The Wodonga Historical Society Haeusler Collection provides invaluable insight into life in late nineteenth and early twentieth century north east Victoria. The collection comprises manuscripts, personal artefacts used by the Haeusler family on their farm in Wodonga, and a set of glass negatives which offer a unique visual snapshot of the domestic and social lives of the Haeusler family and local Wodonga community. The Haeusler family migrated from Prussia (Germany) to South Australia in the 1840s and 1850s, before purchasing 100 acres of Crown Land made available under the Victorian Lands Act 1862 (also known as ‘Duffy’s Land Act’) in 1866 in what is now Wodonga West. The Haeusler family were one of several German families to migrate from South Australia to Wodonga in the 1860s. This object is a German bible printed in 1702. It was published by Sebastian Göbels at the town of Schleusingen in the Thüringian Forest, and has 1770 pages. The bible was brought to Australia by the Haeusler-Klinge family when they migrated to South Australia in 1846. Ferdinand Haeusler came to Wodonga with other German families in 1866, bringing the bible with him. This item significant due to its age and rarity. It has well documented provenance and a known owner. It forms part of a significant and representative historical Haeusler Collection, which reflects the local history of Wodonga. It contributes to our understanding of European colonisation and settlement in Wodonga and north east Victoria in the mid nineteenth-century. A large bible printed in German and bound with brown leather. bible, christianity, german, germany, immigration, 1800s, 1700s, prussia

Mary Russell brought household items to Australia from England in 1934. Her mother, Elizabeth Russell used the writing desk that was originally given to her mother, Agnes Marian Byrne when she went to boarding school. Agnes used it all her life. Desk damaged by a visiting child who forced the desk closed/open at one point. Estimated that Agnes went to school about 1830'sA square wooden box with brass inlay decoration on lid and front around lock. Hinged lid opens to be a writing surface of velvet. At lock end, groove for pens and small well for ink bottle. Key (not to be used) is in the ink well. Base lined with green hessian glued on. Lid and base angled to give sloping writing surface. A total of 12 items including the box.domestic items, writing equipment, handcrafts, woodwork

Oblong shaped sampler with the alphabet embroidered (both upper and lower case). Also numbers 1-12 embroidered. 'Life is uncertain death is sure, sin is the wound and Christ the cure'. is embroidered under the numbers with a longer verse below. 'Mary Barton finished this in the year of our Lord 1817 'is at the bottom of sampler. A vase of flowers is embroidered on each side of final sentence.domestic items, sewing, handcrafts, embroidery

Margaret Olley (24 June 1923 – 26 July 2011) Born Lismore, New South Wales In 1941 Margaret commenced classes at Brisbane Central Technical College. In 1943 Olley moved to Sydney and enrolled in an art Diploma course at East Sydney Technical College graduating in 1945 with A-class honours. She is known as a still-life and interior painters Margaret who drew inspiration from her home and studio, and the beauty of the everyday objects she gathered around her. Her paintings often feature arrangements of fruits and flowers, set amid domestic ware art and souvenirs of her travels. For her service as an artist and to the promotion of art, she was awarded the Order of Australia in 1991 and made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1996. This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Framed oil painting of an apple on a table with red gingham cloth. art, artwork, margaret olley, olley, apple, fruit, still life

The postcard shows the kitchen at 'Emu Bottom' which is almost the same as when the homestead was built in the 1930s when George Evans acquired the land and built the homestead.Images like the one on the postcard provide visual information relating to past domestic living and life.A non-digital coloured photograph in post card format with a crinkled edge, of a lady in a kitchen cooking over a Firestone. A large dresser is to her right and had a display of china plates and bowls on the open shelves.kitchens, emu bottom, george evans, sunbury

Two cylindrical containers with lids (one lid missing), relief printing in metal on lid and base, printed label with sailors head inside life-buoy, brand name 'Player's Navy Cut'.Marked on label: PLAYERS NAVY CUT, MEDIUM, and other.

John Alfred Lyell "Alf" Haeusler was born on 3rd February 1922, and was the only child of Louis and Ilma Haeusler. He lost his mother Ilma at the age of six and was raised by his father and his Aunt Nellie. He was a quiet lad with a limp, possibly caused by an illness early in life, later diagnosed as polymyositis. As a young boy, Alf was fascinated by electricity and radios. Like his father Louis, Alf had the ability to engineer and fabricate almost anything using humble materials, from mending the broken handle of a teapot, to making a toy xylophone, a homemade crystal radio set or a homemade drill. Alf attended Wodonga West School No.1058 until the eighth grade. Due to his medical condition, in order to avoid the two-mile walk to school, Alf travelled by pony, which was hired from another student, Tom Ardern for sixpence a week. The two boys remained lifelong friends. Tom Ardern died in Wodonga, Victoria on 10th January 1996 and Alf Haeusler died on 5th October 1997. The Haeusler Collection consisting of manuscripts, personal artefacts used by the Haeusler family and a set of glass negatives was bequeathed to the Wodonga & District Historical Society. It offers a unique visual snapshot of the domestic and social lives of the Haeusler family and local Wodonga community in the early 20th century.This photo is significant because it depicts an important aspect of the early life of Alf Haeusler of Wodonga.Framed black and white image of two boys on horseback on their way to school.haeusler family of wodonga, thomas ardern, alf haeusler

May be used for making tea or coffee outdoors under a campfireAlthough the direct provenance of this object is unknown, it helps to build a story about outdoor living, camping and life in the bushBlue metal enamel pot with lid in the shape of a cup. Both pot and lid have a handle to hold on the side. There is a carry handle that is a long thin metal piece shaped into a rectangle and bent around two metal rings on each side of the pot.camping, coffee, coffee cup, coffee pot, pot, hot drink, early settlers, billy tea

Women in early settler days and 1900's managed the household and had to be self sufficient and were skilful cooks providing meals for their families. Normal daily life involved washing clothes, ironing, cooking meals and baking cakes, scones, bread, and pastries whilst caring for the children and making and mending the family's clothes. Nine round, one square vintage tin biscuit or pastry cutters: a set of five including a small, medium and large one with curved handles, plus two fluted and one plain cutter and one plain without handles.biscuit cutters, kitchenware, kitchen equipment, pastry cutters

A thin strip of wood for resting tie on while it is clamped between 2 laminated pieces of timber with metal clamps. Top of one of the presses is printed with a coloured patternTy LIfes KEEPS YOUR TIE IN SHAPE. PATENTED AUST. NO. 5309/ On back plaque reads Beaucaire MADE IN ENGLAND The Best Men's Wear

This item is part of a series of images regarding social housing in Broadmeadows. Titled "Gulcan Cooks Up a Treat Public Housing" / "Broadmeadows 1998," the photograph features a woman standing at a stove, cooking in a house within the Banksia Gardens estate. This image captures a moment of daily life and highlights the personal and communal aspects of living in public housing. It provides a glimpse into the domestic environment and the social fabric of the community during that period, emphasizing the importance of home and family within the context of social housing.The photograph titled "Gulcan Cooks Up a Treat Public Housing" / "Broadmeadows 1998" holds significant historical and cultural value. It features a woman, Gulcan, standing at a stove and cooking in a house within the Banksia Gardens estate. This image is part of a series documenting social housing in Broadmeadows and provides a poignant glimpse into the everyday lives of residents. It highlights the personal and communal aspects of living in public housing, emphasising the importance of home, family, and community. The photograph captures the essence of domestic life and the social fabric of the community during that period, offering valuable insights into the lived experiences of those in social housing.A black and white photograph on glossy photographic paper of a woman in a kitchen."Gulcan Cooks Up a Treat Public Housing"/"Broadmeadows 1998"broadmeadows, social housing, cooking, banksia gardens, 1998

Women in early settler days and 1900's managed the household and had to be self sufficient and were skilful cooks providing meals for their families. Normal daily life involved washing clothes, ironing, cooking meals and baking cakes, scones, bread, pastries and biscuits whilst caring for the children and making and mending the family's clothes. Animal shapes were fun for the children to help make and eat. Four animal shaped vintage tin biscuit or pastry cutters - a cat, dog, fish and duck. biscuit cutters, kitchenware, kitchen equipment, pastry cutters

Women in early settler days and 1900's managed the household and had to be self sufficient and were skilful cooks providing meals for their families. Normal daily life involved washing clothes, ironing, cooking meals and baking cakes, scones, bread, and pastries whilst caring for the children and making and mending the family's clothes. Shaped biscuit cutters were fun for children to make and eat. Four aluminium vintage biscuit or pastry cutters, including a star, bell, circle and flower shape with curved handles. Two have fluted edges the other have two have plain edges.biscuit cutters, kitchenware, kitchen equipment, pastry cutters

This majestic peacock embodies the technical achievement, skill and ingenuity of artisans during the 19th century. It is now known as the 'Loch Ard Peacock' and was designed and modelled in 1873 by Paul Comolera (1818-1897) and fired in one piece at the Minton factory at Stoke-on-Trent in the United Kingdom in 1875. The peacock has been portrayed in symbolic motifs and has figured heavily in folktales and fables since antiquity, and many cultures around the world see it as a symbol of beauty, rebirth and power. Wealthy Victorians loved majolica, and the large peacock would have been the ultimate home accessory as a conservatory ornament – combining their desire for nature, the exotic and vibrant colours. The peacock model was listed in catalogues by Minton & Co. for a retail price of 35 guineas or sold as a pair for 90 guineas. Minton & Co. was founded in 1793 by Thomas Minton (1765–1836) and became a famous pottery and porcelain manufacturer. Comolera was a French artist and sculptor, renowned for dramatic naturalistic forms and life-size renditions of birds and animals that won him admiration in public and artistic circles. He was employed by Minton & Co. from 1873 to 1880, and the life-sized peacock became his best-known work. Comolera kept a live peacock loaned from the nearby Duke of Sutherland's Trentham Hall Estate in his studio to create a life-size model of fine buff earthenware model, which was then hand painted in brilliantly coloured green and blue glazes to mimic the peafowl’s dazzling plumage. There are no surviving production records, but according to documents in the Minton Archive, nine peacocks were made by Comolera. However, today, some historians now believe that twelve were fired at the Minton factory; research is ongoing. These peacocks were so admired that Minton & Co. used them as exhibition showpieces at International Exhibitions in London, Paris, and the United States of America, ensuring the company had a worldwide reputation. So, when Melbourne hosted an International Exposition in 1880, Minton & Co. sent out ceramics and tiles, and in particular, this peacock was intended to be part of their exhibit in the British Court in the Exhibition Building, built in the Carlton Gardens. The early dispatch date (1878) indicates that the company may have intended to exhibit their wares, including the peacock, at the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition, but the company did not take up this option. The ship that Minton & Co. used to bring the peacock and their other wares to the Australian colonies was the ill-fated Loch Ard, which sunk after striking Mutton Bird Island near Port Campbell, Victoria, in calm foggy weather in June 1878 on the final leg of the ship's journey to Melbourne. The loss of 52 lives made it one of Victoria’s worst shipwrecks. Therefore, this peacock never made it to the grand exposition in Melbourne, as Minton & Co. had planned. Charles McGillivray dragged this peacock, still in its original packing case, onto the beach in the gorge just two days after the Loch Ard went down. The peacock was rescued unscathed apart from a chip on its beak (only repaired in 1988). After a disagreement with a Melbourne Customs Officer, Joseph Daish, McGillivray stopped his salvage operations, leaving the peacock on the beach. The second salvagers were James Miller and Thomas Keys. Miller was a member of the firm Howarth, Miller and Matthews, Geelong, who had brought the salvage rights to the Loch Ard wreck on 10 June. When Miller and Keys arrived at the wreck site, a storm had washed many of the salvaged goods, including this peacoc,k back into the sea. The two men found the peacock in its case ‘bobbing along in the water’ and pulled it back to the beach. To ensure the peacock wasn't washed out to sea again, Miller and Keys hauled the packing case containing the peacock up the gorge's cliff face to the top, ready to be transported. In an interview in 1928, Keys claimed that at the time of the rescue, the head had broken from the body. This account was proven to be true in 1988, following the birds' display in Brisbane. This peacock began its life in Australia, not in the grandeur of an International Exhibition as intended, but in the hallway of a simple domestic house in Geelong. It appears Minton & Co. did not attempt to buy this peacock back. Florence Miller, daughter of James Miller (Loch Ard salvage rights holder), later remarked that the only item of real value rescued from the wreck had been the peacock and that this had been kept by her father in the family home at Malvern for many years and became a treasured family possession. As such, this 'Loch Ard peacock' was almost forgotten and mistaken with other Minton peacocks around the world. Miss Florence Miller tried to sell the peacock due to financial difficulties in the 1930s but was unsuccessful. While attempting to sell her Loch Ard relic, it was displayed in the window of the old Argus newspaper office, which was at 76 Collins Street, Melbourne; the Argus had relocated to the corner of Elizabeth and La Trobe Streets in 1926. Between 1935 and 1939, the old Argus building was occupied by the Joshua N. McClelland Print Room, which sold not only paintings and prints but also antiques and authentic replicas, as well as hosting exhibitions. Miss Florence Miller loaned her peacock for display at the Victorian Historical Exhibition held in the National Gallery on 1st June 1935, the 57th anniversary of the Loch Ard wreck. As a result, the peacock attracted public attention in books, newspapers and magazine articles that told the story of its survival from a shipwreck. Miss Florence Miller was keen to sell the peacock, even writing overseas to Captain Blain on November 30th, 1938, about the possibility of a sale, but this became no longer possible due to the outbreak of war. Recent information points to the Loch Ard peacock being owned by John S R Heath before its sale to Frank Ridley-Lee in May 1941. Research is ongoing, but it seems likely that John Samuel Robert Heath, a leading Melbourne dentist with a practice in Collins Street, and his wife, a dental mechanic, had purchased Miss Miller’s Loch Ard peacock before its sale in 1941. They were lovers of fine arts, music, wine and food. The peacock in the window of the old Argus building could have attracted their attention as they had already purchased the old stone Presbyterian Church on Warrigal Road, Oakleigh, in 1933 and had converted its interior. The home, renamed The Studio, even included Melbourne’s first all-electric kitchen. The peacock was perfect for display in the Studio’s entrance. A magazine article published after the conversion was completed included photographs of the interior. The picture of the ‘portico’ had a caption below that stated, “Some of her [Mrs Heath’s] finest pottery was salvaged from the Loch Ard Wreck”. In 2025, Heath’s two remaining sons remember running around in the entrance with the peacock standing there, oblivious to its value. Heath was an accomplished artist, studying under Max Meldrum. He painted and exhibited his works at The Studio and in a public exhibition, and he was a finalist eight times in the coveted Archibald Prize portrait competition, including the submission of his self-portrait that is now part of his grandson’s collection. The next owner of the Loch Ard Peacock was Frank Ridley-Lee. He displayed it at his home in Ivanhoe after buying it at an auction in May 1941. The peacock remained in the hands of the Ridley-Lee family until it was offered for sale by auction in 1975 as part of an art collection belonging to Mrs Ridley-Lee's estate. The peacock was not sold at this time, as the reserve price of $4500 was not met. This news was passed on to the board of the newly created Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. Urgent efforts were made to collect the necessary money through fundraising by the Warrnambool City Council and public donations. The Fletcher Jones Company and the Victorian Government contributed half the cost. On 9 September 1975, the Loch Ard peacock was purchased by Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, and it found a new home at the maritime museum. Since then, it has only left Warrnambool twice. Firstly, in 1980, at the centenary celebrations of the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, and secondly, in 1988, the peacock was given pride of place at the entrance to the Victorian Pavilion at the Brisbane World Expo, acknowledging that this Minton Majolica peacock is the most significant shipwreck object in Australia. The Minton majolica peacock is considered of historical social and aesthetic significance to Victoria and is one of only a few 'objects' registered on the Victorian Heritage Register (H 2132), as it is a most notable and rare object associated with the Minton factory of the 1870s and works by the celebrated sculptor Paul Comolera along with the wreck of the Loch Ard on the Victorian coastline. This Minton peacock is historically significant for its rarity; it was one of only 9-12 known to exist. The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is also of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register Ref (S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulation of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collections object is to also give us a snapshot into history so we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's early social and historical themes. The collection is historically significant is that it is associated, unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. The peacock, resplendent in polychrome glaze, stands perched on a rocky plinth decorated with vines, leaves, flowers, blackberries and wild mushrooms. The peacock’s breast is cobalt blue; the wings and legs are in naturalistic colours. The tail is a mass of feathers coloured in green, ochre blue and brown — a fantastic display of artistry and Minton expertise. Inscribed at the base :P Comolera, and a Minton & Co. design number: 2045.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, loch ard, loch ard gorge, peacock, paul comolera, victorian heritage register, minton peacock, minton & co., stoke upon trent, bird figures, mintons, ceramics, international expositions, majolica, naturalistic, staffordshire, john samuel robert heath, peacock statue, loch ard peacock, majorca peacock