This bookcase was from Fintona private school Camberwell Melbourne. Fintona was a Presbyterian school for girls founded by Annie Hughston in 1896 and was originally in Camberwell and now Balwyn, Melbourne. The daughters of Pompey Elliot attended the school and the bookcase contains one of their several awards. Colonial Australian cedar secretaire bookcase c.1880 with a piano lid action to the desk lid instead of the more common drop down type.Two door cabinet base with two deep shelves, desk slope inset with gilt tooled leather. desk has rear drawers and one secret compartment and lid. Top section is simple two door glazed cabinet with three moveable cedar shelves topped with a simple pediment.secretaire, fintona, bookcase, violet elliot, pompey elliot

Souvenir dish featuring transfer print of the Entrance to the Avenue of Honour 14 Miles Long. The print foregrounds the Arch of Victory Ballarat and was made for Ballarat firm of R. Tunbridge & Sons. Early example of fine English porcelain with a new Ballarat landmark for the more discriminating buyer as opposed to the more common mass produced transfer printed items made in Czechoslovakia. The Ballarat Avenue of Honour is the longest surviving such memorial avenue to the Great War in the world and together with its entrance arch was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in June 1920.Souvenir dish made in England for local Australian sales. Evidence of early use of tourism pre-dating later built monuments for an Australian memorial to the Great War.Back stamped "Made in England exlusively for R. Tunbridge & Sons P.L.BALLARAT" with transfer printed Shelley England.porcelain, shelley, tunbridge, avenue of honor, arch of victory.