On a piece of paper subsequently glued near one end of its curved upper face, this length of planed and polished hardwood timber bears the inscription: “A [p]iece of w[r]ec[k] of the Loch Ard wrecked near Sherbroke River”. The timber is carefully worked with rich dark colouring and a uniformly moulded design, suggesting that it was part of a fitting or furnishing that was publicly visible and prominent. If the artefact is what it is declared to be, then it is possible that it formed part of the ship’s railings or companionway stairs. The LOCH ARD was a 1,693 ton, 3 masted barque, built on the Clyde in 1873. In an age of increasing competition for the emigrant passenger trade from steam-driven vessels, special attention was paid to her wooden furnishings and fittings. The Loch Line owners prided themselves on their attractive, distinctively painted, sailing ships. Below decks, where cargo and third class passengers were stowed, was made of iron. But everything above deck, and on show to the saloon and second class passengers, was carved and varnished timber. Captain Daish’s 1878 report for the ship’s underwriters notes “a quantity of general Cargo washed up in a confused mass” in the cove and “a number of Cases, Casks and Bales; also deals and boards floating about in some of the gorges” further west of the shipwreck. Contemporary newspaper accounts also reported a large quantity of cargo and timber washed ashore in the days following the LOCH ARD shipwreck, adding “but those were speedily removed by persons who came down from Port Campbell, Scott’s Creek and other places with carts and pack horses”. The appearance and good condition of this wood artefact, and the aged patina and dated hand-writing style of its pasted on inscription, support the suggestion that it was ‘souvenired’ from the floating debris of the LOCH ARD at or near the 1878 date of its foundering off Mutton Bird Island. HISTORY OF THE LOCH ARD The LOCH ARD belonged to the famous Loch Line which sailed many ships from England to Australia. Built in Glasgow by Barclay, Curdle and Co. in 1873, the LOCH ARD was a three-masted square rigged iron sailing ship. The ship measured 262ft 7" (79.87m) in length, 38ft (11.58m) in width, 23ft (7m) in depth and had a gross tonnage of 1693 tons. The LOCH ARD's main mast measured a massive 150ft (45.7m) in height. LOCH ARD made three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its final voyage. LOCH ARD left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of Captain Gibbs, a newly married, 29 year old. She was bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers and a load of cargo. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. On board were straw hats, umbrella, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionary, linen and candles, as well as a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. There were items included that intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. The voyage to Port Phillip was long but uneventful. At 3am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs was expecting to see land and the passengers were becoming excited as they prepared to view their new homeland in the early morning. But LOCH ARD was running into a fog which greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs was becoming anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. At 4am the fog lifted. A man aloft announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view, and Captain Gibbs realised that the ship was much closer to them than expected. He ordered as much sail to be set as time would permit and then attempted to steer the vessel out to sea. On coming head on into the wind, the ship lost momentum, the sails fell limp and LOCH ARD's bow swung back. Gibbs then ordered the anchors to be released in an attempt to hold its position. The anchors sank some 50 fathoms - but did not hold. By this time LOCH ARD was among the breakers and the tall cliffs of Mutton Bird Island rose behind the ship. Just half a mile from the coast, the ship's bow was suddenly pulled around by the anchor. The captain tried to tack out to sea, but the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. Waves broke over the ship and the top deck was loosened from the hull. The masts and rigging came crashing down knocking passengers and crew overboard. When a lifeboat was finally launched, it crashed into the side of LOCH ARD and capsized. Tom Pearce, who had launched the boat, managed to cling to its overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and then on the flood tide came into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. He swam to shore, bruised and dazed, and found a cave in which to shelter. Some of the crew stayed below deck to shelter from the falling rigging but drowned when the ship slipped off the reef into deeper water. Eva Carmichael had raced onto deck to find out what was happening only to be confronted by towering cliffs looming above the stricken ship. In all the chaos, Captain Gibbs grabbed Eva and said, "If you are saved Eva, let my dear wife know that I died like a sailor". That was the last Eva Carmichael saw of the captain. She was swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He dived in and swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore. He took her to the cave and broke open case of brandy which had washed up on the beach. He opened a bottle to revive the unconscious woman. A few hours later Tom scaled a cliff in search of help. He followed hoof prints and came by chance upon two men from nearby Glenample Station three and a half miles away. In a state of exhaustion, he told the men of the tragedy. Tom returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. By the time they reached LOCH ARD Gorge, it was cold and dark. The two shipwreck survivors were taken to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland, this time by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome. He was presented with the first gold medal of the Royal Humane Society of Victoria and a £1000 cheque from the Victorian Government. Concerts were performed to honour the young man's bravery and to raise money for those who lost family in the LOCH ARD disaster. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost all of her family in the tragedy. Ten days after the LOCH ARD tragedy, salvage rights to the wreck were sold at auction for £2,120. Cargo valued at £3,000 was salvaged and placed on the beach, but most washed back into the sea when another storm developed. The wreck of LOCH ARD still lies at the base of Mutton Bird Island. Much of the cargo has now been salvaged and some was washed up into what is now known as LOCH ARD Gorge. Cargo and artefacts have also been illegally salvaged over many years before protective legislation was introduced. One of the most unlikely pieces of cargo to have survived the shipwreck was a Minton porcelain peacock - one of only nine in the world. The peacock was destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. It had been well packed, which gave it adequate protection during the violent storm. Today, the Minton peacock can be seen at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool. From Australia's most dramatic shipwreck it has now become Australia's most valuable shipwreck artefact and is one of very few 'objects' on the Victorian State Heritage Register. The Loch Ard wreck is of state significance – Victorian Heritage Register S417. However there is a lack of documented provenance that limits the interpretive value of this piece of timber (for example, its potential to interpret nineteenth century souveniring and scavenging from shipwrecks along the south west coast of Victoria). Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history. A length of hardwood timber, planed and varnished to smooth finish on three sides, with two unfinished tongues protruding from each end (one broken off), possibly from the wreck of the LOCH ARD. The front or upper face is moulded and routed to a regular, linear (skirting board type) design along its entire length, the two sides flat planed. One side contains two inserted dowel rods that have been broken off. The bottom face has not been finished to the same standard. The sample is good quality wood that has retained its density and weight and shows no evidence of having been submerged in seawater for any length of time. Glued on to the upper face of the length of timber near the right hand end is a deteriorated square of paper bearing an inscription. The paper, peeling back and with torn edges, is stuck over an original wood stain but under a subsequent layer of varnish. The faded ink words are indecipherable where paper is missing, but written carefully in an old fashioned cursive script.The inscription on the paper reads: “A [p]iece of w[r]ec[k] of the Loch Ard wrecked near Sherbroke River”. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, nineteenth-century souveniring, shipwreck scavenging, loch line sailing ships, wood sample

Print in Collection of Photographs compiled by R Crowley from the History Committee Shire of Upper Yarra for UYVHS 1988Dammans Road school (destroyed by fire 1959) Warburton. Negative Black white. Scanned at 600 dpi dammans road school destroyed fire warburton 1959

Print in Collection of Photographs compiled by R Crowley from the History Committee Shire of Upper Yarra for UYVHS 1988Damman’s Rd school 1940 Warburton Negative Black white. Scanned at 600 dpidammans road school warburton 1940

L-R: Harry Gilham, Bruce Ness, Diana Bassett-Smith, Peter Bassett-Smith, Russell YeomanColour photographactivities, 30th anniversary, eltham district historical society, peter bassett-smith, harry gilham, bruce ness, diana bassett-smith, russell yeoman

Presented to the Officers and Sergeant Mess Passchendaele Barracks, Mollison Street, Bendigo. By Major R. A. HATTAM Aug 1955.Book - cream coloured medium weight cardboard cover. Red and black print script, black print soldier. 110 pages.The 38th Battalion AIF by ERIC FAIREY.passchendaele barracks trust, book, 38th battalion

Badge issued to members of R.A.A.M.C.. The “R” for Royal added 1948 so the badge is likely post date this date.Metal clip on badge, goldin colour, seven point star shape with crown on top and inscription “Paukatim” at bottom with hollow in middle and a snake wrapping around a pole in the middle.At the bottom inscribed “Paulatim” Latin for gradually. On the front inscription Royal Australian Army Medical Corpsbadge, royal australian army medical corps

Item relates to R T PHILLIPS VX113093 early in the CMF, refer Cat No 3239P for his service details.Small black & white portrait of an Australian Soldier wearing peaked cap, no rank evident. Rising Sun on his lapels & hat. The colour patch on his left shoulder is a square with a dividing line top right to bottom left. Dark on left, light on right. Photo is held in a simple tin frame painted gold.Small print at bottom: Photographic company name "Vincent Kelly - Bendigo"photograpy - photographs-frame accessories, military history-army

Items in the collection of R C ALLARDICE No 418577 RAAF. Refer Reg No 3627.5 for his service details & collection..1) - .3) 3 Envelopes identical, light blue with dark blue print. Each is folded in half & when opened out the envelope can be used by sealing 2 ways along length & width.envelopes, air mail, armed forces

Items in the collection of R C ALLARDICE No 418577 RAAF. Refer Reg No 3627.5 for his service details & collection.Letter, light blue with printed format re details of 4 people, principally Lady Francis Ryder CBE. The letter is typed in black to Mr ALLARDICE.Signature in blue ink by: Helen Wallishostesses, leave

Items in the collection of R C ALLARDICE No 418577 RAAF. Refer Reg No 3627.5 for his service details & collection.Dinner menu folding on yellow parchment paper. All printing in blue. Inside refers to Toasts on one page & 3 course menu on the other. Rear has 18 signatures in ink & pencil.Printed on front: 461 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force Third Anniversary Dinner ANZAC Night April 24th 1945menu, raaf, world war 2, 461 sqd

Items in the collection of R C ALLARDICE No 418577 RAAF. Refer Reg No 3627.5 for his service details & collection.Small note book, no covers, metal binding at top. 25 pages with the majority written in ink, & remainder in pencil. The notes are on many facets of aircraft, procedures, signaling, submarine detection, engines, pyrotechnics, to name a few.Handwritten in ink at top of front page: SUNDERLANDtraining, raaf, world war 2

Alfred R Varcoe was a dairyman with stables, cart shed and his house in Eliza Street, Black Rock, Victoria. Dairy farming was established early in the settlement of the Brighton / Moorabbin area following the Dendy's Special Survey 1841 and subsequent land sales c1850. The produce was taken to feed the population of Melbourne and local residents.A clear glass ,1 pint , milk bottle used by Black Rock Dairy, MelbourneTHIS BOTTLE CONTAINS/ MILK / BOTTLED FOR SALE BY / BLACK ROCK MODEL / DAIRY / BLACK ROCK / BOTTLE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE ABOVE / IT IS OWNED AND CANNOT BE LEGALLY USED BY OTHERS/ ONE IMPERIAL PINT on base 440market gardeners, early settlers, farmers, dairies, milk production, moorabbin shire, moorabbin, cheltenham, black rock, brighton, dairy farmers, bottles, glass manufacture, varcoe alfred r; black rock dairy, dairy farmer, dairy products sales and deliveries,

L-R: Mr Garnet Burges, Mrs Lilian Rumney, Mrs Marie Ebeli, Mr Joh EbeliColour photograph1987, activities, senior citizens' centre

The new Dimboola Methodist Church was opened on May 20th 1939 by the President of Conference the Rev. R. L. McDonald.Sepia group photograph of 2 children and women of the Dimboola Methodist Guild with the minister, the Rev. W.T. Lapthorne at the opening of the new Dimboola Methodist Church in 1939.Dimboola Methodist Guild. Opening of new church 1939.dimboola methodist, ladies' guild, minister, w.t. lapthorne, r.l. mcdonald, president of conference

L-R: Nr Josephine Lawery, Sr Mavis Orr, Sr Sheila Prendergast, Nr Grace Fletcherlawery, orr, prendergast, fletcher, nurses, ballarat, hospital

Operating Theatre - L-R: Dr Davidson, Dr P. Griffiths, Sr Kelly, Nr Margaret Knoxdavidson, griffiths, kelly, knox, dr, 1940s, ballarat, hospital, operating theatre, prendergast

L-R: Srs Mavis Orr, Nancy Long, Bradby, Elsa Wilkie, Margaret Ying - Xmas 1944orr, long, bradby, wilkie, ying, prendergast, 1944, xmas, ballarat, hospital

Back: Nr Elsa Knottman. Front L-R: Nr Sheila Prendergast, Nr Elsa Wilkie, 1940sknottman, prendergast, wilkie, nurses, 1940s, ballarat, hospital

L-R: Sr Lacy, Dr Lipshut, Dr Chenhall, Matron Little, 1940s, Ballarat & District Hospitallacy, lacey, lipshut, chenhall, little, prendergast, 1940s, ballarat, hospital, matron, dr

Letter from H B Austin "Eli Elwah" to W R Lang re. wool samples for testingsheep breeding - history sheep stations - management wool - research wool - measurement wool - testing world war ii, lang, dr w. roy, eli elwah, hay, sheep breeding - history, sheep stations - management, wool - research, wool - measurement, wool - testing, world war ii

Letter from Harry L Austin "Eli Elwah" to W R Lang re. wool samples for testingsheep breeding - history sheep stations - management wool - research wool - measurement wool - testing world war ii, lang, dr w. roy, eli elwah, hay, sheep breeding - history, sheep stations - management, wool - research, wool - measurement, wool - testing, world war ii

Letter from H Munz to W R Lang enquiring about Mr Lang's contribution to his book.wool - research wool processing, h munz wool trading co gordon institute of technology, lang, dr w. roy munz, mr h., wool - research, wool processing

Letter from the Kalabity Pastoral Co to W R Lang 1/6/1944, regarding receipt of publicationswool - research wool - testing merino sheep - history world war ii, gordon institute of technology kalabity pastoral co ltd, lang, dr w. roy, wool - research, wool - testing, merino sheep - history, world war ii

Letter from A L B Lefroy to W R Lang 29th July, 1939, discussing the wool industrywool - research wool - testing sheep breeding - history peppin-merino sheep world war ii, gordon institute of technology, lang, dr w. roy lefroy, mr a l b, wool - research, wool - testing, sheep breeding - history, peppin-merino sheep, world war ii

Letter,17th December 1942, from Urquhart Ramsay to W R Lang regarding Polwarth wool samples.wool - research wool - testing polwarth sheep - history sheep breeding world war ii, gordon institute of technology, lang, dr w. roy ramsay, mr urquhart, wool - research, wool - testing, polwarth sheep - history, sheep breeding, world war ii

Letter,18th December 1946, from Sidney Reid to W R Lang regarding the testing of wool samples.wool - research wool - testing pastoral industry - history sheep breeding, gordon institute of technology, lang, dr w. roy ramsay, mr urquhart, wool - research, wool - testing, pastoral industry - history, sheep breeding

Associated letter from Mr R Lloyd provides information about cover photograph. Murfett Regency editionNWM 99.122sheep stations - management wool growing squatters, murfett, lloyd, mr robert, australia, sheep stations - management, wool growing, squatters

L to R: Lesley Bennett, Edna Osborne, Neil Bennett, Helga Saunders, Kevin Dallinger, Kim DallingerColour Photograph 7 People seated inside next to an open doordeep lead school, education