This commemorative plaque refers to the religiously themed window situated in the western (weather) wall of the St. Nicholas Mission to Seamen’s Church building in the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. It was crafted circa 1928. ABOUT THE WINDOW The window, to which this plaque belongs was once known as the Dr Connell Memorial Window, which was a feature of an external wall adjacent to the Women’s Children’s Wards of Warrnambool Hospital. Honorary Doctors had played a significant role in the operation of the hospital between the years 1900 to 1939. One of these doctors was Dr. Connell, who passed away in 1928. A paragraph in the book ‘A History of the Warrnambool Base Hospital’ by Forth and Yule describes the role of the Honorary Doctors - “At the start of the period the senior-part time medical officer was replaced by the junior resident medical officer and control of beds and the right to operate were given to the honorary medical officers...and these men dominated the Warrnambool medical world in the years before the Second World War.” Dr. Connell leased ‘Ambleside’, 192 Koroit Street, in the early 20th century, following Dr Teed who had previously run his medical practice there. In 1914 Dr Connell purchased the property and continued his private practice there until his death in 1928. He also took a prominent part in hospital work, both as physician and surgeon, and often acted as spokesmen for the Honorary Doctors. According to colleague Dr. Horace Holmes’ subsequent notes, it was after the close of the First World War, and the following years of the world-wide pneumonic influenza epidemic, that Dr. Connell himself contracted pneumonia and died. His family and friends then recognised his work by gifting the memorial window in his honour to the Hospital. By the mid-1970s the old wards at the hospital had been replaced and there was no obvious place for the window. Discussions between the previous and past Hospital managers, the Anglican Diocese, and Flagstaff Hill Planning Board, led to its installation in its present position in St Nicholas Seamen’s Church. It was installed without the bottom section of stained glass, which was inscribed as a memorial to Dr. Connell. St NICHOLAS SEAMEN’S CHURCH, Anglican Church Flagstaff Hill’s Mission to Seamen was opened in 1981. Its conception was partly motivated by the offer of Stained Glass Memorial Windows from the local Warrnambool and District Base Hospital, which was undergoing multi-storey development in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The Manager/Secretary at the time was keen to see the historical windows installed in an appropriate location. The chapel was designed by a local architectural draftsman in conjunction with members of the Planning Board of Flagstaff Hill, and built by Mr Leon Habel. The vision of the designers included the hope that the church be used for formal worship such as weddings and funeral, and for multi-denominational special services such as War commemorations. The design is based on the ‘Mission to Seamen’ buildings in both Portland and Port Melbourne. These types of buildings were often erected to house social and worshipful activities for seamen. The materials used in the building include sandstone recycled from nineteenth-century buildings demolished in Warrnambool and American slate tiles retrieved from the 1908 wreck of the FALLS OF HALLADALE. Most of the chapel furnishings came from the Williamstown Missions to Seamen, which was consecrated in 1946 but later decommissioned. These artefacts range from the altar cloth to the hymn board and include a visually stunning round stained glass widow called ‘Christ Guiding the Helmsman’. However the provenance of this particular artefact, large western window, is local.This plaque is significant because of its association with stained glass memorial window is of local, historical and social significance, linking local history and heritage with one of Warrnambool's doctors, Dr. Egbert John Connell (d. 1928), who gave 30 years of dedicated, medical service to the local citizens.Plaque, opaque, pale green glass rectangle mounted on white timber board and held in place with six decorative silver coloured clasps. Five rows of printed, capitalised text are fixed on the top surface. The plaque is companion to the commemorative, stained glass window installed in the St. Nicholas Mission to Seamen's Church at Flagstaff Hill. (The window was previously known locally as the Dr. Connell Memorial Window.)"A TRIBUTE TO / EGBERT JOHN CONNELL, M.B.B.S. / WHO FOR 30 YEARS RENDERED DEVOTED AND / VALUABLE SERVICE TO THIS INSTITUTION / OBIIT APRIL 4th 1928, A.D."flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, chapel window, stained glass window, warrnambool and district base hospital, st nicholas mission to seamen’s church, williamstown mission to seamen, dr egbert connell, ambleside warrnambool, leon habel builder, falls of halladale slate, memorial window, commemorative window, dr connell, commemorative plaque, plaque, edgar mcconnell

This religiously themed window is situated in the western (weather) wall of the St. Nicholas Mission to Seamen’s Church building in the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. It was crafted circa 1928. ABOUT THE WINDOW This window, once known as the Dr Connell Memorial Window, was a feature of an external wall adjacent to the Women’s Children’s Wards of Warrnambool Hospital. Honorary Doctors had played a significant role in the operation of the hospital between the years 1900 to 1939. One of these doctors was Dr. Connell, who passed away in 1928. The green glass plaque is also a registered object in Flagstaff Hill's Collection. Its inscription dedicates the window to Dr. Connell. The inscription reads: “A tribute to Egbert John Connell M.B.B.S. who for 30 years rendered devoted and valuable service to this institution. Obiit April 4th 1928 A.D." A paragraph in the book ‘A History of the Warrnambool Base Hospital’ by Forth and Yule describes the role of the Honorary Doctors - “At the start of the period the senior-part time medical officer was replaced by the junior resident medical officer and control of beds and the right to operate were given to the honorary medical officers...and these men dominated the Warrnambool medical world in the years before the Second World War.” Dr. Connell leased ‘Ambleside’, 192 Koroit Street, in the early 20th century, following Dr Teed who had previously run his medical practice there. In 1914 Dr Connell purchased the property and continued his private practice there until his death in 1928. He also took a prominent part in hospital work, both as physician and surgeon, and often acted as spokesmen for the Honorary Doctors. According to colleague Dr. Horace Holmes’ subsequent notes, it was after the close of the First World War, and the following years of the world-wide pneumonic influenza epidemic, that Dr. Connell himself contracted pneumonia and died. His family and friends then recognised his work by gifting the memorial window in his honour to the Hospital. By the mid-1970s the old wards at the hospital had been replaced and there was no obvious place for the window. Discussions between the previous and past Hospital managers, the Anglican Diocese, and Flagstaff Hill Planning Board, led to its installation in its present position in St Nicholas Seamen’s Church and the memorial plaque was later installed beside the window. St NICHOLAS SEAMEN’S CHURCH, Anglican Church Flagstaff Hill’s Mission to Seamen was opened in 1981. Its conception was partly motivated by the offer of Stained Glass Memorial Windows from the local Warrnambool and District Base Hospital, which was undergoing multi-storey development in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The Manager/Secretary at the time was keen to see the historical windows installed in an appropriate location. The chapel was designed by a local architectural draftsman in conjunction with members of the Planning Board of Flagstaff Hill, and built by Mr Leon Habel. The vision of the designers included the hope that the church be used for formal worship such as weddings and funeral, and for multi-denominational special services such as War commemorations. The design is based on the ‘Mission to Seamen’ buildings in both Portland and Port Melbourne. These types of buildings were often erected to house social and worshipful activities for seamen. The materials used in the building include sandstone recycled from nineteenth-century buildings demolished in Warrnambool and American slate tiles retrieved from the 1908 wreck of the FALLS OF HALLADALE. Most of the chapel furnishings came from the Williamstown Missions to Seamen, which was consecrated in 1946 but later decommissioned. These artefacts range from the altar cloth to the hymn board and include a visually stunning round stained glass widow called ‘Christ Guiding the Helmsman’. However the provenance of this particular artefact, large western window, is local. This stained glass memorial window is of local, historical and social significance, linking local history and heritage with one of Warrnambool's doctors, Dr. Egbert John Connell (d. 1928), who gave 30 years of dedicated, medical service to the local citizens.Stained glass leadlight window in Gothic arched metal frame with six horizontal reinforcing rods. Image depicts a golden flat-bowled baptismal font on a slender stand with foliage proceeding from it. The image is internally framed by a Roman arch of coloured glass and surrounding rectangular and breaking-wave shapes. (The window was previously known locally as the Dr. Connell Memorial Window and a plaque dedicated to Dr. Connell is catalogued separately. See Context notes for details.)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, chapel window, stained glass window, warrnambool and district base hospital, st nicholas mission to seamen’s church, williamstown mission to seamen, dr egbert connell, ambleside warrnambool, leon habel builder, falls of halladale slate, memorial window, commemorative window, dr connell

These rectangular slates of 'beautiful, unusual, expensive, green' American roof tiles were recovered from the wreck of the Falls of Halladale. Salvaging began in 1974 by volunteer divers, using local cray-fishing boats. An efficient system was devised to recover up to 4,000 of the still neatly packed slates a day. Many of the 22,000 salvaged slates can be seen on the roofs of eight Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village buildings. The iron-hulled, four-masted barque, the Falls of Halladale (1886 - 1908), was a bulk carrier of general cargo. She left New York in August 1908 on her way to Melbourne and Sydney. In her hold, along with 56,763 tiles of unusual beautiful green American slates (roof tiles), 5,673 coils of barbed wire, 600 stoves, 500 sewing machines, 6500 gallons of oil, 14400 gallons of benzene, and many other manufactured items, were 117 cases of crockery and glassware. Three months later and close to her destination, a navigational error caused the Falls of Halladale to be wrecked, grounded on a reef at Wreck Point, midway between Peterborough and the Bay of Islands, during the night of 14th November 1908. The captain and 29 crew members all survived, but her valuable cargo was largely lost, despite two salvage attempts in 1908-09 and 1910. The ship stayed in full sail on the rocky shelf for nearly two months, attracting hundreds of sightseers who watched her slowly disintegrate until the pounding seas and dynamiting by salvagers finally broke her back, and her remains disappeared back into deeper water. The shipwreck is a popular site for divers, about 300m offshore and in 3 – 15m of water. Some of the original cargo can be seen at the site, including pieces of roof slate and coils of barbed wire.The American slate tiles are significant as an example of cargo imported for use as building materials in Australia. The Falls of Halladale shipwreck is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (No. S255). She was one of the last ships to sail the Trade Routes. She is one of the first vessels to have fore and aft lifting bridges. She is an example of the remains of an International Cargo Ship and also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping industry The wreck is protected as a Historic Shipwreck under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976).Bundle of slate roof tiles (18); rectangular, green American slate roof tiles, some with red-brown stains. Two tiles both have two holes drilled through them. Two different tiles are thicker than the others. The tiles were salvaged from the wreck of Falls of Halladale. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, cargo, slate, slate tile, green american slates, building material, wreck point, peterborough, bay of islands, russell & co., 1908 shipwreck, salvage, recover

An authentic account of shipwrecks in the area, written by M. E. MacKenzie, a life long resident of Peterborough.Significant as author was a life long resident of Peterborough.Softcover 86 page bookThis is book number 49 (inscribed inside cover). shipwreck coast, m.e.mackenzie, peterborough 3270, authentic shipwreck recollections, the joanna, the schomberg, the champion, marie gabrielle, young australia, loch ard, eric the red, newfield, falls of halladale, antares

Shipwreck information from Point Lonsdale to PortlandReferences to local shipwrecks and to the town of Peterborough by a district historian.145 page soft cover book with an index to ships and index of surnames.First edition 1967, this edition further revised 1975shipwreck coast, schomberg, young australia, falls of halladale, newfield, antares, peterborough 3270, jack loney

Information and underwater photographs of shipwrecks on the Shipwreck Coast.Include information about local shipwrecksSoftcover 96 page book by Phillip Doak with Table of Contents; published 2002peterborough 3270, , schomberg-shipwreck, newfield-shipwreck, falls of halladale-shipwreck, antares-shipwreck, peterborough - shipwrecks

Porthole frame and porthole, glass missing, recovered from the wreck of the Falls of Halladale, brass, 1 screw dog intact, encrustation and slight verdigis, 9 bolt holes in frame. Unrestored.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

Iron 4- mast barque "Falls of Halladale" wrecked 14th November 1908 at Peterborough Vic 1. Letter L from name plate 2. Pear shaped item - Light fitting ?

This attractively patinated artefact was raised from the wreck site of the CHILDREN (wrecked January 1839, recovered February 1974) and was quite reasonably catalogued as a portion of a ships porthole. This identification is unlikely however, because the CHILDREN was built at Liverpool in 1824, and round portholes were not in common use until the 1850s. The catalogue identification has since been changed to "Ship's Fitting" Prior to the appearance of round portholes in the middle of the nineteenth century, the function of introducing light to lower decks was performed by square half-glassed ‘ports’ in the side of the hull (known as a port-sash) , or ground-glass ‘bullseyes’ inserted in the deck (scuttles). In historical terms, ports were always square, cut into the timber originally to allow the firing of a ships guns, and were closed in weather by a tight fitting square hatch. Flagstaff Hill Shipwreck Museum has three portholes on display that illustrate the gradual development and adoption of circular brass portholes. First in sequence is a small 12.5cm diameter window (with a deep frame for thick wooden hulls) from the 1855 wreck of SCHOMBERG. The second and third are larger 25cm diameter windows (with a shallower frame for thinner iron hulls) from the 1892 wreck of the NEWFIELD and the 1908 wreck of the FALLS OF HALLADALE . Once the apparently obvious use of the brass object is discounted, an accurate and reliable alternative classification is difficult to specify. One artefact register notes it was ‘found in about the centre of the wreck site’. This would mitigate against the possibilities of (1) ‘horseshoe frame’ joining pieces of the keel and hull at the bow of the vessel, or (2) ‘deckseat’ for a binnacle at the stern. It may support the idea of a ‘head frame’ on a cooped companionway or a ‘deckseat’ for a mainmast pump. But this is only speculation. The actual identification is not known. The wreck of the CHILDREN is of State significance - Victorian Heritage Register S116Ship's fitting, of heavy gauge brass circle, previously classified as section of ship's fitting, which was raised from the wreck of the Children. One end is broken off at an original bolt hole and the other is severed or cut at an acute angle from the inner rim. The artefact is 6cm across and 1cm deep, indicating strength and function as a substantial and finished item of moulded metal. The upper face bears sedimentary accretion stained red/brown. The rear face has been gouged by hard or corrosive materials and bears brilliant blue/green oxidisation.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, the children, brass flange, brass rim, shop fitting

This photograph records the interior of St Nicholas Seamen's Church at 139 Nicholson Street, Williamstown, Victoria, which was purchased and furnished around 1943. The furniture and furnishings are now part of the St. Nicholas Seamen's Church collection. HISTORY of the Missions to Seamen: - The Missions to Seamen is an Anglican (Church of England) charity that has been serving the seafarers of the world since 1856. It was inspired by the work of Rev. John Ashley, who, 20 years earlier, had pioneered a ministry to seafarers in the Bristol Channel in Great Britain. When Ashley retired, others continued the work, founding the Missions to Seamen. It adopted a Flying Angel as its symbol, inspired by a verse from the Bible in Revelation 14. Today, over 200 ports in the world have Missions to Seamen centres and chaplains. A Missions to Seamen’s club offers a warm welcome to sailors of all colours, creeds and races and provides a wide range of facilities. The Missions to Seamen organisation changed its name to the Mission to Seafarers in the year 2000 and continues, including Missions to Seamen clubs in Victoria’s cities of Melbourne, Portland, Geelong and Hastings. Flagstaff Hill’s St Nicholas’ Seamen’s Church is named after its namesake from Williamstown, Victoria, which began in 1857. Bishop Perry opened the first Sailors’ Church there, known as ‘Bethel’, on an old hulk floating in Hobson’s Bay, Port of Melbourne. In 1860, a Sailors’ Rest began operating from various rented premises at Williamstown. In 1878, the Sailors’ Church moved into an old Wesleyan chapel in Ann Street. By the end of that year, they were able to purchase the building, which they had already refurbished. In 1883, they affiliated with the Victorian Seamen’s Mission. A few years later, in 1906, the building had to be demolished as it was no longer safe. While they were raising funds for a new building, the Sailors’ Rest temporarily moved to a building in front of Customs House in Nelson Place. Around this time, in 1906, the Ladies Harbour Lights Guild was formed in Australia to support and raise funds for the Mission to Seamen organisation in Melbourne. Two of the most significant ladies of the Guild were founding members Ethel Godfrey and Alice Sibthorpe. During the Mission's time at Siddeley Street, Melbourne, the activities of the Guild raised funds for the Mission to Seamen's Chapel at their new, and still current, premises in Flinders Street, Melbourne, opened in 1917. The Guild continued its important work until the 1960s. In 1908, the Williamstown Mission had enough money to purchase the former Mascotte skating rink on Thompson Street, Williamstown. In August of that year, they were inaugurated into the Victorian Missions to Seamen. They continued at that venue for a few decades. In 1943, the former ES&A Bank building at 139 Nelson Place, Williamstown, was purchased to become the new Mission to Seaman’s Club. On May 6th, 1944, it was officially opened, described as a ‘distinctive little building’. Funds had previously been raised for the building and furnishing of the chapel at the rear. The chapel was named St Nicholas’ Seamen’s Church, after St Nicholas, fourth-century bishop and patron saint of sailors. Services were held on Wednesdays and Sundays. The church was supported by the Williamstown Lightkeepers’ Auxiliary, newly founded by Mrs Ethel Margaret Musther in 1943, as well as the Harbour Lights Guild and the League of Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Friends. The Williamstown Mission to Seamen’s Church operated until 1966, when the Port of Williamstown was no longer used by large international ships. The Commonwealth Government then leased the premises. In the formative years of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, the Advisory Board decided to include a Missions to Seamen Chapel and Recreation Room in its village. The Missions organisation was a significant feature of ports during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the period that the Village represents. They often erected Missions to house social and worshipful activities for seamen. Flagstaff Hill’s curator, Mr Ken Marshman, approached the Melbourne Board of Management of Missions to Seamen regarding the Williamstown branch. Consequently, the Board gave its permission for the entire furnishings of the Williamstown chapel to be transferred to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. A provision of the transfer was that the Victoria Missions to Seamen be recognised, that the items would remain as a collection, and that the chapel would be called St Nicholas Seamen’s Church and conduct Divine services. The donation was approved on 21st May 1979. Flagstaff Hill's St. Nicholas Seamen's Church: - The conception of Flagstaff Hill’s Missions to Seamen’s Church was partly motivated by the offer of Stained Glass Memorial Windows, originally from the local Warrnambool and District Base Hospital, which was undergoing multi-storey development in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The hospital’s Manager/Secretary was keen to see the historical window installed in an appropriate location. The church, or chapel, was designed by a local architectural draftsman in conjunction with the Flagstaff Hill Planning Board and was built by Mr Leon Habel. The designers had the hope that the church would be used for formal worship such as weddings, funerals and multi-denominational special services such as War commemorations. The design is based on the ‘Missions to Seamen’ buildings in both Portland and the Port of Melbourne. Placement of the furnishings was done as accurately as possible according to photographs of the Williamstown St Nicholas Seamen’s Church and with assistance from local clergy. The Recreation Room was furnished and arranged on advice from experienced members of the Missions to Seamen organisation. A framed document in the building recognises the donor of the furnishings, Victoria Missions to Seamen, as well as the names of some of the original donors and their donated item/s. The design of the building incorporates local features such as Warrnambool sandstone, which was no longer commercially available but was procured from demolished buildings and uniformly cut, to be used as a veneer over the stronger Mt. Gambier stone. Also, traditional green American roofing slate was used, sourced from the 1908 local shipwreck “Falls of Halladale” by Flagstaff Hill volunteer divers. The bell tower includes a bell believed to be from a local shipwreck. The additional furnishings were acquired locally, and several items were donated by Warrnambool residents. Light fittings in both rooms were assembled to simulate 19th-century gas light fittings. The stained-glass window at the back of the church is a memorial to Dr Connell, a well-respected member of the Warrnambool community. It was originally installed in 1928 in what was then the main building of Warrnambool Hospital. The St Nicholas’ Seamen’s Church at Flagstaff Hill was officially opened by His Worship the Mayor, Cr. John Lindsay, on Sunday 11th October 1981. The event included a service of thanksgiving conducted by the Warrnambool Ministers Fraternal. Since then, the Chapel has been the historic venue for many weddings.This item is significant through its association with the St Nicholas' Mission to Seamen Church in Williamstown, Melbourne, established in 1857.Photograph of St Nicholas Seamen's Church, Williamstown. Sepia photograph. The photograph shows the inside of the Chapel of Mission to Seamen, including organ, pews and other furniture and furnishings. There is a circular stained glass window high on the back wall depicting a sailor at the helm of a ship and a man standing behind him and pointing the way - "Christ Showing The Helmsman The Way". A Sanctuary Light is suspended from the ceiling. The Sanctuary chars are visible. This shows the St Nicholas Seamen's Church in Williamstown, the furnishings and furniture of which is now part of the St Nicholas Seamen's Church Collection’.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, st nicholas mission to seamen's church williamstown, mission to seamen williamstown, mission to seamen victoria, st nicholas mission to seamen, chapel window, christ showing the helmsman the way, stained glass window, st nicholas seamen's church, religion, religious service, sailor's rest, ladies harbour light guild