This item is from the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art, and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the lack of financial support led the WMI in 1911 to ask the City Council to take it over. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library as it was then called. When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. Amazing Adventure A Thrilling Naval Biography Author: E Keble Chatterton Publisher: Hurst & Blackett Date: 1936 A Thrilling Naval Biography Author: E Keble Chatterton Publisher: Hurst & Blackett Date: 1936Label on spine cover with typed text PAT 940.45 CHA Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Servicewarrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, great ocean road, amazing adventure, e keble chatterton

Denis Cordner was born at Diamond Creek in 1924. He described himself as 'an industrial chemist and spare-time footballer'. The Cordner family were Greensborough locals, several being local doctors.Copy of article made 04/04/2017, 1 page.Originally published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 17, Melbourne University Press, 2007denis cordner

The author, Wal Wall, attended Ballarat Teachers' College in 1949. Frank Lord was principal of Ballarat Teachers' College from 1946-1950.A biography of Frank Lord, Principal of the Ballarat Teachers' College from 1946 to 1950.frank lord, ballarat teachers' college, world war one, f.w. lord, world war two, principal, wal wall, family history, genealogy

Early (1852) biography of William Buckley, with introduction and notes by Roland Schicht (1996).maps, b&w illustrations, colour illustrationsport phillip bay, yarra river, william buckley

Biography of William Barak, including cultural notes on the Woi wurrung Wurundjeri people.colour photographs, b&w illustrations, document reproductionswoi wurrung, william barak, yarra yarra

Biography of the Chalmers family and their 9 children and grandchildren and their connection with Christ Church, Mitcham.chalmers, mary jane, william bertram (1882 - 1918), australian tesselated tile co pty ltd, christ church anglican church, mitcham, theresa ann 1884 -, hall, henry, ellen isabel (1886 - 1887), leslie james 1887 -, ada mary 1888 -, edward ernest 1890 -, rhodes, ada rebecca, frederick thomas 1892 -, hutchinson, hilda, alfred marcus 1895 -, war memorial mitcham, beatrice maude 1896 -, hilda jean 1915 -, frederick wallace 1917 -, alfred donald 1917 -, ronald william jack 1926 -, lorna roberta margery 1926 -, robert leslie 1927 -, gorsuch, henry edward, peter, judith, fry judith, fry, james, forster, joe (rev), lugg, jennifer, andrew, nicholas edward, catherine ann, wyzenbeek, isabella

This book is of general as well as local interest as it gives short biographies of prominent 19th century Australian men. Included in the book are people of local importance to Warrnambool and district – Dr Fleetwood, Dr Singleton, Rev. George Tait, James Stewart Butters, Stephen Henty and Dr Thomas Scott. This book is important because it has interesting and informative biographies of prominent Australian men of the 19th century but it is of greater importance to Warrnambool’s historians because of its biographies of men who were influential in Warrnambool’s history. It is also of interest that the book has the signature of Henri Worland, the Town Clerk of Warrnambool from 1918 to 1949. Worland was also a great Warrnambool historian, preserving items of historical importance, writing on local history and talking about our history for a number of years in a series of broadcasts on Warrnambool’s 3YB. It is due to him that we have ‘Australian Representative Men’ in our collection today. This is a hard cover book with a black cover and gold-coloured lettering on the spine. The pages are unnumbered. The book contains 107 biographies of well-known 19th century men in Australia, together with their portraits fronted by a piece of tissue paper. The book also has articles on the Federal Council and the Soudan Expedition. The first couple of pages are missing. The cover is a little stained and some of the pages have blotches on them. There are several stamps of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society.‘H.J.Worland’ history of warrnambool, dr fleetwood, dr singleton, dr thomas scott, stephen henty, james stewart butters, rev. george tait

Document. Councillor J. R. Hoskins. Two pages biography from Bendigo and Vicinity.bendigo, gold mining, miners, j. r. hoskins.

Professor John Ely Burchard was the Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Social Science at MIT. He was on a 3 month visit to Australia in 1951 as a guest of the Commonwealth government to help draw up a program for the The National Library of Australia in Canberra. He was authority on architecture and libraries. Robin Boyd met Professor Burchard at that time. Boyd was appointed the Bemis Visiting Professor at MIST 1956-57. This booklet includes a blurb and photo of Robin Boyd as Bemis Visiting Professor 1956-57, p4.The booklet contains a biography and photograph of Robin Boyd. Three loose articles are included inside.Three article clippings inside: (1) The Shape of An Architecture by John Ely Burchard, from Architectural Record, May 1937. (2) "Get an Honest Bricklayer!" The Scientists Answer to Ruskin" by Albert Bush-Brown, noted as reprinted from the Journal of Aesthetic and Art Criticism, Vol 16 No 3, March 1958. "Highest regards" signed Burchard written on front cover. (3) The City on the Hill by John Ely Burchard, stamp dated March 2nd 1957 from Michigan Alumnus Quarterly with card on front "With the compliments of John E. Burchard".massachusetts institute of technology, john ely burchard, albert bush-brown, bemis, kay fisker, eduardo catalano, marvin e goody, walsh st library

Minutes of a meeting in 1956 to discuss the writing and publication of a book about the life of Legatee Stan Savige. There were prominent men present as well as Legatees. It was chaired by Colonel Alan Spowers. Also in attendance was the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir Frank Selleck. The suggested author was John Hetherington, who was prepared to undertake the task for a fee of 1000 pounds. An indication of the high regard Stan Savige was held that a book was to be written about him.White foolscap paper of minutes of a meeting to discuss writing a biography about Stan Saviage.Handwritten in black texta 'Frank Meldrum, E Brierley, R Irving.stan savige, biography, savige book

Biography of military leader Pompey Elliott who served at Gallipoli and during the Great Warwar

The photo is of A.J. Lucas and his wife, Margaret (nee Wilson). Antonios J Lekatsas (Lucas) arrive in Australia in 1886 and was a founding member and of the Ithacan Philanthropic Society. He was also the first president, a position he held from 1916 to 1924. He married Margaret Wilson, in 1893. Margaret was also very active in Ithacan Philanthropic Society and was a member of the Women's Auxiliary. Together they established some of the most successful restaurants in Melbourne during early decades of the 20th century.A scanned copy of a studio photograph of a couple which has been backed onto white cardboard. A brief handwritten biography of A.J. Lucas has been written in Greek on the back of the white board. studio photograph, aj lucas, margaret wilson

The play was directed by George Ogilvie.Paper program; program contains brief biographies and photographs of the cast. The production toured to Perth and Sydney.russell street theatre, program, dusa, fish, stas and vi, george ogilvie

Minutes from the 11th meeting of the committee held at Legacy House on 15 July 1960 reveals that 2000 copies of the book had been sold but sales were slowing. Because minutes of the 9th and 10th committee meetings are missing, information on the project is incomplete, but these minutes refer to the fact that the author wanted his loan of $1000 to be refunded, reversing his advice in the minutes of the 15 December 1958. The copy of the financial statement noted as attached to the minutes is missing.An indication of possible sales results of the sale of the biography of Sir Stanley Savige.One quarto size sheet of copy paper, carbon copy of minutes of a meeting about the biography.savige book, biography

Samuel John Tongway A. Printout from Australian Dictionary of Biography. www.adb.anu.edu.au/biography/tong-way-samuel-john-14875 B. Photograph printed from Golden Dragon Museum website. C.Photograph printed from the Virtual War Museum Australia website.document, names of bendigo pioneers, samuel john tongway

Biography - Australian Dictionary of Biography. Victorian list Period III 1850 - 1890. This is a list of most of the more prominent Victorians in this period. Draft sent out by Dr Geoffrey Serel, Monash University for comment 1963. 10 pages of names, dates and occupationsDr Geoffrey Serelhistory, australian, biography, dr geoffrey serel.

WARRNAMBOOL PUBLIC LIBRARY The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) was formed by a voluntary community group in 1863, within six years of Warrnambool’s beginnings, and its Reading Room opened in 1854. The WMI operated until 1963, at which time it was one of the oldest Mechanics’ Institutes in Victoria. Mechanics’ Institutes offered important services to the public including libraries, reading rooms and places to display and store collections of all sorts such as curiosities and local historical relics. In 1886 a Museum and Fine Arts Gallery were added to the WMI and by the beginning of the 20th century there was also a billiards room and a School of Art. By this time all Mechanics’ Institutes in country Victoria had museums attached. Over the years the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Library was also known as the Warrnambool Public Library the Warrnambool Library and the Free Library. Early funding from the government was for the “Free Library”. The inscription in a book “Science of Man” was for the “Warrnambool Public Library”, donated by Joseph Archibald in 1899. Another inscription in the book “Catalogue of Plants Under Cultivation in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens 1 & 2, 1883” was presented to the “Warrnambool Library” and signed by the author W.R. Guilfoyle. In 1903 the Warrnambool Public Library decided to add a Juvenile Department to library and stock it with hundreds of books suitable for youth. In 1905 the Public Library committee decided to update the collection of books and added 100 new novels plus arrangements for the latest novels to be included as soon as they were available in Victoria. In July 1911 the Warrnambool Council took over the management of the Public Library, Art Gallery, Museum and Mechanics’ Institute and planned to double the size of the then-current building. In 1953, when Mr. R. Pattison was Public Librarian, the Warrnambool Public Library’s senior section 10,000 of the 13,000 books were fiction. The children’s section offered an additional 3,400 books. The library had the equivalent of one book per head of population and served around 33 percent of the reading population. The collection of books was made up of around 60 percent reference and 40 percent fiction. The library was lending 400 books per day. In 1963 the Warrnambool City Council allocated the site of the Mechanics’ Institute building, which included the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery, for the new Municipal Offices and the Collections were dispersed until 1971. The Warrnambool Library took over the Mechanics’ Institute Library’s holdings on behalf of the Warrnambool City Council. Since the closure of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute the exact location and composition of the original WMI books and items has become unclear. Other materials have been added to the collection, including items from Terang MI, Warrnambool Court House and Customs House. Many of the books have been identified as the Pattison Collection, named after the Librarian who catalogued and numbered the books during his time as Warrnambool Public Librarian in the time before the Mechanics’ Institute closed. It seems that when Warrnambool became part of the Corangamite Regional Library some of the books and materials went to its head office in Colac and then back to Warrnambool where they were stored at the Art Gallery for quite some time. Some then went to the Warrnambool Historical Society, some stayed at the Art Gallery and some were moved to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The various stamps and labels on the books held at Flagstaff Hill show the variety of the collection’s distribution and origin. The books in the collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village date from the 1850’s to the late 1950’s and include rare and valuable volumes. Many of the books are part of the “Pattison Collection” after the Warrnambool’s Public Librarian, Mr. R. Pattison. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, and to reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. As with many Mechanics' Institutes in Australia, the one which operated in Warrnambool was established and overseen for many years by key individuals associated with the development of the city itself. The WMI publication collection is historically significant because of its association with local people, places and the key historical themes in the development of Warrnambool of rural development, industry, farming, education, and community. The collection documents and illustrates the changing interests, focus and tastes of Victorians, especially those in regional cities. Generally the individual items in the collection are not particularly rare, as examples of all probably exist in other public collections in Victoria. It is primarily because there are so very few surviving Mechanics' Institute collections in Victoria, which lends this overall collection its significance. Many items in the WMI Collection have the potential to support further research, both as individual objects and through the collection in its entirety. This material is significant for its ability to assist in the interpretation of the history of the area and adds to the general understanding of the development of the township. Many components of the WMI publication collection complement and reinforce the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum Collection, the Warrnambool Art Gallery Collection, and that in the Warrnambool Historical Society, and also contribute to a clearer understanding of the original Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute collections. This will greatly enhance the appreciation of the few surviving Mechanics' Institute collections across Victoria, and also in New South Wales. The similarities and differences between the small number of collections that have survived can provide further insights into how the people of Victoria in general, and Warrnambool in particular, constructed a civic culture of adult learning to foster an informed citizenry. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute publication collection is of both local and state significance. Dictionary of Australian Biography Vol 2 Author: Percival Serle Publisher: Angus & Robertson Date: 1949Label on spine cover with typed text 920 SER Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Public Library warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, great ocean road, book, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, dictionary of australian biography vol 2, percival serle

Dictionary of Australian Biography Vol 1 Author: Percival Serle Publisher: Angus & Robertson Date: 1949Label on spine cover with typed text 929 SER Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Public Libraryflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, dictionary of australian biography vol 1, book, dictionary, biography, warrnambool public library