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Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Ship Log, Early 20th Century
In times past the only way to measure a ship’s speed was to throw a wood log into the water and observe how fast it moved away from the ship. In the 16th century, the log was fastened to a rope knotted at set intervals. The log was thrown over the stern (back) of the vessel and a crew member counted the number of knots that were paid out in a set time. From this, they could estimate the vessel's speed through the water. This was known as streaming the log and is also the derivation of the knot as a measurement of nautical speed. Various manufacturers of nautical equipment had sought over the years to perfect the operation of determining a ship's speed and it wasn't until Thomas Walker and his son Ferdinand developed a mechanical system that eventually made this task became easy for marine navigators. Thomas Walker & Son were internationally renowned in the manufacturing of ship logs the founding father, Thomas Walker (1805–1871), an engineer in Birmingham, patented his mechanical log in 1878 which was a recording instrument that attached to a rail at the stern of a vessel connected by a long cord with a rotor which was towed behind the ship. The instrument dial then recorded the distance travelled. Thomas Walker first went into business to manufacture stoves at 58 Oxford Street Birmingham. Walker’s self-feeding stove was widely lauded at the Paris Exhibition of 1855, winning a prize medal and kickstarting the first of many notable innovations for the Walker family's manufacturing business. However, it wasn’t until working on an earlier ship’s log model invented by his Uncle that Thomas Walker became interested in the further development of this device, used to ascertain a ship’s speed. Walker continued to improve on the common log for the company of Massey & Sons and these improvements were deemed revolutionary. This log became a firm favourite of the West India Association (a British-based organisation promoting ties and trade with the British Caribbean), being the most common log in use for two generations. It took until 1861 for Thomas Walker and his son, Thomas Ferdinand Walker (1831-1921) to patent the first Walker log of many. Together, with the introduction of the A1 Harpoon Log two years later, they established the Walker Log Business as a force to be reckoned with. By his passing in 1871, Thomas Walker Snr had not only founded a family business with considerable staying power but also instilled a tradition of public service. Having sat as a representative on the Birmingham Town Council for 15 years and played an active role in public works, he was soon given the nickname of ‘Blue Brick Walker’. Much like his father, Thomas Ferdinand Walker changed the face of the maritime industry. His patent of 1897, the ‘Cherub’ log, was a notable departure from the past providing a far more accurate reading and replacing the majority of logs of the age. They were the first to produce an electric log (Trident) and the Walker factory was one of the first to introduce the 48-hour work week for employees.The ship log was invented and made by a significant marine instrument maker and innovator of machinery. It demonstrates the huge leap taken to improve navigational accuracy at sea with an instrument that was in use for decades.Ships Log, Walker Trident electric motor, in wooden box with instructions inside box. The motor dial with electric cord is still inside box.Inscription "Admiralty patent number 3332" and "Walker Trident Electric Ship Log (Mark III), 15-25 volt". On top of lid, hand written, is "G TAYLOR"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ships log, thomas walker & son, electric ships log, marine navigation, thomas ferdinand walker, ship log -
Brighton Historical Society
Clothing - Dress, Evening dress, circa 1890 (bodice), circa 1840 (skirt)
The donor and family of this gown were long-term Brighton residents, and the gowns were held by them as family heirlooms prior to donation to Brighton Historical Society. Originally owned by Elizabeth Emma Adams and Cecilia Elizabeth Adams, it is believed that the dress was brought to Australia by either a half brother, James Smith Adams, or a younger sister, Sophia Charlotte Louisa Adams (later known as Mother Rose Columba Adams). Elizabeth and Cecilia were the daughters of James Smith Adams (a squire, 1780-1860) and Elizabeth Emma McTaggart (1793-1843) of Tower House, Woodchester in Gloucester, a property which Elizabeth later inherited. Originally a monastery, Tower House had been converted into a stately home after the Reformation. According to information originally provided by the donor, the skirt portion of this dress (along with the bodice T0004.3) was made for either Elizabeth or Cecilia to be worn at the young Queen Victoria’s first 'drawing room ball' following the end of court mourning in 1838 for her uncle William IV who died in 1837. In 1838 Cecilia would have been twelve years old and Elizabeth would have been ten years old. It is possible that this dress was worn by one of the girls to this event as it is of appropriate dimensions for a child of that age, although its design is very formal and adult. Elizabeth was born on 30 June 1828 at Tower House and died on 1 May 1909. She created a scandal when she eloped with her first husband, Thomas Charles Gardiner at the age of 18. The validity of the marriage was later formally investigate and, while it was confirmed as valid, a second church wedding was subsequently held. Thomas died in 1878. Elizabeth subsequently remarried Reverend R. E. Blackwell, but was widowed again by 1889. Cecilia was born on 17 December 1826 and died in 1902 a spinster recluse in England. At the inquest into Cecelia's death in 1904 it was revealed that she had clearly come from a family of means as her home was filled to the brim with highly valuable goods, many in boxes. She was buried in the family vault at Woodchester. Elizabeth and Cecilia's sister Sophia converted to Roman Catholicism in 1851 and became a nun, taking the religious name 'Rose Columba'. In 1883 Mother Rose Columba led a group of eight to Australia, answering a call for Dominican sisters to nurse the sick in Adelaide. Upon arrival, she founded St. Dominic's Priory and the Church of Perpetual Adoration in North Adelaide, using her inheritance to build the chapel. Elizabeth's second son, George Henry Somerset, who inherited the Adams family estate dropped the 'i' in Gardiner and added the maiden name of his grandmother. Therefore, the family name has now become Gardner McTaggart. These Adams family entries have been updated with information provided by Dr Herbert Gardner McTaggart, great-grandson of George Henry Somerset in April 2016. Mr McTaggart contacted the society after finding our entries online.A hand and machine sewn cream, pale blue, orange and gold embroidered satin formal dress, the bodice dates from circa 1890. This dress shares a skirt with T0004.3, which dates from circa 1840. The bodice features a high scoop neckline with gathers at the base of the scoop and directly below where the bodice finishes creating fullness over the bust. The bodice front encloses the bust with a right panel over the top of a left panel and securing with two hook and eye closures over the left shoulder. The panels are secured together with 15 hook and eye closures. The sleeves are set neatly on the true shoulder and are elongated full puffs to just above the elbow. The fullness is created by nine pleats from the top of the shoulder over the back of the shoulder. At the base of the sleeve the fullness is gathered just above the elbow. At the centre back of the bodice are four inward facing pleats running from the centre neck to the waist. The bodice is secured around the waist with a tape and four hook and eye closures. The bodice is boned around the sides and back of the torso with eight bones. This bodice is finished at the waist with a pleated cummerbund of the dress fabric that is designed to appear to be a sash with two decorative bows. One front left of centre and one back right of centre. The skirt secures at the waist with an opening to the left of centre at the back. The skirt gathers tightly at the centre back with a dart on either side. The skirt has a front central panel and the skirt falls to floor length. At the back, the skirt is also floor length. The back of the skirt may have been modified at some time and may have originally finished in a train. It would be more appropriate to the period of the bodice, and the believed use of the dress with a train.cecilia elizabeth adams, elizabeth emma adams, queen victoria, tower house, woodchester, james smith adams, elizabeth emma mctaggart, sophia charlotte louisa adams, 1890s fashion -
Brighton Historical Society
Clothing - Dress, Evening dress, circa 1840
The donor and family of this gown were long-term Brighton residents, and the gowns were held by them as family heirlooms prior to donation to Brighton Historical Society. Originally owned by Elizabeth Emma Adams and Cecilia Elizabeth Adams, it is believed that the dress was brought to Australia by either a half brother, James Smith Adams, or a younger sister, Sophia Charlotte Louisa Adams (later known as Mother Rose Columba Adams). Elizabeth and Cecilia were the daughters of James Smith Adams (a squire, 1780-1860) and Elizabeth Emma McTaggart (1793-1843) of Tower House, Woodchester in Gloucester, a property which Elizabeth later inherited. Originally a monastery, Tower House had been converted into a stately home after the Reformation. According to information originally provided by the donor, both this dress and the dress T0004.1 were made for Elizabeth and Cecilia, to be worn at the young Queen Victoria’s first 'drawing room ball' following the end of court mourning in 1838 for her uncle William IV who died in 1837. In 1838 Cecilia would have been twelve years old and Elizabeth would have been ten years old. It is possible that this dress was worn by one of the girls to this event as it is of appropriate dimensions for a child of that age, although its design is very formal and adult. Elizabeth was born on 30 June 1828 at Tower House and died on 1 May 1909. She created a scandal when she eloped with her first husband, Thomas Charles Gardiner at the age of 18. The validity of the marriage was later formally investigate and, while it was confirmed as valid, a second church wedding was subsequently held. Thomas died in 1878. Elizabeth subsequently remarried Reverend R. E. Blackwell, but was widowed again by 1889. Cecilia was born on 17 December 1826 and died in 1902 a spinster recluse in England. At the inquest into Cecelia's death in 1904 it was revealed that she had clearly come from a family of means as her home was filled to the brim with highly valuable goods, many in boxes. She was buried in the family vault at Woodchester. Elizabeth and Cecilia's sister Sophia converted to Roman Catholicism in 1851 and became a nun, taking the religious name 'Rose Columba'. In 1883 Mother Rose Columba led a group of eight to Australia, answering a call for Dominican sisters to nurse the sick in Adelaide. Upon arrival, she founded St. Dominic's Priory and the Church of Perpetual Adoration in North Adelaide, using her inheritance to build the chapel. Elizabeth's second son, George Henry Somerset, who inherited the Adams family estate dropped the 'i' in Gardiner and added the maiden name of his grandmother. Therefore, the family name has now become Gardner McTaggart. These Adams family entries have been updated with information provided by Dr Herbert Gardner McTaggart, great-grandson of George Henry Somerset in April 2016. Mr McTaggart contacted the society after finding our entries online.A hand sewn cream, pale blue, orange and gold embroidered satin formal dress, the bodice dates from circa 1840. This dress shares a skirt with T0004.2, which dates from a different period (circa 1890). The bodice features a wide shallow neckline finished with a beige coloured cord in two decorative lines. The sleeve is set on the true shoulder and is a short fitted sleeve with decorative gathering and two lines of corded detail. The bodice is shaped to the body with 2 sets of six fine knife pleats diagonally positioned narrower over the waist and spreading out over the bust. These pleats are secured with six double lines of stitching. The bodice finishes high on the waistline at either side and points down to a point over the centre front. The base of the bodice is finished with a piped edge and beige decorative cording. The bodice encloses the body at the centre back where it has holes that presumably would have held lacing. The back features four diagonal knife pleats finishing at the centre back and splaying out over the shoulders. The waistline at the back features only a very gentle point.cecilia elizabeth adams, elizabeth emma adams, james smith adams, elizabeth emma mctaggart, sophia charlotte louisa adams, queen victoria, drawing room ball, 1840s fashion, tower house, woodchester -
Melton City Libraries
Newspaper, Crosses lay out pledge to remember, 2015
"The outbreak of World War I in August 1914 had an immediate impact on communities across Australia, and it was no different in Melton. Young men began enlisting immediately, and Australia’s initial offer of 20,000 troops was soon exceeded by Victorian enlistments alone. Over the four years of the war, approximately 114,000 Victorians enlisted and around 91,000 servicemen and women were sent overseas. They came not just from Melbourne, but from all over the state; from farms, small towns and suburban areas. They included locals, newly arrived migrants and Indigenous people. The Australian home front was a hive of activity throughout the war, and the Melton community played its part. Following the announcement that Australia was joining the war with Great Britain and its allies on 5 August 1914, the Melton community lost no time in launching into action. A meeting ‘to assist the Red Cross fund’ was held in the Melton Mechanics’ Institute hall on 18 August – just days after the outbreak of the war. Collectors were appointed for each corner of the shire and individual donations were made. A Melton branch of the Australian Red Cross Society was formed in June 1915 and focused its energies on raising funds to purchase material that was used to make clothes for sick and wounded soldiers. A depot was established in Melton to collect clothing and other ‘comfort’ items for the soldiers – including reading material, tobacco, linen, canned foods and soap – and to coordinate the branch’s work and activities. Local cab driver Percival Stubbs volunteered to transport all the packages to the Melton railway station, until he enlisted and departed for the front in 1916. Such were the numbers of people getting involved that branches were also established in Toolern Vale and Rockbank. Regular community events were held to farewell soldiers who were leaving on active service and to welcome those who returned home. Gunner Robert (Bob) Wynne, whose uncle’s family ran the general store in Toolern Vale, was presented with a pair of field glasses (binoculars), a gold watch, inscribed locket and autographed letter by the Toolern Vale community before he set sail for the front in 1916. His mother noted that he ‘sailed away in good spirits with a smile till out of sight’. From June 1915 to June 1919, the Melton Red Cross branch donated 2,156 pairs of socks, 1,357 shirts, 425 kit bags, 251 pillowslips, 224 towels and 121 pairs of pajamas. Countless fundraising events were held, including jumble fairs, concerts and gift evenings. Local schools also encouraged students to contribute through fund-raising and making and collecting comforts for the soldiers. People across the country engaged in similar activities, but Victoria’s rural communities found unique ways of contributing. In Melton, people were encouraged to send rabbits and hares ‘in good condition’ to an exporter in Spencer Street, for export to Belgium ‘for the relief of those suffering". Special Anzac Memorial article featured in the Star Weeklylocal identities, war -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Clothing - White Satin Quilted Bridal Coat, 1939
The bridal coat was part of a wedding ensemble worn by Peg Young in 1939. The final two images in the carousel include a wedding photograph of Peg and her husband. A letter accompanying the donation on file describes the outfit as: "Rosemary [Peg] looked very nice indeed in a simple white satin dress that made her look very tall and slim. It had trimming round the neck, down the front and on the shoulders that looked like quilting, with a little gold in it, and she wore gold slippers and a lovely lace veil, lent by Auntie Nellie. She carried a large sheaf of bright red roses." Mrs Peg Young, a Kew resident was at one stage President of the Children's Book Council of Australia. She was also a member of the Kew Historical Society. The coat was donated by her daughter, Mrs Helen Tutt.Floor-length satin bridal coat with a buttoned full length opening at the front extending the length of the garment. The front of the coat is hand-quilted in an abstract design of arabesques. The buttons are covered with the same satin fabric as the coat. Accompanying the dress there is a photo of the couple on the steps of the unnamed church in London and a letter describing the event, including the coat.Transcript of accompanying letter: Red Cottage Mallory Road Hove 4 Sussex England July 21.39 Dear Faith I have been up to London today to Rosemary's (Peggy) wedding. Though you might like to hear about it. To my mind the one sad part was that your Uncle Bertie and your adopted sister could not be there. Daisy (Margaret) has been simply splendid in all she has done. Rosemary looks very nice indeed in a simple white satin dress that made her look very tall & slim. It had trimming round the neck down the front & on the shoulders that looked like quilting, with a little gold in it, & she wore gold slippers & a lovely lace veil lent by Auntie Nellie. She carried a large sheaf of bright red roses. Her two bridesmaids were Mary & Brenda. They wore the same bridesmaids dresses as they wore at their sister Peggy's wedding a few weeks ago. They were very pale blue satin, simply made, with long skirts & they had lovely little flat bouquets made of the heads of all sorts of flowers out in the gold holder which I am sending you & tied round the handle with gold ribbon. They had wreaths of the same flowers in their hair. Nevil gave Rosemary away."costumes, wedding dresses, wedding coats, peg young, helen tutt, fashion design, fashion -- united kingdom, fashion -- 1930s -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Mary Owen, granddaughter of Walter Withers, unveiling the commemorative plaque on Walter Withers Rock at the corner of Bible and Arthur Streets, Eltham, 13 Oct 1990, 13/10/1990
[from EDHS Newsletter No. 75, November 1990:] WALTER WITHERS PLAQUE At long last we have unveiled our plaque in the Walter Withers Reserve. The function was attended by a number of members and friends of the Society and descendants of the Withers family. Following the unveiling, the group proceeded to the Eltham Shire Office for afternoon tea and a small exhibition of Withers' paintings arranged by Andrew Mackenzie. The unveiling was performed by Mary Owen, a grand-daughter of Walter Withers. Her speech provided an interesting personal perspective on Withers and is repeated in full here: I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibility of paying tribute to the man you have all come to honour today. I have the feeling that most of you probably know more about him and his work than I do. Walter Withers died nearly seven years before I was born and so I never knew him. Sadly, although other members of his family inherited some of his talent, I was not among them and I know very little about art. This is doubly hard to bear because my husband had some ability to draw and my second daughter also has some talent in this direction. My children are all artistic - mostly in the field of music inherited partly from their father - a Welshman who sang like a Welshman - and partly from my grandmother, Fanny Withers who, I believe was no mean pianist. However all this talent gave me a miss and for many years I felt a complete ignoramus in the fields of the arts. It was not until I was nearly fifty years old that I walked into a gallery in Brisbane and, as I wandered around the room, suddenly one picture leapt at me and I knew instantly that it had been painted by my grandfather. I had never seen the picture before and it gave me quite a shock to find that I had recognized the style of painting. I realized then that I had absorbed more than I realized simply by living with pictures and with people who painted them and talked about their painting and the painting of others. When I was a child I sometimes spent school holidays with my Aunt Margery Withers and her husband, Richard McCann. Aunt Marge painted me several times but I'm afraid I was a restless subject and used to sit reading a book and look up grudgingly when she wanted to paint my eyes. During the September holidays my aunt and uncle were busy preparing paintings far the annual exhibition of the Melbourne Twenty Painters, to which they both belonged. I remember how important I used to feel when they took me along to the Athenaeum Gallery on the Friday night before the opening to help hang their pictures. There were many artists there but the two I remember are perhaps surprisingly both women: Miss Bale and Miss Tweddle. I remember how cold it used to be up in that gallery at night. They used to heat water on a gas ring to make tea and Aunt Marge used to bring sandwiches and fruit for our evening meal. Everyone seemed to be poor in those days and no-one dreamed of going out for a meal. It was a case of make-do - even to cutting down frames to fit pictures or cutting pictures to fit the frames. They had to use the same frames from year to year if the pictures didn't sell. The opening was an exciting event for me. I felt I was privileged to meet important people - people who knew a lot more than I - and Uncle Dick would get quite merry after a couple of the tiny sweet sherries which were always distributed. I realise now that quite a lot of "art talk" rubbed off on me during my visits to the Athenaeum and during my stays with my aunt and uncle. I suspect that much of our most useful learning comes this way and those of us who have had the privilege of associating with artists, writers, philosophers and other thinkers have a richness in our lives of which we may be unaware. Walter Withers was a prolific painter and, although he painted for love of it, I suspect that the need to provide for his family drove him, like Mozart, to greater efforts than he might otherwise have achieved. Reading old letters and articles about the Heidelberg artists, I have come to realize something of the constant strain placed on many of them - particularly Withers and McCubbin - by poverty and the need to make ends meet. Withers was ever conscious of the need to provide for his wife and his five children and there are touching letters to his wife, regretting that he was not able to earn more for them. In addition to his painting, he worked hard at teaching and illustrating and, as he grew older, the strain began to tell and his health deteriorated. He seems never to have had a very strong constitution and suffered from rheumatism, which must have made painting quite painful at times. His eldest daughter, Gladys, was eventually confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis and I have a tendency to arthritis myself, so I am particularly aware of what this could have meant to him. Recently I found a short letter written by my mother to her mother, Fanny Withers on the anniversary of her father's birthday in 1919, in which she said: "Poor old Dad, I often think now what a lot he must have suffered. His life was too hard and too strenuous for him. He had too many chick-a-biddies, I think. He wasn't equal to so much town life and train journeys with so many delicacies as he had. Since I have been ill, I have realised what he must have felt like.” He certainly drove himself to produce. He travelled all over Victoria by train, buggy, bicycle and on foot and for a time he travelled from Eltham to Melbourne every day by train, although later he lived in Melbourne during the week and only returned to Eltham for the weekends. My mother died seven years after her father's death, when my twin sisters were 10 days old and I was 16 months. So I never knew my mother or my grandfather. But my two aunts, Gladys and Margery, sometimes took me to stay with Gan Withers at Southernwood in Bolton Street . No cars in those days and it seemed a very long hot and dusty walk from the Station. Three memories remain with me of Southernwood. One is the well at the back which I found quite terrifying; the second is Gan killing a snake - even more terrifying. She was a formidable woman, my grandmother and a great ally and support to her husband. I think she was the business end of the partnership. The third memory of Southernwood is my grandfather's studio – down what seemed like a toy staircase inside the room. This and the big walk-in fireplace stayed in my mind from the age of about six until I saw them again about forty years later when the house was being used as a Sunday School. I just wish that money could be found to purchase this old house for the City of Eltham so that a permanent museum could be established in memory of a man who did so much to put Eltham on the map of art history. Recently I have become interested in family history and spent some time in England, Ireland and Wales looking for traces of my ancestors. I realized then how important it is to have records of people who have contributed to our society. We forget so soon and it is amazing how often, within two generations, names, dates and many details are forgotten. We are fortunate that so many of Walter Withers' works have been bought by galleries and that people like Andrew Mackenzie have taken the trouble to search out people who knew him and to write about him and his work. And I am very grateful to the Historical Society of Eltham for recognizing the importance of having a permanent tribute in Eltham to the contribution made by Walter Withers, who loved Eltham so much and who has assured this lovely district a place in the annals of history. I am indebted to Kathleen Mangan; the daughter of another famous Australian painter , Fred McCubbin, - featured in The Age this morning (thanks again to Andrew Mackenzie) for the most apt tribute to Walter Withers. Kathleen is not well and she rang me a couple of days ago, regretting that she could not be present today “to pay tribute” as she said, “to Walter Withers for I always think Walter Withers is the spirit of Eltham.” Thank you, Kathleen. And now I have much pleasure in unveiling the plaque commissioned by the Eltham Historical Society from Bob McLellan of Charmac Industries to commemorate the life and work of Walter Withers, the spirit of Eltham. Mary Owen, 13 October 1990.Three colour photographswalter withers rock, walter withers reserve, mary owen -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Mary Owen, granddaughter of Walter Withers, unveiling the commemorative plaque on Walter Withers Rock at the corner of Bible and Arthur Streets, Eltham, 13 Oct 1990, 13/10/1990
[from EDHS Newsletter No. 75, November 1990:] WALTER WITHERS PLAQUE At long last we have unveiled our plaque in the Walter Withers Reserve. The function was attended by a number of members and friends of the Society and descendants of the Withers family. Following the unveiling, the group proceeded to the Eltham Shire Office for afternoon tea and a small exhibition of Withers' paintings arranged by Andrew Mackenzie. The unveiling was performed by Mary Owen, a grand-daughter of Walter Withers. Her speech provided an interesting personal perspective on Withers and is repeated in full here: I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the responsibility of paying tribute to the man you have all come to honour today. I have the feeling that most of you probably know more about him and his work than I do. Walter Withers died nearly seven years before I was born and so I never knew him. Sadly, although other members of his family inherited some of his talent, I was not among them and I know very little about art. This is doubly hard to bear because my husband had some ability to draw and my second daughter also has some talent in this direction. My children are all artistic - mostly in the field of music inherited partly from their father - a Welshman who sang like a Welshman - and partly from my grandmother, Fanny Withers who, I believe was no mean pianist. However all this talent gave me a miss and for many years I felt a complete ignoramus in the fields of the arts. It was not until I was nearly fifty years old that I walked into a gallery in Brisbane and, as I wandered around the room, suddenly one picture leapt at me and I knew instantly that it had been painted by my grandfather. I had never seen the picture before and it gave me quite a shock to find that I had recognized the style of painting. I realized then that I had absorbed more than I realized simply by living with pictures and with people who painted them and talked about their painting and the painting of others. When I was a child I sometimes spent school holidays with my Aunt Margery Withers and her husband, Richard McCann. Aunt Marge painted me several times but I'm afraid I was a restless subject and used to sit reading a book and look up grudgingly when she wanted to paint my eyes. During the September holidays my aunt and uncle were busy preparing paintings far the annual exhibition of the Melbourne Twenty Painters, to which they both belonged. I remember how important I used to feel when they took me along to the Athenaeum Gallery on the Friday night before the opening to help hang their pictures. There were many artists there but the two I remember are perhaps surprisingly both women: Miss Bale and Miss Tweddle. I remember how cold it used to be up in that gallery at night. They used to heat water on a gas ring to make tea and Aunt Marge used to bring sandwiches and fruit for our evening meal. Everyone seemed to be poor in those days and no-one dreamed of going out for a meal. It was a case of make-do - even to cutting down frames to fit pictures or cutting pictures to fit the frames. They had to use the same frames from year to year if the pictures didn't sell. The opening was an exciting event for me. I felt I was privileged to meet important people - people who knew a lot more than I - and Uncle Dick would get quite merry after a couple of the tiny sweet sherries which were always distributed. I realise now that quite a lot of "art talk" rubbed off on me during my visits to the Athenaeum and during my stays with my aunt and uncle. I suspect that much of our most useful learning comes this way and those of us who have had the privilege of associating with artists, writers, philosophers and other thinkers have a richness in our lives of which we may be unaware. Walter Withers was a prolific painter and, although he painted for love of it, I suspect that the need to provide for his family drove him, like Mozart, to greater efforts than he might otherwise have achieved. Reading old letters and articles about the Heidelberg artists, I have come to realize something of the constant strain placed on many of them - particularly Withers and McCubbin - by poverty and the need to make ends meet. Withers was ever conscious of the need to provide for his wife and his five children and there are touching letters to his wife, regretting that he was not able to earn more for them. In addition to his painting, he worked hard at teaching and illustrating and, as he grew older, the strain began to tell and his health deteriorated. He seems never to have had a very strong constitution and suffered from rheumatism, which must have made painting quite painful at times. His eldest daughter, Gladys, was eventually confined to a wheelchair with rheumatoid arthritis and I have a tendency to arthritis myself, so I am particularly aware of what this could have meant to him. Recently I found a short letter written by my mother to her mother, Fanny Withers on the anniversary of her father's birthday in 1919, in which she said: "Poor old Dad, I often think now what a lot he must have suffered. His life was too hard and too strenuous for him. He had too many chick-a-biddies, I think. He wasn't equal to so much town life and train journeys with so many delicacies as he had. Since I have been ill, I have realised what he must have felt like.” He certainly drove himself to produce. He travelled all over Victoria by train, buggy, bicycle and on foot and for a time he travelled from Eltham to Melbourne every day by train, although later he lived in Melbourne during the week and only returned to Eltham for the weekends. My mother died seven years after her father's death, when my twin sisters were 10 days old and I was 16 months. So I never knew my mother or my grandfather. But my two aunts, Gladys and Margery, sometimes took me to stay with Gan Withers at Southernwood in Bolton Street . No cars in those days and it seemed a very long hot and dusty walk from the Station. Three memories remain with me of Southernwood. One is the well at the back which I found quite terrifying; the second is Gan killing a snake - even more terrifying. She was a formidable woman, my grandmother and a great ally and support to her husband. I think she was the business end of the partnership. The third memory of Southernwood is my grandfather's studio – down what seemed like a toy staircase inside the room. This and the big walk-in fireplace stayed in my mind from the age of about six until I saw them again about forty years later when the house was being used as a Sunday School. I just wish that money could be found to purchase this old house for the City of Eltham so that a permanent museum could be established in memory of a man who did so much to put Eltham on the map of art history. Recently I have become interested in family history and spent some time in England, Ireland and Wales looking for traces of my ancestors. I realized then how important it is to have records of people who have contributed to our society. We forget so soon and it is amazing how often, within two generations, names, dates and many details are forgotten. We are fortunate that so many of Walter Withers' works have been bought by galleries and that people like Andrew Mackenzie have taken the trouble to search out people who knew him and to write about him and his work. And I am very grateful to the Historical Society of Eltham for recognizing the importance of having a permanent tribute in Eltham to the contribution made by Walter Withers, who loved Eltham so much and who has assured this lovely district a place in the annals of history. I am indebted to Kathleen Mangan; the daughter of another famous Australian painter , Fred McCubbin, - featured in The Age this morning (thanks again to Andrew Mackenzie) for the most apt tribute to Walter Withers. Kathleen is not well and she rang me a couple of days ago, regretting that she could not be present today “to pay tribute” as she said, “to Walter Withers for I always think Walter Withers is the spirit of Eltham.” Thank you, Kathleen. And now I have much pleasure in unveiling the plaque commissioned by the Eltham Historical Society from Bob McLellan of Charmac Industries to commemorate the life and work of Walter Withers, the spirit of Eltham. Mary Owen, 13 October 1990.Two colour photographswalter withers rock, walter withers reserve, mary owen -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Audio - Oral History, Jennifer Williams, Gwen and Jack Scott, 24th February 2000
Jack Scott was born in Beechworth on the 24th January 1919 into a third generation Beechworth family who had migrated from Scotland, Cornwall and Ireland during the 1860s. Also present during the oral history recording is Jack’s wife, Gwen Scott. In 1878 Jack’s grandfather established the carrier business - R. Scott Carriers. Jack’s grandfather secured a contract with the Zwar Brothers' Beechworth Tannery to transport all goods between the tannery and train station via horse and cart. Jack’s father and uncle carried on the family business, before Jack and his brother eventually joined after the Second World War. The company expanded from a single horse and cart short route to multiple trucks operating interstate routes. Prior to joining the family carrier business, Jack on leaving school started work at the tannery and served in the air force during the Second World War. When asked about the working conditions at the tannery, Jack recalls while they did have union representatives, it was not particularly effectual. The union representatives were often placated by sharing multiple whiskies with the Zwar brothers when in their offices to discuss workers’ issues. Gwen’s father also worked for the tannery for a period of time, and she enjoyed the annual picnics the tannery provided for employee families. Both Jack and Gwen’s connections to the tannery reinforces the tannery’s role as a major employer and presence in the Beechworth community. Prior to marrying Jack, Gwen worked in a range of roles including at the Ovens and Murray Hospital for the Aged, managing the family home when her parents both worked during the Second World War, and apprenticed with her sister as a hairdresser. Jack and Gwen provide some insight into maternal health issues in brief discussions of hospital birthing trends and awareness of contraception and family planning. Both Jack and Gwen recalled attending the open-air cinema at ‘The Rock’ in their childhoods. Gwen remembers that the ‘elites’ would sit on chairs at the front, and Gwen’s family sat on a rug at the back, while Jack would jump the fence and get in for nothing. Jack and Gwen discuss attitudes towards both Chinese Australians and Italian migrants in Beechworth. They did not notice any racism and from their perspective felt they were accepted in the town. Jack did note that Italian employees lost their jobs at the tannery during the Second World War, but believed they all stayed within the area and found stonemason and concrete work in the interim. Jack socialised with members of the Italian community and joyfully recalled attending their homes for music nights with lots of drinking and instruments being played. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke. Gwen and Jack Scott’s account of their lives in Beechworth is historically and socially significant to the cultural heritage of the region. Gwen and Jack in reflecting on their everyday experiences of operating a family business, availability of work, leisure opportunities, interaction with migrants, and access to maternal health care provide essential economic, social, and healthcare insights. Gwen and Jack Scott’s oral history recording is part of a larger collection of oral histories recorded by Jennifer Williams in 2000, collectively they provide invaluable insights into Beechworth during the 20th century, much of the information in these oral histories would be lost if not documented and missed in the interpretation of tangible objects. This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Mrs Gwen and Mr Jack Scott jack scott, gwen scott, r. scott carriers, scott brothers, zwar brother's beechworth tannery, zwar tannery, beechworth tannery, ovens and murray hospital for the aged, benevolent asylum, open-air cinema, the rock cinema, italians beechworth, hospital births 1920s, wang tech, wangaratta tech, nell scott, jennifer williams, oral history, listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century beechworth, tannery union -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Platform Scales
Thaddeus Fairbanks (1796 –1886) was an American inventor. of heating and cook stoves, cast iron ploughs, and other items. His greatest success was the invention and manufacture of the platform scale, which allowed the weighing of large objects accurately. Fairbanks was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1796, the son of Joseph Fairbanks (1763–1846) and Phebe (Paddock) Fairbanks (1760–1853). His uncle was Ephraim Paddock, the brother of Phebe Paddock. In 1815 he moved to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and set up a wheelwright's shop above his father's gristmill. In 1820 he married Lucy Peck Barker and In 1824 he built an iron foundry. his brother Erastus joined him to establish E. and T. Fairbanks, a partnership to manufacture heating stoves, cast iron ploughs a design for which he patented in 1826. In 1830 Fairbanks and Erastus became interested in the raising and processing of hemp. Fairbanks went on to patent a hemp and flax dressing machine and became the manager of the St. Johnsbury Hemp Company. He also built a set of scales that would measure large loads of hemp accurately, as there were no reliable scales at the time. Upon the success of building these scales, his brothers recommended that he make and sell these for general use. Fairbanks' most famous invention then became the platform scale for weighing heavy objects. These are commonly known as the Fairbanks Scales, for which he patented his original design in 1830. Before this time, accurate weighing of objects required hanging them from a balancing beam as a result, particularly heavy or ungainly objects could not be weighed accurately. A platform scale, if large enough, could weigh an entire wagon. By placing a full wagon on the scale, unloading it, and then placing it on the scale when empty, it became possible to easily and accurately calculate the weight and value of farm produce and other loads. In 1834 Fairbanks and his brother formed "E. and T. Fairbanks and Company" to manufacture and sell these platform scales. These scales were well known in the United States and around the world resulting in the company doubling in volume every three years from 1842 to 1857. There was a temporary slow down during the American Civil War, however, the business took off again after the war. Their partnership was incorporated in 1874 into a firm known as "Fairbanks Scale Company". These platform scales revolutionized weighing methods of large loads and have been in use ever since. Portable platform scales are found in almost every hardware store, physician's office, and manufacturing factory throughout the United States and the world. The first railway track platform scale patent was granted to Fairbanks on January 13, 1857, as Patent No. 16,381. In 1916 the company was purchased by ”Fairbanks, Morse and Company”. Ownership of the company has since changed several times, but Fairbanks Scales continue to be made in St. Johnsbury Vermont to this day. Fairbanks had received 43 patents in his lifetime with the last one at the age of 91. He died on April 12, 1886, and is buried at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. An early example of the first type of platform scale that revolutionised the weighing of goods throughout the world made in the USA around the turn of the 19th century. Commercially built platform scale on wheels. Cast iron base supports iron weighing platform with wooden floor. At back, square hollow wooden post supports a hooded rod which bears the weight of the platform and which hooks onto a brass balancing arm, marked in pounds up to 50. There is a cylindrical sliding weight and on the end a loop for a metal weight holder. The holder is designed for three circular pieces of metal with a slit to the centre. The weights used are 50, 100 and 200 lbs.Embossed to base Fairbanks Patent No 11 1/2, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, platform scales -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Negative - Photograph, Members of the Hill family, early Eltham settlers, c.1860
Mrs Georgina Hill (wife of Henry), nee Reynolds (of Research, Vic.) in cap [possibly misidentified by donor - see note below] with Mrs Isaac Hill and her children (left to right) Amelia Hill, (born 1853) Mrs Isaac Hill with baby Isaac (born 1860, Eltham) on her lap. Mary Jane Hill (born 1857, Eltham) seated on Mrs Henry Hill's lap and Bob Hill. The Hill family were early settlers of the Eltham area. Daguerreotype photo enclosed in a leather bound clam shell box with felt lining and gold trim. Donated by Mrs Ivy Edna Hill, 4/1 Bridge Street, Eltham, 4 June 1966 and includes copy of her note identifying the people. Daguerreotypes were one of the first forms of early photographs. They initially appeared in Europe in 1839 and were produced in large numbers to the early 1850s but were superseded by more modern and flexible forms of technology by 1860. The photo was usually formed on a thin copper plate with light sensitve silver iodide. They have a mirror-like appearance and the image itself was mirrored. They were usually inserted into a case or frame made of wood bound in leather or velvet and cost about one guinea in Australia, the equivalent of a week's wages. With the advent of the gold-rush and growing population came an increase in numbers of photographers both studio and travelling. The daguerreotype process was protected by patents and could only result in a single image from which no copies could be made. With new technology involving wet colloidion glass plate negatives and albumen paper prints of which multiple copies could be produced at significantly reduced cost, the dauguerreotype quickly fell out of favour. An accompanying note with the photo written by Edna Hill of 4/1 Bridge Street Eltham dated 4 June 1966 states: "Dear Mr Watson, I think the enclosed old time photograph will be of interest to you. It would have been taken about 1860. The two ladies are the wives of the original pioneers of the Hill family. The one in the cap was the wife of Henry Hill, the other of Isaac Hill. The children are those of Mrs Isaac Hill, and grandchildren to Henry Hill. The little girl on the left is Amelia, the baby Isaac, the second girl is Mary Jane, and the boy on the right is Bob Hill. They grew up tobe Uncles and Aunts of my late husband. I greatly appreciated a letter received a few months ago per Cr Pelling, from the Shillinglaw Cottage Committee. Yours sincerely, Edna Hill" Victorian birth registrations show Mary Jane Hill was born 1857 in Eltham (9879 / 1857) and Isaac Hill at Eltham in 1860 (1972/1860) NOTE: Mrs Isaac Hill was Ellen Fitzsimons (1834-1863), mother to Henry Hill. Mrs Georgina Hill, wife of Henry cannot be the lady in the cap as she was not born till 1864. Georgina Reynolds (1864-1927) married Henry Hill (1862-1948) in 1884. This lady has significant wrinkling of the face, especially around her mouth. It is possible that she is the mother of Mrs Isaac Hill (Ellen Fitzsimons) who was Isabella Fitzsimons (nee Ferguson).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 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 Negsepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, eltham, hill family, research (vic.), women, amelia hill, bob hill, daguerreotype, early settlers, georgina hill (nee reynolds), isaac hill, mary jane hill, mrs henry hill, mrs isaac hill, ellen hill (nee fitzsimons), isabella fitzsimons (nee ferguson) -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Daguerreotype Photo Case, Members of the Hill family, early Eltham settlers, c.1860
Mrs Georgina Hill (wife of Henry), nee Reynolds (of Research, Vic.) in cap [possibly misidentified by donor - see note below] with Mrs Isaac Hill and her children (left to right) Amelia Hill, (born 1853) Mrs Isaac Hill with baby Isaac (born 1860, Eltham) on her lap. Mary Jane Hill (born 1857, Eltham) seated on Mrs Henry Hill's lap and Bob Hill. The Hill family were early settlers of the Eltham area. Daguerreotype photo enclosed in a leather bound clam shell box with felt lining and gold trim. Donated by Mrs Ivy Edna Hill, 4/1 Bridge Street, Eltham, 4 June 1966 and includes copy of her note identifying the people. Daguerreotypes were one of the first forms of early photographs. They initially appeared in Europe in 1839 and were produced in large numbers to the early 1850s but were superseded by more modern and flexible forms of technology by 1860. The photo was usually formed on a thin copper plate with light sensitve silver iodide. They have a mirror-like appearance and the image itself was mirrored. They were usually inserted into a case or frame made of wood bound in leather or velvet and cost about one guinea in Australia, the equivalent of a week's wages. With the advent of the gold-rush and growing population came an increase in numbers of photographers both studio and travelling. The daguerreotype process was protected by patents and could only result in a single image from which no copies could be made. With new technology involving wet colloidion glass plate negatives and albumen paper prints of which multiple copies could be produced at significantly reduced cost, the dauguerreotype quickly fell out of favour. An accompanying note with the photo written by Edna Hill of 4/1 Bridge Street Eltham dated 4 June 1966 states: "Dear Mr Watson, I think the enclosed old time photograph will be of interest to you. It would have been taken about 1860. The two ladies are the wives of the original pioneers of the Hill family. The one in the cap was the wife of Henry Hill, the other of Isaac Hill. The children are those of Mrs Isaac Hill, and grandchildren to Henry Hill. The little girl on the left is Amelia, the baby Isaac, the second girl is Mary Jane, and the boy on the right is Bob Hill. They grew up tobe Uncles and Aunts of my late husband. I greatly appreciated a letter received a few months ago per Cr Pelling, from the Shillinglaw Cottage Committee. Yours sincerely, Edna Hill" Victorian birth registrations show Mary Jane Hill was born 1857 in Eltham (9879 / 1857) and Isaac Hill at Eltham in 1860 (1972/1860) NOTE: Mrs Isaac Hill was Ellen Fitzsimons (1834-1863), mother to Henry Hill. Mrs Georgina Hill, wife of Henry cannot be the lady in the cap as she was not born till 1864. Georgina Reynolds (1864-1927) married Henry Hill (1862-1948) in 1884. This lady has significant wrinkling of the face, especially around her mouth. It is possible that she is the mother of Mrs Isaac Hill (Ellen Fitzsimons) who was Isabella Fitzsimons (nee Ferguson).Early pioneer settlers of ElthamAntique daguerreotypes in hinged gold frame, glass encased in a small clam-shell box lined with padded red felt and with catchamelia hill, bob hill, early settlers, eltham, hill family, isaac hill, mary jane hill, mrs henry hill, mrs isaac hill, daguerreotype, georgina hill (nee reynolds), research (vic.), sepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, women, ellen hill (nee fitzsimons), isabella fitzsimons (nee ferguson) -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Platform Scales, Thaddeus Fairbanks, 1880-1910
Thaddeus Fairbanks (1796 –1886) was an American inventor. of heating and cook stoves, cast iron ploughs, and other items. His greatest success was the invention and manufacture of the platform scale, which allowed the weighing of large objects accurately. Fairbanks was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1796, the son of Joseph Fairbanks (1763–1846) and Phebe (Paddock) Fairbanks (1760–1853). His uncle was Ephraim Paddock, the brother of Phebe Paddock. In 1815 he moved to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, and set up a wheelwright's shop above his father's gristmill. In 1820 he married Lucy Peck Barker and In 1824 he built an iron foundry. his brother Erastus joined him to establish E. and T. Fairbanks, a partnership to manufacture heating stoves, cast iron ploughs a design for which he patented in 1826. In 1830 Fairbanks and Erastus became interested in the raising and processing of hemp. Fairbanks went on to patent a hemp and flax dressing machine and became the manager of the St. Johnsbury Hemp Company. He also built a set of scales that would measure large loads of hemp accurately, as there were no reliable scales at the time. Upon the success of building these scales, his brothers recommended that he make and sell these for general use. Fairbanks' most famous invention then became the platform scale for weighing heavy objects. These are commonly known as the Fairbanks Scales, for which he patented his original design in 1830. Before this time, accurate weighing of objects required hanging them from a balancing beam as a result, particularly heavy or ungainly objects could not be weighed accurately. A platform scale, if large enough, could weigh an entire wagon. By placing a full wagon on the scale, unloading it, and then placing it on the scale when empty, it became possible to easily and accurately calculate the weight and value of farm produce and other loads. In 1834 Fairbanks and his brother formed "E. and T. Fairbanks and Company" to manufacture and sell these platform scales. These scales were well known in the United States and around the world resulting in the company doubling in volume every three years from 1842 to 1857. There was a temporary slow down during the American Civil War, however, the business took off again after the war. Their partnership was incorporated in 1874 into a firm known as "Fairbanks Scale Company". These platform scales revolutionized weighing methods of large loads and have been in use ever since. Portable platform scales are found in almost every hardware store, physician's office, and manufacturing factory throughout the United States and the world. The first railway track platform scale patent was granted to Fairbanks on January 13, 1857, as Patent No. 16,381. In 1916 the company was purchased by ”Fairbanks, Morse and Company”. Ownership of the company has since changed several times, but Fairbanks Scales continue to be made in St. Johnsbury Vermont to this day. Fairbanks had received 43 patents in his lifetime with the last one at the age of 91. He died on April 12, 1886, and is buried at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. An early example circa 1900 of the first type of platform scales used in a grocery store. This design for accurately measuring goods that were sold over the counter revolutionised the weighing of goods throughout the world. Platform scale metal black with removable tray & pan. Has horizontal brass arm with a brass slide weight black removable weight hook and 2 x 2 lb. weights. Fairbanksflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village -
Uniting Church Archives - Synod of Victoria
Photograph, Undated c.1880s
Born 1823 West Indies, commenced ministry 1847, died 1890 in Rookwood, NSW. Joseph Horner Fletcher (1823-1890), Wesleyan minister, was born at St Vincent, Windward Islands, the eldest son of Rev. Joseph Fletcher, Wesleyan missionary, and his wife Mary, née Horner. In 1830-37 he attended a Methodist school in Kingswood, England, and then his uncle's school in Bath. He entered business but in July 1842 became a local preacher. He was accepted for the Wesleyan ministry in 1845 and after training at Richmond College, Surrey, he married Kate Green in December 1848. He was sent to Auckland, New Zealand, where he became the founding principal of Wesley College. In 1856 poor health obliged him to take up circuit work in Auckland and New Plymouth, where he witnessed the Maori war. He moved to Queensland and in 1861-64 was on circuit in Brisbane. In 1863 he became the first chairman of the Queensland Wesleyan District. In 1865 Fletcher was serving at Ipswich when invited to succeed Rev. John Manton as president of Newington College, Sydney. He acknowledged that the main business of the school was secular education in a Christian atmosphere and believed that education could help to overcome sectarianism. He invited distinguished academics to examine Newington students and strongly supported (Sir) Henry Parkes's education policies. He opposed the formation of a Methodist university college until a strong secondary school was established. He believed that boys should be taught to appreciate orderly conduct rather than to fear punishment and that corporal punishment was degrading and to be used only in extreme circumstances. Under Fletcher Newington developed a high moral tone and a tradition of order and respect. After he retired in 1887 the old boys gave him an address of appreciation and a portrait in oils to be hung in the hall. In addition to his normal duties from 1883 he had taught resident theological students. From 1887 he was an effective and progressive full-time theological tutor. As a preacher Fletcher had exceptional power: he expressed his thoughts in a fresh way with sparkling illustrations and characteristic humour. He combined humility with great spiritual power, prophetic vision and administrative ability. He encouraged the development of institutional church work which grew into the Central Methodist Mission in Sydney. Fletcher was elected as the first president of the New South Wales and Queensland Wesleyan Methodist Conference in 1874 and again in 1884, when he was also president of the General Conference of the Australasian Wesleyan Methodist Church. As conference editor in 1868, 1871 and 1873, Fletcher contributed more than fifty articles, numerous essays and reviews of books to the Weekly Advocate. He read widely, deeply and with discrimination. Never robust in health, he suffered months of illness before he died aged 66 at Stanmore, Sydney, on 30 June 1890. He was survived by three sons and two daughters, and buried in the Wesleyan section of Rookwood cemetery. In 1892 his eldest son, Joseph, edited a memorial edition of his Sermons, Addresses & Essays. Information from Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 4, 1972. Sepia toned carte de visite. Seated studio portrait of the Rev. Joseph Fletcher.Rev Joseph Fletcherrev. joseph fletcher, joseph horner, wesleyan minister, newington college sydney, new zealand, queensland, president general conference, wesleyan methodist church, central methodist mission -
Brighton Historical Society
Clothing - Dress, Day dress, circa 1870
The donor and family of this gown were long-term Brighton residents, and the gowns were held by them as family heirlooms prior to donation to Brighton Historical Society. Originally owned by Elizabeth Emma Adams and Cecilia Elizabeth Adams, it is believed that the dress was brought to Australia by either a half brother, James Smith Adams, or a younger sister, Sophia Charlotte Louisa Adams (later known as Mother Rose Columba Adams). Elizabeth and Cecilia were the daughters of James Smith Adams (a squire, 1780-1860) and Elizabeth Emma McTaggart (1793-1843) of Tower House, Woodchester in Gloucester, a property which Elizabeth later inherited. Originally a monastery, Tower House had been converted into a stately home after the Reformation. According to information originally provided by the donor, both this dress and the dress T0004.3 were made for Elizabeth and Cecilia, to be worn at the young Queen Victoria’s first 'drawing room ball' following the end of court mourning in 1838 for her uncle William IV who died in 1837. In 1838 Cecilia would have been twelve years old and Elizabeth would have been ten years old. It is possible that the dress T0004.3 was worn by one of the girls to this event as it is of appropriate dimensions for a child of that age, although its design is very formal and adult. However, it is unlikely that either of the girls wore this dress at the ball due to the size and styling of the dress. It is likely that the dress belonged to one of the girls, but was worn at a later date. Elizabeth was born on 30 June 1828 at Tower House and died on 1 May 1909. She created a scandal when she eloped with her first husband, Thomas Charles Gardiner at the age of 18. The validity of the marriage was later formally investigate and, while it was confirmed as valid, a second church wedding was subsequently held. Thomas died in 1878. Elizabeth subsequently remarried Reverend R. E. Blackwell, but was widowed again by 1889. Cecilia was born on 17 December 1826 and died in 1902 a spinster recluse in England. At the inquest into Cecelia's death in 1904 it was revealed that she had clearly come from a family of means as her home was filled to the brim with highly valuable goods, many in boxes. She was buried in the family vault at Woodchester. Elizabeth and Cecilia's sister Sophia converted to Roman Catholicism in 1851 and became a nun, taking the religious name 'Rose Columba'. In 1883 Mother Rose Columba led a group of eight to Australia, answering a call for Dominican sisters to nurse the sick in Adelaide. Upon arrival, she founded St. Dominic's Priory and the Church of Perpetual Adoration in North Adelaide, using her inheritance to build the chapel. Elizabeth's second son, George Henry Somerset, who inherited the Adams family estate dropped the 'i' in Gardiner and added the maiden name of his grandmother. Therefore, the family name has now become Gardner McTaggart. These Adams family entries have been updated with information provided by Dr Herbert Gardner McTaggart, great-grandson of George Henry Somerset in April 2016. Mr McTaggart contacted the society after finding our entries online.A hand sewn white purple, pink, green, blue and yellow floral silk chiffon dress from circa 1870. The dress consists of two pieces worn together as a dress. This dress has received a great deal of mending and alteration and so it is difficult to be sure of what constitutes its original state. The following description is of its current state. The bodice has a high neck with a simple shallow band collar, an olive braid and a press stud closure. The bodice fastens down the centre front with ten hook and eyes closures and two sets of ribbon ties . The bodice has three darts providing shaping into the waistline. The bodice finishes at the waist and gently tapers towards the front creating a 'V' line. Down the centre front from the neck to the waist concealing the bodice opening is a pressed pleated ruffle of the dress fabric and a line of olive braid. The dress features pagoda sleeves finished at the hem with pressed pleated ruffle of the dress fabric, a line of olive braid and a silk fringe of 4 cm pale pink and white. The skirt part of the bodice section attaches to the front of the dress with two hooks and eyes on the left hand side of the waist. The fabric drops down to approximately the knees at the front, curving up and splitting on either side over the hip. The edge of this piece is also trimmed with a pressed pleated ruffle of the dress fabric and a line of olive braid. Just below the hip on either side is a large bow of pink, cream, purple and green taffeta. The bodice at the back is shaped with four panels into the waistline. Where it joins the bodice skirt the skirt is pleated, creating fullness. The skirt of the dress ensemble secures at the waist on the left hand side. At the front it has two pleats (that may have been repositioned during repair), and is fully gathered at the back. At the front the dress falls to the floor whilst at the back it is longer to accommodate the bustle and possibly a small train.cecilia elizabeth adams, elizabeth emma adams, 1870s fashion, tower house, woodchester, james smith adams, elizabeth emma mctaggart, mary rose columba adams, sophia charlotte louisa adams -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Holloways Building Supplies
Eric Holloway began spot milling timber at age of 17. He borrowed fifty pound from an uncle in 1934 to purchase a McCormick Deering tractor and saw bench. He went from farm to farm cutting timber for farmers. For a time, he worked on Shelley Station spot milling with WS Walker and Son. In approximately 1946 Arthur and Eric Holloway established a saw mill at Shelley. Another brother Ernie, a builder and returned soldier, worked with them from time to time. Using timber sawn in the mill he built eight basic houses for the mill workers. The brothers employed many migrants: - Yugoslav, Czechs, Russians, Ukrainians, Serbs as well as other hardworking people. This meant there were families, so Ernie also built and furnished a school at Shelley. Application was made for a teacher from the Education Department. At the Shelley mill the workers used ex-army blitzes, GM trucks (for carting logs) army ducks and a centurion tank for parts. The timber from the mill was trucked to Albury and Wodonga, customers being FA Stowe and Mates Timber. The army was also a big customer with Holloways supplying timber for the army huts that were built at Bandiana. A timber mill that had been built at Tallangatta by State Rivers and Water for the purpose of establishing New Tallangatta, was purchased by Holloway Brothers as an extension of their Shelley operation. In 1954 a new mill was built at Granite Flat on the Omeo Highway and the Shelley operation closed. Ernie Holloway was involved in the building of the mill and accommodation houses in Mitta Mitta. The mill workers travelled from Mitta to work each day. Holloways Building Supplies was established at 49 Tallangatta Rd Wodonga at this time. It was established on four house blocks with a little shed, with more land being acquired as the operation expanded. The brothers realized that it would be more profitable to set up their own timber outlet to supply their customers. Arthur Holloway continued to run the sawmills while Eric Holloway concentrated on the Wodonga business. A hardware store, offices and joinery were built as demand continued for building materials. All the timber arriving in the yard from the mill was hand sorted, providing employment for many. With the milling and timber outlets Holloways provided employment for approximately forty staff. The next generation of the Holloway family became involved. A Hyster forklift was purchased which allowed for bulk handling of the timber. Land was purchased in Sanyo Drive where timber was cleated and dried. Select grade timber, F17 dry framing, builders hardware and tools were sold. Holloways endeavoured to be a one stop shop for framing and fitting out of houses. In 1989 the business was sold to Mt Beauty Timbers who later on sold to Dahlsens. The timber mill was decommissioned. The Holloway family retained the ownership of the premises of 49 Thomas Mitchell Drive leasing to Dahlsens until that operation was moved to Albury in 2013. In 2014 the lease land was sold to two local businesses. Leigh Martin Marine purchased the parcel of land adjoining their business. Lester and Son purchased the remaining block and demolished the premises. A funeral parlour was built on that site.These photos are significant because they document the story of an important Wodonga business.A series of coloured photographs depicting aspects of Holloways Building Supplies business in Wodonga.holloways wodonga, wodonga businesses, timber industry -
Melton City Libraries
Photograph, Martha (Watson) Myers, 1907, c.1930 and 1953
Martha Watson was born on 17 October 1888 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia as the first child of Robina (Ruby) WATSON. She died on 23 March 1976 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Memories of Martha by Valcia nee Twigg Lowrie, granddaughter of Arthur Watson. My memories and recollections as told to me my Grandmother ‘Mum’ Myers. As a child she had scarlet fever and did not attend school during the illness and missed a lot of school (Macarthur Street State School). When she was meant to return to school having fallen behind her classmates, confused and behind with the school work, she instead spent her time wandering around Lake Wendouree feeling too ashamed to attend school. Her uncle Arthur, born in 1874, whom she idealized, was a type of father/mentor figure who played and important part in her early life. He moved to Queensland in the early 1900’s and they did not meet again until he visited Melton in 1949, he died in 1954. He was a champion rower in Victoria and Queensland and a noted cyclist who rode in three Warrnambool to Melbourne races, and footballer. Her mother’s death certificate reveals her place of death as the Ballarat Hospital on 8th September 1903 aged 36. Martha was not told of the death of her mother, it was some time later when she found out her mother had died. She was greatly distressed when she eventually found out. The grief and the circumstance of her mothers death and her unfortunate life had a permanent effect on Martha’s life. Robina was buried in Open Ground at the New Cemetery Ballarat. Marjorie likened to this to the death of Mozart at the age of 35 who was also buried in a common grave. Martha also told me the stories about how as a child she played at the cemetery, taking the oranges placed as offerings on the Chinese graves and being chased away in fright when caught by a Chinese man. Her description left a vivid impression on my mind. The Burnbank street house was just across the road from the cemetery. The pieces of this story I had heard made sense when I visited the location in recent years. Martha’s described how Nanna would sing on the front verandah, and send her off to t get drink for her. This situation might help explain the reason for Martha’s strong aversion to alcohol. As a young girl it had been distressing to her. Nanna was a colourful and theatrical personality and danced with the Duke when he visited Ballarat. She was also known to have stated that she would marry a man who could give her a bucket of gold, possibly around the time after her first husband, Charles death, she had her young boy Edward to bring up. Martha was about 13 years old when Nanna Watson left Ballarat going to Queensland to visit her son Arthur. Martha slept that night afraid and alone in the empty house. The person who was meant to collect her did not come until the next day. She went to work for a family, a woman with children, they took most of the money that Nanna had left with Martha. There was a new baby in the house and the Scottish man in the house behaved suspiciously towards Martha. She was afraid of him and would hide from him under the bed. At this young age she managed to survive on her wits and sense of self preservation. It is not known how long she worked with this family. The place was from my impression, away from the town of Ballarat. Her very difficult formative years are testament to her strength of character and determination to succeed in life and ambition to provide the best opportunities for her own children. In 1905 Martha received a post card from Uncle Arthur in Brisbane addressed – c/o Mrs Styles 14 High Street Ballarat. Dolly Styles was a Ballarat friend and she kept in contact with her for many years. A letter reveals her living in Minyip in her older years. Martha is thought to have spent a few years working before she arrived in Melton. Miss Shebler hired Martha to help her in the care of her father and to assist with work in the Golden Fleece Hotel. Mr Shebler was a nice old man and mostly confined to his room and somewhat childlike as described by Martha. [The elderly Mr August Shebler died in February 1908]. Martha’s exact arrival in Melton is not known, but could be estimated as late 1906 to early 1907. In her room at the hotel she could hear the spring cart of Mr Minns going on the milk delivery rounds in the very early hours of the morning after coming across the creek from his house When she was 19, she married Frederick Thomas MYERS, son of Henri MIERS and Ann DOWLING, on 30 April 1908 ( Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia). Frederick Thomas MYERS and Martha Mary WATSON had the following children: 1. Frederick John Watson MYERS was born on 01 October 1908 in Melton, Victoria, Australia.He died on 07 February 2001.He married Mary June BATTYE on 18 September 1948 in Victoria, Australia. 2. Marjorie Gretchen MYERS was born on 21 February 1912 in Melton, Victoria, Australia.She died on 10 September 2004 in Frankston, Victoria, Australia.She married Herbert Vivian BUTLER on 07 January 1939 in Victoria, Australia. 3. Eva Edna MYERS was born on 15 October 1918 in Melton, Victoria, Australia.She died on 31 January 2008 in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia.She married Ernest Wesley BARRIE on 25 October 1941 in Melton, Victoria, Australia. 4. Arthur Bruce MYERS was born on 29 April 1925 in Melton, Victoria, Australia.He died on 26 March 2015 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.He married Olive Irene NORTON in April 1953 in Balliang, Victoria, Australia (or Church of Christ Footscray? (WB)). 5. Maxwell Douglas MYERS was born on 10 August 1927 in Melton, Victoria, Australia.He died on 03 May 2005 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.He married Rosemary Rebecca BARRIE on 31 August 1951 in Melton, Victoria, Australia. Valcia nee Twigg Lowrie granddaughter of Arthur Watson, daughter of Mercia and Val Twigg did extensive research on the Marshall family of Lerwick Shetland Isle obtaining birth information of the Scottish forebears. She also got the birth/marriage and death certificates of the Ballarat connection of Robina’s husbands and children. Copies were sent to Edna and Wendy during the early 1990’s. Bruce and Irene also obtained certificates and Myers family information. Wendy applied for certificates at this time.Photographs of Martha (Watson) Myers taken at different times of her life -
Halls Gap & Grampians Historical Society
Newspaper - B/W
Until the closure 40 years ago, the Myrtlebank Guesthouse near Halls Gap in the Grampians was a thriving family - run business. In 1962, all that changed when the government of the day purchased the land on which the guesthouse stood and some neighbouring farms and houses. For almost 40 Years, the remains of the buildings have been submered under the man made reservoir known as Lake Bellfield. Due to drought, the eater levels have dropped steadily and, in the past month, the memories underneath Lake Bellfield have come to the surface. Local resident Don warren 70, has been to have a look. His grandmother Anne Flower Warren, was 56 when she opened the guesthouse in 1916. Widowed, the year before after a horse kicked her farmer husband, Mrs Flower needed to provide for their large family. "She had 13 children - seven daughters. I think she built it to look after the girls," Mr Warren says, "The whole think was built on a 500 acre farm." With the guesthouse sited in the centre of the farm, the land was divided between two of her sons- Mr Warren's uncle working one side and his father taking the other. For Mr Warren, the grounds of the two-storey guesthouse were an extension of a huge rural playground in what he remembers as an idyllic childhood. "I used to get taken over there and I'd sit there and watch her make all the toast for the guests. It was quite full all the time - maybe 40 or 50 people. It was a great big place - very grand. In the bedrooms I can remember the great big bowls full of water to wash your face in. There was a big dining room, too. My grandmother was a great cook." By the time of Mrs Warren's death in 1936, her eldest daughter also Anne, had officially taken over the running of the business. "It was in the family right until the last bit. The youngest daughter, Auntie Hilda, took it over right at the end. they got a notice to say that's it - it's over There was no way out of that one." Mrs Ida Stanton, 78, is the historian for the Halls Gap and Grampians Historical Society. Can she remember it when it all happened? "Of course" she says "It's only 40 years ago" Her memories of Myrtlebank are of a place popular with honeymooners, who would often return year after year, bringing their families with them. "There was a lovely ballroom where they used to invite the Gap people and the tourists in to have balls. During the war it was one means of making money to send stuff over to the soldiers." Seeing just the stumps of the guesthouse and what had been his family home, Mr Warren says the bitterness is still there. "The hardest part was poor old dad. He was 70 years old when he got turfed out. Dad had been a farmer all his life - 214 acres, he had, and he got 22,000 quid. Had to move into town" Also showing beneath the drying lake is the concrete slab of the new home Mr Warren planned after his marriage to wife Anne in 1955. Another lost dream. " I was the only child, I was going to take over the farm, but that all changed. You can't take it over when it's full of water.Newspaper clipping of history of Myrtlebank by Don Warren and photo of Don at old site of pooland guest House photo Article by Claire Halliday from newspaper 2002accommodation, guesthouses, myrtlebank -
Emerald Museum & Nobelius Heritage Park
Kitchen boiler, Copper Kitchen boiler, Approx 1900
Joseph Fowler (1888-1972), businessman and municipal councillor, was born on 28 February 1888 at Bagworth, Leicestershire, England, one of thirteen children of John Fowler, groom, and his wife Mary, née Ash. With his brother Sydney, in the early 1900s Joseph worked in a fruit-preserving business run by an uncle at Maidstone, Kent, and continued with the firm after 1908 when it was relocated at Reading. At St Andrew's parish church, Leicester, on 7 September 1910 he married a nurse, Elizabeth Harris (d.1965); they emigrated in 1913 and settled at Camberwell, Melbourne. Encouraged by his commercial experience, and by the variety and quality of fruit in Australia, Fowler set up a fruit-bottling business in the rear of his small house in Burke Road. Trading as J. Fowler & Co., by 1915 the company had begun producing home-bottling kits which contained a sterilizer, bottles, lids, rings and a thermometer. To acquire the capital to establish a factory, Fowler travelled the district, selling his kits door-to-door from the back of a cart. In 1920 he bought a shop at the corner of Power Street and Burwood Road, Hawthorn, and registered his business as a private company. During the Depression his kits became a household name. In 1934 Fowlers Vacola Manufacturing Co. Ltd was registered as a public company. Housewives, nationwide, were urged to bottle their own fruits and jams by 'Mrs B Thrifty', the dainty cartoon character who graced the firm's advertisements. Numerous recipes and instruction books, such as From Orchard to Bottle the Fowlers Way, advertised the necessary preserving equipment, extending to jelly bags and juice extractors. Australian-made glass and imported steel and rubber were used in the production of Fowlers Vacola Bottling Outfits. Determined to put something back into the community which had supported him so well, in 1933-60 Fowler represented Yarra Ward on the Hawthorn City Council (mayor 1938-39 and 1945-46). He served as vice-president of Swinburne Technical College (1942) and of the Hawthorn branch of the Australian Defence League (1943); he was also a Rotarian, and a warden and vestryman of St John's Anglican Church, Camberwell. Changed demands in World War II encouraged Fowlers Vacola to diversify their product. Canned goods were manufactured for allied troops in the South Pacific. In 1953 new buildings and plant, including a giant pressure-cooker, were installed to increase productivity: from that time Fowlers Vacola sold canned and bottled food throughout Australia and abroad. By 1960 the factory occupied more than 122,000 sq. ft (11,330 m²) and further expansion was to occur when the firm moved to Nunawading. Fowler retired in 1961, but remained chairman of directors; his son Ronald succeeded him as managing director. Variously described as a generous, jovial man with a sense of humour, and as a strict and astute manager whose company was his life, Fowler was renowned for his straight business dealings and his 'no-nonsense' attitude. Survived by his son and daughter, he died on 24 April 1972 at Camberwell and was cremated. His estate was sworn for probate at $204,424. On Ronald Fowler's death in 1978, the company was bought out by the Sydney firm, Hooper Baillie Industries Ltd; it in turn sold to Sabco Ltd of South Australia; in 1994, when Sabco went into receivership, Australian Resource Recovery Technologies re-established Fowlers Vacola Australia Pty Ltd's headquarters in Melbourne. Copper boiling pot for home preserves, handles, lid and removable thermometer, also acc ompany instruction booklet. "Fowlers Method of Bottling Fruits and Vegetables"Fowler's "Vacola" Reg. No. 68081 Sterilizer -
Ballarat Heritage Services
digital photographs, Inn, Aylesham, England, 2016
Black Boys Inn is in the market square of Aylesham, England. "Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the town has been occupied since prehistoric times. Aylsham is just over two miles (3 km) from a substantial Roman settlement at Brampton, linked to Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund, south of Norwich, by a Roman road which can still be traced in places - that site was a bustling industrial centre with maritime links to the rest of the empire. Excavations in the 1970s provided evidence of several kilns, showing that this was an industrial centre, pottery and metal items being the main items manufactured. Aylsham is thought to have been founded around 500 AD by an Anglo Saxon thegn called Aegel, Aegel's Ham, meaning "Aegel's settlement". The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Elesham and Ailesham, with a population of about 1,000. Until the 15th century, the linen and worsted industry was important here, as well as in North Walsham and Worstead and Aylsham webb or 'cloth of Aylsham' was supplied to the royal palaces of Edward II and III. John of Gaunt was lord of the manor from 1372 and Aylsham became the principal town of the Duchy of Lancaster. Although John of Gaunt probably never came to Aylsham, the townspeople enjoyed many privileges, including exemption from jury service outside the manor and from payment of certain taxes. The village sign depicts John of Gaunt. In 1519 Henry VIII granted a market on Saturdays and an annual fair to be held on 12 March, which was the eve of the feast of St Gregory the pope. Aylsham markets have always been an important feature of the town, and businesses developed to meet the needs of the town and the farming lands around it. Besides weekly markets there were cattle fairs twice a year and, in October, a hiring fair. The historic Black Boys Inn in the Market Place is one of Aylsham's oldest surviving buildings, and has been on the site since the 1650s, although the present frontage dates to between 1710 and 1720. There is a frieze of small black boys on the cornice and a good staircase and assembly room. The Black Boys was a stop for the post coach from Norwich to Cromer, had stabling for 40 horses, and employed three ostlers and four postboys. A thatched waterpump was built in 1911 at Carr's Corner in memory of John Soame by his uncle, a wealthy financier. An artesian well 170 feet (52 m) deep, its canopy is thatched in Norfolk reed. As with many of the other market towns in the county, the weaving of local cloth brought prosperity to the town in medieval times. Until the 15th century it was the manufacture of linen which was the more important, and Aylsham linens and Aylsham canvases were nationally known. From the 16th century linen manufacture declined and wool became more important, a situation that continued until the coming of the Industrial Revolution. Thereafter the principal trade of the town for the 19th century was grain and timber, together with the range of trades to be found in a town which supported local agriculture. Records show that Aylsham had markets and fairs, certainly from the 13th century. Such weekly and annual events were important for the trade that they brought. Annual horse fairs would bring many other traders to the town, and the weekly market would be the occasion for more local trade. The rights of the stallholders in the market place today date back to the rights established in medieval times." See wikipediaDigital photograph colouredinn, aylsham, england, black boys inn, market square -
Ballarat Heritage Services
Photograph - Digital photograph, Lord Nelson Plaque, 2016
Black Boys Inn is in the market square of Aylsham, England. "Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the town has been occupied since prehistoric times. Aylsham is just over two miles (3 km) from a substantial Roman settlement at Brampton, linked to Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund, south of Norwich, by a Roman road which can still be traced in places - that site was a bustling industrial centre with maritime links to the rest of the empire. Excavations in the 1970s provided evidence of several kilns, showing that this was an industrial centre, pottery and metal items being the main items manufactured. Aylsham is thought to have been founded around 500 AD by an Anglo Saxon thegn called Aegel, Aegel's Ham, meaning "Aegel's settlement". The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Elesham and Ailesham, with a population of about 1,000. Until the 15th century, the linen and worsted industry was important here, as well as in North Walsham and Worstead and Aylsham webb or 'cloth of Aylsham' was supplied to the royal palaces of Edward II and III. John of Gaunt was lord of the manor from 1372 and Aylsham became the principal town of the Duchy of Lancaster. Although John of Gaunt probably never came to Aylsham, the townspeople enjoyed many privileges, including exemption from jury service outside the manor and from payment of certain taxes. The village sign depicts John of Gaunt. In 1519 Henry VIII granted a market on Saturdays and an annual fair to be held on 12 March, which was the eve of the feast of St Gregory the pope. Aylsham markets have always been an important feature of the town, and businesses developed to meet the needs of the town and the farming lands around it. Besides weekly markets there were cattle fairs twice a year and, in October, a hiring fair. The historic Black Boys Inn in the Market Place is one of Aylsham's oldest surviving buildings, and has been on the site since the 1650s, although the present frontage dates to between 1710 and 1720. There is a frieze of small black boys on the cornice and a good staircase and assembly room. The Black Boys was a stop for the post coach from Norwich to Cromer, had stabling for 40 horses, and employed three ostlers and four postboys. A thatched waterpump was built in 1911 at Carr's Corner in memory of John Soame by his uncle, a wealthy financier. An artesian well 170 feet (52 m) deep, its canopy is thatched in Norfolk reed. As with many of the other market towns in the county, the weaving of local cloth brought prosperity to the town in medieval times. Until the 15th century it was the manufacture of linen which was the more important, and Aylsham linens and Aylsham canvases were nationally known. From the 16th century linen manufacture declined and wool became more important, a situation that continued until the coming of the Industrial Revolution. Thereafter the principal trade of the town for the 19th century was grain and timber, together with the range of trades to be found in a town which supported local agriculture. Records show that Aylsham had markets and fairs, certainly from the 13th century. Such weekly and annual events were important for the trade that they brought. Annual horse fairs would bring many other traders to the town, and the weekly market would be the occasion for more local trade. The rights of the stallholders in the market place today date back to the rights established in medieval times." See wikipediaDigital photograph"Admiral Lord Nelson attended a dance at the Assembly rooms here on 15th December 1792 - 21st October 2005"aylsham, lord nelson, 1792, plaque -
Ballarat Heritage Services
Photograph - Digital photograph, Dorothy Wickham, Plaque to Joseph Thomas Clover, ć2016
Lord Nelson plaque is in the town of Aylsham. "Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the town has been occupied since prehistoric times. Aylsham is just over two miles (3 km) from a substantial Roman settlement at Brampton, linked to Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund, south of Norwich, by a Roman road which can still be traced in places - that site was a bustling industrial centre with maritime links to the rest of the empire. Excavations in the 1970s provided evidence of several kilns, showing that this was an industrial centre, pottery and metal items being the main items manufactured. Aylsham is thought to have been founded around 500 AD by an Anglo Saxon thegn called Aegel, Aegel's Ham, meaning "Aegel's settlement". The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Elesham and Ailesham, with a population of about 1,000. Until the 15th century, the linen and worsted industry was important here, as well as in North Walsham and Worstead and Aylsham webb or 'cloth of Aylsham' was supplied to the royal palaces of Edward II and III. John of Gaunt was lord of the manor from 1372 and Aylsham became the principal town of the Duchy of Lancaster. Although John of Gaunt probably never came to Aylsham, the townspeople enjoyed many privileges, including exemption from jury service outside the manor and from payment of certain taxes. The village sign depicts John of Gaunt. In 1519 Henry VIII granted a market on Saturdays and an annual fair to be held on 12 March, which was the eve of the feast of St Gregory the pope. Aylsham markets have always been an important feature of the town, and businesses developed to meet the needs of the town and the farming lands around it. Besides weekly markets there were cattle fairs twice a year and, in October, a hiring fair. The historic Black Boys Inn in the Market Place is one of Aylsham's oldest surviving buildings, and has been on the site since the 1650s, although the present frontage dates to between 1710 and 1720. There is a frieze of small black boys on the cornice and a good staircase and assembly room. The Black Boys was a stop for the post coach from Norwich to Cromer, had stabling for 40 horses, and employed three ostlers and four postboys. A thatched waterpump was built in 1911 at Carr's Corner in memory of John Soame by his uncle, a wealthy financier. An artesian well 170 feet (52 m) deep, its canopy is thatched in Norfolk reed. As with many of the other market towns in the county, the weaving of local cloth brought prosperity to the town in medieval times. Until the 15th century it was the manufacture of linen which was the more important, and Aylsham linens and Aylsham canvases were nationally known. From the 16th century linen manufacture declined and wool became more important, a situation that continued until the coming of the Industrial Revolution. Thereafter the principal trade of the town for the 19th century was grain and timber, together with the range of trades to be found in a town which supported local agriculture. Records show that Aylsham had markets and fairs, certainly from the 13th century. Such weekly and annual events were important for the trade that they brought. Annual horse fairs would bring many other traders to the town, and the weekly market would be the occasion for more local trade. The rights of the stallholders in the market place today date back to the rights established in medieval times." See wikipediaDigital photograph"This stone commemorates JOSEPH THOMAS CLOVER 1825-1882 pioneer anaesthetist born in Aylsham"aylsham, joseph thomas clover, anaesthetist -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - HILDA HILL COLLECTION: BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS, 1919-1923
Hilda Hill Collection. Combination of Sepia and Black & White Photographs on double sided card total of 10. Images. Uncle Jack foreground wearing suit and hat and sitting on a stool, lady to the right wearing a light coloured dress and white shirt with dark coat over her shoulders, behind lady on right back of a man in dark clothing, other people behind Jack are indistinguishable, 'Kilmuir' December 19th 1920. Five men standing in a group, all dressed in suits with collar and tie, four men wearing hats other is bare headed, to left is garden bush setting. Two men in dark suits with white shirts and ties bare headed, two ladies wearing white blouses and dark coloured dresses with young girl in white seated on the ground, large tree to right of group, 'Durvol' December 1920. Three young ladies all dressed in white and white large brimmed hats in a bush setting, left background has a number of people playing a game, the girls a standing next to a rocky outcrop, December 27th 1920. Two men in dark suits wearing hats a lady and two young girls wearing white dresses, young girls to the left is looking to her left and wearing a broad brimmed hat with a hat band, the lady is wearing a white broad brimmed hat and the young girls next to her is wearing a black broad brimmed hat, at a swimming carnival December 27th 1920. Moll Doreen Hilda each wearing white blouses and dark coloured skirts seated in a garden setting, large tree to background right with glimpse of a large decorative fence line and roadway, 'Durvol' October 1920. Old car, Durant', with fold back canvas roof and without side panels, wooden spoke wheels, running boards, three occupants all male two in front seat wearing black suits and hats, man in rear seat wearing a white shirt, background is gable roofed house with decorative lace work below the gutter, white picket fence, trees right background in front of gable roofed house, 1923. Jonah dressed in white dress standing at the end of a verandah, verandah post to the left, gable roof and chimney in background showing above the garden enclosure, 'The Ranche' November 1922. Doreen wearing a large brimmed hat dark coat white blouse, sitting on a log, two baskets of flowers one each side, background left show trunk of a large tree, three posts with a wire attached to the top of each, background right shows a tree trunk laying on the ground. Two men and two boys, one man is down on his haunches with his hands clasped together in front, wearing a dark suit with white shirt and black tie, other man is lying on the lawn wearing a dark suit, both boys are sitting on the lawn, black shorts white shirt and dark ties, dark socks and boots, boy on left holding puppy between his legs, background is garden and shrubs, 'Durvol' 14 February 1919.Hilda Hill Private Collectionaustralia, history, post war life, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/durant_motors -
Ringwood and District Historical Society
Photograph, St. Paul's Church of England, Sunday School, Ringwood
Black and white photograph. Duplicate of item no. 209. Names of those in photograph are listed on envelope containing photograph.Names written on envelope: Uncle Bill, ? Saunders, Robert Ford, E. Shanks, Fred Davis, Wm. Dawson, Leo Herry, E. Wiggin, S. Wiggin, Fred Andrews, J. Pickett, E. Williams, Jack Pickett, Fred Andrews, Henry Wright (librarian), Joseph Shanks, Lily Andrews, Harrie Wright, Miss ?? (teacher), The Rev. W. H. Brett, Annie Davis, E. Campbell, B. Moore, Miss Clara Turner (teacher), Bessie Moore, E. Cutts, Flora Davis, Sarah Smith, B. Moore, Mary Saunders, S. Sanders, Miss Campbell, Louisa Shanks, L. Brown, Harrie Boardman, N. Cutts, Emily Campbell, Rose Davis, Edith Williams, Miss Julie Turner (who became Mrs. Brett) - M???? Herry, Ida Ford, Harrie Brown, Annie Dirk, Alice Williams, Annie Sherlock, Lucy Mashiter, Lena Dobbin, Rubina Seales, Alice, Miller, Lizzie Herry, Alice Saunders, Alice Miller, ? Dobbin, Ida Napier, Bessie Williams, Alice Hann, Ethel Tucker, Ida Lord, Minnie Sau??, Rose Andrews, Elsie Davis, Alice Wright, ? , Kitty Boardman, Clarrie Shanks, Ernest Hann, John Herry, Harrie Dick, Ethel Dick, L. Sherlock, M. Sherlock, ??? L. Dobbin, ? Tucker, Albert Brown, Harrie Brown, Edith Mashiter, Bert Mashiter, Ben Dawson, Charles Napier, Wm.Sanders, Jack Sanders, Robert Sanders. Note: Mr. Brett and Miss Julie Turner - under Notice Board." Written on back of photograph, " 'Leo' (Herry) in back row served in Baer War of 1899-1902" -
Melton City Libraries
Book, 'Railway Guide Book Melbourne and Adelaide, 1891
Memories of Train Travel compiled by Wendy Barrie 4/09/2013 Train travel had changed very little from the time my mothers generation to mine. The timetable meant the usual rush to Melton South by bike in her case and if she was running late the train pulled up on the crossing. I was driven to the Station from home past Keith and Mary Gillespie’s house near the Ferris Road rail crossing to Bridge road to Melton South for the 7.32 train. While attending Sunshine High School in 1961 I would meet up with three other students, two of whom I knew from Bacchus Marsh High School days. We usually got into the same compartment on the train, it was a typical country train with a corridor along the side and compartments with a door, roof racks and sometimes heated metal containers for the feet in the winter. Some of the trains came through from Horsham and Ballarat, and the Overland from Adelaide passed through in the evening, we could hear it in the distance from the Ferris Lane home. The carriages had 1st and economy class compartments showing photographs of county scenes and holiday destinations. The engine was the large A class diesel. They are still running to Bacchus Marsh 50 years later, due to the need for the greatly increased number of commuters travelling to work in the city. Sometimes the carriages were pull by a Steam engine, these were a problem in the summer time because the sparks caused fires along the train lines and then quickly spread into the dry grass, crops and stubble. The Motor Train left Spencer Street at 4.23 pm and was the best train for me to catch. Ferris Road was a designated stop and train pulled up on the road crossing. It had steps at the door and rungs to hold while alighting to the ground. The ballast along the tracks was rough and uneven and awkward to land on. The train was painted blue and yellow with the letters VR pained on the front. This saved may parents the afternoon trip to collect me from the Station. On the walk home on the gravel road I would pass Uncle Tom and Aunty May’s house before reaching home. Melva Gillespie was studying at Sunshine Technical School and we sometimes both got off the train at the same time. On other occasions the Motor Train was replaced with a diesel engine with carriages, it was also required to stop and the driver had to be notified in advance. This meant getting into the guards van a Rockbank. It was more difficult alighting from the carriage as the gap was greater and more precarious to swing out and land on the ground. A few times in my last year of study at Melbourne Teachers College in Grattan Street Carlton. I managed to catch the 2.30 pm train to Serviceton, it was express to Melton and was very quick trip. The last train, was the 5.25 pm diesel to Ballarat and I usually caught this train to Melton South Station. On one occasion after being held up on the tram in Bourke street I had to make a mad dash to the platform chasing the train as it was just moving off and yelling to the guard, fortunately I was noticed and the train ground to halt. I scrambled into the end door and took most of the journey home to recover. After the last year at High School I continued to travel on the train, 2 years to Prahran Technical School changing at North Melbourne. There were a lot school children travelling to private schools and some at the primary level and mainly from Bacchus Marsh. Rockbank children also travelled by train from the beginning of their high school years, quite a few went to Sunshine High School. Book provided a timetable and information about the stations the train travels to from Melbourne to Adelaide. transport -
Melton City Libraries
Photograph, Wendy Barrie, Unknown
Eldest daughter of Edna and Bon Barrie, born on 03 November 1943 in Melbourne, Victoria, Memoirs of Wendy Barrie, recalling the early formative years of life in Melton: In 1949 I started school at Melton State School no 430 and was driven the 2½ miles to there by my parents at first. Later we walked home in the afternoons or were picked up by car as we made our way home along the Western Highway. In 1956 I went to Bacchus Marsh High School. There were 4 students in grade 6 and 3 of us went to the High School. The students from Melton, Melton South and Toolern Vale State Schools went by bus to Bacchus Marsh High School as far a fifth form. My parents drove me to the pick up point and during the five years of travel to High School. The bus travelled via Toolern Vale and later went through Exford and through Parwan. On the return journey in the afternoon the bus went in the reverse direction. The bridge at Exford was an old narrow wooden one, and the students had to get off the bus and walk across, with the driver crossing in the empty bus for safety reasons. There was a travelling allowance paid to parents and it was estimated from the distance the crow flies, a straight line. We lived a Ferris Lane, just where the Harness Racing entrance is now situated about 2 ½ miles by road to school too close to qualify for the subsidy. While at State School Melton we would walk home in a group with the Nixon and Gillespie children, along the main road over the bridge near the Shire Offices and down a hill. I was being dinked on Joyce Gillespie’s bike while holding onto the seat, toppled off the bike striking my chin and teeth on the bitumen and cracking my jaw. I was about 9 years old and stayed a couple of days in the Quamby Hospital in Bacchus Marsh, it seemed like and eternity at the time and quite traumatic being separated from my family. I can remember contemplating how I could get out of the window and run away but realised it was too far to walk home. Often we would cut across the Common on our way home from school picking up stray golf balls and collecting them from the creek when it dried out. We were warned about not accepting lifts from strangers passing along the Melbourne/ Ballarat Road. The only danger we faced was being swooped by the magpies particularly on the open ground on the Common. We were also fairly cautious when the Gypsies camped on the Common in the area just about opposite the small reservoir. “Mum” grandma Myers loved to have us call in on our way home, and usually would cut a slice of Jongebloed’s bread and spread it with home made butter. Sometimes we waited there until we were collected by car, usually driven by our mother. Margaret Nixon and Joyce Gillespie were a few grades ahead of me and Barbara Nixon was born just two months earlier than me. Our mothers were great friends for over 6o years, born in the same month three years apart. They lived within a few days of the same age as each other at the time their deaths. Dad and George Nixon attended Melton school at the same time. Sarah nee Hornbuckle Nixon and my grandfather Frederick Myers Snr were at school together at the same in the 1880s. The Nixon family lived in Keilor Road just past the Toolern Creek near the turnoff. Tom and Ann Collins lived on the southern side of the Western highway and Keilor road intersection. Jim and Ruby Gillespie’s house was further long Keilor road on the right. They backed onto the Myers who lived on the north side of Western Highway east of Myers Gully (Ryans Creek). The Bridge over the Toolern Creek as very narrow and as truck traffic increased there were accidents. One truck took out the side railing and plunged upside down into the bank and into the shallow water. Another fatal accident happened between a car and a truck right in front of the Myers house. Grandfather Fred had been a bike rider all his life, as far as the Riverina in his younger years, wryly made the comment about the drivers the speeding along the Ballarat Road were setting out to kill themselves. The road was busy particularly after the Races at Ballarat when the crowds were hurrying home to Melbourne. Train travel had changed very little from the time my mothers generation to mine. The timetable meant the usual rush to Melton South by bike in her case and if she was running late the train pulled up on the crossing. I was driven to the Station from home past Keith and Mary Gillespie’s house near the Ferris Road rail crossing to Bridge road to Melton South for the 7.32 train. While attending Sunshine High School in 1961 I would meet up with three other students, two of whom I knew from Bacchus Marsh High School days. We usually got into the same compartment on the train, it was a typical country train with a corridor along the side and compartments with a door, roof racks and sometimes heated metal containers for the feet in the winter. Some of the trains came through from Horsham and Ballarat, and the Overland from Adelaide passed through in the evening, we could hear it in the distance from the Ferris Lane home. The carriages had 1st and economy class compartments showing photographs of county scenes and holiday destinations. The engine was the large A class diesel. They are still running to Bacchus Marsh 50 years later, due to the need for the greatly increased number of commuters travelling to work in the city. Sometimes the carriages were pull by a Steam engine, these were a problem in the summer time because the sparks caused fires along the train lines and then quickly spread into the dry grass, crops and stubble. The Motor Train left Spencer Street at 4.23 pm and was the best train for me to catch. Ferris Road was a designated stop and train pulled up on the road crossing. It had steps at the door and rungs to hold while alighting to the ground. The ballast along the tracks was rough and uneven and awkward to land on. The train was painted blue and yellow with the letters VR pained on the front. This saved may parents the afternoon trip to collect me from the Station. On the walk home on the gravel road I would pass Uncle Tom and Aunty May’s house before reaching home. Melva Gillespie was studying at Sunshine Technical School and we sometimes both got off the train at the same time. On other occasions the Motor Train was replaced with a diesel engine with carriages, it was also required to stop and the driver had to be notified in advance. This meant getting into the guards van a Rockbank. It was more difficult alighting from the carriage as the gap was greater and more precarious to swing out and land on the ground. A few times in my last year of study at Melbourne Teachers College in Grattan Street Carlton. I managed to catch the 2.30 pm train to Serviceton, it was express to Melton and was very quick trip. The last train, was the 5.25 pm diesel to Ballarat and I usually caught this train to Melton South Station. On one occasion after being held up on the tram in Bourke street I had to make a mad dash to the platform chasing the train as it was just moving off and yelling to the guard, fortunately I was noticed and the train ground to halt. I scrambled into the end door and took most of the journey home to recover. After the last year at High School I continued to travel on the train, 2 years to Prahran Technical School changing at North Melbourne. There were a lot school children travelling to private schools and some at the primary level and mainly from Bacchus Marsh. Rockbank children also travelled by train from the beginning of their high school years, quite a few went to Sunshine High School. During my third year of teacher training I travelled to Flinders Street to RMIT for ceramics classes and Grattan St Teachers College located in the grounds of Melbourne University. There were many teachers being trained at the Secondary Teachers College due to the baby bulge creating a great shortage of teachers. Sunshine High School was very well represented amongst the different courses in Primary, Secondary and Art and Crafts. I attended Melbourne University lectures, studying a Fine Art subject. Bernard Smith was the most notable of the lecturers. he replaced Professor Joseph Bourke who had taken leave for the years. In 1962 he published the art book “Australian Painting”. The secondary art and craft student teachers from the College were in the majority, taking this subject and were well regarded due to their practical art and craft methods and their teaching round experience. In December 1964 I graduated as a Trained Secondary Teacher – Art and Crafts. The graduating ceremony was held at Wilson Hall. I received my appointment to work at Maryborough High School. Uncle Max and Aunty Rosemary Myers arranged my accommodation. Uncle Max was a teacher at the Maryborough Technical School fat the time. The appointment was suddenly changed when just before the school year was about to start when I received notification that I was now required to move to Warracknabeal High School. I was subject to a bond for the three years of training and three years of teaching and was under an obligation to comply with the directive of the Education Department. My father stood as guarantor when I was accepted as student at the Melbourne Teachers’ College, thus enabling me to receive my teacher training, and a 5 pounds a week allowance for expenses. After teaching for two years at Warracknabeal High School I was fortunate enough the gain a transfer to Sunshine West High School, returning to live at home in Melton and travelling by car to work with a fellow colleague, Jock Smith who lived at Station road Melton. I completed bond obligation and resigned at the end of the year. The employment regulations at that time did not allow the option of leave of absence for, indefinite overseas travel. I returned to Australia in October 1969. Visiting Arthur Hart the Principal of Sunshine High School he arranged with the Education Department for my re-employment at Sunshine High School until the end of the year. In 1970 I was transferred, and returned to Sunshine West High School where I worked for the next three years. In January 1968 I sailed on the “Oriana” to South Hampton with two teaching friends from Warracknabeal High School on a travelling and working holiday. Doreen Kiely, a former Bacchus Marsh High student and fellow train traveller from Bacchus Marsh, was already working in London, had arranged our accommodation at the London Travellers Club Hotel, Braham Gardens, Earls Court SW5. We based our stay at this address in London and travelled around Scotland, Ireland and England. In the summer we took a four month trip around the Continent and the Mediterranean. I registered with The Royal Borough Of Kingston Upon Thames as a Supply teacher, and worked at Chessington School form autumn to spring the following year and living with Mrs Rose Gillies at Kinross Avenue, Worcester Park, Surrey. In the spring of 1969 visiting Norway, Sweden and Finland joining an organised camping group to the Artic Circle, entered Russia at Leningrad (St Petersburg) Moscow, Minsk, to Poland and Czechoslovakia. In August returning to Worcester Park for the flight to Montreal to stay with cousin Lynette and husband Jurgen. A side trip was taken to Toronto, Niagara Falls and New York. The flight home from Montreal to Melbourne took 52 hours. A ½ day break in Vancouver before boarding the Qantas boeing 707 via San Francisco, Honolulu, Fiji, Sydney to Melbourne. Around the world in 21 months. Photographs of Wendy local identities -
Ballarat and District Irish Association
Image, Daniel O'Connell, the Great Irish Agitator, c1864
Daniel O’Connell was born near Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry, on 6 August 1775. His wealthy childless uncle adopted him at an early age and brought him up at Derrynane. He spoke Irish and was interested in the traditional culture of song and story still strong in Kerry at the time. He also understood how the rural mind worked which served him well in later years. In 1791 he was sent to school at St. Omer and Douai and what he saw there of the French Revolution left him with a life-long hatred of violence. He read law at Lincoln’s Inn (1794 -96) and continued his studies in Dublin where he was called to bar in 1798. He had soon built up an enormous practice. The 1798 rising and the terrible butchery that followed it confirmed his horror of violence. While he approved of the principles of the United Irishmen, their call for reform and for Catholic Emancipation, he disagreed with their methods. In 1815 O’Connell criticised harshly the Dublin corporation. O’Connell was challenged to a duel by one member D’Esterre. In the exchange of shots D’Esterre was killed and O’Connell vowed never to fight again. O’Connell was soon drawn into political action. Hopes of Catholic emancipation had been raised by promises given while the act of union was being passed. In 1823, O’Connell founded the Catholic Association. The aim of the organisation was to use all the legal means available to secure emancipation. It turned into a mass crusade with the support of the Catholic clergy. All members of the association paid a membership of a penny a month (the Catholic rent). This helped to raise a large fund. The Clare election in 1828 was a turning point. O’Connell, with the support of the forty-shilling freeholders, managed a huge victory against the government candidate. He was well supported by the clergy whose influence on the poor uneducated peasant class was enormous. The polling took place in Ennis at the old courthouse where the O’Connell monument now stands. At the final count, O’Connell was elected by a majority of about eleven hundred votes. The ascendancy party had suffered its first big knock since 1798. The whole country was aflame. The British Government feared a rising and granted Catholic emancipation in April 1829. The franchise was, however, raised to 10 pounds which excluded the forty-shilling freeholders. O’Connell was now the undisputed leader in Ireland and he gave up his practice at the bar to devote his time entirely to politics. At the King’s insistence, O’Connell was not allowed to take his seat until he had been re-elected for Clare. In February 1830, O’Connell became the first Catholic in modern history to sit in the House of Commons. For the rest of his life, he was supported by “The O’Connell Tribute”, a public collection out of which O’Connell paid all his expenses. O’Connell now decided to concentrate on winning repeal of the act of union and getting an Irish parliament for the Irish people. British political leaders feared repeal as they did not fear emancipation. They saw repeal of the Act of Union as the first step in the break-up of the act of union, as the spirit of the repeal movement was revived when the young Ireland writers wrote about it in the Nation. In 1841, O’Connell was elected Lord Mayor of Dublin and in 1843 the subscriptions to his Repeal Association, the Repeal “Rent” came to 48,400 pounds. He now began to organise monster meetings throughout the country. It is thought that three-quarters of a million people gathered on the hill of Tara to hear the man they called the “Liberator”. The government became alarmed at the strength of the Repeal Movement and a meeting which O’Connell had planned for 8 October 1843 in Clontarf, Dublin was banned. Huge crowds were already on their way when O’Connell called off the meeting to avoid the risk of violence and bloodshed. He was charged with conspiracy, arrested and sentenced to a year in jail and a fine of 2,000 pounds. The sentence was set aside after O’Connell had been three months in prison. When he was released he continued with his campaign for repeal. However, a turning point had been reached. The tactics that had won emancipation had failed. O’Connell was now almost seventy, his health failing and he had no clear plan for future action. There was discontent within the Repeal Association and the Young Irelanders withdrew. There was also some failure in the potato crop in the 1840’s, a sign of things to come in the Great Famine of 1845-1847. Aware of the fact that he had failed with his great goal, (the Repeal Movement), O’Connell left Ireland for the last time in January 1847. He made a touching speech in the House of Commons in which he appealed for aid for his country. In March, acting on the advice of his doctor, he set out to Italy. Following his death in Genoa on 15 May 1847, his body was returned to Ireland and buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. [http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/daniel.htm, accessed 13/12/2013]Portrait of a man known as Daniel O'Connell.ballarat irish, daniel o'connell, o'connell -
Melton City Libraries
Photograph, The Cairn- Jimmy Melrose's plane crash site, 1988
Edna Barrie at the cairn, photo received from Graeme Minns in 1988. The cairn marks the site of Jimmy Melrose's plane crash in Melton South. The accident which happened on July 5th 1936. In 1934 Melrose made headlines with a series of spectacular flights. In July of that year, he set around Australia record and in that year established a new solo Australia England record when he flew to England to compete in the MacRoberston race with a De Havilland Puss Moth VH- YQO. The only Australian and the only solo pilot to complete the course within the time limit. He was seventh in finishing order and third in the handicap section making news again during the race with a dramatic landing in Darwin with empty fuel tanks. Late in 1935 Melrose imported the Phoenix for his “Adelaide to Anywhere” Charter Service. The previous year the Heston Aircraft Company had taken over the interests of the well known Comper Aircraft Company, and the first production of the new firm was the Phoenix, a single-engined all wooden five seater machine of sesquiplane configuration. The forward half of the fuselage was a streamlined rectangular section and the rear portion was a monocogue shell; the whole was of plywood fabric covered. The wing was built up of spruce box spars and lattice ribs, ply covered from the leading edge to the front spar and the fabric covered over the remainder. The tail surfaces were of similar construction. The most notable feature of the design was the lower stub wing which ran right across the fuselage embodying two box spars, plywood covered it housed the main undercarriage wheels when retracted and provided a substantial anchorage for the Nu form wing struts. The Dowty undercarriage retracted inwards, operated manually by hydraulic packs, Dual control fitted, with side by side seating for the pilots and three passenger seats behind. Power was a 200 h.p. De Havilland Gipsy VI 6 cylinder inverted in-line air-cooled engine. Six Phoenix were built; five of them registered in Great Britain and one of those was later sold abroad the remaining four were impressed into the R.A.F. in 1940. Specifications were: 40 feet 4 inches length 30 ft 2 ins height, 9ft 7ins, wing area 270 sq ft, Tare weight 2,600lbs loaded weight 3,300lbs; cruising speed 360 m.p.h. landing 50mph ceiling 14,000 ft range 700 miles. Melrose’s machine the first production aircraft was built early in 1936 and test flown of the 24th March. Painted green it carries the words “South Australian Centenary 1936” in silver of the fuselage and the name “Billing on the engine cowling in honor of Melrose’s uncle Noel Pemberton Billing, pioneer designer and founder of the Supermarine Aviation Company. The delivery flight was planned as a goodwill mission to publicise the forthcoming South Australian Centenary celebrations. Melrose left Dympne on the 9th April 1936, and flying via Marseilles, Naples, Athens, Baghdad, Basra, Karachi, Jodphur, Calcutta, Akyab, Penang, Singapore, Lombok, Darwin, Newcastle Waters and Alice Springs reached Adelaide on the 25th of April. Continuing the goodwill flight to other States, he visited Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Grafton, Brisbane, Coff’s Harbour, Sydney again, Launceston, Hobart and Mount Gambier before returning to Adelaide on the 13th May. During June Jimmy made some charter flights and early in July was engaged by Mr. A.J. Campbell a director of several mining companies from Melbourne to Darwin to commence at Essendon on the4th July. However on that day low cloud and steady rain caused the postponement. There was little improvement and Melrose was advised to delay the departure again. However he wished to reach Oodnadatta that night, and when he observed the break in the clouds decided to leave. He planned to climb above the cloud and fly to Adelaide at 3,000 feet. The aircraft was airborne about 8.10 a.m. and was last seen from Essendon climbing above the clouds. At 8.45 people at Melton (30 miles West of Melbourne) heard an approaching aircraft. The engine noise increased abnormally and eye witnesses saw the machine fall out of control from the cloud base about 800 feet and then disintegrate, fragments were scattered for 1½ miles and both occupants were killed. Hand written carbon copy by Edna Barrie.Typed by Wendy Barrie March 2014 Last Flight of Jimmy Melrose by John Burke Parade Magazine July 1972 Page 2 –4 This article gives the take off time of 7.50 am from Essendon Airport Eyewitness account at the time Maisie Arthur’s description. Newspaper article. Edna Barrie at the site of the 'Cairn'local identities, local significant events -
Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Lord's Raceway Bendigo
Clothing - Race Colours, Kevin Innes
KEVIN ‘BOOFA’ INNES By Lucy McCormick Kevin was a member of the celebrated Innes clan from Inglewood, in Central Victoria. “I think the first Innes’ came to Inglewood in 1851. My daughter used to say she can’t marry anyone from Inglewood, because she’s related to them all,” says Kevin. ‘Boofa’ is enjoying some well-earned relaxation on the couch after breaking a kneecap six or seven months ago in a track work incident. Not that it seems to be bothering him too much; he’s got plenty of time to keep up with the trots on television. “I do follow them,” Kevin says. “I don’t miss many, and I do have a bet. I like to sit in the chair and drive a race as much as anyone.” With an illustrious career both as a trainer and in the sulky, it’s a safe bet that Kevin Innes is a more than handy ‘grandstand driver’. His name is associated as a trainer/driver with many handy horses, including Lea Sands, Imatoff and Stormy Morn to name a few. Kevin is typically circumspect about his bigger triumphs, however that doesn’t seem to be what interests him the most. “I’ll tell you something,” he declares, doing just that, “I like winning with the horses that were no good. Some people never get a good horse. Imagine that. Luck is a very, very important thing. You have to have luck to buy a good horse at the sales, to get it going, keep it sound, find a race for it, find and owner and get a draw. And they still make a liar of you.” Funny, interesting or quirky stories seem to be of greater interest to Kevin, such as the time he had a strong chance in a standing start race – the favourite in the race being his only worry. “I told the owner it only had a 20-metre handicap – I couldn’t beat it off that,” he remembers. “So I was leading, waiting for the favourite to run past me. Toward the finish, I heard it coming, and it ran straight past all right – minus the driver. He’d fallen out of the cart and I won the race. Just lucky.” The Innes family have always been heavily involved in one sporting pursuit or another – Kevin himself being a champion bike rider of his time. “My Uncle Roy was a good bike rider, so he dared me to have a go. It turned out I was quite good at it as well.” So good, in fact that for many years Kevin was able to make a living from bike riding, riding the ‘board track’ for many years. “We trained hard. Bike riding was very big back then, we’d train and ride three or four times a week.” Kevin’s riding career spanned four Herald Sun Tours, a Warrnambool to Melbourne and a Sydney to Melbourne race, to name a few. “It definitely gets you in – it was long hours,” he muses. “But like anything, horse racing included, you only get back what you put in. We trained hard. I never drank, and I still don’t. I’ve seen that many athletes, great ones too, brought down by alcohol.” Lucky with injury too, Kevin can only remember a sore ankle – as well as the requisite scrapes and abrasions from tumbles on the wooden boards of the velodromes. He still enjoys watching all the big bike races when he can. “You can watch them race all over the world – France, Sweden, Germany. “To be honest I sit up and watch them with my son and we get just as much of a kick looking at the countryside than anything else. It’s so different to when I was racing.” Betting on the bike racing was big in Kevin’s day as well, and some of the bookies Kevin saw betting on the bike racing, he saw at the Showgrounds betting on the trots on a Friday or Saturday night. “Racing was different back then. There would be twelve thousand people at the showgrounds – they don’t have to come anymore, it’s just as easy to watch it on the TV.” Kevin remembers in those days that drivers had to ‘weigh in’ as well – everyone who drove needed to weigh ten stone (just under 65 kilograms). It’s something he remembers fondly. “I know not everyone will.” Kevin won’t be drawn on the subject of favourite drivers, either. “Look. Driving is different now. No disrespect to current drivers, but you had to think a lot more on a three furlong track than they do now on the bigger tracks. You had to drive with brains. And I really believe that good horses make good drivers. The horses are very good these days. Today’s drivers – your Gavin Langs, Chris Alfords – they’re thinkers, and brains will beat brawn every time. The girls are just as good now too. You only have to look at Kerryn Manning.” A garrulous and popular character, Kevin has trained horses for the likes of legendary Richmond player Jack Dyer, and also spent his fair share of time hosting sportsman’s nights, holding his own with the likes of Ron Barassi. On one such night, they had flown in a light aircraft to their destination. During their show, Kevin noticed their pilot, sitting in the front row, laughing appreciatively. There was one problem. He had a beer in his hand, and was consuming it with some enthusiasm. As the night wore on, the pilot became more and more inebriated, and Kevin became more and more disturbed, knowing that this was the same pilot who was to fly them home when they finished. Unbeknownst to Kevin, however, the flight had been cancelled and the pilot hadn’t told anyone, instead deciding to take full advantage of his client’s hospitality. For now, Kevin is happy living in Inglewood with partner Barbara. Son Grant and daughter Carla aren’t far away (both work at the Bendigo Harness track, and Carla has held both a trainer and driver’s licence). His granddaughter, Barclay Sands, was born on the same day of the demise of their star performer, Lea Sands, and may give the biggest hint yet just how important the world of harness racing is to Kevin ‘Boofa’ Innes. Blue with white yolkKevin Innes embroidered on left side chestkevin innes, k innes, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing -
Melton City Libraries
Map, Streets of Melton, 1963
MELTON’S STREETS Heritage Week 2014 What’s in a Name? Alphabetical List Aboriginal place names, Early Family Names and landowners, Agricultural, Shop and Commercial premises, Places and Events Melton & District Historical Society Street Naming Project 1972 – c 1998 Suburb Name – KURUNJANG - Kirkton, 1972, Brookfield, West, 1988 Melton and Town Centre - A joint collaboration with the Shire of Melton and Subdivision Developers ARNOLD Court – Family house - Arnolds Creek ALKEMADE Drive Family – Lime kilns Coimadia ALEXANDRA Street 1902 – Corination of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra AVIATOR Place Event, location of plane crash – Jimmy Melrose 1936 Adina ?Annibee - Anniba? Agricultural Avon court .. .. BAKERY Square - Location of Jongebloed shop, bakehouse and stables BALUK Place Aboriginal BARLEYCORN Place Agricultural BILLING Place Name of Jimmy Melrose Uncle Noel Pemberton Billing BLACKWOOD Drive - Alexander Blackwood 1860c Registrar BARRIES Road C. E. Barrie “Darlingsford” farmer 1911, chaff mill owner BROOKLYN Road Staughton family residence. 1875 – Dismantled c 193? CAHILL Drive Family - Glenville Dairy CAMERON Court Family Canopus Place ? CANALLAN Drive Early Surveyor CAMPBELL Court Aviation – Melrose passenger 6th July 1936 CARBERRY Drive Michael, early landowner family CAREW Court Edward and Michael. Royal Hotel. Vera (Carew) Forran Singer - Opera CASEY Court Family CASHIN Court Family CHEVIOT Court Agriculture, breed of sheep CHESNEY Road was re named ( Minns Road being duplicated c 1973) CHRISTINA Crescent Christina McPherson, daughter of James and Mary Mary McPherson. Died 1955 aged 85 years COLLYER Close a deleted street (parallel to Yuille) re-used CORRIEDALE Road Breed of sheep CORR Court Teacher at first school, landowner CROXTON Court Name of the Hornbuckle and Knox family home DALEY Court - William Daley and family 1865 Bootmaker High Street DARLINGSFORD Boulevard - Name of early homestead Thomas B Darling 1853 DJERRIWARRH Court - Parish County of Bourke - very early map. DODEMAIDE Place Early land owners - Melton Football Team had 6 brothers playing c 1924 DONALD Court McPherson family 6 generations in Melton in 1936 DOUGAL Court DUNCAN Court .. .. DUNVEGAN Circuit Home of the McPherson family, castle Isle of Skye Name of bluestone house Smith Street (now at Willows) EMIL Court Jongebloed family EXELL Avenue Farming family Melton Sth- Closer Settlement 1907 EXFORD Road Exe former name of the Werribee river FARMER Court Name of early postmistress FERRIS Road John Ferris Farmer HANNAH Close First name of Hannah Watts – midwife HAYBALE Place Agricultural HELDER Court Early surveyor J Helder Wedge map HEWSON Street Winston Hewson Shire Engineer – check title c 1960 HENRY Street Township map c 1860 HESTON Street Heston Phoenix – C.J. Melrose plane HILDEGARDE Court Jimmy Melrose’s mothers name HOMESTEAD Close HORNBUCKLE Cres Farmers. Three members of family - Shire Presidents HURLEY Street Farmers IAIN Court Descendent of James and Mary McPherson JAMES MELROSE Drive Name appears on 2013 Melton information map JANG Place KURUN – jang KIRKTON Drive Name of the McPherson family home Toolern Vale Road KIRWIN Street Michael early landowners (deleted for freeway construction) KILPATRICKS Road Deleted when Barries Road was extended across Station Rd KOROROIT Court Early map, Parish of Kororoit. Creek name KNOX Circuit Family – Hornbuckle “Croxton Park” KURRUNJANG Drive Aboriginal name for people of the red earth – Suburb name Lara Place ? LLOYD Court Garage owners High Street. Laura lived to 100 years D 1955 LUBY Court John Luby – Crown Grant Land Title LITTLE Court MANNING Avenue Richard, hotel owner 1891 MARGARET Drive McPherson family McDONALD Street Melton South family name McKENZIE Street Township c1860 MORROW Street Early name MOWBRAY Crescent Name of English Melton, popularly believed origin of Melton MYERS Court Early setters c 1866 Crown Grant Land Title NIMMO Street Early name NIXON Street Name submitted by Mary nee Nixon Collins c1985 OLDERSHAW Road Early builder PALMERSTON Street Early township map c 1860 PEART Court Early name PENNYROYAL Avenue Plant growing by the creek. Early name used for the Toolern Toolam Creek PINKERTON Street Family name and early street map PINNACLE Crescent Agricultural - type of wheat PHOENIX Circuit C.J. Melrose Phoenix Heston Plane 2013 map PRATT Family PRIOR Court PYKE Place Brothers – early settlement 1838 RADFORD Court Land owners and business operators. Former Royal Hotel Grocer High Street demolished 1970 RAGLAN Court Hotel 19th century Lord Raglan RALEIGHS Road Oliver Reierson family (Norweigen) Shopkeeper – Dressmakers RIDDELL Drive (misspelt Riddle) Resident and land owner RODERICK Road McPherson family – a re occurring name ROLLAND Court Jones family ROSS Court Daniel. Landowner. Agnes Ross music teacher RUSSELL Court Robert. Early land surveyor of Melton 1853 RYAN Court Family early landowner. Member of the 1862 Road Board SHEBLER Place Augustus early Melton resident – Golden Fleece Hotel SHEEPFOLD Court Farming SHERWIN Court Sherwin Street earliest Township map– became Golf course SMITH Street Early township map. STRATHULLOH Circuit Strathtulloh Homestead. STAUGHTON Street Family – LARGE land owners Strachan ? SWANEY Court Marie Swaney earlier resident of Strathtulloh. SUTHERLAND Family name TOOLERN Street TOOLAM – TOOLERN Creek TULLIDGE St Road marked on 1861 map UNITT Street Early Township c 1860 WALLACE Square Cr Jack Wallace 5 terms as President 46 years unopposed WATTS Court Hannah Watts – midwife, cottage hospital WALSINGHAM Name of house of Minns family. From Walsingham Norfolk England WESTLEY Place Name of Jimmy Melrose Percival Gull Plane WESTLAKE Drive Early resident WHICKHAM Street Family Name Melton South WILSON Road Albert, Melton South YUILLE Street William Cross, early landowner, Rockbank run Zoomed in section of Melton Streets including Church and High Streetlandscapes of significance -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Folder, Pioneers & Painters; Shire of Eltham Historical Society notes, minutes, 1969-1971
Material pertaining to the production of a history of the Shire of Eltham, "Pioneers & Painters: One Hundred Years of Eltham and its Shire" in recognition of the shire's centenary in 1971 Item Title Caption 04766-1 Background to publication of a Shire Centenary book from another shire, 7 February 1969 04766-2 Outcomes of Annual General Meeting held 11 February 1969, Shire of Eltham Historical Society, Advising office bearers for 1969 as well as notice for next meeting to be held 11 March 1969 at the Eltham War Memorial Hall where guest speaker Alan Marshall will talk on a proposal to compile a history of the Shire of Eltham to be published for the centenary of the Shire in 1971 04766-3 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary, Shire of Eltham Historical Society to the Shire Secretary, Shire of Eltham seeking financial support for the publication of a history of the shire to celebrate its centenary in 1971, 21 February 1969 04766-4 Carbon copy Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary, Shire of Eltham Historical Society inviting Shire Councillors to next Historical Society meeting, 21 February 1969 Enclosed copy of letter sent to Shire Secretary, Shire of Eltham seeking financial support for the publication of a history of the shire to celebrate its centenary in 1971 04766-5 Notes following meeting with Alan Marshall regarding the publication of a history of the Shire of Eltham, 1969 In Russell Yeoman's hand writing 04766-6 Letter: M.B. Watson, Eltham Shire Secretary to Shire of Eltham Historical Society expressing support for the publication of a history of the Shire, 11 March 1969 04766-7 Alan Marshall's notes for talk to members of the Shire of Eltham Historical Society (March 1969) re research for Shire history publication, c.March 1969 04766-8 Minutes of the meeting of the Shire of Eltham Historical Society held 11 March 1969 04766-9 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary, Shire of Eltham Historical Society to F. Endacott, President of Healesville Historical Society seeking information for the publication of a history of the shire to celebrate its centenary in 1971, 10 June 1969 Areas of Healesville were initially part of the Shire of Eltham 04766-10 Letter: Page 1 of letter from F. Endacott, President, Healesville Historical Society, to Russell Yeoman regarding the history of the Shire of Eltham extending beyond Healesville, 21 June 1969 04766-11 Notice to members of the Shire of Eltham Historical Society regarding publication of a history of the Shire to be edited by Alan Marshall and advising next meeting to be held 24 June 1969 04766-12 Letter: RHSV to Shire of Eltham Historical Society agreeing to place any source material at the disposal of the society for the upcoming publication on the history of the Shire of Eltham, 30 June 1969 04766-13 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary , Shire of Eltham Historical Society to Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works seeking material for a history of the Shire. c.1969 Specific mention regarding the Maroondah Aqueduct 04766-14 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary , Shire of Eltham Historical Society to Peter Cuffley of Hamilton seeking material for a history of the Shire. 8 July 1969 Specific mention regarding Sweeneys 04766-15 Letter: Rev. Donald Longfield to Russell Yeoman regarding potential sources of information and photographs for a history of the Shire of Eltham, 9 July 1969 04766-15-2 Letter: Rev. Donald Longfield to Russell Yeoman regarding potential sources of information and photographs for a history of the Shire of Eltham, 9 July 1969 04766-15-3 Letter: Rev. Donald Longfield to Russell Yeoman regarding potential sources of information and photographs for a history of the Shire of Eltham, 9 July 1969 04766-16 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary , Shire of Eltham Historical Society to Royal Historical Society of Victoria seeking assistance on material for a history of the Shire. c.1969 Specific mention regarding the Maroondah Aqueduct 04766-17 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary , Shire of Eltham Historical Society to the Editor, RHSV Newsletter on the Society seeking material for a history of the Shire. 24 July 1969 04766-18 Notice and Agenda for Shire of Eltham Historical Society Meeting to be held 26 August 1969 Peter Basset-Smith to show his films of Eltham & District in the 1930s 04766-19 Letter: L.J. Corben, Acting Assistant Secretary, Melbourne & Metropolitan Board of Works to Russell Yeoman, Secretary , Shire of Eltham Historical Society regarding availability of material on the Maroondah Aqueduct and Dam in support of a publication on the history of the Shire, 29 August 1969 Specific mention regarding the Maroondah Aqueduct 04766-20 Notice for Shire of Eltham Historical Society Meeting to be held 23 August 1969 Peter Basset-Smith to show his films of Eltham & District in the 1930s 04766-21 Notice of cancellation for Shire of Eltham Historical Society Meeting to be held October 1969 04766-22 Notice for Shire of Eltham Historical Society Meeting to be held 25 November 1969 04766-23 Notes regarding Shire of Yea's plans to publish a book on the shire's history for its centenary in 1969 04766-24 Draft notice for call-out of historical photographs and documents in support of a publication on the history of the Shire of Eltham, 1969 04766-25 Notes from meeting of Shire of Eltham Historical Society, History Publication Committee meeting, c.1969 04766-26 Note to Russell Yeoman advising sources of printed material, photographs, etc for Pioneers & Painters - A History of Eltham Shire, c.1969 04766-27 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary , Shire of Eltham Historical Society to Heidelberg Historical Society seeking material for a history of the Shire. c.1969 Specific mention regarding floods in the area and the Heidelberg School of Painters 04766-28 Letter: Russell Yeoman, Secretary , Shire of Eltham Historical Society to Doncaster Historical Society seeking material for a history of the Shire. c.1969 Specific mention regarding Warrandyte and recent Fitzsimons Lane bridge 04766-29 Notice for Shire of Eltham Historical Society Meeting to be held 27 January 1970 04766-30 Notice for Shire of Eltham Historical Society Annual General Meeting to be held 24 February 1970 04766-31 Notice of Office Bearers elected at the Shire of Eltham Historical Society Annual General Meeting held 24 February 1970 and notice of next meeting to be held 24 March 1970 04766-32 Notice for Shire of Eltham Historical Society Meeting to be held 28 April 1970 04766-33 Notice from Russell Yeoman, Secretary, Shire of Eltham Historical Society to members advising on progress of the History Publication Committee, c. 1970 Also noted, the Society has a new P.O. Box address; P.O. Box 37 Eltham Vic. 3095 04766-34 Letter: Draft copy of letter from Russell Yeoman, Secretary, Shire of Eltham Historical Society expressing appreciation to Cr. Charis Pellis for chairing the committee which led to the publication of Pioneers & Painters, 23 August 1971 04766-35 Letter: Mrs Stella Graham of Diamond Creek to Secretary Shire of Eltham Historical Society, 1971; requesting the return of her personal papers lent in conjunction with the compilation of the history of the Shire of Eltham 04766-36 Letter: Mrs Stella Graham of Diamond Creek to Alan Marshall, 3 Aug. 1971; requesting the return of her personal papers lent in conjunction with the compilation of the history of the Shire of Eltham 04766-37 Letter: Margaret Orford of Nhill to Alan Marshall, 7 Feb 1970; advising she cannot help with any photos. Her Uncle who Alan Marshall had interviewed had all memorabilia however she definitely wanted to buy a book when available.The idea to develop a book on the history of the Shire of Eltham to be edited by noted author, Alan Marshall in celebration of the shire's centenary was initiated in 1969. The Shire of Eltham Historical Society undertook significant research in conjunction with Alan Marshall locating material at various institutions and other societies; interviewing longer term residents and a public campaign through the local press to acquire photographic material for duplication and use in the book. The public campaign received generous response and the material collected became the genesis for the Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph collection now held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library).Miscellaneous notes, copies of letters and minutes of the Shire of Eltham Historical Societyalan marshall, apted, arthurs creek, bridge street, burgoyne, cr. charis pelling, cracknell, dan glasgow, donald longfield, doncaster historical society, elsie reynolds, ethel williams, fitzsimons lane bridge, floods, frank berkery, heidelberg historical society, history publication committee, joslyn, kath stephenson, maroondah aqueduct, minutes, mmbw, motschall, panton hill, pioneers and painters, research (vic.), rev. jock ryan, rev. ken briarty, rev. longfield, rhsv, royal historical society of victoria, russell yeoman, shire of eltham historical society, shire of eltham, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, smith, stella graham, sweeney, yea shire council, margaret orford