full sail in calm seas with a six knots breeze behind and misleading fog along the coast, the great vessel rose upon an ocean swell and settled on top of a submerged reef near Peterborough on the south-west Victoria’s coast. The ship was jammed on the rocks and began filling with water. The crew launched the two lifeboats and all 29 crew landed safely on the beach over 4 miles away at the Bay of Islands. The postmistress at Peterborough, who kept a watch for vessels in distress, saw the stranding and sent out an alert to the local people. A rescue party went to the aid of the sailors and the Port Campbell rocket crew was dispatched, but the crew had all managed to reach shore safely by the time help arrived. The ship stayed in full sail on the rocky shelf for nearly two months, attracting hundreds of sightseers who watched her slowly disintegrate until the pounding seas and dynamiting by salvagers finally broke her back, and her remains disappeared back into deeper water. The valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. Further salvage operations were made from 1974-1986, during which time 22,000 slate tiles were recovered with the help of 14 oil drums to float them, plus personal artefacts, ship fittings, reams of paper and other items. The Court of Marine Inquiry in Melbourne ruled that the foundering of the ship was entirely due to Captain David Wood Thomson’s navigational error, not too technical failure of the Clyde-built ship. The shipwreck is a popular site for divers, about 300m offshore and in 3 – 15m of water. Some of the original cargo can be seen at the site, including pieces of roof slate and coils of barbed wire.The shipwreck of the FALLS OF HALLADALE is of state significance – Victorian Heritage Register No. S255. She was one of the last ships to sail the Trade Routes. She is one of the first vessels to have fore and aft lifting bridges. She is an example of the remains of an International Cargo Ship and also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping industry. The wreck is protected as a Historic Shipwreck under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976).A large iron Rodger’s anchor recovered from the wreck of the FALLS OF HALLADALE. It has a rounded crown, curved arms and moulded flutes. Heavy duty iron stock with round eyes at either end, fitted over shank and fixed into position by a wedge-shaped metal locking pin. Shackle missing but severed securing bolt remaining in shank. The presence of an empty bolthole at the crown junction of shank and arms confirms Rodger’s type. Corroded from 66 years submersion in seawater but otherwise structure is sound.warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck artefact, maritime museum, falls of halladale, rodger’s anchor, peterborough reef, 1908 shipwreck, anchor, last days of sail, great clipper ships -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Mast Collar, c. 1886
The husband of the donor of this mast collar chanced to be staying a night at a motel in Peterborough, along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. He had a keen interest in maritime items and recognise the mast collar at the motel’s back fence line. The motel owner told his guest the story of a customer, a doctor, who had organised and paid for divers to raise the mast collar from a local shipwreck, the Falls of Halladale. Shortly afterwards the doctor passed away, so the mast collar had remained at the motel site. The owner was leaving the motel the following week and wasn’t at all interested in the artefact. He was very happy for his guest to remove it. It took five men to load the mast collar up for the trip to the new owner’s two storey shed in Ballarat. It stayed there undercover, in the company of his collection of 5 buggies, for the next 40 or so years until the property was for sale. A friend, who realised the significance of the mast collar, suggested that it be donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village where other artefacts from the Falls of Halladale, such as the slate tiles, were on display. This mast collar, or masthead, from the Falls of Halladale would have been used to join two sections of one of the tall masts. As sailing ships became larger there was a need for taller masts or spars, which became difficult or impossible to find. To overcome this problem mast was divided into sections; lower and top or upper mast (on some of the ‘tall ships’ a mast could be divided into three or even four sections). The Falls of Halladale was a four-masted British barque built-in 1886. On what turned out to be her fatal journey, she had left New York for Melbourne in late 1908. She ran aground on a reef close to the shore west of Peterborough, South West Victoria, on November 14th. All 29 crew eventually landed safely onshore. The wrecked ship stayed on the reef for several months as locals watched the sails slowly deteriorate. The salvaged cargo included slate tiles, as mentioned above, and many of these have been used on the roof of buildings at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The iron-hulled, four-masted barque, the Falls of Halladale, was a bulk carrier of general cargo. She left New York in August 1908 on her way to Melbourne and Sydney. In her hold, along with 56,763 tiles of unusual beautiful green American slates (roofing tiles), 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6500 gallons of oil, 14400 gallons of benzene, and many other manufactured items, were 117 cases of crockery and glassware. Three months later and close to her destination, a navigational error caused the Falls of Halladale to be wrecked on a reef off the Peterborough headland at 3 am on the morning of the 15th of November, 1908. The captain and 29 crew members all survived, but her valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. ABOUT THE ‘FALLS OF HALLADALE’ (1886 - 1908) Built: in1886 by Russell & Co., Greenock shipyards, River Clyde, Scotland, UK. The company was founded in 1870 (or 1873) as a partnership between Joseph Russell (1834-1917), Anderson Rodger and William Todd Lithgow. During the period 1882-92 Russell & Co., standardised designs, which sped up their building process so much that they were able to build 271 ships over that time. In 1886 they introduced a 3000 ton class of sailing vessel with auxiliary engines and brace halyard winches. In 1890 they broke the world output record. Owner: Falls Line, Wright, Breakenridge & Co, 111 Union Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Configuration: Four masted sailing ship; iron-hulled barque; iron masts, wire rigging, fore & aft lifting bridges. Size: Length 83.87m x Breadth 12.6m x Depth 7.23m, Gross tonnage 2085 ton Wrecked: the night of 14th November 1908, Curdies Inlet, Peterborough south west Victoria Crew: 29 The Falls of Halladale was a four-masted sailing ship built-in 1886 in Glasgow, Scotland, for the long-distance cargo trade and was mostly used for Pacific grain trade. She was owned by Wright, Breakenridge & Co of Glasgow and was one of several Falls Line ships, all of which were named after waterfalls in Scotland. The lines flag was of red, blue and white vertical stripes. The Falls of Halladale had a sturdy construction built to carry maximum cargo and able to maintain full sail in heavy gales, one of the last of the ‘windjammers’ that sailed the Trade Route. She and her sister ship, the Falls of Garry, were the first ships in the world to include fore and aft lifting bridges. Previous to this, heavily loaded vessels could have heavy seas break along the full length of the deck, causing serious injury or even death to those on deck. The new, raised catwalk-type decking allowed the crew to move above the deck stormy conditions. This idea is still used today on the most modern tankers and cargo vessels and has proved to be an important step forward in the safety of men at sea. On 4th August 1908, with new sails, 29 crew, and 2800 tons of cargo, the Falls of Halladale left New York, bound for Melbourne and Sydney via the Cape of Good Hope. The cargo on board was valued at £35,000 and included 56,763 tiles of American slate roofing tiles (roof slates), 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6,500 gallons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzene, plumbing iron, 117 cases of crockery and glassware and many other manufactured items. The Falls of Halladale had been at sail for 102 days when, at 3 am on the night of 14th November 1908, under full sail in calm seas with a six knots breeze behind and misleading fog along the coast, the great vessel rose upon an ocean swell and settled on top of a submerged reef near Peterborough on the south-west Victoria’s coast. The ship was jammed on the rocks and began filling with water. The crew launched the two lifeboats and all 29 crew landed safely on the beach over 4 miles away at the Bay of Islands. The postmistress at Peterborough, who kept a watch for vessels in distress, saw the stranding and sent out an alert to the local people. A rescue party went to the aid of the sailors and the Port Campbell rocket crew was dispatched, but the crew had all managed to reach shore safely by the time help arrived. The ship stayed in full sail on the rocky shelf for nearly two months, attracting hundreds of sightseers who watched her slowly disintegrate until the pounding seas and dynamiting by salvagers finally broke her back, and her remains disappeared back into deeper water. The valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. Further salvage operations were made from 1974-1986, during which time 22,000 slate tiles were recovered with the help of 14 oil drums to float them, plus personal artefacts, ship fittings, reams of paper and other items. The Court of Marine Inquiry in Melbourne ruled that the foundering of the ship was entirely due to Captain David Wood Thomson’s navigational error, not too technical failure of the Clyde-built ship. The shipwreck is a popular site for divers, about 300m offshore and in 3 – 15m of water. Some of the original cargo can be seen at the site, including pieces of roof slate and coils of barbed wire. This mast collar is significant due to its association with the ship FALLS OF HALLADALE, which is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR S255 The Falls of Halladale shipwreck is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (No. S255). She was one of the last ships to sail the Trade Routes. She is one of the first vessels to have fore and aft lifting bridges. She is an example of the remains of an International Cargo Ship and also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping industry. The wreck is protected as a Historic Shipwreck under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976). Mast collar, steel, salvaged from the shipwreck FALLS OF HALLADALE, wrecked off the coast of Peterborough, South West Victoria. Oval shaped a band of metal with a straight band of same heights attached between the long sides. Two metal loops are attached to the outside of the oval shape, next to the crossing band. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, falls of halladale, shipwreck peterborough vic, sailing ship mast collar, masthead of sailing ship, falls of halladale mast collar, masthead, mast collar, ship rigging 1908, russell & co. -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph (Item) - Print, Craig Price, Old Bootmakers Shop in Main Road, Eltham - Eltham's history worth preserving, 1988
701 Main Road, Eltham Situated originally on the corner of the Dalton Street road reserve west of Main Road (now present-day Wingrove Park Trail), the former Jarrold Cottage (White Cloud) was purchased by Lena Skipper following Thekla Jarrold's death in 1943. It was built by William Jarrold in the early 1850s and was here that he married Hannah Coleman in 1856. The Bootmaker's shop was built by Thekla Jarrold in 1930 for use by her friend, John Clark, a local photographer who had boarded with the Jarrold family since about 1910. In 1930 he changed profession to a bootmaker and leather worker. The shop is one of only three remaining early 20th century shops in what was Little Eltham, the others being present-day San Antionio Barber Shop at 820 Main Road and Cafe Zen Den at 736 Main Road. Craig Price 1988 Entrant No. 148 Ref: Series 34, Items 37, 38, 109, 110 SHIRE OF ELTHAM COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY Photography is an artform which many of us practice, sometimes purely for artistic pursuit, sometimes to record the people and events in our lives. In 1988, as part of a local Bicentennial project, the Shire of Eltham conducted the Eltham Community Photographic Survey. Up to 100 entries were to be selected by a panel of photographers for entry into the Eltham Photographic Survey Exhibition. Entries had to be submitted by May 13, 1988. Entrants whose images were selected for the exhibition were contacted and requested to further submit an entry form providing entrant’s name, area of residence, age, and proposed captions. These details were then used to produce labels for the exhibition mounts. Where negatives had not been supplied, these were requested to support the display of printed enlargements mounted on 10” x 8” cardboard. The mounted prints were made available post exhibition for sale at $8.50 each for colour prints and $7.00 for B&W prints. Residents in the Shire were invited to collect a free roll of film and take a photograph of what they either liked or did not like about the area. A total of 160 entrants submitted multiple entries for the exhibition. Of those selected for exhibition, entrants ranged in age from 9 to 70 years. All custom colour and black and white printing for the exhibition was completed by Wattle Studios of Eltham. The Eltham Photographic Survey was jointly auspiced by the Shire of Eltham and Wattle Studios, of 953 Main Road, Eltham. The project was greatly assisted by: • David McRitchie, Media Studies Lecturer Victoria College, Rusden Campus. • Ian and Annette Toohill of Wattle Studios • Tracy Naughton, Eltham Community Arts Officer • Neville Emerson Pty. Ltd. • Superior Press, Eltham • Kodak Australasia Pty. Ltd. • Agfa Gevaert Ltd. • Townsend Colourtech Pty. Ltd. • The Australian Bicentennial Authority • Eleanor Bowers, Secretary, Eltham Arts Council The exhibition was placed on display in the Woolworths Arcade, Eltham between Monday June 6th and Saturday June 11, 1988. It was also intended to hold the exhibition at a venue in the Shire’s North Riding from Monday, June 20 to Friday June 24. It was then displayed at the Were Street Theatre, Montmorency from Friday, June 24 to Thursday, July 7. Series 34: Eltham Community Photographic Survey 1988 - Prints & Documentation Series consists of 117 photographs of Shire scenes taken by members of the community. Items I - 41 are larger photographs mounted on card, which were exhibited. Items 42 - 117 are unmounted copies, alternative takes and other entries. Corresponding negatives contained in Series 35: Eltham Community Photographic Survey 1988 – Negatives which consists of 267 colour and B&W negatives and one colour slide of Shire scenes taken by members of the community. The negatives are arranged by the entrant number of the photographer. The Eltham Community Photographic Survey collection is significant to the local community as it was curated by the local community - ordinary people of all ages - representing what they liked and did not like in the area where they lived. It represents an unfiltered representation of the Shire of Eltham as it was in 1988. It also represents one of many projects as part of the national programme of events and celebrations to commemorate the bicentenary. It is a time capsule of life in the 1980s of this urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north. Front: Entrant No. and name on printed label Rear: Entrant No., name and address on printed label; also 'Series 34' and the 'Item No.' in pencilshire of eltham archives, bicentennial project, eltham, eltham community photographic survey, eltham photographic survey exhibition, series 34, series 35, bootmaker's shop, craig price, film - kodak ga 100 5095, main road, scan - 35mm negative -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph (Item) - Print, Andrew Peel, Untitled (Former Bootmaker's Shop), 1988
701 Main Road, Eltham Situated originally on the corner of the Dalton Street road reserve west of Main Road (now present-day Wingrove Park Trail), the former Jarrold Cottage (White Cloud) was purchased by Lena Skipper following Thekla Jarrold's death in 1943. It was built by William Jarrold in the early 1850s and was here that he married Hannah Coleman in 1856. The Bootmaker's shop was built by Thekla Jarrold in 1930 for use by her friend, John Clark, a local photographer who had boarded with the Jarrold family since about 1910. In 1930 he changed profession to a bootmaker and leather worker. The shop is one of only three remaining early 20th century shops in what was Little Eltham, the others being present-day San Antionio Barber Shop at 820 Main Road and Cafe Zen Den at 736 Main Road. Andrew Peel 1988 Entrant No. 28 Ref: Series 34, Items 11, 60-63 SHIRE OF ELTHAM COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY Photography is an artform which many of us practice, sometimes purely for artistic pursuit, sometimes to record the people and events in our lives. In 1988, as part of a local Bicentennial project, the Shire of Eltham conducted the Eltham Community Photographic Survey. Up to 100 entries were to be selected by a panel of photographers for entry into the Eltham Photographic Survey Exhibition. Entries had to be submitted by May 13, 1988. Entrants whose images were selected for the exhibition were contacted and requested to further submit an entry form providing entrant’s name, area of residence, age, and proposed captions. These details were then used to produce labels for the exhibition mounts. Where negatives had not been supplied, these were requested to support the display of printed enlargements mounted on 10” x 8” cardboard. The mounted prints were made available post exhibition for sale at $8.50 each for colour prints and $7.00 for B&W prints. Residents in the Shire were invited to collect a free roll of film and take a photograph of what they either liked or did not like about the area. A total of 160 entrants submitted multiple entries for the exhibition. Of those selected for exhibition, entrants ranged in age from 9 to 70 years. All custom colour and black and white printing for the exhibition was completed by Wattle Studios of Eltham. The Eltham Photographic Survey was jointly auspiced by the Shire of Eltham and Wattle Studios, of 953 Main Road, Eltham. The project was greatly assisted by: • David McRitchie, Media Studies Lecturer Victoria College, Rusden Campus. • Ian and Annette Toohill of Wattle Studios • Tracy Naughton, Eltham Community Arts Officer • Neville Emerson Pty. Ltd. • Superior Press, Eltham • Kodak Australasia Pty. Ltd. • Agfa Gevaert Ltd. • Townsend Colourtech Pty. Ltd. • The Australian Bicentennial Authority • Eleanor Bowers, Secretary, Eltham Arts Council The exhibition was placed on display in the Woolworths Arcade, Eltham between Monday June 6th and Saturday June 11, 1988. It was also intended to hold the exhibition at a venue in the Shire’s North Riding from Monday, June 20 to Friday June 24. It was then displayed at the Were Street Theatre, Montmorency from Friday, June 24 to Thursday, July 7. Series 34: Eltham Community Photographic Survey 1988 - Prints & Documentation Series consists of 117 photographs of Shire scenes taken by members of the community. Items I - 41 are larger photographs mounted on card, which were exhibited. Items 42 - 117 are unmounted copies, alternative takes and other entries. Corresponding negatives contained in Series 35: Eltham Community Photographic Survey 1988 – Negatives which consists of 267 colour and B&W negatives and one colour slide of Shire scenes taken by members of the community. The negatives are arranged by the entrant number of the photographer. The Eltham Community Photographic Survey collection is significant to the local community as it was curated by the local community - ordinary people of all ages - representing what they liked and did not like in the area where they lived. It represents an unfiltered representation of the Shire of Eltham as it was in 1988. It also represents one of many projects as part of the national programme of events and celebrations to commemorate the bicentenary. It is a time capsule of life in the 1980s of this urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north. Rear: Entrant No., name and address in blue ink; also 'Series 34' and the 'Item No.' in orange inkshire of eltham archives, bicentennial project, eltham, eltham community photographic survey, series 34, series 35, andrew peel, bootmaker's shop, film - kodak gb 200 5096, main road, scan - 35mm negative -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Container - Horse trough, Annis & George Bills, circa Dec. 1932
This horse trough is the only survivor of the two troughs originally installed in Raglan Parade, Warrnambool, in 1932. It was later moved to the Pony Club at Albert Part, near the north corner of Coulstock and Craig Streets. Over the time there its purpose was changed from a horse watering trough to a colourful garden bed of agapanthus plants. By February 2013 the horse trough had been transferred to Flagstaff Hill for display in the Maritime Village’s grounds. This trough is one of hundreds provided by the Annis and George Bills Estate Trust since 1927 for the welfare of working horses and dogs. The original concrete cap over the small compartment is still retained. There are also markings on the right side of the trough where it probably had a birdbath, tap or a dish for the horseman’s dog, similar to other troughs donated elsewhere by the Trust. Less than half of the troughs produced for the Annis and George Bills Trust still survive. In 2017 Felicity Watson, National Trust Victoria’s advocacy manager, said that the troughs were treasures and becoming rare, with more than a dozen across Victoria now being heritage protected. ABOUT ANNIS AND GEORGE BILLS The 1927 Will of George Bills included setting up the Annis and George Bills Estate Trust, which provided for hundreds of horse troughs to be supplied and installed throughout Australia, Britain, USA and other parts of the world for the welfare of horses. Town and city councils could apply to the Trustees for a horse trough for their communities. George “Joe” Bills was born in Brighton, England, in 1859. The family migrated first to New Zealand then to Australia in 1873, settling in the Echuca-Moama district. George moved to Brisbane in 1882 where he met Annis Swann, formerly from Sheffield. Both were animal lovers. George and Annis married 1885 and moved to Sydney to join George’s brother Henry in his mattress wire weaving business, later known as the Bills Brothers. They patented their own machine in 1893 and the business became very profitable. George was able to donate to charities that supported his passion to improve animal welfare. He and Annis joined the Victorian Society for the Protection of Animals and in 1924 George received a Life Membership with the RSPCA. George retired in 1908. The couple moved to Hawthorn, Victoria, in 1910, where they donated troughs for the work horses of Melbourne. During a visit to England Annis passed away. In 1927 George moved from Hawthorn to Camberwell, where he passed away at the end of that year. George had requested in his Will that a trust fund be set up from his estate "…construct and erect and pay for horse troughs wherever they may be of the opinion that such horse troughs are desirable for the relief of horses and other dumb animals either in Australasia, in the British Islands or in any other part of the world subject to the consent of the proper authorities being obtained." The troughs were to bear a plaque inscribed “Donated by Annis and George Bills, Australia”. In 1927 the cost to make a trough was about £13 (which converts to about $1079 in 2020 ), plus transport and installation costs. Most of the troughs were installed between 1930 and 1939 in Victoria and New South Wales. It is estimated that over that time around 500-700 Bills Horse Troughs were installed in Australia and another 50 overseas. Most of the troughs made in Victoria had three moulded front panels like this trough, and no panels moulded on the rear, whereas troughs made in NSW had four panels on the front and five on the back. Victorian troughs were made by a Bills’ relative, J H Phillips. Later, other manufactures for the Trust’s troughs included Rocla Concrete Pipes Ltd, in Auburn Road, Hawthorn, Victoria, who produced to the same original design. No further troughs produced after the end of World War II. A memorial to Annis and George Bills was first erected in Hawthorn in 1929. It included a drinking fountain and a dog dish. Its current location is unknown. In 1964 the George Bills RSPCA Resource Centre opened in Burwood East. This Bills horse trough is nationally significant as one of the surviving examples of the standard Bills memorial horse troughs that still has its compartment cap and evidence of it once having had attached fittings, possibly for a birdbath or dog dish. This trough has State historical significance for being produced in the early 1930s by a business in Hawthorn, Victoria. This example of a Bills horse trough is significant for being in comparatively good condition. The trough is locally significant for being the sole survivor of the two Bills horse troughs installed in the City of Warrnambool in 1932, originally installed on Raglan Parade and continued to be used in the community at the Pony Club, then finally transferred to its current location at Flagstaff Hill by early 2013. It is culturally significant as it represents the community’s dependence on horses for travel and transportation previous to motorised vehicles. It is morally significant as a generous gift from a couple concerned with the welfare of animals.Horse trough; a long narrow rectangular container used for storing water. Trough is made from pre-cast concrete with one large open compartment and a small covered compartment. The base of the small compartment is raised slightly above the base of the trough and is covered by a removable concrete cap. The design of the front of the trough includes three panels moulded into it that align with the shape of the back pediment (panel). The pediment is shaped with side arcs that step up to a wide centre arc. A rectangular concrete plaque is cast into the centre of the pediment and is engraved with the names of the original donors, Annis and George Bills. The trough was made in Hawthorn, Victoria, by J H Phillips circa 1932. “DONATED BY / ANNIS & GEORGE BILLS / AUSTRALIA”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, annis and george bills, bills trust, j h phillips, rocla concrete pipes ltd, hawthorn, water trough, watering trough, horse trough, animal welfare, bills horse trough -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Negative - Photograph, J.H. Clark, Eltham Tennis Court, c.1905
People pose for a photograph at the Eltham tennis court. Four men set to play a doubles match while a group of women look on. The sandy looking court (with weeds growing) is surrounded by wooden posts with wire mesh, in the middle of a park with mature gum trees in the background. The tennis court was situated in Eltham South at Bremner’s Flats (near present day Wingrove Park). The court is approximately the location of the present day small carpark. Main Road can be seen in the background from centre left and Mount Pleasant just above, the intersection just above the centre of court. The photo by J.H. Clark has been taken outside the court. Cross Ref SEPP_0721 of the Lady Premiers for 1909-1910 in which an umpires raised seating platform has been erected and the court surface is more refined with marked lines. The Eltham Lawn Tennis Club was formed on a Saturday evening, the 29th of October, 1898 at a meeting held at the Eltham State school. The meeting was large and representative. Twenty members were enrolled, and eight more have since been added. Officers and a committee were duly elected, and the Treasurer was instructed to purchase the necessary requisites without delay. By the end of the first week in November all the requisites were to hand, two courts were marked out, and practice begun. The formal opening of the Courts of this Club took place on Saturday, November 12, 1898, when 26 members and their friends assembled. After several sets had been contested an adjournment was made for tea provided by the members and nicely laid out under the shade of the trees. Afterwards, sets were again formed and the game was proceeded with in a lively spirit till nearly dark, when all dispersed having thoroughly enjoyed themselves during the afternoon. (Evelyn Observer, and South and East Bourke Record (Vic. : 1882 - 1902), Friday 18 November 1898, page 2) Reproduced on p89 of 'Pioneers & Painters' Photographer: J.H. Clark John Henry Clark was the youngest of three boys born to William Henry Clark (1823-1877) and Maria White (1843-1914). He and his brothers, William Charles Clark (1872-1945), Clement Kent Clark (1874-1912) operated a photography business (Clark Bros.) from 25 Thomas Street, Windsor near Prahran during the period c.1894 to 1914. Following death of Clement in September 1912 and their mother in 1914, the Clark Bros business appears to have dissolved, the premises demolished, and a new house was under construction in 1915. John set up business independently in 1914 operating out of 29 Moor Street, Fitzroy where he is registered in the 1914 and 1915 Electoral Rolls. By 1916 John had relocated to Eltham where he continued his practice as a photographer and took many of the early images around the district of Little Eltham. Around 1930 John changed professions and opened a small cobbler's shop in 1931 near the pond opposite Dalton Street adjacent to the Jarrold family cottage. He never married and continued his profession as a bootmaker from this little shop, maintaining a close relationship with Mrs Jarrold for the rest of their lives. His bootmaker shop remains today beside the Whitecloud cottage and is one of only three remaining shops in the area from the early 20th century. There are a couple of images of Eltham taken by Clark Bros. in the Eltham District Historical Society collection, one such example being Hunniford’s Post Office with Miss Anne Hunniford out front (EDHS_00140 - marked on the back of the print, Clark Bros., 25 Thomas St. Windsor), which would date this image between c.1894 and 1914. Other early images of Eltham taken by John Henry Clark are marked on the face “J. H. Clark Photo” and it is assumed these are dated between 1914 and 1930. It is noted that the Grant of Probate for John H Clark of Eltham South dated 5 April !957 (513/387) records his occupation as "X Photographer".This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Negshire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, bremner's flat, eltham, eltham tennis court, j.h. clark photo, pioneers and painters, tennis court, wingrove park, 1905, eltham lawn tennis club, main road, mount pleasant road -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Line throwing pistol, 1925-1945
This is a SPRA, or Schermuly’s Pistol Rocket Apparatus. The large firearm type pistol would have been used to throw a line between ships, usually in the event of saving lives. The line throwing pistol consists of a long barrel with handle attached, a pistol grip and trigger, which fires a short blank cartridge. Accessories for the pistol included: flares, 12 gauge adaptor (to shoot 12 gauge flares), a wood plunger, and boxes of faked line. The stamp on the handle, Crown over "NP" is a Birmingham Proof House mark that dates the pistol between 1904 and 1954. However Schermuly's line throwing pistol was invented in the 192s and used on British Naval Ships from 1929. The serial number '22507' is only 806 numbers later than one on sale as a British Military WWII issue SRPA '21701'. This pistol appears to be made 125-1945. The apparatus was used as a life saving device for crew and passengers on vessels in distress that were only a few hundred metres from shore, often eliminating the need to launch a boat and risk lives to go out to the vessel in dangerous conditions. It could also be used from ship to ship rescue. The pistol would launch a line from shore to the vessel. The line would be attached to the vessel, then shore crew would send out equipment, including a breeches buoy, in which the stranded people could be pulled to shore. It has saved many lives at sea. The cartridge is loaded into the breech of the pistol and the rocket is inserted into the muzzle. On pulling the trigger, the gases generated by the fired cartridge eject the rocket on its correct line of flight, and at the same time, burst through the waterproof disc and ignite the propellant mixture, which carries the rocket and line on the remainder of the flight. The rocket consists of a weldless steel case filled with propellant mixture sealed in by a waterproof disc. Fixed to the rocket case is a direction bridle, to the end of which a short length of flexible steel wire is attached, this in turn being connected to the end of the line to be thrown. A complete rocket set, or line throwing kit. would include a wood carrying case, two coils of faked line in separate compartments, three rockets and a can of six cartridges. William Schermuly (1857 – 1929) - Founder of the Schermuly business. In 1897 he invented a trough-fired, line throwing apparatus. In 1920 he and his third son, Alfred James Schermuly, invented the pistol rocket apparatus and promoted this overseas during the 1920s. The system was approved by the British Navy in 1929 through an Act of Parliament, which made it compulsory for ships over 500 tons to carry this equipment. The company, Schermuly Pistol Rocket Apparatus Ltd., grew quickly during and after World War II but business eased off during the 1970s before it eventually closed in the 1990s. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. This line-throwing pistol is part of he Rocket Launching Equipment used to perform life-saving rescue at sea from the 1920s. It is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Pistol, line-throwing, SPRA (Schermuly's Pistol Rocket Apparatus). This line throwing pistol has a wooden pistol grip, brass trigger mechanism, and a long, wide, steel barrel with Bakelite handle attached to the top. Inscriptions are stamped onto the pistol.Stamped on handle: "5" and "[symbol of a Crown] above NP" , "22507", "[within oval] SPRA" Stamped on barrel: "L22507".gun, pistol, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, line throwing, line throwing pistol, spra, schermuly's pistol rocket apparatus, sea rescue, pyrotechnicks, marine technology, schermuly pistol rocket apparatus ltd., william schermuly, alfred schermuly, pistol line thrower, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, maritime village, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket equipment, rescue boat, lifeboat, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, rocket rescue method, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, line throwing mortar, rocket rescue apparatus, line thrower, lifeboat warrnambool, rocket machine, rocket head, rocket launcher, rocket line, beach rescue set, rocket set, schermuly, line-firing pistol, line throwing gun, pistol rocket apparatus, line throwing cartridge, line-throwing rocket, firearm, life saving, lsrc -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Oar, early 20th century
This oar is from the Lifeboat Warrnambool, which is on sit at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The construction of the lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later, 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by the Great Britain’s Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whaleback decks fore and aft, mast and centreboard, and rudder and tiller hung from the sternpost. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was foreman boat builder. Mr Beagley built the lifeboat with his fellow workmen. The boat was described as “… a fine piece of workmanship and does credit to her builders and designers…” It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight and watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature was on the plaque that was found concealed in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. His signature and the dates of the start and finish of the boat’s construction are pencilled on the raw timber 'plaque' found in the hull in the early 1990’s when the lifeboat was being restored. It is interesting that the ‘Melbourne Directory’ of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, (Victorian Heritage Database, ‘Contextual History, Maritime Facilities’), It is quite possibly the business of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill’s documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at ‘Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne’ – the name ‘Myers’ can also be spelled ‘Meiers’, which could be the same person as the Meiers in “McAuley and Meiers” (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named ‘Warrnambool’ was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. A winch was used to bring it in and out of the water. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, build and sea-going qualities such as greater manoeuvrability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was “practically non-capsizeable” and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has “… plenty of freeboard, high watertight spaces between the deck and bottom… through which pipes lead…” The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The lifeboat Warrnambool was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in early 1900's. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares, and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen, which they brought back to Warrnambool. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be manned by a strong and competent crew, ready for action in case of emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River, bolted to the Port Fairy lifeboat. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990 she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name ‘WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.” The oar is significant for its association with the lifeboat WARRNAMBOOL, which is significant for its half century service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel. She was also used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ANTARES. Large wooden oar, shaped two handgrip with tapering shaft to large flattened blade, (2) copper reinforcing strips on blade. Sweep oar is from the Lifeboat Warrnambool. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, oar, lifeboat warrnambool, sweep oar -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Hand Barrow, 1860s
This hand barrow, sometimes called a Welsh hand barrow, was used to transport a load of marine rescue equipment from the beach cart to the rescue site, particularly over hilly, uneven or rough terrain. Hand barrows were in common use in the 19th century. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. Rocket Rescue Method - Rocket rescue became the preferred lifesaving method of the rescue crews, being much safer that using a lifeboat in rough seas and poor conditions. The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in about 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. . The British Board of Trade regularly published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle, determined by the Head of the crew and measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A continuous whip line was then sent out to the ship’s crew, who hauled it in then followed the instructions – in four languages - on the attached tally board. The survivors would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line with a tail block connected to it. They then secured the block to the mast or other strong part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the survivors fixed above the whip’s tail block. The hawser was then tightened by the crew pulling on it, or by using the hooked block on the shore end of the whip and attaching it to a sand anchor. The breeches buoy was attached to the traveller block on the hawser, and the shore crew then used the whip line to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. The rescue crew wore scarlet, numbered armbands and worked on a numerical rotation system, swapping members out to rest them. This hand barrow is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Hand barrow; a transporting device carried between two people walking one in front of the other. A wooden ladder-like frame with two handles at each end, blue painted body with unpainted handles. Seven equal-length slats are joined at equal distance between two parallel poles, and two longer slats are attached diagonally between the first and last slats as a brace. flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, tramway jetty, breakwater, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, lifeboat men, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket equipment, marine technology, rescue boat, lifeboat, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, rocket rescue method, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, line throwing mortar, mortar, rocket rescue apparatus, line thrower, line throwing, lifeboat warrnambool, hand barrow, manual transport, welsh hand barrow -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Canvas Bag, mid-to-late 19th century
This drawstring canvas bag is amongst the Rocket Rescue equipment. It could have been used to carry equipment, clothing or provisions between the crew on the shore and the victims of a shipwreck or other rescue need. It could be worn on the shoulder or as a backpack or winched out to a vessel on the block and pulley system. The strong canvas could be weatherproof and waterproof to a large extent, provided the drawstring was pulled tight. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. Rocket Rescue Method - The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to a rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy apparatus was in use. The apparatus was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in about 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. The British Board of Trade published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a lightweight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A tally board was then sent out to the ship with instructions in four languages. The ship’s crew would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line, then secure the attached whip block to the mast or other sturdy part of the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the ship’s crew fixed above the whip block. The hawser was then tightened using the block on the shore end of the whip. The breeches buoy and endless whip are then attached to the traveller block on the hawser, allowing the shore crew to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. Beach apparatus equipment - In the mid-1800s the equipment could include a line throwing set, coiled line in a wooden carrying case, rockets, cartridges, breeches buoy, hawser and traveller block, line-throwing pistol, beach cart, hand barrow, sand anchor, crotch pole, and tools such as spade, pick, mallet and hawser cutter. Around the 1860s Warrnambool had a Rocket House installed beside the Harbour. This canvas bag is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Canvas bag; thick beige canvas bag, cylindrical with a round base. The top has a thin rope in a drawstring closure. flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, lady bay, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, lifeboat men, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, survival kit, rescue kit, canvas bag, storage bag, carry bag, equipment bag, drawerstring bag -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Traveller pulley block, 1860s
The life saving breeches buoy was attached to a traveller block such as this one. The assembly was sent from shore to ship and back to transport the stranded people and goods safely to shore. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. Rocket Rescue Method - Rocket rescue became the preferred lifesaving method of the rescue crews, being much safer that using a lifeboat in rough seas and poor conditions. The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. . The British Board of Trade regularly published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle, determined by the Head of the crew and measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A continuous whip line was then sent out to the ship’s crew, who hauled it in then followed the instructions – in four languages - on the attached tally board. The survivors would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line with a tail block connected to it. They then secured the block to the mast or other strong part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the survivors fixed above the whip’s tail block. The hawser was then tightened by the crew pulling on it, or by using the hooked block on the shore end of the whip and attaching it to a sand anchor. The breeches buoy was attached to the traveller block on the hawser, and the shore crew then used the whip line to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. The rescue crew wore scarlet, numbered armbands and worked on a numerical rotation system, swapping members out to rest them.This traveller block is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost. Wood and brass pulley block or 'traveller', used in conjunction with the Breeches Buoy. The block has double brass inline sheaves and brass rollers on each cheek of the pulley. Each shell is scored for the strop. The thimble on the strop has a wooden slat attached for quick release of the Breeches Buoy. A portion of rope is connected.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, lifeboat men, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket equipment, marine technology, rescue boat, lifeboat, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, rocket rescue method, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, line throwing mortar, mortar, rocket rescue apparatus, line thrower, line throwing, lifeboat warrnambool, beach apparatus, breeches buoy, petticoat breeches, petticoat buoy, traveller chair, life jacket, traveller, traveller block, running block, block, pulley, hawser, faking, faking box, faked line, faking board, italian hemp, quadrant, protractor, tally board, light line, whip line, endless whip, beach cart, hand barrow, sand anchor, welsh hand barrow, her majesty’s coast guard, harbour board, government of victoria, harbour master, l.s.r.c., lsrc -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Rocket Key, John Dennett, c. 1860s
This rocket launcher key was used with the Dennett's Rocket Launcher system to remove the end cap of the Dennett's Rocket to expose the propellant to be fused . Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. Rocket Rescue Method - Rocket rescue became the preferred lifesaving method of the rescue crews, being much safer that using a lifeboat in rough seas and poor conditions. The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in about 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. . The British Board of Trade regularly published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle, determined by the Head of the crew and measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A continuous whip line was then sent out to the ship’s crew, who hauled it in then followed the instructions – in four languages - on the attached tally board. The survivors would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line with a tail block connected to it. They then secured the block to the mast or other strong part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the survivors fixed above the whip’s tail block. The hawser was then tightened by the crew pulling on it, or by using the hooked block on the shore end of the whip and attaching it to a sand anchor. The breeches buoy was attached to the traveller block on the hawser, and the shore crew then used the whip line to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. The rescue crew wore scarlet, numbered armbands and worked on a numerical rotation system, swapping members out to rest them. This rocket launcher key is a necessary part of the equipment for the the rocket launcher, which is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Key, part of the Rocket Rescue equipment. T shaped metal key, round handle across the top and hexagonal shaped shaft and square end. Used to remove the end cap of the Dennett's Rocket to expose the propellant to be fused . Donation from Ports and Harbour.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, tramway jetty, breakwater, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, lifeboat men, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket equipment, marine technology, rescue boat, lifeboat, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, rocket rescue method, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, line throwing mortar, mortar, rocket rescue apparatus, line thrower, line throwing, lifeboat warrnambool, rocket house, rocket shed, rocket machine, rocket head, rocket launcher, rocket line, beach rescue set, rocket set, john dennett, rocket key, rocket launcher key, life saving -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Rowlock, early 20th century
Rowlock from the Lifeboat Warrnambool, which is on site at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The construction of the lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ began 15th September 1909 and was completed almost 12 months later, 1st September 1910. It was built at the Government Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, along the lines designed by the Great Britain’s Royal Lifeboat Institution, and included whaleback decks fore and aft, mast and centreboard, and rudder and tiller hung from the sternpost. It could be propelled by both sail and oar. At that time Captain Ferguson was Chief Harbour Master and Mr Beagley was foreman boat builder. Mr Beagley built the lifeboat with his fellow workmen. The boat was described as “… a fine piece of workmanship and does credit to her builders and designers…” It had all the latest improvements in shape, disposition of weight and watertight compartments, and it had space for a large number of people in addition to the crew. It appears that 'H Meiers' whose signature was on the plaque that was found concealed in the hull, was involved with the building of the lifeboat. His signature and the dates of the start and finish of the boat’s construction are pencilled on the raw timber 'plaque' found in the hull in the early 1990’s when the lifeboat was being restored. It is interesting that the ‘Melbourne Directory’ of 1911, published by Sands and MacDougal, lists McAuley and Meiers, boat builders, Nelson Place foreshore, between Pasco and Parker Streets, Williamstown, (Victorian Heritage Database, ‘Contextual History, Maritime Facilities’), It is quite possibly the business of the person whose name is inscribed on the lifeboat plaque. Flagstaff Hill’s documentation also mentions that the keel was laid at ‘Harry Myers, boat builders, Williamstown, Melbourne’ – the name ‘Myers’ can also be spelled ‘Meiers’, which could be the same person as the Meiers in “McAuley and Meiers” (as mentioned in genealogy lines of Myers). The new lifeboat, to be named ‘Warrnambool’ was brought to town by train and launched at the breakwater on 1st March 1911 using the Titan crane (the old lifeboat built in 1858, was then returned to Melbourne in 1911). This new lifeboat was stationed at Warrnambool in a shed located at the base of the Breakwater, adjacent to the slipway. A winch was used to bring it in and out of the water. The lifeboat ‘Warrnambool’ was similar in size to the old lifeboat but far superior in design, build and sea-going qualities such as greater manoeuvrability. The ‘self-righting, self-draining’ design was “practically non-capsizeable” and even if the boat overturned it would right itself to an even keel and the water would drain away. The hull was built of New Zealand Kauri, using double diagonal planking, laid in two layers at right angles, with a layer of canvas and red lead paint between the timbers to help seal the planking. It has “… plenty of freeboard, high watertight spaces between the deck and bottom… through which pipes lead…” The backbone timbers were made of Jarrah. The lifeboat Warrnambool was one of several rescue boats used at Port Fairy and Warrnambool in early 1900's. In late 1914 the Warrnambool lifeboat and crew were used to help find what was left of the tragic wreckage of the Antares, and were able to discover the body of one of the crewmen, which they brought back to Warrnambool. Between 1951 and 1954 the lifeboat was manned under the guidance of Captain Carrington. He held lifeboat practice each month on a Sunday morning, to comply with the Ports and Harbour’s request that lifeboats be manned by a strong and competent crew, ready for action in case of emergency. In the early 1960’s it ended its service as a lifeboat and was used in Port Fairy as a barge to help dredge the Moyne River, bolted to the Port Fairy lifeboat. Flagstaff Hill obtained the Warrnambool in 1975. In 1984 it was on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. On 23rd May 1990 she was lifted from the water and placed in a cradle for restoration. The name ‘WARRNAMBOOL could be seen faintly on the lifeboat before it was restored. It was during the restoration that Flagstaff Hill's boat builder discovered the 'plaque' inside the hull. A copy of the blueprint plans has the name “V.E.E. Gotch” printed on it. His advertisement in Footscray’s ‘Independent’ newspaper of Saturday 11th May 1901 states he is “Principal and Skilled member (Naval Architect) to the Court of Marine Inquiry of Victoria and holds classes for naval architectural drawing and arithmetic.” The rowlock is significant for its association with the lifeboat WARRNAMBOOL, which is significant for its half century service to the local community as a lifesaving vessel. She was also used to help retrieve the body of a shipwrecked crew member of the ANTARES. Rowlock, iron, upper ends scroll over, from the Lifeboat Warrnambool.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, life boat, life saving vessel, 1910 vessel, port fairy, boat builder plaque, rescue boat, beagley, government dockyard, williamstown, v.e.e. gotch, royal lifeboat institution, captain ferguson, non-capsizeable lifeboat, self-righting lifeboat, antares shipwreck, double diagonal planking, captain carrington, rowlock, lifeboat rowlock, lifeboat warrnambool -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Line faking box, Government of Victoria, 1860s
The rocket line faking box with lid has a frame inside with a specifically designed perimeter of faking pegs. The rocket shot line has been faked, or skilful wound, around these pegs to prevent it from tangling. The line is stored in the box, ready for attaching to the line throwing rocket. Some line faking boxes have a false base that is removed before firing the line-throwing pistol, leaving the line to feed out from the box when the rocket is fired. After the line is attached to the rocket the box tilted slightly and faced towards the wreck to allow it to be freely dispatched. The equipment often includes more that one faking box to make allowance for possible errors, broken lines or the need for a heavier line. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built to house it. In 1858 the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for lifeboat stations in Victoria, and in 1864 a rocket house was built to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater area, and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifeboat and rocket crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. Some became local heroes but all served an important role. By the end of the 1950s the lifeboat and rescue equipment had become obsolete. Rocket Rescue Method - The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in about 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. The British Board of Trade published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A tally board was then sent out to the ship with instructions in four languages. The ship’s crew would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line, then secure the attached whip block to the mast or other sturdy part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the ship’s crew fixed above the whip block. The hawser was then tightened using the block on the shore end of the whip. The breeches buoy and endless whip are then attached to the traveller block on the hawser, allowing the shore crew to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. This rocket line faking box is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Rocket line faking box with loose fitting lid, painted blue on the outside. Rectangular box has two rope handles within wooden rope holders fixed onto each long side and one at each end. The box has a hook and ring at the base each end for releasing the top from the inserted faking frame. The line faking frame is inside the box. It has seventeen wooden pegs along each long side of the frame and three pegs along each short side. A continuous length of rocket line has been faked around the pegs in a specific pattern.flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, maritime accidents, rocket crew, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, rocket apparatus, beach apparatus, petticoat breeches, breeches buoy, rocket house, rocket shed, lifeboat men, rocket equipment, rocket machine, rocket head, rocket launcher, rocket line, marine technology, line-firing pistol, line throwing gun, beach rescue set, traveller, hawser, faking, faking box, faked line, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, breakwater, lifeboat warrnambool, rocket rescue method, rocket rescue apparatus, shore to ship, italian hemp, line-throwing pistol, line throwing cartridge, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, tally board, light line, whip line, endless whip, petticoat buoy, traveller chair, traveller block, her majesty’s coast guard, harbour board, line thrower, line throwing, beach cart, hand barrow, sand anchor, hawser cutter, life jacket, faking board, welsh hand barrow, rocket set, rocket line faking box, faking frame -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Line faking box, Government of Victoria, 1860s
The rocket line faking box has a frame inside with a specifically designed perimeter of faking pegs. The rocket shot line has been faked, or skilful wound, around these pegs to prevent it from tangling. The line is stored in the box, ready for attaching to the line throwing rocket. Some line faking boxes have a false base that is removed before firing the line-throwing pistol, leaving the line to feed out from the box when the rocket is fired. After the line is attached to the rocket the box tilted slightly and faced towards the wreck to allow it to be freely dispatched. The equipment often includes more that one faking box to make allowance for possible errors, broken lines or the need for a heavier line. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built to house it. In 1858 the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for lifeboat stations in Victoria, and in 1864 a rocket house was built to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater area, and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifeboat and rocket crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. Some became local heroes but all served an important role. By the end of the 1950s the lifeboat and rescue equipment had become obsolete. Rocket Rescue Method - The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in about 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. The British Board of Trade published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A tally board was then sent out to the ship with instructions in four languages. The ship’s crew would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line, then secure the attached whip block to the mast or other sturdy part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the ship’s crew fixed above the whip block. The hawser was then tightened using the block on the shore end of the whip. The breeches buoy and endless whip are then attached to the traveller block on the hawser, allowing the shore crew to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. This rocket line faking box is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Rocket line faking box with loose fitting lid, painted black on the outside. Rectangular box has two rope handles within wooden rope holders fixed onto each long side and one at each end. The box has a hook and ring at the base each end for releasing the top from the inserted faking frame. The line faking frame is inside the box. It has seventeen wooden pegs along each long side of the frame and three pegs along each short side. A continuous length of rocket line has been faked around the pegs in a specific pattern.flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, maritime accidents, rocket crew, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, rocket apparatus, beach apparatus, petticoat breeches, breeches buoy, rocket house, rocket shed, lifeboat men, rocket equipment, rocket machine, rocket head, rocket launcher, rocket line, marine technology, line-firing pistol, line throwing gun, beach rescue set, traveller, hawser, faking, faking box, faked line, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, breakwater, lifeboat warrnambool, rocket rescue method, rocket rescue apparatus, shore to ship, italian hemp, line-throwing pistol, line throwing cartridge, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, tally board, light line, whip line, endless whip, petticoat buoy, traveller chair, traveller block, her majesty’s coast guard, harbour board, line thrower, line throwing, beach cart, hand barrow, sand anchor, hawser cutter, life jacket, faking board, welsh hand barrow, rocket set, rocket line faking box, faking frame -
Brighton Historical Society
Flag, W. Morgan & Co, School flag, circa 1910s - 1930s
This flag was used by Rosbercon Girls Grammar School, which operated in Brighton from 1906 until 1941. The school was established in 1906 by the Tisdall family. The Tisdalls were a family of educators: Irish-born Henry Thomas Normanton Tisdall and his wife Lucy taught for many years at the Walhalla State School in Gippsland, along with Lucy's sisters Alice and Clara Weekes. Three of the Tisdall daughters, Ethel, Constance and Theodosia (Theo) followed their mother and aunts into the teaching profession. Constance in particular considered education her true calling and harboured a dream of one day being principal of her own school. After Henry's death in 1905, faced with financial uncertainty and several unmarried daughters to support, Lucy Tisdall decided to take a risk. She sold the family's Toorak home and, together with her sister Alice, leased 'Ashburnham', a large Victorian villa at 106 North Road, Brighton. The plan was to open a private school, with Ethel and Constance as co-principals and Lucy, Alice and Theo teaching and managing the household affairs. This came as a "joyful surprise" to Constance, who was only informed of the plan after it had been finalised. The school was named Rosbercon after Henry's home village in County Wexford, Ireland. The crest, designed by son Bert Tisdall around 1910, featured a crowned letter 'A' above the motto "amor vincit omnia" ("love conquers all"), both inspired by a verse in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Prioress's Tale": "about her arm she bore/A paire of bedes gauded all in grene,/And theron heng a broche of gold full shene,/On which there was first writ a crowned 'A',/And after, Amor Vincit Omnia." It was a motto Constance held close to her heart, embodying her values as a teacher. Reflecting in 1961, she wrote, "In a school without punishments, a school with love and understanding between teacher and pupil - with a love of teaching on one side, and a desire to learn on the other, love would indeed conquer all." The school's opening day in 1906 proved less than auspicious, with no pupils arriving at all. The women persisted and by the end of the first week, five students had been enrolled. From here, the school grew steadily in size. A new schoolroom designed by architect Harold Desbrowe-Annear was built in the house's orchard to accommodate the increasing numbers, but by 1911 the Tisdalls began looking for larger premises. They leased the nearby property 'Hazeldean' at 124 North Road and, during the 1912 school holidays, the Desbrowe-Annear schoolroom was raised onto a lorry drawn by sixteen horses and moved down the road to what would become Rosbercon's new home. In 1923, Constance instituted a modified version of the Dalton Plan, an education model based on individualised learning. Girls in senior years were encouraged to work more independently, making regular use of the reference library and working to a monthly assignment schedule. The school performed well academically and in competitive sport, but over time was eclipsed by the nearby Firbank Church of England Girls' Grammar School (established 1909), whose institutional backing provided it with access to wider resources and facilities than those of the small family-run Rosbercon. At the end of 1933, Ethel and Theo retired and Constance became principal of St Anne's Church of England Girls' Grammar School (now Gippsland Grammar) in Sale. Rosbercon was sold to Miss Iris Hay, who served as principal from 1934 until the school's closure in 1941. Following her own retirement in 1947, Constance Tisdall settled in Erica Avenue, East Malvern, in a house named 'Rosbercon' after her former school. She continued teaching English literature, mostly to migrants, and enjoyed regular visits from former students. Well into the late 1960s, old Rosbercon girls continued a tradition of coming together for an annual reunion on the first Saturday in November, on which day Constance would fly the school flag at her home.Large navy blue flag with horizontal maroon stripe at top and bottom, and school crest in centre. Stylised maroon "A" topped with yellow crown. Yellow scroll below with motto in navy blue letters: "AMOR.VINCIT.OMNIA".flag, school flag, rosbercon girls grammar school -
Melton City Libraries
Photograph, Charles Ernest Barrie with daughter Mary Ena Barrie, 1930
Mary Ena married Keith John Robinson son of Isaac and Henrietta nee Raleigh of Creighton Melton. Mary and her father are photographed beside the Darlingsford house prior to her wedding in February 1930. Mary their first child was born in 1907. In circa 1980 she wrote about her parents and her early life. Page 1 of part of the original hand written script - Mother and father were married at the Methodist Church Melton by the Rev B E Williams on Aug 23rd 1906 and lived in the house beside the chaff mill for some years. [The family left Melton South in 1910. In 1911 they moved to the farm “Darlingsford” near the town of Melton home for their nine children born between 1907 - 1922 They had three daughters and six sons, the second boy died of diphtheria 1916 aged 5 years.] Page 2 Mary writes… Each winter Father would send a 20 ton truck to the Collingwood Central Methodist Mission to be distributed to the needy people in the area. Sr. Faith who was at the mission for many years became a very much loved friend of my parents and the family. I remember her as a prolific writer of childrens stories in the Methodist paper the “Spectator”. I still treasure a book sister Faith gave me for my birthday. Father and Mother gave the first donation of 10 pounds to open the fund to start “Yooralla” for crippled children all because a small boy asked for a bag of sweets for his brother who was crippled and not able to attend kindergarten. Sister Faith who was a small fragile woman with a tremendous spirit was a frequent visitor at our home where she loved the warmth, good food and the loving companionship of the family for many years. Later she ran the Chaucer Library in Collins just below Georges near the Athenaeum Theatre. Mother was an avid reader and many of the books she read came from this library. Page 4 – Mary writes….. Dad was always involved in district affairs ever ready to help someone in need, especially as a J. P. helping young people who may have been in trouble. He was always involved in the care of his [eight] brothers who were in need at times. He was an elder at the Scots Church Melton and Sunday School Superintendant when the Sunday School thrived. The anniversary became a special event with good singing supplemented by good music by Dad’s friends from Footscray saxophone and violin. The church would be packed both Sundays. The family home was open to all and sundry from the little Salvation Army lass from Bacchus Marsh driving a horse and jinker (without any experience) round the district. collecting, came looking for a bed for the night (and later crept into bed with me because she was terrified). The Methodist local preachers regularly spent several night and breakfast while visiting people in the Melton area. They were stationed at Bacchus Marsh and again drove a horse and jinker. One preacher I remember with gratitude was Mr Webster a retired school master and a fine man. Another was Pastor Tuttlebee again with no experience driving a horse and jinker. The first time he called Mother found him taking the winkers off the horse whilst it was still harnessed to the jinker. Another regular visitor was Mr Lister the federal member for Corio, he always stayed with us when he had meeting in this area. Another evening just as dusk another minister and his dear little wife were driving the horse and buggy to a new parish at Ballarat. They had asked at the Mac’s Hotel for accommodation, and their reply was we have no accommodation, go down to Mr and Mrs Barrie they will put you up for the night. They were most grateful to be taken in and cared for, somehow it seemed the most natural thing in the world that they would be welcome. A copy of Mary’s writing was given to her niece Wendy in 1990. Mary Ena Barrie's wedding daylocal identities -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Digital Photograph, Alan King, Eltham Railway Trestle Bridge, 28 December 2007
Covered under National Trust of Australia (Victoria) State Significance and Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then / Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p103 The Eltham railway trestle bridge is the only one of its kind still regularly used in Melbourne’s metropolitan railway network. Opened in 1902, it is also one of Victoria’s very few timber rail bridges that still carries trains.1 The bridge is part of the railway line extension from Heidelberg - extended to Hurstbridge in 1912. This extension resulted in one of the greatest social changes experienced in Eltham Shire, as it considerably lessened its isolation attracting tourists, artists and suburban commuters particularly after World War Two.2 The bridge has been classified by the National Trust as historically, scientifically, aesthetically and socially significant at state level. But this has not always been recognised, and in 1977, locals fought to save it from destruction. The Victorian Railways proposed to replace the bridge with an earth embankment and large culverts to avoid maintenance problems and fire. This was rejected by the Eltham Council who protested that the bridge helped maintain the area’s rural character, historic link and beauty, as well as avoiding possible serious flooding on the flood plain if a culvert was blocked. The bridge stands as part of a National Trust classified landscape which includes the Alistair Knox Park, named after the local conservationist and architect who helped to make Eltham famous for its mud-brick houses. The landscape includes tall and spreading manna gums and candlebarks, and the historic Shillinglaw Cottage. Artist Walter Withers, one of the Heidelberg School of painters, painted the bridge early in the 20th century. The 38 span single-track railway bridge over creek and road has 34 timber-beam spans and four steel-joist spans, supported by four-pile timber piers and timber abutments. It has almost 200m of timber deck. All of the timbers have been replaced over the years, but the only change to the bridge’s character was the addition of pylons and wiring for electric trains in 1923. A petition for a railway to the shire was first made in 1883. A large deputation of local citizens to the Commissioner of Railways proposed a route passing through Alphington to midway between Greensborough and Eltham up the Diamond Creek valley towards Queenstown and Kinglake. As a result the Princes Bridge-Heidelberg Railway was opened in 1888. From 1888 locals demanded a railway extension. Kangaroo Ground farmers in particular, led by Shire Councillor and Member for Evelyn, Ewen Cameron, said it would assist local farmers and orchardists send their produce to the Melbourne market. In 1890, before the severe economic Depression, an extension of the line to Hurst’s Bridge (now Hurstbridge) was included in a new Railways Bill. The parliamentary delegations were regaled with a banquet at Hurst’s barn and entertained by the Diamond Creek Brass Band, but the extension was abandoned when the Depression struck in 1892-1893. The extension of the railway to Eltham, completed in 1902, was one of the few built in those hard times. That is why the Eltham timber-trestle railway bridge is a rare example of a broad-gauge rail bridge constructed between 1893 and 1910. At the opening, despite persistent drizzle, 300 children waving flags and banners were among the large crowd welcoming the first train, carrying official dignitaries, to Eltham. It had taken 24 years to bring the railway to Eltham. From then Eltham became a popular destination for outings. Mr Orford of Eltham recalled that after the railway came to Eltham ‘the craze for picnics on weekends and holidays began…. During the wattle season, wattle trains came to Eltham frequently. The visitors roamed the creek pulling great armfuls of wattle blossom to take back with them to Melbourne’.3 In 1926 the railway line was electrified as part of the metropolitan rail network. But the Victorian Railways decided not to complete the formerly planned Diamond Valley Railway to Queenstown (now St Andrews) and Kinglake.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, eltham railway trestle bridge, eltham trestle bridge -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Craft book, Norma Benporath, Tatting, circa 1940's
Tatting is a form of knotted lace making using thread and a small shuttle. Twisted threads are tied around or through small, pointed shuttles that can be made of bone, mother of pearl, tortoise shell, steel or plastic. This produces a stable, strong lace using simple knots of two half hitches to make rings and chains embellished with picots. The origins of tatting are not clear but early versions of decorative knotting were used by the Egyptians on their ceremonial dress. Tatting also has elements of fishermen's net making techniques and the decorative knotting that was practiced by aristocratic women from the 15th century. Tatting, as we know it today, emerged in the first half of the 19th century. The new availability of mercerised thread from 1835 encouraged a burgeoning of lace crafts of all sorts. It was known in Italy as "occhi" and in France as "la frivolite". Tatting looks fragile but is both strong and durable. An article in a column named "Wives and Daughters" published in the Star newspaper in May 1910 describes the durability of tatting lace - "there is edging and insertion still in existence that have outworn two sets of pillow slips." In the 19th century and well into the 20th century, tatting was used like crochet and knitted lace for decorative edgings, collars, doilies, tray cloths etc. At first, different tatting patterns were passed along by word of mouth from person to person, however in time, patterns regularly appeared in newspapers and magazines well into the 1950's. This book has photographs and detailed instructions for a wide range of tatted edgings and insertions suitable for household linens such as towels, doilies and tablecloths as well as patterns for whole mats. Stanley E. Mullen (a businessman) developed Semco Pty Ltd which began as a Melbourne based importation company in 1907. The first three letters of Semco's name were his initials. In 1915 it began manufacturing women's apparel, whitework and transfer patterns. In 1924 the company moved to Black Rock, Victoria and continued to produce an extensive range of needlework patterns and handcraft instruction booklets, threads etc. up until the late 1970's. Semco had a staff that included many young women. It was noted by E.J. Trait (editor of the local newspaper "Standard News") that the firm provided them with good working conditions and the correct rate of pay for women in a time of war - the starting rate for 15 year olds, mainly girls at Semco was 25 shillings per week. During World War 2, Manpower Regulations could be used to coerce workers to move into jobs that supported the war effort, but Trait argued that being employed at Semco could make this unlikely as the firm made some goods essential for the war effort. He even suggested that women be encouraged to produce needlework items (and play a part in the war effort) by sending them as presents, to the troops up north. He also heaped praise on the Semco workplace - noting that no Saturday work was the norm, allowing employees to shop and have "hair-do's" before enjoying a relaxing weekend! Semco also had a female cricket side in the women's Saturday association. After the war the firm stayed in production until the early 1990's when it was taken over by Coates-Paton Pty Ltd. Norma Benporath (1900 - 1998) was an expert in tatting techniques and taught and published extensively on the subject. She was born in New Zealand with impaired sight but cataract surgery restored 50% vision to one eye. She was inspired to learn tatting whilst watching her aunt tat and being told that tatting did not require as much sharp vision as embroidery. She quickly learnt to design her own patterns and published over 1000 tatted lace patterns between 1929 and 1952. She became a regular contributor to magazines (such as Home Beautiful) and newspapers across Australia. Her designs were also published in New Zealand, South Africa as well as the U.K. and U.S.A. When Semco, a thread manufacturer, noticed a rise in the sale of fine crochet threads, they realized they had an untapped market to explore. Norma designed a collection of tatting patterns for Semco that were used to help promote their threads. Norma also worked with Semco to produce a line of threads and shuttles specifically suited to tatting. In 1997, Norma was inducted into the "Order of Australia" for "Service to the craft of tatting as a designer and through the international publication of her patterns".This item is an excellent example of the needle work being enjoyed by women in the 1940's in Australia and the skills of the Australian designer, Norma Benporath. It is also an example of the trend that emerged for craft companies such as Semco to publish pattern books in order to advertise their own materials.A 32 page soft cover instruction book with green front and back covers showing two tatted doily designs. The book includes black and white photographs and written patterns by Norma Benporath.Front cover - "TATTING" "For / EXPERTS/ and / BEGINNERS" "By/Semco" "SEMCO INSTRUCTION BOOK" "No. 16" "WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS" "9" Back cover - "FOR INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORKING SEE PAGE 22" "Published by Semco Pty. Ltd." "BLACK ROCK, 29, VIC"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, tatting, tatting instruction book, tatting patterns, tatting shuttle, semco, semco pty ltd, norma benporath, needlework, handcrafts, household linen, craftwork -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Container - Case, Early 20th century
This small case is lined with a metal insert and shows remnants of a carry strap. It could have been used for storing and carrying fuses or cartridges for the life saving Rocket Launcher machine. The protective metal insert would help keep the contents dry or cool and protect from flame. It is part of the collection of rescue equipment in the Rocket House used by the life saving rescue crew. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. Rocket Rescue Method - Rocket rescue became the preferred lifesaving method of the rescue crews, being much safer that using a lifeboat in rough seas and poor conditions. The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. . The British Board of Trade regularly published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle, determined by the Head of the crew and measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A continuous whip line was then sent out to the ship’s crew, who hauled it in then followed the instructions – in four languages - on the attached tally board. The survivors would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line with a tail block connected to it. They then secured the block to the mast or other strong part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the survivors fixed above the whip’s tail block. The hawser was then tightened by the crew pulling on it, or by using the hooked block on the shore end of the whip and attaching it to a sand anchor. The breeches buoy was attached to the traveller block on the hawser, and the shore crew then used the whip line to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. The rescue crew wore scarlet, numbered armbands and worked on a numerical rotation system, swapping members out to rest them. This small leather carrying case is significant for its connection with the rocket rescue equipment, local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Leather case, brown with contrasting stitching, protective metal insert divided into two compartments. Rectangular shape. Roller buckle on front with remnants of the matching strap. Also remnants of a leather strap on the side, possibly a shoulder strap.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, lifeboat men, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket equipment, marine technology, rescue boat, lifeboat, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, rocket rescue method, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, line throwing mortar, mortar, rocket rescue apparatus, line thrower, line throwing, line-firing pistol, line throwing gun, schermuly pistol, pistol rocket apparatus, line throwing cartridge, l.s.r.c., lsrc, leather case, cartridge case, fuse case, ammunition case -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Uniform - Arm Bands, c. 1860s
Members of the Life Saving Rescue Crew would wear scarlet arm bands such as these as part of their uniform, with each member having a different number. The crew would work as a team to haul in the victims of the shipwreck. The leader of the crew would call out one or several member's numbers to give them a break during the rescue, while other members took their place. All members would then be relieved at some time during the rescue. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. Rocket Rescue Method - Rocket rescue became the preferred lifesaving method of the rescue crews, being much safer that using a lifeboat in rough seas and poor conditions. The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in about 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. . The British Board of Trade regularly published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle, determined by the Head of the crew and measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A continuous whip line was then sent out to the ship’s crew, who hauled it in then followed the instructions – in four languages - on the attached tally board. The survivors would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line with a tail block connected to it. They then secured the block to the mast or other strong part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the survivors fixed above the whip’s tail block. The hawser was then tightened by the crew pulling on it, or by using the hooked block on the shore end of the whip and attaching it to a sand anchor. The breeches buoy was attached to the traveller block on the hawser, and the shore crew then used the whip line to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. The rescue crew wore scarlet, numbered armbands and worked on a numerical rotation system, swapping members out to rest them. This set of scarlet arm bands is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Arm bands; three scarlet flannel arm bands with black cotton backing and a metal buckle on one end. White cotton embroidery forms letters and numbers, with each arm band having a different number. Part of the uniform of the Life Saving and Rescue Crew.Embroidered on front "L.S. 1 R.C." "L.S. 8 R.C." "L.S. 13 R.C." flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, tramway jetty, breakwater, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, lifeboat men, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket equipment, marine technology, rescue boat, lifeboat, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, rocket rescue method, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, line throwing mortar, mortar, rocket rescue apparatus, line thrower, line throwing, lifeboat warrnambool, arm band, armband, scarlet arm band, l.s.r.c., lsrc, red arm band -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Tally Board, 1860s
The boards each have instructions adhered to each side, printed in four languages (English, French, Dutch and German). At the beginning of a shore-to-ship rescue the instructions are sent to the distressed vessel after the first rocket line was received by them. The stranded people on the vessel follow the instructions to assist the life saving rescue crew in saving their lives. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. Victoria’s Government responded to the need for lifesaving equipment and, in 1858, the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for the lifeboat stations. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built for it on the Tramway Jetty, followed by a rocket house in 1864 to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater (constructed from 1874-1890), and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifesaving and rescue crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to rehearse and maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. In July 1873 a brass bell was erected at Flagstaff Hill specifically to call the rescue crew upon news of a shipwreck. Some crew members became local heroes but all served an important role. Rocket apparatus was used as recently as the 1950s. Rocket Rescue Method - Rocket rescue became the preferred lifesaving method of the rescue crews, being much safer that using a lifeboat in rough seas and poor conditions. The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy and traveller block rocket rescue apparatus was in use. It was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. . The British Board of Trade regularly published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle, determined by the Head of the crew and measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a light-weight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A continuous whip line was then sent out to the ship’s crew, who hauled it in then followed the instructions – in four languages - on the attached tally board. The survivors would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line with a tail block connected to it. They then secured the block to the mast or other strong part the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the survivors fixed above the whip’s tail block. The hawser was then tightened by the crew pulling on it, or by using the hooked block on the shore end of the whip and attaching it to a sand anchor. The breeches buoy was attached to the traveller block on the hawser, and the shore crew then used the whip line to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. The rescue crew wore scarlet, numbered armbands and worked on a numerical rotation system, swapping members out to rest themThis pair of tally board is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Tally boards, two, rectangular wooden boards, both with a hole drilled into one short end. Instructions are glued onto the boards. They were printed in light letters onto dark canvas in four languages (English, French, Dutch and German). Text (English) "MAKE THIS HAWSER FAST ABOUT 2 FEET ABOVE THE TAIL BLOCK. CAST OFF WHIP FROM HAWSER. SEE ALL CLEAR AND THAT THE ROPE IN THE BLOCK RUNS FREE, AND SHOW SIGNAL TO THE SHORE."flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, tramway jetty, breakwater, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, rocket crew, lifeboat men, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket equipment, marine technology, rescue boat, lifeboat, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, life saving rescue crew, lifesaving rescue crew, rocket apparatus, rocket rescue method, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, line throwing mortar, mortar, rocket rescue apparatus, line thrower, line throwing, lifeboat warrnambool, beach apparatus, rocket machine, rocket head, rocket launcher, rocket line, beach rescue set, rocket set, tally board, rescue instructions -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Sand peg set, Mid-19th to mid-20th Century
This set of Victorian era wooden sand pegs was part of the equipment used by the Rocket Rescue Crew when attending a shipwreck. The broad pegs were designed to give a strong grip on soft sand and soil. The pegs could be used with the sand anchor as well as to give a stronger hold on the tripod holding the hawser. The same design is still available today and is used by the Army and by campers. The rocket rescue crews used a sand anchor at a beach rescue site to weigh down the rescue apparatus. The crew would connect the shackle to the other cable on the anchor and to the loose steel cable to form a triangle with the cable lengths. They would then bury the anchor in about a 0.75-meter trench, keeping the free end of the cable above the surface. This end of the cable was then connected to a block that was attached to the heavy hawser line. The block and a crotch pole were used to keep the hawser line high and taught as the survivors were hauled to shore on a line or in a breeches buoy. Saving lives in Warrnambool – The coastline of South West Victoria is the site of over 600 shipwrecks and many lost lives; even in Warrnambool’s Lady Bay there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905, with eight lives lost. In 1859 the first Government-built lifeboat arrived at Warrnambool Harbour and a shed was soon built to house it. In 1858 the provision of rocket and mortar apparatus was approved for lifeboat stations in Victoria, and in 1864 a rocket house was built to safely store the rocket rescue equipment. In 1878 the buildings were moved to the Breakwater area, and in 1910 the new Lifeboat Warrnambool arrived with its ‘self-righting’ design. For almost a hundred years the lifeboat and rocket crews, mostly local volunteers, trained regularly to maintain their rescue skills. They were summoned when needed by alarms, gunshots, ringing bells and foghorns. Some became local heroes but all served an important role. By the end of the 1950s, the lifeboat and rescue equipment had become obsolete. Rocket Rescue Method - The Government of Victoria adopted lifesaving methods based on Her Majesty’s Coast Guard in Great Britain. It authorised the first line-throwing rescue system in 1858. Captain Manby’s mortar powered a projectile connected to a rope, invented in 1808. The equipment was updated to John Dennett’s 8-foot shaft and rocket method that had a longer range of about 250 yards. From the 1860s the breeches buoy apparatus was in use. The apparatus was suspended on a hawser line and manually pulled to and from the distressed vessel carrying passengers and items. In the early 1870s Colonel Boxer’s rocket rescue method became the standard in Victoria. His two-stage rockets, charged by a gunpowder composition, could fire the line up to 500-600 yards, although 1000 yards range was possible. Boxer’s rocket carried the light line, which was faked, or coiled, in a particular way between pegs in a faking box to prevent twists and tangles when fired. The angle of firing the rocket to the vessel in distress was measured by a quadrant-type instrument on the side of the rocket machine. Decades later, in about 1920, Schermuly invented the line-throwing pistol that used a small cartridge to fire the rocket. The British Board of Trade published instructions for both the beach rescue crew and ship’s crew. It involved setting up the rocket launcher on shore at a particular angle measured by the quadrant, inserting a rocket that had a lightweight line threaded through its shaft, and then firing it across the stranded vessel, the line issuing freely from the faking board. A tally board was then sent out to the ship with instructions in four languages. The ship’s crew would haul on the line to bring out the heavier, continuous whip line, then secure the attached whip block to the mast or other sturdy part of the ship. The rescue crew on shore then hauled out a stronger hawser line, which the ship’s crew fixed above the whip block. The hawser was then tightened using the block on the shore end of the whip. The breeches buoy and endless whip are then attached to the traveller block on the hawser, allowing the shore crew to haul the breeches buoy to and from the vessel, rescuing the stranded crew one at a time. This set of sand pegs would have been used with sand anchor that is part of the rocket rescue equipment . It is significant for its connection with local history, maritime history and marine technology. Lifesaving has been an important part of the services performed from Warrnambool's very early days, supported by State and Local Government, and based on the methods and experience of Great Britain. Hundreds of shipwrecks along the coast are evidence of the rough weather and rugged coastline. Ordinary citizens, the Harbour employees, and the volunteer boat and rescue crew, saved lives in adverse circumstances. Some were recognised as heroes, others went unrecognised. In Lady Bay, Warrnambool, there were around 16 known shipwrecks between 1850 and 1905. Many lives were saved but tragically, eight lives were lost.Peg or spike; set of twelve wooden pegs, painted red. Pages have a long, thick square shank with bevelled side edges, flat top with broad hook on one side of the top and a point at the other end. A small hole goes from one side to the other side near the centre of the shank, on the face without the hook. flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck, life-saving, lifesaving, rescue crew, rescue, rocket rescue, maritime accidents, shipwreck victim, rocket crew, beach rescue, line rescue, rescue equipment, rocket firing equipment, rocket rescue equipment, rocket apparatus, beach apparatus, breeches buoy, rocket house, rocket equipment, rocket launcher, rocket line, marine technology, beach rescue set, traveller, block, running block, pulley, hawser, faked line, lady bay, warrnambool harbour, port of warrnambool, volunteer lifesavers, volunteer crew, breakwater, rocket rescue method, rocket rescue apparatus, shore to ship, rocket apparatus rescue, stranded vessel, whip line, endless whip, harbour board, sand anchor, rocket set, anchor backer, beach anchor, backer, steel cable, wire cable, sand peg, wooden tent peg, army peg, military peg -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph - Vessel, Sailing Ship, Falls of Halladale 1886 - 1908, 1908
The photograph shows some of the hundreds of sightseers who visited the site of the wreced Falls of Halladale, watching the fully rigged ship slowly disintegrate over two months or more. The Falls of Halladale was a four-masted sailing ship built in 1886 in Glasgow, Scotland, for the long-distance cargo trade and was mostly used for the Pacific grain trade. The ship was sturdy. It could carry maximum cargo and maintain full sail in heavy gales. It was one of the last of the ‘windjammers’ that sailed the Trade Route, and one of the first vessels to include fore and aft lifting bridges, which kept the crew safe and dry as they moved around the decks in stormy conditions. It was one of several Falls Line ships named after the waterfalls of Glasgow by its owner, Wright, Breakenridge & Co of Glasgow. On 4th August 1908, with new sails, 29 crew, and 2800 tons of cargo, the Falls of Halladale left New York, bound for Melbourne and Sydney via the Cape of Good Hope. The cargo on board was valued at £35,000. It included 56,763 tiles of American slate roofing tiles, 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6,500 gallons of oil, 14,400 gallons of benzene, plumbing iron, 117 cases of crockery and glassware and many other manufactured items. The Falls of Halladale had been at sail for 102 days when, at 3 am on the 14th November 1908, under full sail in calm seas with a six knots breeze behind and misleading fog along the coast, the great vessel rose upon an ocean swell and settled on top of a submerged reef near Peterborough on south-west Victoria’s coast. The ship was jammed on the rocks and began filling with water. The crew launched the two lifeboats and all 29 crew landed safely on the beach over 4 miles away at the Bay of Islands. The postmistress at Peterborough, who kept a watch for vessels in distress, saw the stranding and sent out an alert to the local people. A rescue party went to the aid of the sailors and the Port Campbell rocket crew was dispatched, but the crew had all managed to reach shore safely by the time help arrived. The ship stayed in full sail on the rocky shelf for nearly two months, attracting hundreds of sightseers who watched her slowly disintegrate until the pounding seas and dynamiting by salvagers finally broke her back, and her remains disappeared back into deeper water. The valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. Further salvage operations were made from 1974-1986, during which time 22,000 slate tiles were recovered with the help of 14 oil drums to float them, plus personal artefacts, ship fittings, reams of paper and other items (a list of items held at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is included below). The Court of Marine Inquiry in Melbourne ruled that the foundering of the ship was entirely due to Captain David Wood Thomson’s navigational error, not too technical failure of the Clyde-built ship. The shipwreck is a popular site for divers, about 300m off-shore and in 3 – 15m of water. Some of the original cargo can be seen at the site, including pieces of roof slate and coils of barbed wire. ABOUT THE ‘FALLS OF HALLADALE’ (1886 - 1908) Built: in1886 by Russell & Co., Greenock shipyards, River Clyde, Scotland, UK. The company was founded in 1870 (or 1873) as a partnership between Joseph Russell (1834-1917), Anderson Rodger and William Todd Lithgow. During the period 1882-92 Russell & Co., standardised designs, which sped up their building process so much that they were able to build 271 ships over that time. In 1886 they introduced a 3000 ton class of sailing vessel with auxiliary engines and brace halyard winches. In 1890 they broke the world output record. Owner: Falls Line, Wright, Breakenridge & Co, 111 Union Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Configuration: Four-masted sailing ship; iron-hulled barque; iron masts, wire rigging, fore & aft lifting bridges. Size: Length 83.87m x Breadth 12.6m x Depth 7.23m, Gross tonnage 2085 ton Wrecked: the night of 14th November 1908, Curdies Inlet, Peterborough south west Victoria Crew: 29The Falls of Halladale shipwreck is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (No. S255). It was one of the last ships to sail the Trade Routes. The ship was one of the first vessels to have fore and aft lifting bridges. The wreck is an example of an International Cargo Ship and represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping industry. The wreck is protected as a Historic Shipwreck under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976).Photograph, behind glass in a timber frame. Image of a group of people seated on the ground with the stranded barque, the Falls of Halladale, in full sail nearby in the water. The photograph was taken at Peterborough, southwest Victoria, on November 13th 1908. A typed inscription is below the picture.Typed beneath photograph "Falls of Halladale 1886 - 1908"flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipwreck, peterborough, falls of halladale, 1908, barque, scotish, 4-masted, sailing ship, 1886, glasgow, trade, grain trade, cargo, windjammer, fore and aft bridges, falls line, wright, breakenridge & co, american slate, roofing tiles, barbed wire, sewing machines, oil, benzene, port campbell rocket crew, sightseers, salvage, captain david wood thomson, captain thomson, navigational error, clyde-built, russell & co -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Lester Neil Ingram with his Morris Ten Series II delivery van, c.1942
The van is a Morris Ten Series II which was manufactured 1935-1937. The numeral only Victorian Registration plate 112-984 was part of the sequence of numeral only plates issued 1910-1939. Lester Neil Ingram was born at Kew, 8 November 1911, the son of John and Ada (Key) Ingram of Research. According to Electoral Roll records, in 1903, John Ingram was a farmer at Lancefield, his wife Ada, a milliner. By 1906, John Ingram was a baker at Research and from about 1912, an orchardist. The family moved to Anglesea River sometime between 1937 and 1942. A sheet metal worker by trade, Lester had run the bakery business for 14 years, his father retired, and was working as a baker at Anglesea when he enlisted in the R.A.A.F. on 5 December 1941 at Melbourne. Previously he had worked as a baker at Research (1937). He undertook training as Aircrew at No. 4 Initial Training School at Victor Harbour, South Australia, followed by No. 1 Wireless Air Gunners School at Ballarat, Victoria, and No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School, West Sale, Victoria. On October 15, 1942 Lester qualified as an Air Gunner, promoted to Sergeant, and was posted to 1 Embarkation Depot at Ascot Vale, Victoria, and attached to R.A.F. UK. Lester embarked from Australia December 2, 1942 and arrived at 11 Personnel Despatch and Reception Depot on January 13, 1943. On March 9 he was transferred to 10 Operational Training Unit, Group No. 91, Bomber Command, R.A.F. Lester’s service file reveals that on the evening of 22 April 1943, Lester was a member of the aircrew of Whitley V bomber, N.1374. The airframe had run 1,127 hours. A full moon was just rising. The flight was non-operational, its purpose a dual conversion on type mission flown by a student pilot with almost two hours completed at night on similar flights. They had just changed aircraft as their previous aircraft had become unserviceable. The pilot had accepted the aircraft, which was technically unserviceable as the NCO in charge of flight had not completed the inspection paperwork correctly. The aircraft had undergone a major engine repair the day before. The aircraft took off at 2348 hours from R.A.F. Abington. It was reported that the aircraft take-off was quite normal and after climbing to 800 feet it passed out of view of the ground observers. A few seconds later the aircraft crashed, and it was reported that the sound of the engines seemed to become desynchronised. The crash occurred one and a half miles northwest of Longworth, Berkshire and the aircraft destroyed by fire. It carried a crew of five. Lester is commemorated on the Eltham Roll of Honour Board, which was commissioned by the Eltham War Memorial Trust to be hung in the Eltham Infant Welfare Centre, part of complex of buildings that form the Eltham War Memorial. The Honour Roll is presently (2023) hanging in the Eltham Library Community Gallery space. Lester was remembered with the following notices published in The Argus newspaper, Saturday 22 April 1944, p2: INGRAM. —In treasured memories you are with me still. Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, killed, aircraft accident, England, April 22, 1943. (Mother and father.) INGRAM. —In proud and ever loving memory of Lester, 410236, Sgt. L. N. Ingram, R.A.A.F., air crash England, April 22, 1943. —Per ardua ad astra. (Ellen Peake and family.) [“Per ardua ad astra” is a Latin phrase meaning “through adversity to the stars” or “through struggle to the stars” which was the motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the Royal Australian Air Force.] And from his fiancé Ellen, in The Argus, Wednesday, 5 May 1943, p2: INGRAM. —On April 22 (result of aircraft accident near Lodgeworth Village, Berks, England), Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, R.A.A.F., fiance of Ellen. -Treasured memories till we meet again. Lester is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, United Kingdom, Grave 4. 1. 11. INGRAM, Flt. Sgt. LESTER NEIL, 410236. R.A.A.F. 22nd April 1943. Age 31. Son of John and Ada Ingram, of Anglesea, Victoria, Australia. He gave his life For freedom’s cause ◊ ◊ ◊ LEST WE FORGET “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”On reverse "Lester Ingram"112-984 (victorian registration), lester neil ingram, morris ten series ii, bakery, delivery van, pam thoonen (nee ingram) collection