CONTEXT – UPDATED The photograph taken on Sunday, September 6, 1891, shows the Port Campbell Rocket Rescue Crew and Equipment at Wreck Beach, Moonlight Head, preparing to save the stranded men on the wreck of the barque Fiji. The man standing in the middle, front of the photograph, facing the ocean, is Herbert Maxwell Morris, a farmer at Barruppa near Princetown, who is also a member of the Rocket Rescue Crew. The Rocket Rescue lifesaving method used an explosive rocket to shoot a light line from the shore across to the distressed vessel. The line was then secured to the ship’s mast, and a heavy, continuous line was sent out with a ‘breaches buoy’ attached (a buoy similar to the seat of a pair of trousers). The stranded seafarers would sit in the seats and be pulled along the line to safety. A lot of skill was needed to set up the line to reach its target, and the crew trained regularly to keep up their skills. The FIJI and the RESCUE: - The three-masted iron barque Fiji was built at Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool-based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on May 22, 1891, bound for Melbourne under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. The Cape Otway light was sighted on September 5, 1891. However, the bearing was different from Captain Vickers’ calculations. At about 2:30 am the next morning, the land was reported only 4-5 miles away. The captain tried to redirect the ship in the rough weather without success, and the Fiji struck rock only 300 yards (274 metres) from shore. The crew burned blue lights and fired rockets to signal distress. The lifeboats either capsized or were swamped and smashed to pieces. Two younger crewmen volunteered to swim to the shore with a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, Julius Gebauhr, a 17-year-old German able seaman, reached shore safely on his second attempt but had cut the line loose with his sheath-knife when it tangled in kelp. He climbed the cliffs in search of help. Later that morning, a young man named William (Willie) Ward reported that he saw the wreck of the ship close to shore near Moonlight Head from the cliffs, and the alarm for help was sent to Princetown, six miles away. At around the same time, a Mott’s party of land selectors, including F. J. Stansmore and Leslie Dickson, was travelling on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head. They were near Ryans Den when they found Gebauhr in the scrub, bleeding and dressed only in a singlet, socks and a belt with his sheath-knife. They thought the man might be an escaped lunatic, due to his wild and shaggy-looking state and what seemed to be gibberish speech. After Gebauhr threw his knife away, they realised that he was speaking half-English, half-German as he talked about the wreck. They gave him food, brandy and clothing, and he was taken to a nearby guest house, Rivernook, owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Most of the party went off to the wreck site. Stanmore and Dickson rode for help from both Port Campbell, for the two Rocket Rescue Crew buggies, and from Warrnambool, for the lifeboat. The vessel S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. Half of the Port Campbell Rocket Crew and equipment arrived after a 25-mile journey and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time, the weary crew of the Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. The Office in Charge of the Rocket Crew, W. Tregear, ordered the rocket to be fired, but the light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully set up by Herbert Morris. It crossed the ship and was secured. The anxious sailors tried to come ashore along the line, but some were washed off as the line sagged with too many on it at one time. Other nearly exhausted crewmen made their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Rocket Crew members and onlookers on the beach took turns to go into the surf and drag the half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers included Bill (William James) Robe, Herbert Maxwell Morris, Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody, who was also involved in the rescue of men from the Newfield. Arthur Wilkinson, a 29-year-old land selector from Geelong, swam out to help one of the ship’s crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken, who was trying to swim from the ship to the shore. Two or three times, both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck, where they were both hauled back on board. Wilkinson was unconscious, possibly from hitting his head on the anchor before they were brought up. Plunken survived, but Wilkinson later died, and his body washed up the next day. The 26-year-old Bill Robe hauled out the last man; it was the captain, and he’d been tangled in the kelp. Only 20 minutes later, the wreck of the Fiji was smashed apart, and it settled in about 6 metres of water. Of the 26 men on the Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach. Their coffins were made from timbers from the wrecked Fiji, and they were buried on the cliff top above the wreck. The survivors were taken to Rivernook and cared for over the next few days. Funds were raised by locals soon after the wreck in aid of the sufferers of the Fiji disaster. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship. His Master's Certificate was suspended for 12 months. There was public criticism of the rescue. The important canvas ‘breeches buoy’ and heavy line for the Rocket Rescue were in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue, as they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. The communications to Warrnambool were down, so the call for help didn’t get through on time. The boat that was notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much cargo looting occurred. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls. Essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers' homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck, “Fiji tobacco” was advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. In 1894, some coiled fencing wire was salvaged from the wreck. Hundreds of coils are still strewn over the site of the wreck, encrusted and solidified. The hull is broken, but the vessel’s iron ribs can be seen along with some of the cargo of concrete and pig iron. Captain Vickers presented Bill Robe with his silver-cased pocket watch, the only possession that he still had, as a token for having saved his life and the lives of some of the crew. Years later, Bill used the pocket watch to pay a debt, and it was handed down through that family. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its handcrafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. The knife handle had a personal inscription on it. A marble headstone on the cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach pays tribute to the men who lost their lives when Fiji ran aground. The scene of the wreck is marked by the anchor from the Fiji, erected by Warrnambool skin divers in 1967. Captain Vickers’ pocket watch and Julius Gebauhr’s sheath knife are among the artefacts salvaged from the Fiji that are now part of the Fiji collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The man identified in the photograph, Herbert Maxwell Morris, was the nephew of the Victorian era artist, William Morris. Herbert had sailed from England to Australia; he was about 25 years old when he joined the Rocket Rescue Crew at Port Campbell, where he lived. His successful rocket line firing at the Fiji wreck site was noted by author Jack Loney in one of his historic shipwreck books. Later, Morris moved from his property at Baruppa to Laver’s Hill to run a more profitable enterprise. This photograph is significant as an image of a historical event, being the willingness of local volunteers to aid in the saving of lives of stranded seafarers. It gives a clear picture of the use of Rocket Rescue Equipment in shore-to-ship rescues. Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S259. The Fiji is archaeologically significant as the wreck of a typical 19th century international sailing ship with cargo. It is educationally and recreationally significant as one of Victoria's most spectacular historic shipwreck dive sites with structural features and remains of the cargo evident. It also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes. The Fiji collection meets the following criteria for assessment; Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history, possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history, and potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. Black and white photograph of the Rocket Rescue Crew from Pt Campbell on Wreck Beach, Moonlight Head, at the barque 'Fiji' wreck site. September 6, 1891.warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwrecked artefact, pocket watch, fob watch fiji, william vickers, william robe, bill robe, gebauhr, stansmore, carmody, wreck bay, moonlight head, fiji shipwreck 1891, rocket crew, port campbell rocket crew, lifesaving crew, photograph of rocket crew, herbert morris, warrnambool, shipwreck artefact, mott, william ward, rocket rescue, breeches buoy, rivernook guest house

Leather wallet containing crosses and St Christophers"In case of accident or severe illness notify nearest Catholic priest."

Black Leather Gloves formed part of the WRAAC Uniform. When WRAAC disbanded on 1 September 1983, the gloves continued to form part of the women's uniform. This was the case for those serving in the Royal Australian Survey Corps.A pair of black kid leather women's military uniform gloves with a metal stud clipDated 1976royal australian survey corps, rasvy, fortuna, army survey regiment, army svy regt, gloves

Signaller's briefcase with leather handle attached by metal rings , key lock in centre (no key)green leather with gold embossed lettering airforce, uniforms

Dr Joseph Clover was an early pioneer of anaesthesia, particularly chloroform. Like most physicians, he recorded his work in a casebook. This casebook records Clover's first administration of ether as anaesthesia. The book was given to Professor Robert Mackintosh by Mary Clover, Joseph Clover's daughter. along with other casebooks. Mackintosh then proceeded to re-gift the casebooks and they are now dispersed. Clover wrote this casebook when he was a medical student, before he trained as a surgeon and around the time that anaesthesia was discovered. He eventually became the most important authority on anaesthesia in Britain and is featured on the crest of the Royal College of Anaesthetists. This artefact associated with one of the world's foremost pioneers of anaesthesia is historically and scientifically significant on an international level, and is significant for its rarity, condition and research potential. It is one of the most significant items in the Collection.Bound book with heavy marbled card cover with red leather binding strip along the spine. Insides leaves have handwritten text by Joseph Clover recording his work.joseph clover, robert mackintosh, mary clover, anaesthesia

Dr Thomas Small designed this ether anaesthesia and analgesia machine while he was an Honorary Medical Officer at the Royal Women's Hospital in Sydney during the 1930s. The inhaler is compact and portable. Initially, Small experimented with other agents for the relief of labour pain but was not happy with any of them. He also tried various agents on himself, including nitrous oxide/oxygen, chloroform and ethyl chloride. Finally he settled on ether via a Clover inhaler as the best analgesic. This inhaler is only described in use in Australia and New Zealand, although it was used for almost 40 years. Black leather box with leather handle, lockable latches on either side and drop down front case panel containing a metal ether inhaler and length of black corrugated rubber hose with one end attached to the inhaler and the other end open for attaching a mask. The metal inhaler drum is circular and attached to the floor of the case with a small tap/lever to one side and a mixing valve on the top near the hose connection. The lever has incised gradings of quarter increments from 0 to 1. The box is designed for the ether inhaler to be portable.ether, small, thomas, analgesia, obstetrics, anaesthesia, anaesthetic, royal women's, sydney, queen victoria, melbourne

John Snow was England's first full-time anaesthetist. He noted that the common mode of administration of ether was liable to lead to anoxia, and invented this inhaler to overcome this. Later, he turned to chloroform anaesthetics without a death. He administered chloroform to Queen Victoria for the birth of Prince Leopold, this largely being responsibe for overcoming objections to the use of analgesia in childbirth. This replica was made in 1950 and gifted to the museum by A Charles King Esquire.The complete object is in six parts and made up of a brass metal box with swing latches in the middle section for secure closing. The lid is in two parts with one half that comes off entirely. Inside the box is the circular inhaler, detachable tube and dark yellow/green fabric covered tube. The mask made of brass and chamois leather with an exporatory valve does not fit into the box. A brown fabric case has been made to store the inhaler in.Etched onto the detachable lid, This replica of the Snow's Ether Inhaler of 1847 was made by John Henry Hawkes of A. Charles King Ltd. August 1950.john snow, chloroform, ether, queen victoria, prince leopold, john henry hawkes, a. charles king

Colour slide mounted in white slide case. Image depicts Clover Inhaler with cloth rebreather bag and leather facemask attachedHandwritten in pencil: EMBLEY'S / 9448clover inhaler, inhaler, ether, anaesthesia, medical history, anaesthetic history

00062.1 Tin metal Pith helmet case. 00062.2 Pith helmet with leather strap 00062.3 Fly swatch 00062.4 Two gorget patches.00062.1 Tin case Hawkes & Co. Ltd. 1 Savile Row London. W. 00062.2 Pith helmet with chin strap Hawkes & Co. Ltd Manufactured 1912. Initials.C B

This case belonged to the first National Serviceman to be killed in action in VietnamThe suitcase is made of brown leather and wood. It feautures 2 metal locks on a side and a metal handle.A suitcase which the personal effects of Errol Noack were kept in this suitcase by his parents and later donated to the NVVM by Walter Noack (Errol's father).5 rar, noack collection, noack, errol

The bags multiple small pockets are reflective of a movement post 1920s wherein evening bags were designed to hold cosmetics and at times, as in the case of this purse, small mirrors. It is a notably older design, produced by Gabee Products in 1949, their first year of production, by Heinz Arnheim, a Jewish miller who had migrated from Germany to Australia ten years prior. The bag is designed according to 1930s Art Deco sentiments, with industrial metal closures, shell shaped designs and geometric patterns etched into the frame. A contrast to the larger leather bags of the 1940s and the 'current' square and box bags which Dior popularised in 1947.Small black suede shell shaped coin purse with marcasite tuck lock. Mount lined with 3 rows of diamantes, 9 each side. Small black suede handle attached with metal square buckle to each end. Internal of the mount marcasite etched with a chevron pattern. Lined with thick black fabric with two pockets, one pocket containing rectangular mirror. Small fabric label on left side."Gabee Products Melbourne"bags, evening bags, purses, 1950s, 50s, 1940s, 40s