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Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Document - Financial agreement, Bank of Australasia et al, Banks' Agreement, 5-2-1877 to 15-5-1878
This Banks' Agreement refers to one of several agreements made between the Warrnambool and district bank Managers not to exceed the stated rates of interest. The first section of the Agreement is dated 5th February 1877 and the last date is 15th May 1879. The Banks agreed to specific interest rates for fixed deposits and the terms of those deposits. The first page refers to a previous Agreement being terminated on 14th August 1875. A document from the ANZ Bank, Melbourne, refers to another Agreement dated 2nd April 1879. A transcription of the Banks' Agreement is attached to this record. The four banks subscribing to the Agreement are: - Bank of Australasia Bank of Victoria Colonial Bank of Australasia National Bank of Australasia The Bank of Australasia was incorporated by the Royal Charter of England in March 1834. The bank began in Australia on 14th December 1835, opening in Sydney. The Acting Superintendent of the bank at that time was David Charters McArthur. He was Superintendent from 1867 to 1876. The Melbourne branch opened on 28th August 1838 in a two-roomed brick cottage on the north side of Little Collins Street, where two huge mastiff dogs were used at night to guard the bank. The government also provided an armed military sentinel. Due to the bank's rapid growth, a new building for the Melbourne branch was opened in 1840 at 75 Collins Street West. By 1879 the bank had been upgraded to a magnificent two-storey building on the corners of Collins and Queens Streets, with the entry on Collins Street. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia amalgamated with the Union Bank to form Australia and New Zealand Bank, now known as the ANZ. Then in 1970, the ANZ merged with both the ES&A and the London Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Banking Group Limited. The ANZ Banking Group Ltd kindly donated various historic items from the Bank of Australasia. BANK of AUSTRALASIA, WARRNAMBOOL – In 1854 Warrnambool had two banks, the Union Bank and the Bank of Australasia. Later, completely different bank businesses opened; in 1867 the National Bank of Australasia, then in 1875 the Colonial Bank of Australasia. The original Warrnambool branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in July 1854, and operated from a leased cottage on Merri Street, close to Liebig Street. The bank later bought a stone building previously erected by drapers Cramond & Dickson on the corner of Timor and Gibson Streets. Samuel Hannaford was a teller and then Manager at the Warrnambool branch from 1855 to 1856 and the Warrnambool Council chose that bank for its dealings during 1856-57. In 1859 Roberts & Co. was awarded the contract to build the new Bank of Australasia branch for £3,000. The land was on a sand hill on the northeast corner of Timor and Kepler Streets and had been bought in 1855 by investor James Cust. The new building opened on May 21, 1860. The bank continued to operate there until 1951 when it merged with the Union Bank to form the ANZ Bank, which continued operating from its Liebig Street building. Warrnambool City Council purchased the former Bank of Australasia building in 1971 and renovated it, then on 3rd December 1973 it was officially opened as the Art Gallery by Cr. Harold Stephenson and Gallery Director John Welsh. The Gallery transferred to the purpose-built building on Liebig Street in 1986 and the old bank building is now the Gallery Club. Staff at the Bank of Australasia in Warrnambool included the following men but others were also involved: Samuel Hannaford, Teller then Manager from 1855-1856; W H Palmer, Manager from January 1857 until November 1869 when the Teller Basil Spence was promoted to Manager; H B Chomley, Manager from April 1873 and still there in 1886; A Butt, Manager in 1895-1904; J R McCleary Accountant and Acting Manager for 12 months, until 1900; A Kirk, Manager 1904; J Moore, staff until his transfer to Bendigo in December 1908; J S Bath was Manager until 1915; C C Cox, Manager until April 1923; Richard C Stanley, Manager 1923 to April 1928. This Banks' Agreement has historical significance as it belonged to the Bank of Australasia which was established in Australia in 1835 by Royal Charter. One of the four parties of the Agreement was the Warrnambool branch, so the document is also a historical record of the financial agreements between similar institutions in the local area. The document is significant for its association with the Bank of Australasia in Warrnambool, the first bank in Warrnambool, established in 1854. The bank continued to operate until its merger in 1951 when it became the ANZ Bank, which is still in operation today. The Bank was an integral part of the establishment and growth of commerce in Colonial Warrnambool and throughout Australia.Document titled the Banks Agreement; a four-page document handwritten in black ink with a nib pen on heavy cream-coloured paper. The document describes the agreement between four banks local to Warrnambool and the district. It specifies interest rates for fixed deposits, the period of the deposits and the penalty for early withdrawal. It includes banks in Warrnambool, Belfast (now Port Fairy) and Koroit and is dated from February 1877 to May 1878. It has been signed by the Banks' Managers. The contents are an agreement not to exceed the stated rates of interest. This copy belonged to the Bank of Australasia, Warrnambool."Banks' Agreement" "Warrnambool" "Belfast" "Koroit" "5th February 1877" "17th February 1877" "16th May 1877" "6th May 1878" "14th May 1878" "15th May 1878"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, commerce, banking, bank of australasia, australia & new zealand bank, anz bank, david charters mcarthur, banks' agreement, bank of victoria, colonial bank of australasia, national bank of australasia, belfast (now port fairy), koroit, fixed term deposits, interest rates, 1877, 1878, bills, promissory notes, current accounts -
Puffing Billy Railway
3 NAL (Teepookana), 1st. class saloon car, 1901–1902
3 NAL - Teepookana - (Mt. Lyell) O 3; 3 NBL - 1st. class saloon car (20) NAL FIRST-CLASS SALOON CAR. Four saloon end-platform cars originally built during 1901–1902 by the Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd. for the 3'6" gauge Mt. Lyell Mining & Railway Company in Tasmania and classed O. Converted for use as second-class cars on the 2'6" gauge Puffing Billy Railway during 1965–1966, these cars were reclassified NBL and numbered 1–4. The L recognises their Mt. Lyell origin, No. 1 was kept for use as the Railway's VIP car and was reconditioned to a higher standard. No. 2 was similarly upgraded in 1985 for use on special occasions. In 1989 No. 3 was similarly reconditioned with No. 4 receiving similar treatment in 1995. These cars were re-classified NAL in recognition of their new first-class nature. The Mt Lyell Railway was closed in 1963 and subsequently dismantled, but fortunately several of the locomotives and carriages passed into preservation. Purchased by Puffing Billy Preservation Society from the Mount Lyell Mining & Railway Company in the 1960s, it was converted to 2' 6" gauge. It has since given many years of service on the Puffing Billy Railway. TASMANIAN CARRIAGES & GUARDS VANS No. Builder Type Year built Ex. Location Note NAL 1 Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Co Saloon 1901 Mt Lyell Railway Named Mt Lyell NAL 2 Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Co Saloon 1901 Mt Lyell Railway Named Rinadeena NAL 3 Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Co Saloon 1901 Mt Lyell Railway Named Teepookana NAL 4 Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Co Saloon 1901 Mt Lyell Railway Named Dubbil Barril Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Co The Lancaster Company was formed in 1863 and owned extensive works on the outskirts of Lancaster where it produced railway rolling stock of all descriptions, tram cars, wheels and axles, etc and had a reputation for work of a very high-class character. In 1902 Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage and Wagon Co was registered on 18 April and incorporated as a limited company to amalgamate 6 companies including Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Co These works were closed in 1908 when the business was transferred to Ashbury 1st Saloon Carriage Owner Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, Queenstown, TAS Builder Lancaster Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd, England Build date 1901 - 1902 Car length 31 ft 4 in (9.55 m) Car weight 11 t (11.18 ton) Gauge Original Narrow: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Rebuilt Narrow: 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) Configuration Bogie Capacity 1 -3: 20 Passengers 4: 28 Passengers Number in class 4 Numbers Mt. Lyell: O 2 - O 3, O 5, O 6 Puffing Billy: NBL 1 - NBL 4, NAL 1 - NAL 4, Mt. Lyell, Teepookana, Rinadeena, Dubbil Barril First run 1901 No. Name Location In Service Withdrawn Condition Livery NAL 1 Mt Lyell, NBL 1 Puffing Billy Reclassed from O 5. Recoded to NAL 1. Operational NAL 2 Teepookana, NBL 2 Puffing Billy Converted from O 2. Upgraded - 1985. Recoded to NAL 2. Operational NAL 3 Rinadeena, NBL 3 Puffing Billy Converted from O 3. Upgraded - 1989. Converted to NAL 3. Operational NAL 4 Dubbil Barril, NBL 4 Puffing Billy Converted from O 6. Upgraded - 1995. Converted to NAL 4. Operational Historic - Industrial Narrow Gauge railway - Mt. Lyell Mining & Railway Company in Tasmania - 1st Class Saloon Carriage1st. class saloon car made of Timber and steel3 NAL - Teepookanapuffing billy railway -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, early 1900's
This photograph of the 10 crew of the SPECULANT would have been taken prior to Feb 10th 1911, when the ship was wrecked on the south coast of Victoria at a place called Cape Patton. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph, black and white. of the 10 crew of the SPECULANT on board the ship holding two 'Speculant Warrnambool' lifebuoys. Taken early 1900's flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, warrnambool historical photograph, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, early 1900's
This photograph of the SPECULANT was taken while she was in dock at the Warrnambool, Victoria, Breakwater in the early 1900's. Crew seem busy on her decks and others are watching from the breakwater. There are also 2 steamships in the photograph. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph. black and white, of the three-masted barque SPECULANT in dock at the Warrnambool Breakwater in the early 1900's. A steam ship is docked behind her and another steamship is in Lady Bay on her left. There are people on the SPECULANT and others walking nearby. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, before 1911
Photograph, black and white, of the sailing barque Speculant, berth at Warrnambool Breakwater. Two steamships are also in the photograph. There are people on the Speculant and on the breakwater. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph, black and white, of the sailing barque Speculant, berth at Warrnambool Breakwater. Two steamships are also in the photograph. There are people on the Speculant and on the breakwater.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, warrnambool breakwater, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, The Barquentine "Speculant" at Melbourne Docks, before 1911
This photograph is of the barque "SPECULANT" during one of her voyages to Melbourne. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph, black and white, titled "The barquentine "Speculant", at Melbourne Docks"Title below photograph reads "The barquentine "Speculant", at Melbourne Docks"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, photograph, speculant, melbourne docks, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, f. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, before February 1911
Title "Bqt Speculant" on front of photograph - where "Bqt" is the abbreviation for "barguentine" [see The Shipslist, Ancestry.com] The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Back and White photograph of the barquentine Speculant, at dock. Title "Bqt Speculant" on front of photo.Title "Bqt Speculant" on front of photo.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, c 10th February 1911
This photograph was taken after the SPECULANT was wrecked at Cape Patton, Victoria. It is uncertain which ship is in the photograph insert to the the top right hand corner of this photograph. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Black and White photograph of the barquentine Speculant, on rocks at Cape Patton, steep hills in the background. A second photo in top right hand corner of a different ship aground, with a crowd in the foreground, Hand written in white on front of photograph "SPECULANT ASHORE ON CAPE PATTEN 10/2/11" (incorrect spelling of Cape Patton).Hand written in white on front of photograph "SPECULANT ASHORE ON CAPE PATTEN 10/2/11" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, photograph, speculant, cape patton, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, f. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime historyla bella, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, 10/02/1911
This photograph of the wrecked SPECULANT would have been taken soon after the ship ran aground, as her sails are still flying. There are people aboard at the stern of the ship. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Black and White photograph of the barquentine Speculant, on rocks at Cape Patton, some sails still hung, people on board. White hand writing on front of photograph "SPECULANT WRECKED CAPE PATTEN.10/2/11" (incorrect spelling of Cape Patton)White hand writing on front of photograph "SPECULANT WRECKED CAPE PATTEN.10/2/11" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, Mr. H. Pengilley, c. February 1911
This photograph would have been taken a while after the SPECULANT was wrecked at Cape Patton, Victoria, because she has broken up and the bow has been moved away from the ship. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Black and White photograph of the Bow of the Speculant, on rocks at Cape Patton. On reverse side it states that the photograph was taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay "Taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, Mr. H. Pengilley, c. 10/02/1911
This photograph of the wreck SPECULANT was taken shortly after the ship was wreck, sails still on masts. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Black and White photograph of the Barquentine Speculant, on rocks at Cape Patton, sails still up, steep hill in background. Black pen written on pfront of photograph "Wreck Speculant", "Cape Patten". On reverse side it states that the photograph was taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay On front, Black pen written on pfront of photograph "Wreck Speculant", "Cape Patten". On reverse, "taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay "flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, Mr. H. Pengilley, c. 10/02/1911
This photograph was taken shortly after the wreck of the SPECULANT at Cape Patton, Victoria. There are people on board the ship and it seems that they are taking the sails down. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Black and White photograph of the Barquentine Speculant, on rocks at Cape Patton. Several people are on board. Some sails are still on masts. White hand writing on front "Wreck Speculant On Rocks Cape Patten". On reverse side it states that the photograph was taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay. on front, hand written in white "Wreck Speculant On Rocks Cape Patten". On reverse "taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, mr. h. pengilley, photograph, speculant, cape patton, apollo bay -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, Mr. H. Pengilley, c. 10/02/1911
Photograph of the wrecked SPECULANT taken shortly after the ship was wrecked at Cape Patton, Victoria. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Black and White photograph of the Barquentine Speculant, on rocks at Cape Patton. On front hand written in white "Wreck of Speculant on Cape Patten". On reverse side it states that the photograph was "taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay" On front, white hand writing, "Wreck of Speculant on Cape Patten". On reverse "taken by Mr. H. Pengilley Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, c. 10/02/1911
Photograph of the wreck of the barque SPECULANT, wrecked at Cape Patton, Victoria. The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Black and White photograph of the Barquentine Speculant, on rocks at Cape Patton. On front in white hand writing "Speculant wrecked 10/2/11 Cape Patten"."Speculant wrecked 10/2/11 Cape Patten".flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history, h. pengilley apollo bay, cape patton victoria, warrnambool historical photograph -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph - Two Photographs, Saunders, 1864-1972
Taken some time after 1864, these photographs depict the Star Hotel both directly (8674.1) and from the Hotel north west down Ford Street (8674.2). The images depict the building with its modern exterior, having settled for this brick form after several other building designs. The Star Hotel was the first hotel opened in Beechworth, and would go through a series of dramatic changes under its first three owners. The original timber structure was built by W.H. Neuber, though at the time it was only known as ‘The Beechworth Hotel’. The site was later purchased in 1855 by mining entrepreneur, and prolific business owner, John Alston “Six Stars” Wallace. He would go on to extend the established hotel, rebuilding much of it with weatherboard and a shingled roof, adding a two storey structure with a verandah and a theatre capable of supporting 400-500 people, which was often used for international performances. Renamed as the Star Hotel, it was the second in a chain franchise, eventually leading to the “Six Stars” moniker Wallace went by, with hotels at Rutherglen, Chiltern, Yackandandah, Bright, Snake Valley, and of course, Beechworth. Under his ownership, it developed into a popular location for merchants, wayfarers, and locals alike, with the help of his brother Peter as manager. Situated on a road once synonymous with Melbourne to Sydney roadtrips, and the allure of the gold mines, the popularity of the Star drew all manner of clientele from across the country. As such a central hub, the ‘Star Assembly Rooms’ were used as a meeting place for debates, discussions, festivities, and problem solving among the various working sects of the area. These meetings included shareholder discussions for prospecting companies, railway planning, council meetings, and discussions surrounding the interactions between European and Chinese miners, both good and bad. By late 1856, John had the Beechworth at auction through J.H. Grey & Co. It was most likely due to the high profile murder of the manager, Robert Murdoch, during an altercation in relation to a dine and dash event by a Swedish miner, Charles Jansen, who had been ‘excited by drink’ on November 17th. He had refused to pay for his meal and waiter James Mitchell failed to persuade him otherwise. Mitchell, or possibly Murdoch himself, forced him out as tempers and threats escalated. As the photos tell, there are a number of doors which may be entered through, and Jansen used an alternate entrance to access the building. Murdoch was investigating the noise when he encountered the furious man. He was subsequently stabbed with no warning by a small clasp knife, as he tried to stop the intrusion. His exclamations, "I’m stabbed, I’m stabbed!” alerting other occupants, and Jansen was restrained and arrested. Murdoch died the next day from his injuries, with the inquest carried out on the theatre stage. Some 3000 members of the town attended the funeral, and the Star hung black cloth in memory of Robert and his death. Afterwards, an auction caw the property pass to Messrs Robertson and Quirk, though would return shortly thereafter to Six Stars’ portfolio. Six Stars would later sell off his properties from 1862, with the Beechworth Star purchased by 1864 by John Sitch Clark. This allowed Clark to redevelop a significant portion of the Hotel, stripping a central section and constructing the brick structure that survives today, reopening the Star in July that year. It was after this time that our photographs were taken. Clark would later sell the property to Frank Mitchell, shortly before his own death. The next owner, Frederick Allen, lived on the property before the deed was sold to him in the 1880s. He would later sell the property to William Carroll in 1890, with proprietorship eventually moving to Mr. W.H. Porter, and transferring to a Mr. Marendaz by 1913 and Mr. Holly in 1915. Licensing disputes would arise 1917 between Margaret Carroll and a Mrs. McDonald, before it became delicenced some years prior to 1935. It was around this year that the property was bought by Mr. W.J. Pemberton at the meagre price of £500, down from the £13,000 Six Stars originally auctioned it for. It served as a Youth Hostel for a period of time around 1972, and currently the building serves as a private accommodation on the second floor, with shops taking up the ground floor level.These photographs of the Beechworth Star Hotel as they depict a form of Beechworth's first hotel, and also the site of a high profile murder. Two black and white rectangular photographs printed on matte photographic paper.8674.1 (reverse) Beechworth/ 734/ Tanswell’s Hotel [crossed out]/? Old Star/ Hotel,/[small pencil scratching]/ Saunders/ BMM 8674.1 8674.2 (reverse) Beechworth/ 60%[circled]/ Old Star Hotel/Building etc.,/ 12 ½ cm/ 3"[circled, arrows extending horizontally to edges]/[arrows extending top to bottom mid-right of reverse]/ Saunders/ 734[circled]/ BMM 867.2,/ [thin scribbled bordering around top, right, and bottom edges]star hotel, beechworth hotel, john alston wallace, ja wallace, john sitch clark, frederick allen, robert murdoch, meeting place, tragedy, theatre, mining town -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Leading Aircraftsman, Lester Neil Ingram, RAAF, c.1943
Lester Neil Ingram was born at Kew, 8 November 1911, the son of John and Ada (Key) Ingram of Research. According to Electoral Roll records, in 1903, John Ingram was a farmer at Lancefield, his wife Ada, a milliner. By 1906, John Ingram was a baker at Research and from about 1912, an orchardist. The family moved to Anglesea River sometime between 1943 and 1949. A sheet metal worker by trade, Lester had run the bakery business for 14 years, his father retired, and was working as a baker at Anglesea when he enlisted in the R.A.A.F. on 5 December 1941 at Melbourne. Previously he had worked as a baker at Research (1937). He undertook training as Aircrew at No. 4 Initial Training School at Victor Harbour, South Australia, followed by No. 1 Wireless Air Gunners School at Ballarat, Victoria, and No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School, West Sale, Victoria. On October 15, 1942 Lester qualified as an Air Gunner, promoted to Sergeant, and was posted to 1 Embarkation Depot at Ascot Vale, Victoria, and attached to R.A.F. UK. Lester embarked from Australia December 2, 1942 and arrived at 11 Personnel Despatch and Reception Depot on January 13, 1943. On March 9 he was transferred to 10 Operational Training Unit, Group No. 91, Bomber Command, R.A.F. Lester’s service file reveals that on the evening of 22 April 1943, Lester was a member of the aircrew of Whitley V bomber, N.1374. The airframe had run 1,127 hours. A full moon was just rising. The flight was non-operational, its purpose a dual conversion on type mission flown by a student pilot with almost two hours completed at night on similar flights. They had just changed aircraft as their previous aircraft had become unserviceable. The pilot had accepted the aircraft, which was technically unserviceable as the NCO in charge of flight had not completed the inspection paperwork correctly. The aircraft had undergone a major engine repair the day before. The aircraft took off at 2348 hours from R.A.F. Abington. It was reported that the aircraft take-off was quite normal and after climbing to 800 feet it passed out of view of the ground observers. A few seconds later the aircraft crashed, and it was reported that the sound of the engines seemed to become desynchronised. The crash occurred one and a half miles northwest of Longworth, Berkshire and the aircraft destroyed by fire. It carried a crew of five. Lester is commemorated on the Eltham Roll of Honour Board, which was commissioned by the Eltham War Memorial Trust to be hung in the Eltham Infant Welfare Centre, part of complex of buildings that form the Eltham War Memorial. The Honour Roll is presently (2023) hanging in the Eltham Library Community Gallery space. Lester was remembered with the following notices published in The Argus newspaper, Saturday 22 April 1944, p2: INGRAM. —In treasured memories you are with me still. Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, killed, aircraft accident, England, April 22, 1943. (Mother and father.) INGRAM. —In proud and ever loving memory of Lester, 410236, Sgt. L. N. Ingram, R.A.A.F., air crash England, April 22, 1943. —Per ardua ad astra. (Ellen Peake and family.) [“Per ardua ad astra” is a Latin phrase meaning “through adversity to the stars” or “through struggle to the stars” which was the motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the Royal Australian Air Force.] And from his fiancé Ellen, in The Argus, Wednesday, 5 May 1943, p2: INGRAM. —On April 22 (result of aircraft accident near Lodgeworth Village, Berks, England), Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, R.A.A.F., fiance of Ellen. -Treasured memories till we meet again. Lester is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, United Kingdom, Grave 4. 1. 11. INGRAM, Flt. Sgt. LESTER NEIL, 410236. R.A.A.F. 22nd April 1943. Age 31. Son of John and Ada Ingram, of Anglesea, Victoria, Australia. He gave his life For freedom’s cause ◊ ◊ ◊ LEST WE FORGET “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”On reverse "Lester Ingram"lester neil ingram, baker, eltham, honour board, raaf, research (vic.), roll of honour, pam thoonen (nee ingram) collection -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Leading Aircraftsman, Lester Neil Ingram, RAAF, c.1943
Lester Neil Ingram was born at Kew, 8 November 1911, the son of John and Ada (Key) Ingram of Research. According to Electoral Roll records, in 1903, John Ingram was a farmer at Lancefield, his wife Ada, a milliner. By 1906, John Ingram was a baker at Research and from about 1912, an orchardist. The family moved to Anglesea River sometime between 1943 and 1949. A sheet metal worker by trade, Lester had run the bakery business for 14 years, his father retired, and was working as a baker at Anglesea when he enlisted in the R.A.A.F. on 5 December 1941 at Melbourne. Previously he had worked as a baker at Research (1937). He undertook training as Aircrew at No. 4 Initial Training School at Victor Harbour, South Australia, followed by No. 1 Wireless Air Gunners School at Ballarat, Victoria, and No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School, West Sale, Victoria. On October 15, 1942 Lester qualified as an Air Gunner, promoted to Sergeant, and was posted to 1 Embarkation Depot at Ascot Vale, Victoria, and attached to R.A.F. UK. Lester embarked from Australia December 2, 1942 and arrived at 11 Personnel Despatch and Reception Depot on January 13, 1943. On March 9 he was transferred to 10 Operational Training Unit, Group No. 91, Bomber Command, R.A.F. Lester’s service file reveals that on the evening of 22 April 1943, Lester was a member of the aircrew of Whitley V bomber, N.1374. The airframe had run 1,127 hours. A full moon was just rising. The flight was non-operational, its purpose a dual conversion on type mission flown by a student pilot with almost two hours completed at night on similar flights. They had just changed aircraft as their previous aircraft had become unserviceable. The pilot had accepted the aircraft, which was technically unserviceable as the NCO in charge of flight had not completed the inspection paperwork correctly. The aircraft had undergone a major engine repair the day before. The aircraft took off at 2348 hours from R.A.F. Abington. It was reported that the aircraft take-off was quite normal and after climbing to 800 feet it passed out of view of the ground observers. A few seconds later the aircraft crashed, and it was reported that the sound of the engines seemed to become desynchronised. The crash occurred one and a half miles northwest of Longworth, Berkshire and the aircraft destroyed by fire. It carried a crew of five. Lester is commemorated on the Eltham Roll of Honour Board, which was commissioned by the Eltham War Memorial Trust to be hung in the Eltham Infant Welfare Centre, part of complex of buildings that form the Eltham War Memorial. The Honour Roll is presently (2023) hanging in the Eltham Library Community Gallery space. Lester was remembered with the following notices published in The Argus newspaper, Saturday 22 April 1944, p2: INGRAM. —In treasured memories you are with me still. Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, killed, aircraft accident, England, April 22, 1943. (Mother and father.) INGRAM. —In proud and ever loving memory of Lester, 410236, Sgt. L. N. Ingram, R.A.A.F., air crash England, April 22, 1943. —Per ardua ad astra. (Ellen Peake and family.) [“Per ardua ad astra” is a Latin phrase meaning “through adversity to the stars” or “through struggle to the stars” which was the motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the Royal Australian Air Force.] And from his fiancé Ellen, in The Argus, Wednesday, 5 May 1943, p2: INGRAM. —On April 22 (result of aircraft accident near Lodgeworth Village, Berks, England), Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, R.A.A.F., fiance of Ellen. -Treasured memories till we meet again. Lester is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, United Kingdom, Grave 4. 1. 11. INGRAM, Flt. Sgt. LESTER NEIL, 410236. R.A.A.F. 22nd April 1943. Age 31. Son of John and Ada Ingram, of Anglesea, Victoria, Australia. He gave his life For freedom’s cause ◊ ◊ ◊ LEST WE FORGET “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”On reverse "Lester Ingram"lester neil ingram, baker, eltham, honour board, raaf, research (vic.), roll of honour, pam thoonen (nee ingram) collection -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Photograph, Leading Aircraftsman, Lester Neil Ingram, RAAF, c.1943
Lester Neil Ingram was born at Kew, 8 November 1911, the son of John and Ada (Key) Ingram of Research. According to Electoral Roll records, in 1903, John Ingram was a farmer at Lancefield, his wife Ada, a milliner. By 1906, John Ingram was a baker at Research and from about 1912, an orchardist. The family moved to Anglesea River sometime between 1943 and 1949. A sheet metal worker by trade, Lester had run the bakery business for 14 years, his father retired, and was working as a baker at Anglesea when he enlisted in the R.A.A.F. on 5 December 1941 at Melbourne. Previously he had worked as a baker at Research (1937). He undertook training as Aircrew at No. 4 Initial Training School at Victor Harbour, South Australia, followed by No. 1 Wireless Air Gunners School at Ballarat, Victoria, and No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School, West Sale, Victoria. On October 15, 1942 Lester qualified as an Air Gunner, promoted to Sergeant, and was posted to 1 Embarkation Depot at Ascot Vale, Victoria, and attached to R.A.F. UK. Lester embarked from Australia December 2, 1942 and arrived at 11 Personnel Despatch and Reception Depot on January 13, 1943. On March 9 he was transferred to 10 Operational Training Unit, Group No. 91, Bomber Command, R.A.F. Lester’s service file reveals that on the evening of 22 April 1943, Lester was a member of the aircrew of Whitley V bomber, N.1374. The airframe had run 1,127 hours. A full moon was just rising. The flight was non-operational, its purpose a dual conversion on type mission flown by a student pilot with almost two hours completed at night on similar flights. They had just changed aircraft as their previous aircraft had become unserviceable. The pilot had accepted the aircraft, which was technically unserviceable as the NCO in charge of flight had not completed the inspection paperwork correctly. The aircraft had undergone a major engine repair the day before. The aircraft took off at 2348 hours from R.A.F. Abington. It was reported that the aircraft take-off was quite normal and after climbing to 800 feet it passed out of view of the ground observers. A few seconds later the aircraft crashed, and it was reported that the sound of the engines seemed to become desynchronised. The crash occurred one and a half miles northwest of Longworth, Berkshire and the aircraft destroyed by fire. It carried a crew of five. Lester is commemorated on the Eltham Roll of Honour Board, which was commissioned by the Eltham War Memorial Trust to be hung in the Eltham Infant Welfare Centre, part of complex of buildings that form the Eltham War Memorial. The Honour Roll is presently (2023) hanging in the Eltham Library Community Gallery space. Lester was remembered with the following notices published in The Argus newspaper, Saturday 22 April 1944, p2: INGRAM. —In treasured memories you are with me still. Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, killed, aircraft accident, England, April 22, 1943. (Mother and father.) INGRAM. —In proud and ever loving memory of Lester, 410236, Sgt. L. N. Ingram, R.A.A.F., air crash England, April 22, 1943. —Per ardua ad astra. (Ellen Peake and family.) [“Per ardua ad astra” is a Latin phrase meaning “through adversity to the stars” or “through struggle to the stars” which was the motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the Royal Australian Air Force.] And from his fiancé Ellen, in The Argus, Wednesday, 5 May 1943, p2: INGRAM. —On April 22 (result of aircraft accident near Lodgeworth Village, Berks, England), Sgt. Lester Neil Ingram, R.A.A.F., fiance of Ellen. -Treasured memories till we meet again. Lester is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, United Kingdom, Grave 4. 1. 11. INGRAM, Flt. Sgt. LESTER NEIL, 410236. R.A.A.F. 22nd April 1943. Age 31. Son of John and Ada Ingram, of Anglesea, Victoria, Australia. He gave his life For freedom’s cause ◊ ◊ ◊ LEST WE FORGET “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”On reverse "Lester Ingram"lester neil ingram, baker, eltham, honour board, raaf, research (vic.), roll of honour, pam thoonen (nee ingram) collection -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Photograph - Photograph - Portland Social Amusement Club, n.d
The Portland Social Amusement Club was founded in 1897. Taken from Trove. Portland Guardian Monday May 26 1913: Portland Social Amusement Club. The members of the above Club celebrated the 16th anniversary of its foundation on Tuesday evening last, when the usual banquet. and social gathering was held. During the afternoon, a numerous band of the lady members attended at the, Free Library Hall and made the necessary arrangements, so that on arrival at the scene at 8 p.m. those attending were very pleasurably surprised to find most taste fully decorated tables actually groaning with the weight of all those good things which appeal so strongly, it is said, to the average man, and perhaps we may also add, woman also. At any rate, he would indeed be hard to please, who was not fully satisfied with all that was placed before him on that eventful evening. The attendance this year overtopped that of previous years, as over 80 ladies and gentlemen took part in what must be considered as one of the most successful of the many 'successful gatherings that have taken place. This 16th anniversary was the 431st ordinary gathering that had occurred, and, as the President (Mr. F. A.Row) justly said, it would appear that the Club, which many years ago was given but six months live, had proved the falsity of the attempted prophecy. After the principal business of the gathering had been transacted, the usual Club dinner speeches were made. The President gave "The King," which after being duly honored, was followed by the principal toast of the evening, "The day we celebrate." To Mr D. McDonald the toast of the Absent and Foundation members was entrusted, and as usual, that veteran discharged his duty well. II i cferred to the fact that of the 34 foundation members who started the Club in 1897,only five were present that evening. Mr W. T. Bennett, as one of the five referred to, responded, and hoped that in the glorious future that appeared before Portland, the Club, which had been started in the days of its adversity, would flourish in a like manner. Mr Grant proposed the toast of "Our Visitors." and in the name of the Club welcomed them to this the most important gathering of the year. Mr J. R. Woods responded in his usual happy way, and acknowledged that, until he had been the Club's guest during the years of his mayoralty of the town, he had no idea that it had enrolled among its members the number of ladies and gentlemen that it had or that its functions were upon the scale that he had since found to be the case. Mr G. H. .ennett upheld the claims of the ladies, especially those belonging to the Club. He evidently spoke with much feeling, and. waxed more than usually poetical in his eulogy of the graces and skill of the gentler sex. He rather upset the equilibrium of three of the younger portion of the gentlemen present by asking them to respond, but they all managed to "upstand" and make their acknowledgments. Mr T. F. Cruse was particularly happy in proposing the toast of. "The President and Members of Committee," who, he claimed, had done so much towards the success of the Club, and were deserving of the best that the members could give. Mr T. E. C. Henry, upon the invitation of the .President, responded,-end pointed out that [whilst it might appear that the work of the committee was light, it was not so in reality, as any member who desired a seat upon the Board would soon find out after.his or her election. The singing of Auld Lang Syne brought this portion of the entertainment to a close. In the dance which followed, some opportunity to view the ladies' dresses was afforded, and it could then be easily seen that the anniversary gathering of the Club was considered by the lady members at least, if not .by others, to be important enough to demand special treatment in the matter of dress. Many elaborate and beautiful costumes graced the scene, and everyone appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves. The function was kept going merrily until about 2 a.m.; when the break up occurred. During the gathering telegrams of con gratulation were received from Mr W. B. Shevill and also from Mr Jno. Homers, both old members, the former a foundation one. Mr O'Donnell apologised for his own and Mrs O'Donnell's absence.Photograph of Portland Social Amusement Club -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Clock, ca. 1861
This wall clock originated from the Bank of Australasia. The label on the base matches other items from the same donor. It was spring powered by winding the key mechanism with the clock's key through the hole in the clock face. The hinged door on the base of the clock's case allows access to the clock's working mechanism. James Murray (son of James Murray 1780-1847) was a maker of clocks and chronometers. He worked at No. 1, Royal Exchange, London and from 1861 at 107 Great Bourke Street, Melbourne. In 1854 William Kerr ordered a clock from James Murray and erected it on the Albert Street frontage of the National Model & Training School in Spring Street Melbourne. It was Melbourne's first turret clock and remained there for 80 years before it was transferred to the Public Library in Melbourne in 1934 (now Museum Victoria). The Bank of Australasia was incorporated by Royal Charter of England in March 1834. It had its Australian beginning on 14th December 1835, opening in Sydney. The Acting Superintendent of the bank at that time was David Charters McArthur. He was Superintendent from 1867-to 1876. The Melbourne branch opened on 28th August 1838 in a two-roomed brick cottage on the north side of Little Collins Street, where two huge mastiff dogs were used at night to guard the bank. The government also provided an armed military sentinel. Due to the bank's rapid growth, a new building for the Melbourne branch was opened in 1840 at 75 Collins Street West. By 1879 the bank had been upgraded to a magnificent two-storey building on the corners of Collins and Queens Streets, with the entry on Collins Street. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia amalgamated with the Union Bank to form the Australia and New Zealand Bank, now known as the ANZ. Then in 1970, the ANZ merged with both the ES&A and the London Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Banking Group Limited. The ANZ Banking Group Ltd kindly donated a variety of historic items from the Bank of Australasia. BANK of AUSTRALASIA, WARRNAMBOOL – In 1854 Warrnambool had two banks, the Union Bank and the Bank of Australasia. Later, completely different bank businesses opened; in 1867 the National Bank of Australasia, then in 1875 the Colonial Bank of Australasia. The original Warrnambool branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in July 1854, and operated from a leased cottage on Merri Street, close to Liebig Street. The bank next bought a stone building previously erected by drapers Cramond & Dickson on the corner of Timor and Gibson Streets. Samuel Hannaford was a teller and then Manager at the Warrnambool branch from 1855 to 1856 and the Warrnambool Council chose that bank for its dealings during 1856-57. In 1859 Roberts & Co. was awarded the contract to build the new Bank of Australasia branch for the sum of £3,000. The land was on a sand hill on the northeast corner of Timor and Kepler Streets and had been bought in 1855 from investor James Cust. The new building opened on May 21, 1860. The bank continued to operate there until 1951 when it merged with the Union Bank to form the ANZ Bank, which continued operating from its Liebig Street building. Warrnambool City Council purchased the former Bank of Australasia building in 1971 and renovated it, then on 3rd December 1973 it was officially opened as the Art Gallery by Cr. Harold Stephenson and Gallery Director John Welsh. The Gallery transferred to the purpose-built building in Liebig Street in 1986 and the old bank building is now the Gallery club. Staff at the Bank of Australasia in Warrnambool included the following men but others were also involved: Samuel Hannaford, Teller then Manager from 1855-1856; W H Palmer, Manager from January 1857 until November 1869 when the Teller Basil Spence was promoted to Manager; H B Chomley, Manager from April 1873 and still there in 1886; A Butt, Manager in 1895-1904; J R McCleary Accountant and Acting Manager for 12 months, until 1900; A Kirk, Manager 1904; J Moore, staff until his transfer to Bendigo in December 1908; J S Bath was Manager until 1915; C C Cox, Manager until April 1923; Richard C Stanley, Manager 1923 to April 1928. The clock has significance through its association with the Bank of Australasia. The early Australian bank was established in 1834 by Royal Charter and opened in Sydney, Australia, in Sydney in 1835. The bank had many Australian offices in November 1877, particularly on the east and south coasts. Victoria had 45 percent of all Offices. The clock is significant for its connection with the quality clockmaker James Murray, originally from Royal Exchange London with a branch that opened in Melbourne in 1861. James Murray is renown for making the first turret clock to be installed in Melbourne. The clock is locally significant for its association with the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, which was established in 1854. It was Warrnambool Council’s first bank. The bank continued to operate until the organisation's merger in 1951 when it became the ANZ Bank Group today. The Bank was an integral part of the growth of local commerce and the community.Wall clock with a round face behind glass in a wooden case. The painted brass face has Roman numerals, two decorative hands, divisions for minutes and a keyhole. The curved base of the case has a hinged access door with a keyhole and adhesive label. The back of the clock's case has metal mounting brackets. Inscriptions on the rectangular white label. Made by James Murray, Melbourne.Face: "JAMES MURRAY / - GT. BOURKE ST. / MELBOURNE / & / ROYAL EXCHANGE / LONEON" Label: "A M / 40"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, bank of australasia, boa, union bank, australia & new zealand bank, anz bank, james murray, clock, wall clock, great bourke street melbourne, royal exchange london, william kerr, turret clock, old model school, national model & training school, access door, winding key -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Currency - Bank cheque, Sands & McDougall Limited, 03-12-1885
This bank cheque originated from the Bank of Australasia, Melbourne branch. It was issued on 3rd December 1885 to a person surnamed Slater for £71.11.5 (seventy-one pounds, eleven shillings and five pence). The parallel lines are called Cheque Crossed and mean that only Slater and no one else could receive the payment and that it would have been paid into Slater's bank account, not exchanged for cash. The embossed dots signify that the cheque amount was also paid to be the bearer of the cheque. Slater would have visited the bank to deposit the money into his or her own account. The cheque was printed by Sands & McDougall, a long-standing Melbourne printing and stationery company. It was then Stamped at the bank with its own unique number before it was issued to the customer. From its previously perforated edges, it is presumed that the cheque was part of a page of cheques, likely to be contained within a book of similar cheques ready for use. The Bank of Australia was incorporated by Royal Charter of England in March 1834. It had its Australian beginnings on 14th December 1835, opening in Sydney. The Acting Superintendent of the bank at that time was David Charters McArthur. He was Superintendent from 1867-to 1876. The Melbourne branch opened on 28th August 1838 in a two-roomed brick cottage on the north side of Little Collins Street, where two huge mastiff dogs were used at night to guard the bank. The government also provided an armed military sentinel. Due to the bank's rapid growth, a new building for the Melbourne branch was opened in 1840 at 75 Collins Street West. By 1879 the bank had been upgraded to a magnificent two-storey building on the corners of Collins and Queens Streets, with the entry on Collins Street. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia amalgamated with the Union Bank to form the Australia and New Zealand Bank, now known as the ANZ. Then in 1970, the ANZ merged with both the ES&A and the London Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Banking Group Limited. The ANZ Banking Group Ltd kindly donated a variety of historic items from the Bank of Australasia. BANK of AUSTRALASIA, WARRNAMBOOL – In 1854 Warrnambool had two banks, the Union Bank and the Bank of Australasia. Later, completely different bank businesses opened; in 1867 the National Bank of Australasia, then in 1875 the Colonial Bank of Australasia. The original Warrnambool branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in July 1854, and operated from a leased cottage on Merri Street, close to Liebig Street. The bank next bought a stone building previously erected by drapers Cramond & Dickson on the corner of Timor and Gibson Streets. Samuel Hannaford was a teller and then Manager at the Warrnambool branch from 1855 to 1856 and the Warrnambool Council chose that bank for its dealings during 1856-57. In 1859 Roberts & Co. was awarded the contract to build the new Bank of Australasia branch for the sum of £3,000. The land was on a sand hill on the northeast corner of Timor and Kepler Streets and had been bought in 1855 from investor James Cust. The new building opened on May 21, 1860. The bank continued to operate there until 1951 when it merged with the Union Bank to form the ANZ Bank, which continued operating from its Liebig Street building. Warrnambool City Council purchased the former Bank of Australasia building in 1971 and renovated it, then on 3rd December 1973 it was officially opened as the Art Gallery by Cr. Harold Stephenson and Gallery Director John Welsh. The Gallery transferred to the purpose-built building in Liebig Street in 1986 and the old bank building is now the Gallery club. Staff at the Bank of Australasia in Warrnambool included the following men but others were also involved: Samuel Hannaford, Teller then Manager from 1855-1856; W H Palmer, Manager from January 1857 until November 1869 when the Teller Basil Spence was promoted to Manager; H B Chomley, Manager from April 1873 and still there in 1886; A Butt, Manager in 1895-1904; J R McCleary Accountant and Acting Manager for 12 months, until 1900; A Kirk, Manager 1904; J Moore, staff until his transfer to Bendigo in December 1908; J S Bath was Manager until 1915; C C Cox, Manager until April 1923; Richard C Stanley, Manager 1923 to April 1928. The bank cheque has significance through its association with the Bank of Australasia. The early Australian bank was established in 1834 by Royal Charter and opened in Sydney, Australia, in Sydney in 1835. The bank had many Australian offices in November 1877, particularly on the east and south coasts. Victoria had 45 percent of all Offices. The bank cheque is significant as an early example of financial management of money and money exchange or transfer.Bank cheque of the Bank of Australasia, Melbourne branch. The rectangular paper has three sides that have been perforated. It is printed in blue with bank's Insignia of a heraldic shield of sheep hung by their waists and ships in full sail. Embossed Stamp Duty mark. Embossed dots. Handwritten black ink details Dated 3rd Dec 1885. Printed in Melbourne by Sands & McDougall. Diagonal parallel lines are across the cheque. Printed: "Bank of Australasia, MELBOURNE (75 COLLINS ST. WEST)." "454,358" "Sands & McDougall, Melbourne" Embossed stamp: Symbol of Crown above double oval lines " - STAMP DUTY" "ONE PENNY" Embossed dots forming test "7 PAID T2" Handwritten: "3rd Dec. [188] 5" "134 - Slater" "Seventy one pounds 11/S 5p" "£71.11.5" Signature: (undecipherable) flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, bank cheque, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, bank of australasia, boa, union bank, australia & new zealand bank, anz bank, bank note, melbourne, slater, sands & mcdougall, chrssed cheque, embossed dots, paid cheque -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Furniture - Shelves, A. Englander & Searle, Late 19th Century (1898)
This music stand set of shelves is one of many 19th century items of furniture, linen and crockery donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by, Vera and Aurelin Giles. The items are associated with the Giles Family and are known as the “Giles Collection”. Many of the items of furniture, linen and crockery in the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage were donated by Vera and Aurelin Giles and mostly came from the simple home of Vera’s parents-in-law, Henry Giles and his wife Mary Jane (nee Freckleton) whose photos are in the parlour. They married in 1880. Henry, born at Tower Hill in 1858, was a labourer on the construction of the Breakwater before leaving in 1895 to build bridges in N.S.W. for about seven years. Mary Jane was born in 1860 at Cooramook. She attended Mailor’s Flat State School where she was also a student teacher before, as family legend has it, she became a governess at “Injemiara” where her grandfather, Francis Freckleton, once owned land. Henry and Mary’s family of six, some of whom were born at Mailor’s Flat and later children at Wangoom, lived with their parents at Wangoom and Purnim west, where Henry died in 1933 and Mary Jane in 1940. THE SHELVES During the years 1869-1935 there were well over 250 registered bamboo furniture producers in Britain. The earliest recorded firm was Hubert Bill of 14 Little Camden St, London N.W., who claimed to have been established in (1869 the first bamboo furniture maker), while Daniel Jacobs & Sons of Hackney Road, London, were still in business in 1915, after 45 years of production. Design, quality, price and methods of construction were fairly consistent throughout the whole period, but it was the imaginative and often eccentric choice of subject matter that marked the differentiation between the various firms. While most produced standard tables, stands and fire-screens, the more adventurous offered for sale items such as Corner shelve units, charcoal barbecue grills and musical tea tables. Shelves were often covered with embossed leather paper designs, at first imported from Japan and then later produced in England. Some firms incorporated the knobbly roots of the bamboo stems into their designs, generally to form feet. Occasionally handles to drawers and cupboards were made with these roots although they were more commonly carved as imitations. Handles were mostly of cheap metal or brass. The ends of the bamboo canes were capped with stamped metal or turned bone, ivory or wooden discs. Methods of construction fell into three categories. First and most common is that of pegging. Bamboo stems being hollow, thick dowels can easily be glued into the joints. Some firms farmed out this work of `plugging' the ends of the canes to part-time workers at home. The second method, that of pinning, was far less satisfactory as bamboo tends to split lengthwise and therefore the jointed pieces eventually disintegrated. The most efficient method was that patented in 1888 (patent No 2383) by the firm of W. F. Needham in Birmingham. It consisted of metal shoes and covers for all joints which were made by wrapping a metal strip around the stems and soldering the overlapping ends. Some joints were further strengthened by a small pin or screw. Needham was by far the largest and most successful manufacturer and their individual and superior method of construction undoubtedly gained them their reputation. A. Englander & Searle of 34 Gt Eastern St and 31 Mare St, Hackney, London, were a firm particularly concerned with methods of construction. Although they seem to have entered the bamboo furniture market at a comparatively late date, about 1898, they produced inexpensive bamboo, aimed particularly at the export trade. The company stated in their catalogue that bamboo furniture “can be exported in one piece or it can be exported in pieces and put together again. The fixing up is much facilitated by a system of marking and numbering. Further, no glue is required for putting together as the screw system only is applied”. This method of construction best fits the Etagere in the Flagstaff collection and it is believed to have been made by A Englander & Searle, exported in a knock down form to Australia, purchased in kit form from a dealer hear and put together by the owner. The Etagere is a significant item as it highlight furniture fashion of the late Victorian era. This item was highly sort after in its time and although mass produced, not many examples remain, so this example is a valuable addition to the Flagstaff collection. It is believed that the construction method used is by a notable and respected maker of bamboo furniture and that its production was aimed at the export market and probably came to Australia in kit form.Bamboo shelves: decorative free standing Etagere comprising three large shelves and one small shelf. Shelves are made of wood used to store either orange or bacon boxes (as there are no knots in the wood, imported from South America and cheap to recycle). Shelves are covered with embossed leather paper. Frame is made from tortoise shell bamboo (brown lacquer applied to simulate tortoise shell appearance). Ends of bamboo canes are covered with metal shoes and fixed with a pin. Other bamboo joints are fixed with round head steel screws. This item is part of the Giles Collection.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, bamboo shelves, bamboo etagere, victorian furniture, furniture, bamboo furniture, embossed leather paper, simulated bamboo, tortise shell, a englander & searle, giles collection, henry giles, tower hill, cooramook, warrnambool breakwater, mailor’s flat, wangoom, 19th century furniture -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Decorative object - Bookends
The individual eagles in this pair of Napoleonic Eagle bookends are made so that each eagle faces the opposite direction to the other, one left and one right. The Napoleonic Eagle is the name given to the eagle symbol used by Napoleon Bonaparte 1799-1815 and the French Regiments, mounted on a standard to represent the honour and pride of fighting French men. It is believed that the Napoleonic Eagle was chosen as a symbol for the Tamar Bank in Launceston, Tasmania, established in 1834. The bank was formed after the separation of one of the branches of the Bank of Van Diemen’s Land. The Managing Director in 1834 was Lewis Gilles, previously a naval officer. Other directors were T. Williams, M. Connolly, F. D. Wickham, and P. Oakden. The bank was dissolved in 1838 and became the basis of the Launceston branch of the British-founded Union Bank of Australia Limited, established in 1837 and had its own emblem. The Union Bank of Australia merged with the Bank of Australasia in 1951 and went on to eventually become part of the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Banking Group. The Bank of Australasia was incorporated by Royal Charter of England in March 1834. It had its Australian beginning on 14th December 1835, opening in Sydney. The Acting Superintendent of the bank at that time was David Charters McArthur. He was Superintendent from 1867 to 1876. The Melbourne branch opened on 28th August 1838 in a two-roomed brick cottage on the north side of Little Collins Street. By 1879 the bank had been upgraded to a magnificent two-storey building on the corners of Collins and Queens Streets, with the entry on Collins Street. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia amalgamated with the Union Bank to form the Australia and New Zealand Bank, now known as the ANZ. Then in 1970, the ANZ merged with the ES&A and the London Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Banking Group Limited. The ANZ Banking Group Ltd kindly donated to Flagstaff Hill various historic items from the Bank of Australasia. BANK of AUSTRALASIA, WARRNAMBOOL – In 1854 Warrnambool had two banks, the Union Bank and the Bank of Australasia. Later, completely different bank businesses opened; in 1867 the National Bank of Australasia, then in 1875 the Colonial Bank of Australasia. The original Warrnambool branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in July 1854, and operated from a leased cottage on Merri Street, close to Liebig Street. The bank next bought a stone building previously erected by drapers Cramond & Dickson on the corner of Timor and Gibson Streets. Samuel Hannaford was a teller and then Manager at the Warrnambool branch from 1855 to 1856 and the Warrnambool Council chose that bank for its dealings during 1856-57. In 1859 Roberts & Co. was awarded the contract to build the new Bank of Australasia branch for the sum of £3,000; the firm built the Warrnambool Post Office in 1856 and purchased land in Timor Street in 1858. The land was on a sand hill on the northeast corner of Timor and Kepler Streets and had been bought in 1855 by investor James Cust. The new building opened on May 21, 1860. The bank continued to operate there until 1951 when it merged with the Union Bank to form the ANZ Bank, which continued operating from its Liebig Street building. Warrnambool City Council purchased the former Bank of Australasia building in 1971 and renovated it, then on 3rd December 1973 it was officially opened as the Art Gallery by Cr. Harold Stephenson and Gallery Director John Welsh. The Gallery transferred to the purpose-built building on Liebig Street in 1986 and the old bank building is now the Gallery Club. Staff at the Bank of Australasia in Warrnambool included the following men but others were also involved: Samuel Hannaford, Teller then Manager from 1855-1856; Hawkins, Manager in 1856, W H Palmer, Manager from January 1857 until November 1869 when the Teller Basil Spence was promoted to Manager; H B Chomley, Manager from April 1873 and still there in 1886; A Butt, Manager in 1895-1904; J R McCleary Accountant and Acting Manager for 12 months, until 1900; A Kirk, Manager 1904; J Moore, staff until his transfer to Bendigo in December 1908; J S Bath was Manager until 1915; C C Cox, Manager until April 1923; Richard C Stanley, Manager 1923 to April 1928. This pair of Napoleonic Eagle bookends represents the type of ornaments appropriate for 19th and 20th-century business associated with finance and commerce. They symbolise strength, reliability and power. It is believed that the Napoleonic Eagle was the seal of the Tamar Bank, established in 1834 in Launceston, Tasmania. The Tamar bank was taken over by the Australia-wide Union Bank in 1838, which later merged with the Bank of Australasia, which had a branch in Warrnambool. In 1851 it became the Australia and New Zealand Bank, which is still active in Warrnambool in 2023. Bookends; two (2) black metal eagles, standing, beaks open, tail to the side, wings spread, claws open. The black figures are cast metal and the backs are hollow, with flat even edges. The front is textured and shiny. The eagles are facing opposite directions; one left, one right. The figures are commonly known as Napoleonic eagles.flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, bookends, eagle bookends, napoleonic eagles, tamar bank, launceston bank, bank of australasia, eagle symbol, 1834-1838, commerce, financial institution, colonial bank, lewis gilles, m. connolly, f. d. wickham, and p. oakden., t. williams, anz bank, australia and new zealand bank, union bank of australia -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Education, Pen Nibs ' R. Esternbrook Co. Ltd, 20thC
Dip pens emerged in the early 19th century, when they replaced quill pens. They were generally used prior to the development of fountain pens in the later 19th century, and are now mainly used in illustration, calligraphy, and comics. A nib pen usually consists of a metal nib with capillary channels like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted on a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone, metal and plastic. Generally speaking, dip pens have no ink reservoir; therefore the user has to recharge the ink from an ink bowl or bottle in order to continue drawing or writing. Birmingham, England was home to many of the first dip pen manufacturers. John Mitchell pioneered mass production of steel pens in 1822; prior to that the quill pen had been the most common form of writing instrument. His brother William Mitchell later set up his own pen making business in St Paul's square. The Mitchell family is credited as being the first manufacturers to use machines to cut pen nibs, which greatly sped up the process. Germany 1842 began at the factory of Heintze & Blanckertz in Berlin By 1860 there were about 100 companies making steel nibs in Birmingham, but 12 large firms dominated the trade. Dip pens are rarely used now for regular writing, most commonly having been replaced by fountain pens, rollerball pens, or ballpoint pens. However, dip pens are still appreciated by artists, as they can make great differences between thick and thin lines, and generally write more smoothly than other types of pens. Dip pens are also preferred by calligraphers for fine writing. Richard Esterbrook was a Cornish Quaker from England who saw an opportunity in the United States to manufacture Steel Pens. In 1856 R.Esterbrook traveled to the US to set up shop as 'The Steel Pen Manufacturing Company' where Richard made these steel pens by hand using special tools and machines (mostly that Richard had to invent). In 1858 he was able to establish himself as the sole pen manufacturer in the USA and he changed the company name to 'The Esterbrook Steel Pen Mfg. Co.' The company settled down in Camden, New Jersey. Quality was a key factor in his success. His steel pens were versatile, long lasting, and came in many different styles to fit the varied writing styles of the public. Sadly, Richard Esterbrook didn't see the 'empire' his company was to become as he passed away in Atlanta on October 12th 1895 . in 1896 they started an Esterbrook branch in England to join the ranks of the other main pen manufactures in Birmingham . In 1912 the company had gotten so large that they erected a 5 story building, just to continue manufacturing pens. By 1920 the fountain pen was fast becoming more popular amongst people who were tired of 'dipping.' To meet this demand the company manufactured its first fountain pen. In 1930 the company sought less expensive means of manufacturing pens because gold and 'jewel' tips were too expensive and in this same year they began selling fountain pens in England . The Esterbrook Company began using the metal Iridium which they called 'Durachrome.' To meet the fountain pen demand the company reformed as 'The Esterbrook Hazel Pens Ltd.' In 1940 war had come to strike a blow at the Esterbrook company. On November 19th 1940 their England location was hit by an incendiary bomb destroying half of the location! To make matters worse, when putting out the fire using a human water bucket chain, someone accidentally grabbed a bucket of paraffin and set the place further ablaze. Oddly enough, the company was able to rebuild the structure during the war. However, the government had placed a stipulation that 50% of its capacity was to be used for government related purposes. In 1947 the company bought out John Mitchell and the American branch had already acquired Hazel Pen Co. The company re-formed again as 'The Esterbrook Pen Company.' This is the last company name the dip pen nibs were manufactured under. A box of Steel dipping nibs for writing pensOn Box; Photo of man / R. Esternbrook Co. / PENS / PROBATEsteel nibs, writing pens, education, schools, writing, caligraphy, artists, moorabbin, bentleigh, cheltenham, dip pens, inkwells, fountain pens, mitchell john, birmingham england, esternbrook richard, maple barbara -
National Wool Museum
Letter - Letter of reference for Margaret Burn, 03/11/1939
Letter of Reference for Miss Margaret Burn detailing her work as a bookkeeper, machine operator, typist, and stenographer over seven years at Dennys Lascelles Limited. The letter details her leaving the company as she married in 1939. In the same year, Ms Burn returned to the office owing to the shortage of staff caused by various employees being called away for Military Training. Included in the staff called away for military training was her newlywed husband, Mr Jack Ganly. A fellow employee of Dennys, the Ganly name was well known within the company, with three generations of the Ganly family working at Dennys. Margaret worked at Dennys for 7 years during the 1930s. The Letter of Reference is accompanied with a story written by Margaret about her time working at the company. WORKING CONDITIONS & OFFICE WORK DUTIES. Written by Margaret Burn in 2021. Worked at Dennys Lascelles in the 1930s. In the 1930s coming out of the Depression, jobs were hard to come by and had to be clung to by efficiency and subserviency. There was no union to protect workers – bosses could be tough and rough. Dennys Lascelles revolved around fortnightly wool sales in the “season” – September to May. Sale day was always a day of suppressed excitement. Preparation from a clerical point of view was complete and we now awaited the aftermath of the actual wool auction. The building teemed with people. There were country people down to see their wool sold, buyers of many nationalities, or from the big cities, who were coming in and out of the building all day. Their role was to inspect the acres of wool bales displayed on the show floors; however, caterers were present to feed clients, and there was plenty of social interactions on top of business. The office staff did not go home but waited until the first figures came back from the wool sales and the machines went in to action, both human and mechanical, preparing the invoices for the buyers’ firms. This comprised of lists of lot numbers, weights, prices per lb., and the total prices paid. A lot of this was done by old-school typewriters, making this work a big, heavy, tiring job. Before the finished lists could be dispatched, they were collated on an “abstract”. The lists had to balance with the catalogue from which the invoices had been prepared. This never happened automatically. All the paperwork had to be split up amongst pairs of workers and checked until discrepancies were found. This would happen until midnight but occasionally went until 2 or 3 am. Once complete, the invoices could then be rushed off to the buyers’ firms usually in Melbourne, and hire cars took the staff home. It was back on the job the next morning, usually around 8.30. The office hours varied according to the size of the sale and work involved. Some days started as early as 8 and could finish around 5.30. The second phase of work began with the account sales to be prepared for the sellers of the wool. These detailed all the weights, descriptions of wool, brands, and prices. One Sales account could have multitudes of lot numbers, all needing to be individually described. Various charges needed to be deducted such as finance for woolpacks, extra stock, or farmers who were given a loan to live on during the season. Details of how payment was to be made was also noted, whether the seller was to be paid by cheque, to a bank, or credited to their account with the company (which often left the seller still in debt). For a couple of months in the winter, things were quieter when staff took holidays and were sometimes given afternoons off. But there were still weekly skin sales and stock sales around the state. The annual end of June figures to be prepared for a big company like Dennys with branches all around the state also kept the staff busy. In good years there was sometimes a bonus. On sale days there was a bar open for the clients and wool buyers. This added to the excitement for the young girls, who were strictly barred from using it, but somehow managed to sneak a gin and tonic. This is how I had my first ever, before the evening meal. There was also the romantic notion in some minds, with all the influx of males, that some of us might end up on a wealthy station, or be noticed by an exotic buyer. To my knowledge, this never happened at Dennys Lascelles Limited. Group staff photo at Dennys Lascelles Limited. Margaret Burn. Age 18 or 19. Jack Ganly (Margaret’s future husband). 22. Sheet of paper shorter in length than A4 size, creamed with age. Paper has a header for Dennys, Lascelles Limited’s Head Office at 32 Moorabool Street, Geelong. Body of paper is made up of 3 paragraphs in a typewritten message of black ink with subheadings highlighted with a red underline. The text is finished with a signature at the bottom of the paper. Paper is accompanied by its original envelope. Envelope has typewritten text in black ink with a red underline located at the centre. It also has return to sender instructions to Dennys, Lascelles Limited in the lower left-hand corner.Typewritten text, black and red ink. Multiple. See multimediadennys lascelles ltd, worker conditions 1930s, letter of reference -
Federation University Art Collection
Painting - Oil, et al, [The Green Vase] by David Strachan, c1948
David STRACHAN (1919–1970) Born 25 June 1919 at Salisbury, Wiltshire, England Arrived 1920 Adelaide, Australia: 1921 Creswick, Victoria David Strachan attended Creswick State School and Geelong Church of England Grammar school. By the age of 16 he wanted to be an artist. Accompanying his mother to London in 1936, he enrolled at the Slade School of Fine Art, where he met Godfrey Miller. In 1937 he attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris, and painted at Cassis on the Mediterranean Sea. He returned to Australia in April 1938 and studied at the George Bell School, Melbourne. He had a growing interest in classicism blended with a fascination for the dream-state which was reinforced in his work after he moved to Sydney in 1941. There he was befriended by Jean Bellette and her husband Paul Haefliger, who were to be driving forces behind the Sydney Art Group (founded 1945). He lived on the top floor of the Haefligers' house at Double Bay, and together the three artists drew from models whom the Haefligers hired. In this period Strachan painted and exhibited some of his most poetic works—mainly figurative and landscape subjects, and still-lifes of haunting beauty. His flowers, bowls of fruit, birds, and angelic figures glimmered out of the darkness as things not of this world, evoked faintly, like mythological personages in a gently spoken narrative. He 'spent an erratic war' painting camouflage at Bankstown aerodrome with other artists, among them (Sir) William Dobell, and dancing minor roles with Hélène Kirsova's ballet company. In 1948 Strachan settled in Paris. His paintings, included by Peter Bellew in an exhibition at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, had been well-received by French critics two years earlier. In 1950 he began tentative experiments in etching. These led to the formation of the Stramur-Presse, a business venture which published etchings and lithographs of leading French and English artists. His most important project was a series of twenty-two colour etchings illustrating Alister Kershaw's book of poems, Accent & Hazard (Paris, 1951). Strachan continued to exhibit in Australia and maintained a lively social life with Australian friends. From Paris, he went for weekend painting trips with Moya Dyring in her car and, after 1957, visited the Haefligers on Majorca. He lived in London in 1955-57. His paintings became progressively less soft in effect, his palette brightened, and his forms, especially the still-lifes, became spikier. In the late 1950s his attention drifted towards the study of Hindu philosophers and Jungian psychology. For most of 1957-58 he was enrolled at the C. G. Jung-Institut, Zürich, Switzerland. In 1959 he worked in Silvio Daneo's silkworm factory at Bricherasio, Italy. In May 1960 Strachan returned to Sydney. He lived at Woolloomooloo before buying a house at Paddington in 1963. Over the ensuing years he involved himself energetically with the art scene, exhibiting, teaching (1960-65) at East Sydney Technical College, fund-raising for memorials for Thea Proctor and Dyring, and as the last president (1965) of the Society of Artists. His paintings were out of harmony with the prevailing fashion for abstraction, but he won the Wynne prize for landscape painting in 1961 and 1964 (shared). Perhaps the most moving works of Strachan's last ten years were the mining landscapes, including those he painted near Hill End, leading up to his vast canvas, 'Lewers Freehold Mine'. This was a history picture, depicting the mine as it might have appeared in 1874. He presented it to the Creswick Historical Museum in 1970 in memory of his father. (Barry Pearce, 'Strachan, David Edgar (1919–1970)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/strachan-david-edgar-11786/text21083, published first in hardcopy 2002, accessed online 6 January 2016.) This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 1000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Framed still lifefeaturing fruit and flowers.art, artwork, strachan, david strachan, still life, flowers, flora, available -
Melton City Libraries
Pamphlet, Thoroughbred Country, c.1985
"Melton has a long and celebrated history of horse breeding and racing. Draught horses were a crucial aspect of life in the early days of European settlement, and were heavily depended upon for both transport and agricultural labour. Peppercorn trees at the corner of Station and Brooklyn roads have been associated with a horse trough installed there to provide a drink to workhorses carting produce to the chaff mills and railway station south of Melton.20 Breeders, trainers and harness drivers in the area later became such an influential force in the equine industry that this came to be a defining aspect of the district’s identity and reputation.Pioneer of the Victorian horse racing industry and early Rockbank squatter William Cross Yuille was one of the earliest importers of stud racehorses in the district in the 1850s. A leading sports editor and writer, Yuille established bloodstock auctioning agency W. C. Yuille & Co. and was involved in the compilation of the first Australian Stud Book, which ensures the integrity of thoroughbred breeding in Australia. According to early Melton chronicler Alexander Cameron, horse races were first organised in the area by Rockbank farmer William Keating. Keating owned racehorses of his own, and many brought horses from Melbourne for the events, which ‘drew large gatherings’.22 Melton Racing Club meetings were held on the Exford Estate with the permission of H. W. Staughton, who built a small wooden grandstand in 1882. Other early races and sports meetings are said to have been held in the vicinity of the current-day Melton golf course.23 An 1884 article reported that Melton’s ‘race programme … equals any put forth by country towns of far greater size’. Ernest Clarke was another important figure in the early horse racing industry in Melton. He established the Melton Stud in 1902, which bred numerous successful racehorses. Perhaps most notably The Welkin, one of the most famous stallions in Australian horse racing in the early twentieth century. The Welkin sired Gloaming, bred by Clarke at the Melton stud in 1915 and one of Australia’s greatest champion racehorses. During a long and prestigious career in both Australia and New Zealand, Gloaming achieved a triumphant 57 wins out of 67 starts and won a record amount of prize money. Ken Cox purchased the Stockwell Stud in Diggers Rest in 1957 and developed it into one of the largest and most renowned thoroughbred breeders in Australia. With its top-class facilities, international design standards and scientific methods, Stockwell became ‘the flagship of the Victorian breeding industry’.26 As well as racing studs, numerous trotting tracks were established on the flat plains around Melton in the 1960s.27 Other studs to play a leading role in the development of Melton as thoroughbred country were Cornwall Park and Merrywood at Toolern Vale, St John’s Lane Stud at Diggers Rest and Birchwood, Teppo Park and Dreelburn in the far north-east of the shire, near Sunbury. By 1985, thoroughbred horse breeding was such big business in Melton that the shire council adopted the slogan ‘The Heart of Thoroughbred Country’, which was used throughout its promotional material.29 But the slogan contained deeper meaning and was not just about Melton’s great equine industry and thoroughbred champions, the council explained: ‘“Thoroughbred Country” should be seen as a new concept of Melton, as a place where people can achieve the “Thoroughbred” ideal, excellence in all aspects of life’. The aim of the council in promoting ‘The Heart of Thoroughbred Country’, was ‘to instil in present and future residents the feeling that this is a place that is better than others. A place to be proud of’. In 1988, Melton’s champion reinsman Gavin Lang won his 176th race of the season, claiming the national harness racing record for the most wins in a single season.The following year, the first Melton Plate was held at Moonee Valley Racecourse, cementing the district’s importance in the harness racing industry. The inaugural winner was Victorys Phil, owned by local Danny Mullan. By the 1990s, Melton had earned the title of the ‘Home of Harness Racing in Victoria’. State-of-the-art, world-class harness racing facility and entertainment complex Tabcorp Park opened in Melton in 2009. In 2011, the Shire of Melton was home to over 140 registered trainers and over 1,200 horses. The municipality’s continuing leadership and influence in the industry today is a testament to the skills, talents and leadership of the local community over its history".Shire of Melton pamphlet of a map and information of the equine industry in Meltoncouncil -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Document - Certificate of Competency, Marine Department, Commonwealth Council for Trade, 1883-1894
Fifteen year old Albert Edward Gill was born in Poplar, Middlesex, in 1868. He volunteered in May 1883 as an Apprentice Ordinary Seaman with the Merchant Services under the London shipping company James P. Corry & Co., owner of the Star Line. The shipping company by this time had a fleet of both clipper and steam cargo ships that sailed as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Gill’s apprenticeship was a four year unpaid term, with only his food, drink, lodgings, washing and medical needs provided for him. The contract had many conditions but it was a wonderful opportunity for a young man. His father James Gill signed the papers as his guarantor. In December 1887 Gill completed his apprenticeship and qualified as an Able Seaman. He served for another seven years with James P. Corry & Co. and earned his Certificate of Competency as a Master in the Merchant Service in April 1894, having passed the Ordinary Examination. (The transcription of Gill's two certificates is provided further down this page.) JAMES P. CORRY & CO. - The Belfast Company was formed in 1826 by Robert Corry, and imported timber from Canada to Ireland. In 1859 the company expanded to import timber from Calcutta, and relocated its offices to London. In the 1880s the company had a fleet of 13 tall clipper ships and included ports in Australia and New Zealand in its destinations. It continued to expand trade even further and by 1908 the Star Line had seven cargo steamers trading with the East and Far East (the ships were named Star of Australia, Star of Japan, Star of England, Star of New Zealand, Star of Ireland, Star of Scotland and Star of Victoria). In 1912 the Star Line ships added an emigrant service to Australia. TRANSCRIPTION OF CERTIFICATES - = = = = = = = = = = = = “Ordinary Apprentice’s Indenture” Transcribed:- (Printed form with printed logo of the Marine Department, Commonwealth Council for Trade. Sanctioned by the Board of Trade, May 1855. ) Registered at the Port of London, Sixteenth of May, 1883, and signed for the Registrar General. Stamped in blue ink “REGISTERED IN LONDON, MAY 16 1883” “RECORD OF THE REGISTER GENERAL OF SEAMEN” “This Indenture, made the SIXTEENTH day of MAY 1883 between ALBERT EDWARD GILL aged FIFTEEN years, a native of POPLAR, in the county of MIDDLESEX of the first part JAMES P. CORRY & CO. OF 9 & 11 FENCHURCH AVENUE in the CITY of LONDON of the second part, and JAMES GILL, of POPLAR, in the county of MIDDLESEX, of the third part, WITNESSETH, That the said ALBERT EDWARD GILL hereby voluntarily binds himself Apprentice unto the said JAMES P. CORRY & CO., his Executers, Administrators and Assigns, for the term of FOUR years from the date hereof; And the said Apprentice hereby covenants that, during such time, the said Apprentice will faithfully serve his said Master, his Executors, Administrators and Assigns, and obey his and their lawful commands, and keep his and their secrets, and will, when required, give to him and them true accounts of his or their goods and money which may be committed to the charge, or come into the hands, of the said Apprentice; and will, in case the said Apprentice enters Her Majesty’s Service during the said term, duly account for and pay, or cause to be paid, to his said Master, his Executors, Administrators, or Assigns, all such Wages, Prize Money and other Monies as may become payable to the said Apprentice for such service; and that the said Apprentice will not, during the said term, do any damage to his said Master, his Executors, Administrators, or Assigns, nor will he consent to such damage being done by others, but will, if possible, prevent the same, and give warning thereof; and will not embezzle or waste the Goods of his Master, his Executors, Administrators, or Assigns, nor give or lend the same to others without his or their licence; nor absent himself from his or their service without leave; nor frequent Taverns or Alehouses, unless upon his or their business, nor play at Unlawful Games : IN CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, the said Master hereby covenants with the said Apprentice, that during the said term he the said Master, his Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, will and shall use all proper means to teach the said Apprentice or cause him to be taught the business of a Seaman, and provide the said Apprentice with sufficient Meat, Drink, Lodgings, Washing, Medicine, and Medical and Surgical Assistance, NO WAGES, the said Apprentice providing for himself all sea-bedding, wearing apparel, and necessaries (except such as are herein-before specially agreed to be provided by the said Master): AND IT IS HEREBY AGREED, that if, at any time during the said term, the said Master, his Executors, Administrators or Assigns, provide any necessary apparel, or sea-bedding for the said Apprentice, he and they may deduct any sums properly expended thereon by him or them from the sums so agreed to be paid to the said Apprentice as aforesaid: And for the performance of the Agreements herein contained, each of them, the said A.E.GILL and JAMES P CORRY & Co., doth hereby bind himself, his Heirs, Executors, and Administrators, unto the said JAMES P. CORRY & CO., his Executors and Administrators, unto the other of them, his Executors and Administrators, in the penal sum of THIRTY pounds; and for the performance of the covenants on the part of the said Apprentice herein contained, the said JAMES GILL as surety, doth hereby bind himself, his Heirs, Executors, and Administrators unto the said JAMES P. CORRY & Co., his Executors and Administrators, the penal sum of THIRTY pounds; Provided, that notwithstanding the penal stipulations herein contained any Justice or Justices of the Pease may exercise such jurisdiction in respect of the said Apprentice as he or they might have exercised if no such stipulations had been therein contained. In witness whereof, the said parties have hereunto set their hands and seals, the day and year above written. Signed, sealed, and delivered, in the presence of - - Weston, 9 & 11 Fenchurch Avenue Signed, James P. Corry (Master) Signed, Albert Edward Gill (Apprentice) James Gill (Surety) NOTE – This Indenture must be executed in duplicate, both copies must be taken to the Registrar General of Seamen; or if in the Outports to the Shipping Master; one copy will then be retained and recorded, and the other returned to the Master with the necessary endorsement. = = = = = = = = = = = = Reverse of the Indenture, Transcribed:- “This is to certify that the herein mentioned Alfred Edward Gill has served the full term of the Indenture in our employ during which time he has conducted himself satisfactorily. According to the Captain’s report he has been strictly sober during the last – years [? from his failure?] Signed: James P. Corry & Co., Owner, Star Line 9 Fenchurch Avenue St, 13 Dec. ‘87 = = = = = = = = = = = = Certificate of Competency, Transcribed:- (Board of Trade logo and printed text of the certificate, with hand written details filled in) By the Lords of the Committee of Privy, Council for Trade Certificate of Competency as MASTER to Albert Edward Gill Whereas it has been reported to us that you have been found duly qualified to fulfil the duties of MASTER in the Merchant Service, we do hereby, in performance of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, grant you this Certificat6e of Competency. By Order of the Board of Trade, this 19th day of APRIL, 1894 Signed INGRAM B WALKER (one of the Assistant Secretaries of the Board of Trade) Countersigned -, Regulator General. Registered at the Office of the Regulator General of Shipping and Seamen. = = = = = = = = = = = = Reverse of Certificate of Competency, Transcribed:- No. of Certificate - 020886 Address of Owner - SUNNY LAWN, WALLWOOD ROAD, LEYTONSTONE Date and Place of Birth – 1868, POPLAR Signature – A E GILL. This Certificate is given upon an Ordinary Examination passed at LONDON on the 17th day of APRIL 1894 Every person who makes, or procures to be made, or assists in making any false Representation for the Purpose of obtain for himself or for any other Person a Certificate either of Competence or Service, or who forges, assists in forgery, or procures to be forged, or fraudulently alters, assists in fraudulently altering, or procures to be fraudulently altered, any such Certificate or any Official Copy of any such Certificate, or who frequently makes use of any such Certificate, or copy of any such Certificate, which is forged, altered, cancelled, suspended, or to which he is not justly entitled or who fraudulently lends his Certificate to, or allows the same to be used by any other person, shall for each offence be deemed guilty of a Misdemeanour, and my be summarily punished by imprisonment with or without hard labour for a period not exceeding Six Months or by a penalty not exceeding 100 pounds, and any Master or Mate who fails to deliver up a Certificate which has been cancelled or suspended is liable to a penalty not exceeding 50 pounds. N.B. – Any person other than the Owner thereof becoming possessed of the Certificate is required to transmit it forthwith to the Register General of Shipping and Seamen, Custom House, London, E.C. Issued at the Port of LONDON on the 20th day of APRIL 1894. Signed J I-, - Supt. = = = = = = = = = = = = These certificates are significant as a record of the process required to qualify as a ship’s Master, which was required by the vast number of merchant ships that crossed the world to Australia with cargo and passengers, all contributing to the early settlement and development of Australia as a Colony and a Nation. The certificates are also significant for their association with James P. Corry & Col. owner of the Star Line shipping company that provided trade and passengers to Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Set of two documents from the Board of Trade, printed on cloth and wax paper, each relating to achieving the standard of Master Seaman, and belonging to Albert Edward Gill. They are dated 1883 to 1894. The forms have been stamped, signed, dated, details completed and sealed with three red wax seals. The certificate number has been stamped onto the document is such as was as to deter forgery. The forms relate to Albert Edward Gill and James P. Corry & Co, Star Line Merchant Services and show his registered number as a Master Seaman. 245.1 – Front: Ordinary Apprentice’s Indenture, printed certificate, with spaces completed and signed by hand, and sealed with three red wax seals. Signed and dated 16 May 1883 Reverse: Handwritten statement, signed and dated 13 Dec 1887. 245.2 – Front: Certificate of Competency, Master in the Merchant Service, printed and completed by hand, registered at the Office of the Regulator General of Shipping and Seamen, dated 19 April 1894. Reverse: Certificate, Ordinary Examination Passed, printed and completed by hand, dated 17 April 1894Signatures and other handwritten details. Stamped with security lines, Registration Number "020886"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, albert edward gill, certificate of compentency, apprentice's indenture, education, employment, 1880's, ordinery examination, able seaman, master seaman, james p. corry & co., star line, timber merchant, emigrant ships -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph, before 1911
Photograph, black and white, of the three-masted barque SPECULANT at a jetty in low water. On the jetty and the shore are stacks of cut timber. The ship is in a wide river or bay, hills in the background, trees (like gum trees) in the foreground. Inscribed "Wrecked 10.2.11. Cape Patten. Jacobson. Munro. - - - -" Written on the photograph in blue pen "Rosbercon". (The SPECULANT was wrecked on 10th February 2011 at Cape Patton, Victoria, (not Patten as on the photograph). She was sailing under the control of Captain James Jacobsen and her First Mate was James Mumro.) The barquentine SPECULANT was a steel, three-masted sailing ship built in 1895 in Inverkeithing, Scotland, registered in Warrnambool, Victoria and wrecked at Cape Paton, Victoria, 10th February 1911. The SPECULANT had been involved in the timber trade between the United Kingdom and Russia, until sold to its Warrnambool owners and timber merchants Messrs. P.J. McGennan & Co. (Peter John McGennan) in 1902 for 3000 pounds and had her sailed to Warrnambool as her new port. Peter John McGennan was born in 1844 and worked as a builder and cooper in Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales. He immigrated to Australia in 1869 as a free settler and arrived in Warrnambool in 1871 and undertook management of a property in Grassmere for Mr. Palmer. Peter met his wife Emily in South Melbourne and they married in 1873. They had ten children including Harry who lived to 1965, and Andrew who lived until 1958. (The other children were their four brothers - John who was killed in the Dardenalles aged 35, Frederick who died aged 8, Peter who died aged 28, Frank who died aged 5 weeks - and four sisters - Beatrice who died age 89, Edith who died aged 49, Blanche who died aged 89 and Eveline who died aged 48.) In 1874 Peter starting a boating establishment on the Hopkins River. In 1875 he opened up a Coopers business in Kepler Street next to what was Bateman, Smith and Co., moving to Liebig Street, next to the Victoria Hotel, in 1877. In 1882 he then moved to Lava Street (which in later years was the site of Chandlers Hardware Store). He was associated with the establishment of the Butter Factory at Allansford. He started making Butter Boxes to his own design and cheese batts for the Butter Factory. In 1896 established a Box Factory in Davis Street Merrivale, employing 24 people at its peak, (it was burnt down in 1923); and in Pertobe Road from 1912 (now the Army Barracks building). Peter was a Borough Councillor for Albert Ward from 1885 to 1891, he commenced the Foreshore Trust (including the camping grounds along Pertobe Road), and he was an inaugural Director of the Woollen Mill in Harris Street, buying an extensive share-holding in 1908 from the share trader Edward Vidler. They lobbied the Town Hall to have a formal ‘Cutting’ for the waters of the Merri River to be redirected from its natural opening south of Dennington, to its existing opening near Viaduct Road, in order to have the scourings from the wool at the Woollen Mill discharged into the sea. He sold Butter Boxes around the state, and had to ship them to Melbourne by rail. Peter’s purchase of the SPECULANT in 1902 enabled him to back-load white pine from Kaipara, New Zealand to Warrnambool to make his butter boxes then, to gain profitability, buy and ship potatoes and other primary produce bound to Melbourne. (McGennan & Co. had also owned the LA BELLA, which had traded in timber as well, until she was tragically wrecked with the loss of seven lives, after missing the entrance channel to Warrnambool harbour in 1905. It appears that the SPECULANT was bought to replace the LA BELLA.) In 1911 the SPECULANT had been attempting to depart Warrnambool for almost the entire month of January to undergo docking and overhaul in Melbourne. A month of east and south-easterly winds had forced her to remain sheltered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool apart from one morning of northerlies, when an attempt was made to round Cape Otway; she had to return to shelter in Portland after failing to make any headway. With only 140 tons of sand ballast aboard, the ship would not have been easy to handle. Captain Jacobsen and his crew of nine, mainly Swedes, decided to make for Melbourne, leaving Portland Harbour on 5th February 1911. By the 9th they had reached Cape Otway, where they encountered a moonless night, constant heavy rain, and a heavy sea with a south-easterly wind blowing. After safely rounding Cape Otway the course was changed to east, then north-east to take the vessel to a point six miles off Cape Patton, following the orders of Captain Jacobsen, who told the crew to be very careful with the steering, as the wind and sea was running to leeward. The patent log (used to measure speed) had been out of order for the last four months as no-one in Warrnambool was able to fix it: it was intended to have it repaired in Melbourne. In the meantime the crew measured the vessel's speed by looking over the side and estimating wind strength. This compounded the difficulties of imprecise positioning, as the strong cross wind and sea were acting on the lightly laden vessel to steadily drive it towards the shore. At 3.30am on Friday 10 February 1911 Captain Jacobsen and the first mate were looking over the side of the vessel when they heard the sound of breakers and suddenly struck the rocks. The crew immediately knew they had no chance of getting the SPECULANT off, and attempted to rescue themselves by launching the lifeboat, which was instantly smashed to pieces. One of the crew then volunteered to take a line ashore, and the rest of the crew were all able to drag themselves to shore, some suffering hand lacerations from the rocks. Once ashore they began to walk along the coast towards Lorne, believing it was the nearest settlement. Realising their mistake as dawn broke they returned westwards to Cape Patton, and found a farm belonging to Mr C. Ramsden, who took them in and gave them a change of clothes and food. After resting for a day and returning to the wreck to salvage some of their personal possessions, at 10am on Saturday they set out for Apollo Bay, a voyage that took six hours, sometimes wading through flooded creeks up to their necks. The Age described the wreck as "listed to starboard. All the cabin is gutted and the ballast gone. There is a big rock right through the bottom of her, and there is not the slightest hope of getting her off". A Board of Marine inquiry found that Captain Jacobson was guilty of careless navigation by not taking steps to accurately verify the position of the vessel with respect to Cape Otway when the light was visible and by not setting a safe and proper course with respect to the wind and sea. It suspended his certificate for 6 months and ordered him to pay costs. The location of the wreck site was marked for a long time by two anchors on the shoreline, until in 1970 the larger of the two anchors was recovered by the Underwater Explorers' Club and mounted on the foreshore at Apollo Bay. The bell from the wreck was also donated to the Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club but is recorded to have been stolen. Rusting remains of the wreck can still be found on the shoreline on the southern side of, and directly below Cape Patton. Parts of the SPECULANT site have been buried by rubble from construction and maintenance works to the Great Ocean Road, as well as by naturally occurring landslides. Peter J McGennan passed away in 1920. The Gates in the western wall of the Anglican Church in Henna Street/Koroit St are dedicated to him for his time of community work, which is matched with other prominent Warrnambool citizens; Fletcher Jones, John Younger, J.D.E (Tag) Walter, and Edward Vidler. After Peter J McGennan's death Harry, Andrew and Edith continued to operate the family business until July 11th 1923 when the company was wound up. (Andrew lived in Ryot Street Warrnambool, near Lava Street.) Harry McGennan (Peter and Emily’s son) owned the Criterion Hotel in Kepler Street Warrnambool (now demolished). His son Sid and wife Dot lived in 28 Howard Street (corner of Nelson Street) and Sid managed the Criterion until it was decided by the family to sell, and for he remained Manager for the new owners until he retired. Harry commenced the Foreshore Trust in Warrnambool around 1950. The McGennan Carpark in Pertobe Road is named after Harry and there are Memorial-Stone Gates in his memory. (The Gates were once the original entrance to the carpark but are now the exit.). Peter’s great-grandson, also called Andrew, is a Security Officer in Warrnambool. The Patent Log (also called a Taffrail log) from the SPECULANT, mentioned above, and a number of photographs, are now part of the Collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626Photograph, black and white, of the three-masted barque SPECULANT at a jetty in low water. On the jetty and the shore are stacks of cut timber. The ship is in a wide river or bay, hills in the background, trees (like gum trees) in the foreground. Inscribed below photograph "Wrecked 10.2.11. Cape Patten. Jacobson. Munro. - - - -" Written on the photograph in blue pen "Rosbercon"Inscribed below photograph "Wrecked 10.2.11. Cape Patten. Jacobson. Munro. - - - -" Written on the photograph in blue pen "Rosbercon"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, warrnambool historical photograph, cape patten, munro, james munro, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, peter mcgennan, capt. james jacobsen, warrnambool maritime history -
Southern Sherbrooke Historical Society Inc.
Information folder - Helen Gibson
Material formed part of estate of Helen Gibson and was acquired by the society.A4 folder containing documents pertaining to Helen Gibson. Contents: -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, handwritten, from William L. McSpeddon, Vicar, Drouin, Victoria, "To whom it may concern", dated 16th March 1944, A4 sheet folded in half -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, typed, from Ethel O. Matthews, ex-Sister-in-charge of [Infant Welfare] Centres in Dandenong Shire, "To whom it may concern", dated February 1952, 20.5 x 25.5 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, handwritten, from A. Corcoran (?) Cleveland, Sister-in-charge, Port Melbourne Baby Health Centre, "To whom it may concern", dated 16th Aug 1946,16.5 x 19.5 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, handwritten, from A. M. Adams, Sub-head, Correspondence School, Blackfriars, Sydney, dated 14th July 1931, 20 x 25 cms -Certificate of Competency as a Pre-School Play Leader, Department of Health, Victoria, No. 20, for Helen Alice Gibson, examiners Madeleine [illegible] & Gillian Henriques, signed N. Narbara Meredith & Helen W. Paul & [illegible], 27 x 21.5 cms -certificate, St John Ambulance Association, certifying that Helen Gibson has attended a course of instruction in home nursing. signed Arthur Sherwin, James Paterson, [illegible] Loomis, Enid Paterson, dated 25th Sep 1939, 23.5 x 17 cms -certificate, St John Ambulance Association, certifying that Helen Gibson has attended a course of instruction in rendering First Aid to the Injured, signed Rupert M. Downes, James Paterson, Henry Smith, Enid Paterson, dated 1st May 1939, 23.5 x 17 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, typed, from Nobel Park Pre School Play Group, signed F. A. McGregor & F. B. Jenkins, undated but post-December 1951, 26.5 x 20.5 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, typed, from Correspondence School, Blackfriars, Sydney, signed W. Finigan, dated 9th Feb 1032, 26.5 x 20.5 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson (labelled 'Copy" at head), typed, from Harry S. Needham, Archdeacon & Rector of Orange, NSW, dated 24th Feb 1932, 26.5 x 20.5 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, typed, from G.W.S. Anderson, District Censor, Victoria Lines Of Communication Area, Melbourne, dated 26th July 1945, 21 x 18 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, handwritten, from Enid Paterson, President, Garfield Country Women's Association, undated, 20.5 x 26.5 cms -letter of reference for Helen Gibson, typed, from W. Finigan, Headmaster, The Correspondence School, Blackfriars, Sydney, dated 16th Sep 1943, 20.5 x 26 cms (last three items held together with rusted pin) -also in back of folder is envelope containing the following items: -notebook, black, 16 x 10 cms, "Plots, Ideas, Bird Diary 1925" inside front cover, handwritten contents include story ideas and extracts copied from Joan Aiken's "The Way To Write For Children", extract from Wm. Temple's commentary on John's Gospel, a list of aboriginal names, and reminiscences by Miss Balmer -brown business-sized envelope with "References" written in pencil -brown A4 envelope with "Certificates P. L. St John Ambulance" written in ink and "Miss Helen A. Gibson" typed in blue ink, containing blue certificate stating that Helen Gibson has passed examinations and is entitled to receive the medallion, signed [illegible], General Secretary, dated 29th June 1942, 13 x 10 cms -cardboard certificate of baptism into the Church of God, for Ian Harold Gibson, born 13th May 1915, signed Edwin Dodd, St John, Nar-nar-goonhelen alice gibson, ian harold gibson, st john ambulance, pre-school centres, melbourne