A collection of popular songs and hymns relating to the mid-20th century. One of a number of similar type songbooks which were used for community singing which was a popular pastime in the 19th up to mid-20th centurA common item in the mid 20th-Century.Small booklet with red cover and white text. Back cover missing. Contains 119 songs S McDonaldcommunity song book, warrnambool

Blotting paper was traditionally used to blot excess ink from writing when pens and fountain pens were in common use. The paper is open weave and very absorbent. Many such as this were presented in the form of a booklet with a number of leaves inside and an appealing picture, drawing or advertising material on the front. A common item which would have been in use for many years. This particular one has visual appeal.A pale green card blotter with a picture of house surrounded by multi- coloured cottage garden. Verse is underneath the picture. The picture is on a separate piece of paper which is glued to the green card. It has a zig zag edge on the card and includes four sheets of blotting paper. Held with green cotton cord on the side.A gift Blotter for Mother. The sweetest sounds to mortals given are heard in Mother, Home and Garden. (William Goldsmith Brown)blotting paper, warrnambool

The box pieces belong to a VeeDee Massager that has been in the Historical Society collection for several years. It is an interesting example of the dubious medical aids used by 19th century and early 20th century people who resorted to this sort of appliance to try to find relief for many ailments. The box lists the ailments that the massager claims to be able to treat effectively. These include rheumatism, lung troubles, sciatica, insomnia, kidney disease, paralysis, constipation, deafness, bowel complaints and tumours. These box pieces are kept because they have much information on them regarding the use of the VeeDee massager, with a list of the ailments and medical conditions that are claimed to be cured or aided by the use of massager. The information is of use when researching social and medical history and tells us much about the primitive knowledge of ailments and illnesses in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The massager is a medical curiosity of much interest to people today and is a valuable and fascinating display piece. These are the remains of a box that contained a VeeDee massager. There are two pieces - a flattened piece of cardboard that once formed the base and sides of the box and another cardboard piece that was the top of the box. The two small ends of the original box are missing. The inside of the box is red and the base and the sides are green and white with illustrations and descriptive material in black printingThe box pieces have much printed material on them in six languages, but the main heading is ‘THE VEEDEE FOR VIBRATORY MASSAGE’warrnambool, allied health

Lead shot used for guns. No information is available on the origin of these lead balls.These balls are of antiquarian interest only and may be useful for displayThese 13 balls are made of lead but their purpose is unclear. They are all pitted and are obviously home made. They are in a small Havelock Tobacco tin, much rusted but originally painted green.Tin – ‘Havelock Flake Cut Tobacco’lead balls, warrnambool

This ledger is unused but has been produced to be used as a financial ledger for an Australian business probably in the early 20th Century. This item has no known local provenance but is retained as a very fine example of a vintage business ledger. It will be useful for display.This book has a cover of wood which in turn is covered with brown suede and burgundy leather .There is an inset of the burgundy leather with gold printing and border in the centre of the front cover. The labels on the spine have been worn away. Insides of the covers are pages mottled with a burgundy pattern. The pages have black printing and are ruled with pink lines. The edges of the pages form a marbled pattern. 28,001 to 30,000warrnambool, ledger

This jug would have been used in a household some time in the 20th century. It was probably used to hold milk or could have been used as a vase. It has no known provenance.This jug has no known local provenance and may be useful for display. It has been an attractive object.This is a jug with a blue floral pattern covering most of the jug, except for the white handles. The top and base are edged with gold decoration but this is mostly faded away. The top has a fluted edge and there is a small chip on the lip and a crack at the top.‘Dee’ noritake jug, warrnambool

Coin holders were used as a convenient way of carrying coins and also as a fashion accessory, worn on a belt or as a necklace. They date from the 19th and early 20th centuries.This item is of interest as an item that was in use a 100 years ago or moreThis is a silver coin holder, circular in shape. It has an outer container with an inner mechanism for placing the coins in and pushing down the lid to hold the coins. It has a ring at the top of the outer container for attaching to a chain. The holder is somewhat battered in places and worn and marked. antiquarian coin holders, warrnambool

No particular information is available on this item but as the matches were made at a Commonwealth Government factory they probably date from World War Two (1939-45). At this time many essential items that would be of particular use for the war effort were produced by Government factories to ensure a regular supply and to regulate the use within the community. This item has no known local provenance but is of some historical interest as an example of matches produced mid 20th century. Matches at that time were much more important as a lighting mechanism and a common household item. This is round cardboard box in two sections with a circular cardboard lid (slightly bent). The box has a striped black and cream pattern on it. The box has 21 waxed matches with blue or white tips.‘The Commonwealth Match Works, Melbourne, Waterproof’commonwealth match works, warrnambool

Information on the history of this knife and sheaf is not known. They were popular items for boys and young men to carry, especially when working in the bush or fishing. They are still in use today. These items have no known provenance and are useful for display only This is a belt knife, much rusted with a curved blade and a brown metal handle, silver-coloured at the top and end and brown-coloured with red and black bands near the end. The handle has a metal screw at the tip. The knife is in a leather sheaf or holder which is curved to suit the shape of the knife. It has stitching on the curved section with metal studs, two slots to enable the sheaf to be attached to a belt and a circular leather strop with a metal stud to hold the knife in place. The leather is rubbed. The belt may not originally have been for this knife.belt knife and sheaf, warrnambool

No information is available on this particular item but it was common practice in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to use bone as ornaments or jewellery. Tusks were used to make earrings or necklaces.This item is of interest as an example of the use of bone as ornaments or jewellery. It will be useful for display. This is a piece of curved bone (coloured black or polished) with a round metal piece at the top with a loop for attachment to a chain or fabric. It is probably a tusk from a boar or pig. The bone is somewhat blotched and the metal is a little rusted.bone jewellery, warrnambool

Troy weight is a system of units of mass used for weighing precious metals and gemstones. The items here have no known provenance or donor.These items have no local significance and are useful for display onlyThese are six troy weights – 4 ounces, 2 ounces, I ounce, ½ ounce, ¼ ounce, ¼ ounce. They are brass and circular in shape and have ridged edges so that they fit one on top of the other. They are all slightly discoloured. The smallest ¼ ounce weight is different in shape and has a small brass knob on top.‘4 oz troy, 2 oz troy, 1 oz troy, ½ oz troy, ¼ oz troy, ¼ troy’ Old cataloguing number etched on all of the weights – ‘1499’ troy weights, warrnambool

Shell purses became popular in late Victorian times and were made to go into a pocket or a larger purse. Many were made from freshwater molluscs. This item has no known local provenance but is of interest as an example of a personal item used in late Victorian times and will be useful for display This is an oval-shaped purse with the outer case made from a shell which is opalescent with brown and cream mottled markings. The clasp is gold-coloured metal with an ornate catch and attachments. Inside there are three compartments made of blue cloth trimmed with cream paper. It is damaged on the top near the metal hinge. shell purse, warrnambool

No information is available on these two bottles. Small perfume bottles were used extensively in Victorian and Edwardian times and are still in use today. Perfume bottles of the past are collectable items.These bottles are suitable as display items and have no local significance.These are two plain glass bottles of similar shape, one with a stopper. The bottles have a rounded bottom and a smaller neck. The stopper is of metal with a serrated top. There is printing on top of the stopper. ‘B & Co. L., Rd. No. 384531’perfume bottles, warrnambool

This croquet mallet belonged to Martha Beatrice McCullough (nee Barker), wife of George McCullough, who died in November 1931 at the age of 50. She lived at the house at 113 Koroit Street named ‘Heatherlie’ (the site of the current retirement residential units) and owned and managed the Silver Stream Café in Liebig Street. The mallet was used by her and may have been used by her mother before her. Croquet was a popular sport, especially for women after the 1880s. This is a significant item as it is an artefact associated with women’s sport in the late 19th century and early 20th century. It is also important as it belonged to a local Warrnambool resident and businesswoman whose granddaughter resides in Warrnambool today.This is a brown-coloured wooden croquet mallet. The handle has ribbed leather binding and the mallet has brass edging and brass on the under section attached with twelve brass screws. The handle is octagonal shaped. The lower section of the handle and the mallet have been varnished. On the mallet: ‘The Reel’croquet, warrnambool

No specific information is available on this item. Letter openers and book marks of an ornate nature were common household and personal items in the past and are still used today. This item probably dates from the early 1900s. This item is of antiquarian interest and is useful for display as an example of household or personal items of the past.This is a stiffened velvet holder edged with gilt metal with a chain attached. The chain has a gilt book mark attached. The book mark has a metal blade with an ornamental shield at the top. The book mark can also be used as a letter opener. The holder probably originally held another letter opener or another similar item to complete the set. The case is somewhat scuffed. letter opener/book mark and case, warrnambool

One of a number of documents relating to the Bostock family. Unsure to which Mr Bostock this letter relates. Generally speaks of the weather and his wife’s illness.One of a number of items relating to the Bostock family and is indicative of letters of the time. One page hand written letter in black pen. White lined paper.Addressed to Mr Bostock from J C McPherson. Dated 13/07/52 ?bostock, warrnambool

No information is available regarding this item and it is not known who ‘H.W.’ is. Silver serviettes such as this one were common household items and common wedding presents in the early 20th century. The fact that this one is silver and is monogrammed suggests that it came from an affluent family. It may have been one of a set. Serviette rings are still used today, especially for formal dining occasions. This item is of interest in that it is an example of dining customs in the early 20th century. It is a display item.This is a circular silver object used to hold a folded serviette. It has four hallmarks which indicate it is British made and it has a monogram, ‘H.W.’ It is slightly tarnished and has some small dents. ‘H.W.’ (or ‘W.H.’)serviette ring, warrnambool

No specific information is available on this item. Household items made of ivory were common in the early 20th century and were often brought back to Australia from people returning from an overseas trip. Many of these types of items came from Asia. Letter openers are still is use today.This item is of interest as an example of the use of ivory in household items early in the 20th century. This use of ivory is in the main illegal today.This is a letter opener made of ivory. It has a plain blade with a rounded highly decorated handle. The decoration consists mainly of punched holes in geometrical patterns. The top has a hole for hanging up the item. There is a small split in the ivory in the middle of the handle. letter opener, warrnambool

No specific information is available on this item but miniature books, especially Bibles and dictionaries, were popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were made to carry on the person. This item is of interest as an example of a novelty item popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is useful for display.This is a miniature Bible of 877 pages. It has a dark blue leather cover and the pages are gilt-edged. It has a folder at the back with a small magnifying glass enclosed. The cover is slightly scuffed and worn. Spine of cover: ‘Holy Bible’miniature bible, warrnambool

No information is available on these two items which would have been collected and polished by someone, probably someone interested in lapidary. The quartz would probably not have come from our area (Western District of Victoria).These items have no known local significance and will be useful only for display. These are two white quartz crystals with gold and silvery encrustations and markings. They are rough on the top and cut into geometric shapes and polished on the bottom part. The larger piece seems to have been fused together or split at one stage. quartz crystals, warrnambool

These tram tickets were issued by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board which operated from 1919 to 1983 and the train ticket was issued by the Victorian Railways. The Williamstown Short Road Ferry operated from 1931 to 1974 from Port Melbourne to Williamstown and was replaced by the West Gate Bridge which opened in 1978. This was the third ferry service in this area, with the first one commencing in 1873. These tickets have social significance as examples of the tickets used by Melbourne transport in the 1950s. They will be useful for display.These are five paper transport tickets (Melbourne tram & train and Williamstown ferry). The tram tickets are coloured orange and pink, the ferry ticket is green and the train ticket (made of light cardboard) is orange and yellow. The two orange tram tickets, (cost threepence) have an advertisement for Stamina Trousers on the back. They were purchased on the same day. The other tram ticket is a City Section ticket costing fivepence. The ferry ticket cost threepence and the train ticket for travel between Jolimont and Seaholme cost three shillings and fivepence. The tram tickets except for the City Section tram one have been punched with the characteristic punch of the conductor during those journeys. ‘Ask for Stamina self-supporting trousers, Thought for the Month, We become like those we habitually admire’. melbourne tram, train and ferry tickets., warrnambool

No specific information is available on these items. Cuff links were used in place of buttons on the sleeves of men's dress shirts which were made with button holes on both edges of the cuff. They were typically used for more formal occasions and many sported decorative stones or facades. Although we have no known information on these items, cufflinks generally have social significance and also some aesthetic appeal. They have long been a fashion item for men , with first usage recorded around the 16th century. These are five metal cufflinks, all gold in colour. Three are matching with a small mother-of pearl stud and two are matching with a black shiny round stud. There is also a small metal clip which may not belong to the other items. The items are in a plastic jewellery box (probably not originally housing these items). The box has a hinged lid and a ridged top with the embossed image of a rose and it is lined with black felt and white silk. The black felt has four holes for attaching an item of jewellery. Bottom of box: ‘Casecraft, Cat. No 104, Made in Australia’cuff links, warrnambool

This coin was minted in the time of Queen Victoria whose young image appears on the coin. It is a bronze coin mainly composed of copper with traces of tin and zinc. From 1825 English coins were minted in countries of the Empire where they were used as currency. In 1862 pennies would have been one of the more common denominations in circulation.A common item which is well worn and as such has historical and social significance.Round copper coin with image of woman on the obverse with letters EG. F D. The reverse side is extremely worn with only the date 1862 legible.There is a small section of dotted edge also below the date.1862warrnambool, english penny

This container is a piece of trench art. It has been made in 1917 in World War One. The container is made from a 4.5 inches Howitzer shell. The 4.5 Howitzers were British artillery units made with a short barrel and used to fire missiles over a high trajectory. It is probable that the container was made by an Australian soldier while on active service overseas during World War One. This container has no known local provenance but it is a very interesting and attractive piece of World War One trench art. This is a heavy brass container made from a Howitzer shell. The container is round with four-leaf clover –type patterns on the side and three round knobs welded on to the bottom to give it a base. There are many markings on the base of the shell and these may all be the original markings. The lid is made of lighter brass and has an octagonal-shaped knob on top. ‘4.5 Howr 11’ ‘B.A. 3 3 17’ ‘1917’ M.A.C.’ etc world war one, warrnambool

This is a mantel clock used probably in the dining room or lounge room of a house. It would have been a common item in a household in the 20th century and was often an heirloom passed down from grandparents. This type of clock is an attractive item and is still regarded as highly desirable today.This clock has no known local significance but is retained as an attractive and historical item and serves as an example of a high quality household object of the past. This is a black wooden clock with a rectangular base with ornamental metal corner pieces and two ornamental gilt metal patterns. The clock has an overhanging rectangular top with two gilt handles on the side. Also on the sides of the lock are two green inset faux columns with two metal ornaments in between. The brass mechanism at the back of the clock has four wheels. The clock face has a glass front, black numbers and metal hands. There is a strip of brass around the outside of the face. There are two key holes on the face. 'Sessions'warrnambool, mantel clock

Finger from an agricultural finger bar mower for cutting hay.This item has no known local provenance but is retained as an interesting example of a farming tool of the past. This is small metal tool in the shape of a knife with a sharp curved tapering point at the end, a mid cross piece and a hole at the top. The tool is very rusty. warrnambool, vintage farming tool

This small cross cut saw, with a home-made handle, would have been used to fell small trees or cut timber and was designed to be used by one person. Cross cut saws derive from ancient times but came into general use in the 15th century. Those used to fell large trees or cut large pieces of timber were operated by two people. Cross cut saws today have been mostly replaced by electric chain saws. This is a small cross cut saw. It has a metal blade with large serrations or teeth and a metal piece affixed to the blade with screws. A wooden handle has been fitted into the end metal piece in an upright position. The metal is pitted and rusted and the handle is rectangular-shaped tapering down at the end where it is affixed to the metal. vintage tools, warrnambool

These nylon stockings are a sample of the type of stockings worn by women between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. Before the Second World War women’s stockings were made mostly of silk, cotton and wool. Nylon stockings became popular with the introduction of nylon in the 1940s and continued to be used (in conjunction with suspender belts) until the 1960s when the pantihose, a thin nylon form of tights covering the legs up to the waist, was introduced and became the favored leg covering for women. Stockings can still be purchased and worn in some circumstances. These stockings are of interest as an example of the items of clothing worn by women in the mid 20th century. They will be useful for displayThis is a pair of beige-coloured nylon stockings. They are folded into a piece of white cardboard and partly enclosed in a clear cellophane wrapping with a decorative pattern on the edges. ‘Hilton Cotton Foot 30 Denier Twin Thread 10½ Average’women’s apparel, warrnambool

The woollen industry has always been of the utmost importance in Australia. Although exports have declined over the past decades the production of fine wool still remains important in our economy. The great increase in wool production in the mid to late 19th century in Australia led to the need to replace the hand shears with some mechanized form of shearing. The first sheep shearing machine in Australia was patented in 1867 and improvements to this early model were made over the ensuing years. The early 1890s saw the introduction of flexible drive shafts. The two items here described show this innovation. These two items are of interest as examples of handpieces used early in the 20th century in the mechanized shearing of sheep. They would be typical of the pieces used in the wool industry in the early 20th century in Western Victoria. There are today many local shearers living in Warrnambool and nearby towns and working in the district. .1 This is a metal handpiece for a sheep shearing mechanism. It has a toothed blade attached with metal screws at one end and a jointed metal pipe at the other end for attachment to the shearing machine. The middle section has been covered with black leather for easier gripping. .2 This is a metal handpiece for a sheep shearing mechanism. It has a toothed blade at one end and a flexible metal attachment at the other end to connect it to the shearing machine. Both items are rusted and stained. ‘Sunbeam Flight Lister’sheep shearing in the western district, warrnambool

This ink well is of the type used in the 19th and 20th centuries as a container for ink. Because of its smallness it is presumed it was used in a household or small business. Pens and ink wells were used in writing up to about 1950 when fountain pens became more common and the ink was stored more in bottles or cartridges. The advent of the ballpoint pen eliminated the need for ink. This is a green-tinted glass container with a rectangular body and a smaller rectangular neck with an open top. The top of the container near the neck is ridged. The opening is chipped and partly broken off. ‘3’vintage household items, warrnambool