These pipes came from the Warrnambool firm of Peter Hand Tobacco Company Pty Ltd and were typical of the pipes sold by that firm. The Peter Hand Tobacco Company commenced in 1958 and was a wholesale distributor of tobacco and cigarettes throughout the Western District until early in the 21st century when tobacco smoking was no longer a widespread habit in any community in Australia. The retail shop was at 97 Liebig Street Warrnambool. These pipes are of interest as they came from the Peter Hand Tobacco Company, a prominent business in Warrnambool for 50 years. They are also a memento of the times when pipe-smoking amongst men was prevalent. These are briar pipes with black Bakelite mouth pieces. All appear to be unused. .1 A brown briar pipe with an indented pattern .2 A brown briar pipe with a polished wood .3 A light brown briar pipe with a mottled pattern finish .4 A brown briar pipe with a smooth polished finish1 ‘Seville Special’ .2 ‘Real Briar’ .3 ‘Nording Danmark N 118’ .4 ‘Vavrs VZ’ (?) peter hand tobacco company (warrnambool), history of warrnambool

This wooden boomerang has been made to promote the Boomerang Club in Warrnambool and to use as a decoration at the Boomerang Club functions. The Warrnambool Boomerang Club was a social club formed in 1934 and it continued until at least 1953. The club had over 200 members enrolled by the late 1930s. The club organized regular activities, including monthly dances, an Annual Ball, Christmas parties, picnics and dinners. Profits from the activities were donated to local charities with over £600 being donated in 1946. This boomerang is of interest as a memento of the Boomerang Club, a social club in Warrnambool in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. This is a wooden boomerang painted brown with white and red lettering on the boomerang face and a white border along the edges. The red paint is fading. There is a small hole at the top for attaching the boomerang to a wall or other object. ‘Boomerang Club.’ history of warrnambool, boomerang club, warrnambool

This plate was probably part of a crockery set used by the Warrnambool Congregational Church for church functions and receptions. The Warrnambool Congregational Church began when two men, Robert Winton and Thomas Nayler, met in 1862 to discuss the possibility of establishing a church of the Independent order. As a result the first Congregational Church was opened in Liebig Street, Warrnambool in 1864 with William Pentland as the first Minister. Samuel Nettleton was a notable member of the congregation, being the Superintendent of the Sunday School for 60 years. In 1940 the Congregational Church moved to a building in Henna Street and in 1973 the Congregational Church merged with the Methodist Church to form what is known today as the Uniting Church. In 1976 the former Congregational Church building in Henna Street was sold to the Salvation Army. This plate is of interest as a memento of the Warrnambool Congregational Church, an institution that no longer exists under that name. This is a cream-coloured china plate with a gold trim around the outer edges and the name of the church in the centre in a black and white scroll pattern. The gold trim is now almost obliterated. The edges of the plate are chipped in several places and the plate is much stained and blotched. ‘Warrnambool Congregational Church’ congregational church, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

This coat hanger has been used in the Warrnambool department store of Cramond and Dickson. John Glass Cramond and James Dickson established a shop in Warrnambool in 1855 in Timor Street and moved to Liebig Street a few years later. New premises were erected in 1878 and the department store selling mens and ladies wear on the corner of Liebig and Timor Streets was a landmark building in Warrnambool until the business closed in 1973. Cramond and Dickson had their own tailors and milliners. This coat hanger is of interest as a memento of the store of Cramond and Dickson, a business that operated in Warrnambool for over 100 years. This is a wooden coat hanger in a curved shape with a part of the wood at one end missing. The centre of the hanger has a hole pierced through with a metal hook inserted for hanging on to a rod. The hook is somewhat rusted. The maker’s name is printed on the hanger in black lettering. ‘Tailors & Outfitters Cramond & Dickson Warrnambool Made in Germany’ cramond and dickson, history of warrnambool

These cups come from Miura in Japan. Miura is the sister city of Warrnambool and is situated on the Miura Peninsula 50 kilometres south of Tokyo. It has a population of 56,000 people and is the centre of a fishing industry with some vegetable produce. The sister city ties with Warrnambool date from 1992 when the Warrnambool Miura Friendship Committee was formed and the cities share in cultural exchanges. These cups are of interest as a memento of the ties between the city of Warrnambool and the city of Miura in Japan. These white china cups come from Miura in Japan. They have the name ‘Miura’ in blue cursive script on one side and on the other side is a multi-coloured image of a boat with fish and fishermen. The cups also have Japanese writing on the bottom edge. Also with the cups is what looks like a receipt for the purchase of the cups in Japanese writing. ‘Miura’ warrnambool city council, miura, japan

According to the handwritten information accompanying the item this umbrella has an ivory handle carved by native Africans on a Christian mission station in South Africa. The umbrella was sent to Mrs Donohue of Warrnambool who was an active member of the Church of England in Warrnambool early in the 20th century. No further information has been found on Mrs Donohue. This umbrella is of interest because of its carved ivory handle and because it was sent from South Africa to an Anglican Church adherent in Warrnambool early in the 20th century. This is a black silk umbrella with a carved ivory handle. The carving includes representations of leaves and seeds. Some of the silk is torn, some has disintegrated and some of it is detached from the metal spokes. The umbrella top is wooden. The information about the umbrella is handwritten in blue ink and is contained in a small wooden frame. church of england,, warrnambool

This container is a piece of trench art. It has been made in 1917 in World War One. The container is made from a 4.5 inches Howitzer shell. The 4.5 Howitzers were British artillery units made with a short barrel and used to fire missiles over a high trajectory. It is probable that the container was made by an Australian soldier while on active service overseas during World War One. This container has no known local provenance but it is a very interesting and attractive piece of World War One trench art. This is a heavy brass container made from a Howitzer shell. The container is round with four-leaf clover –type patterns on the side and three round knobs welded on to the bottom to give it a base. There are many markings on the base of the shell and these may all be the original markings. The lid is made of lighter brass and has an octagonal-shaped knob on top. ‘4.5 Howr 11’ ‘B.A. 3 3 17’ ‘1917’ M.A.C.’ etc world war one, warrnambool

The phonograph is a mechanical device for the recording and reproduction of sound and originally used a tinfoil sheet wrapped around a rotating cylinder to produce the sound. It was invented by Thomas Edison of U.S.A. in 1877 and was the model for all phonographs or gramophones made and developed throughout the 20th century. This machine is of particular interest to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society as it is an Edison phonograph and an earlier model of this phonograph was used in Warrnambool late in the 19th century to make an important recording. In 1896 Thomas Rome, an employee in a Warrnambool boot and shoe shop, purchased an Edison phonograph that could both play and record sounds. At the Warrnambool Industrial and Art Exhibition of 1896-7 visitors to the Exhibition paid a fee to listen to music on this phonograph. But Rome also recorded some local Warrnambool people singing and speaking and these recordings survive today. They are regarded as the oldest surviving recordings made in Australia. Thomas Rome later became a shoe shop proprietor in Warrnambool and was a well-known person in the town/city for a great number of years. This is an Edison Gem Phonograph. It has a black-painted wooden base, now detached from the main mechanism. The phonograph is made of metal which is now heavily rusted. It has a cylindrical turntable for playing the Edison cylindrical records and a handle with a wooden knob. The turning mechanism and belt are now broken. The name of the manufacturer and details of the patents are on a metal plate attached to the side of the phonograph. The amplifier mechanism at the top of the machine is missing. The cover of the machine is made of wood and has a wooden handle attached with a piece of metal and two metal screws. There are also two metal screws on the side of the cover. The cover has a slot on the side to allow the turning handle to be accommodated outside of the cover. The cover is much stained and spotted. ‘Edison Gem Phonograph’ thomas edison, history of sound recordings, thomas rome (warrnambool)

This certificate would have been used in the Warrnambool business of Swintons Pty Ltd. in the 20th century. It is a certificate that, when filled in, would have been given to anyone who had worked for some time as an unapprenticed tradesman’s assistant. William and Ann Swinton migrated to Australia in 1854 and for a decade William Swinton worked as a builder and carpenter in the Warrnambool district, erecting many buildings, including the Wangoom Presbyterian Church. In 1865 he opened a store in Timor Street, Warrnambool, selling groceries, china, glassware and hardware. By 1888 the business was known as William Swinton and Sons. Branch stores were opened in Wangoom, Cudgee, Nullawarre, South Warrnambool and West Warrnambool. After William Swinton’s death his son Robert became the first managing director of Swintons Pty Ltd. In 1934 the business split, with George Swinton and Sons selling clothing, furnishings and glassware and Swintons Pty Ltd selling hardware, seeds and produce. Today the Swinton family still operates a furniture and bedding store in Timor Street. This certificate is of minor interest as an example of a form used by businesses such as Swintons Pty Ltd to give to employees leaving the business. The current Swinton business in Timor Street, Warrnambool is the oldest family business in Warrnambool and, with the name Swinton associated with Timor Street businesses for 152 years, it is amongst the oldest family businesses in Australia.This is a sheet of buff-coloured paper with printed black lines and printed headings. The sheet is unused and slightly bent. ‘Certificate of Employment as an Improver’ swinton, history of warrnambool, warrnambool

These documents relate to the sale of land in Merri Street Warrnambool in 1959 by Swintons Pty Ltd of Warrnambool. The buyer of the land was George O’Grady, a Warrnambool baker. The land sold for £4000 and there was a shed on the land (called the ‘Office’) which George O’Grady indicated he wished to be included in the sale. William and Ann Swinton migrated to Australia in 1854 and for a decade William Swinton worked as a builder and carpenter in the Warrnambool area, erecting many buildings, including the Wangoom Presbyterian Church. In 1865 he opened a store in Timor Street Warrnambool, selling groceries, hardware, china and glassware. By 1888 the business was known as William Swinton and Sons. Branch stores were opened in Wangoom, Cudgee, Nullawarre, South Warrnambool and West Warrnambool. After William Swinton died his son Robert became the first managing director of Swintons Pty Ltd. In 1934 the business split with George Swinton and Sons selling clothing, furnishings and glassware and Swintons Pty Ltd selling seeds, produce and hardware. Today the Swinton family still operates a furniture and bedding shop in Timor St Warrnambool.These items are of some interest as being connected to the Warrnambool business of Swintons Pty Ltd. They will be of interest to researchers. The current Swinton business in Timor Street is the oldest family business in Warrnambool and, with the name Swinton associated with businesses in Timor Street Warrnambool for 152 years it is amongst the oldest family businesses in Australia.The items here relate to the sale of land by Swintons Pty Ltd., Warrnambool. .1 These are three pages of white paper with typed material, a lawyer’s signature in blue ink, one green stamp and a sketch of the land location. .2 This is a sheet of thick paper containing a plan of the land sold. The paper has printed material and a sketch of the land with part of it coloured in pink. .3 This is a small piece of paper torn at the bottom right edge. It has handwritten material (a letter) in blue ink..2 ‘Plan of Survey of Part of Crown Allotment 18 Section 3 Township of .2 ‘Plan of Survey of Part of Crown Allotment 18 Section 3 Township of Warrnambool Parish of Wangoom County of Villiers’ .3 ‘Tuesday Dear Mr Swinton I am writing to say that I would like to have the ‘Office’ Thanking You George O’Grady’swinton family,, warrnambool

This is a book written by Caroline Jordan about colonial women artists in Australia. It gives information on women artists whose achievements have been discounted in the past because they were labelled ‘amateurs’. This book is of interest because it provides information on colonial women artists and has important background details that will be useful to those studying early women artists in other towns and districts. The author visited Warrnambool as part of her study of early women artists. This is a hard cover book of 224 pages. It contains sections on Acknowledgements, Prologue, five chapters, Epilogue, Abbreviations, Notes, Bibliography, Sources of Illustrations and Index. The cover is cream-coloured with gold lettering and the dust cover has a grey background with a colour image of an artist’s work on the front cover and a colour image of a woman on the back cover. The book has many black and white and colour illustrations. women artists in australia, caroline jordan

This is a mantel clock used probably in the dining room or lounge room of a house. It would have been a common item in a household in the 20th century and was often an heirloom passed down from grandparents. This type of clock is an attractive item and is still regarded as highly desirable today.This clock has no known local significance but is retained as an attractive and historical item and serves as an example of a high quality household object of the past. This is a black wooden clock with a rectangular base with ornamental metal corner pieces and two ornamental gilt metal patterns. The clock has an overhanging rectangular top with two gilt handles on the side. Also on the sides of the lock are two green inset faux columns with two metal ornaments in between. The brass mechanism at the back of the clock has four wheels. The clock face has a glass front, black numbers and metal hands. There is a strip of brass around the outside of the face. There are two key holes on the face. 'Sessions'warrnambool, mantel clock

This croquet mallet was presented to Mrs Huffer when she was the champion player at St. John’s Presbyterian Church Croquet Club in Warrnambool in 1957-8. Croquet has been a sport played particularly by women since the second half of the 19th century. It was popular in Warrnambool and was a competition sport with several clubs from the beginning of the 20th century. St. John’s Club was operative in the 20th century but no longer exists. Mrs W. Huffer was the wife of William Huffer who was an employee and then the manager of the Grasmere Butter and Cheese Factory from 1940 to 1963 when it closed. His father before him had been the manager of the factory from 1918 to 1944. The Huffer family had come to Warrnambool from Gippsland. This croquet mallet has been well used.This mallet is of significance as a memento of St. John’s Croquet Club in Warrnambool and of the Huffer family associated with the local dairying industry for the first half of the 20th century. This croquet mallet was presented to Mrs Huffer when she was the champion player at St. John’s Presbyterian Church Croquet Club in Warrnambool in 1957-8. Croquet has been a sport played particularly by women since the second half of the 19th century. It was popular in Warrnambool and was a competition sport with several clubs from the beginning of the 20th century. St. John’s Club was operative in the 20th century but no longer exists. Mrs W. Huffer was the wife of William Huffer who was an employee and then the manager of the Grasmere Butter and Cheese Factory from 1940 to 1963 when it closed. His father before him had been the manager of the factory from 1918 to 1944. The Huffer family had come to Warrnambool from Gippsland. This croquet mallet has been well used.‘Champion of St, John’s A Grade Mrs W. Huffer 1957-8’ ‘STC Sil’23 croquet mallet, st john's presbyterian church warrnambool, warrnambool, huffer

This butter ram appears to have been made locally and was probably hand-made at a local factory. It was used to ram or mould butter into 56 pound butter boxes for bulk supply or for later cutting up into smaller quantities. Warrnambool was, and is still today, the centre of an important dairying industry with several large milk, cheese and butter factories in the area. The Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory at Allansford is the oldest operating factory of this type in Victoria and was established in 1888. The production of butter in the area was greatly accelerated by the invention of refrigeration in the early 1880s, enabling butter to be transported overseas. Warrnambool had two butter box factories which both closed in the 1920s. Up to the mid 1950s the production of butter was largely a hand process.This butter ram is of considerable interest as an example of the early tools used in the local butter industry.This is a heavy solid wooden block in a rectangular shape with the top shaped in the form of a pyramidal base. The edges of the base are worn from constant pounding. A long round wooden handle or rod is inserted into the top of the block. dairying industry in western victoria

Walking sticks with carved snakes such as this one were very popular household items in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were often given as presents to older men. They were novelty pieces of carving requiring considerable skill and patience and walking sticks were usually hand-made in those days. This walking stick has no known local provenance but it is a fine example of a hand-made household item of 100 to 150 years ago This is a piece of brown wood with the shaft of the stick carved to a smooth round shape tapering down towards the end and with a snake shape carved over the shaft from the same piece of wood. The head of the snake juts out from the shaft top and the snake has scaly patterns worked on its surface. The stick has a larger round knob at the top and a metal covering at the bottom. When the stick is held upright and twirled around it gives the impression of a snake coiling and moving up the stick. household items, walking sticks

This walking stick or club is of a heavy quality and could be classified as an Irish shillelagh, although it lacks the heavy curved knob at the top that characterizes the shillelagh. It does not seem typical of the walking sticks used in Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries although it appears to date from those times. It may have come from an overseas country.This walking stick has no known local provenance but it is an interesting item and is kept as a curio from the past.This is a piece of black wood (blackthorn?) shaped from a gnarled and knotted piece of wood to make a rough, curved shape. The shaft is rounded at the top and tapering to a smaller round shape at the bottom. The top has a brass-coloured metal band.walking sticks, household items, warrnambool

These two plans are copies and show drawings for a proposed turntable at the Warrnambool Railway Station and railway crossings at Gilles Street in the Liebig Street precinct. The Warrnambool Railway was opened in 1890 and the Warrnambool Railway Station building was erected a few years later. These plans, being copies, are of minor interest as they show plans of some projects in the Warrnambool Railway Station precinct in the latter half of the 20th century.These are two sheets of cream-coloured paper with plans (copies of original) drawn up in black ink. The drawings are fading somewhat and are faint in places. One sheet (.2) has a piece missing from the top left hand corner. .1 ‘Locality Plan of Rail Crossings Liebig St. & Gillies (sic) St.’ .2 ‘Proposed Turntable Site Warrnambool Railway Station’ plans, warrnambool railway, warrnambool rail turntable

These plans have been drawn up in 1883 by the Warrnambool architect, William Patterson. They show six sections of plans for the erection of a Church of Christ at 12 Spence Street Warrnambool. The mason was William Kellas and the builder was Harold Dawkins. Church of Christ adherents began meeting in Warrnambool in 1875 and bought land in Spence Street in 1877. The church was opened in 1885 with visiting pastors until a resident minister, A. J. Fisher, was appointed in 1915. This church was closed early in the 21st century when a new church, Gateway Church of Christ, was opened in Ragland Parade in Warrnambool. These plans are of great interest as original ones of the Church of Christ In Spence Street Warrnambool. The plans have come from the present-day Warrnambool Church of Christ. The building still exists but is no longer is use as a church. These are two sheets of cream-coloured thick paper with scaled drawings of plan sections of the Church of Christ in Warrnambool. The drawings are in black ink with some sections coloured in. Both pages have a black line margin drawn around the edges. The pages are torn at the edges in several places and the sheets are much stained. The sheets have been reinforced at the back (left side) with thick brown paper.‘Plan of Christ Church Warrnambool’plans church of christ warrnambool, william kellas, harold dawkins warrnambool

These maps were produced in 1948 and they contain maps of allotments within the city of Warrnambool, including the Central Business District, up to 1948. The details given on each allotment show the allotment and section numbers, the measurement in acres, the name of the original purchaser of the lot and the date of the first sale. The Warrnambool and District Historical Society owns several copies of these maps but these ones are originals.These three maps are of great significance because they give the names of land purchasers in Warrnambool from the date of the first land sales in 1847. They are a most valuable research tool and can be scanned and photocopied etc.These are three sheets of cream paper pasted on to linen. The sheets have black and white printing and map work. Some of the edges are a little frayed and there is some staining, particularly on the backs of the sheets.‘City of Warrnambool Parish of Wangoom County of Villiers Sheet 1’ ‘City of Warrnambool Parish of Wangoom County of Villiers Sheet 2’ ‘City of Warrnambool Parish of Wangoom County of Villiers Sheet 3’city of warrnambool, warrnambool maps, warrnambool town allotments 1948, land purchases

This is a programme of a concert given by the pupils of the Frances Sinclair Dancing Academy in Warrnambool. The programme included orchestra and other musical items, dances, short skits or plays and solo singing. Most of the pupils of the dancing academy were young girls. The title of the concert, ‘Lyndoch Revue’, may indicate that the proceeds of the concert were given to the Lyndoch Aged Care Centre in Warrnambool. This programme is of interest because it is a good example of the type of concert given by pupils of a Warrnambool dancing academy in the mid 20th century. The donor of this item, Lynette Wright, nee Bristol, was a performer in the concert, one of the ‘petite ballerinas’. This is a buff-coloured sheet of paper folded in two to make four pages. The edges of the first and third pages have red decorative scroll work and the front cover has an image of a 19th century lady doing needlework. The lettering is in brown type. The edges of the first and third pages are torn. ‘Lyndoch Revue, Produced and Directed by Frances Sinclair’ frances sinclair, history of warrnambool

This poster advertises the Ozone Hotel in Warrnambool. The poster can be dated to 1896 or thereabouts as it quotes the testimonials of the Governor of Victoria, Lord Brassey and Lady Brassey who stayed at the hotel twice in 1896. The Ozone Hotel, at the corner of Koroit and Kepler Streets, Warrnambool, was opened in 1890 as the Grand Ozone Coffee Palace, a temperance hotel. In 1891 it was granted a colonial wine licence and in 1895 it became known as the Ozone Hotel (a private hotel with superior accommodation). From 1894 to 1907 Thomas Randall was the proprietor. In 1923 the hotel, by then known as Hotel Mansions, became a fully licensed hotel. The building was burnt down in 1929. Although very tattered, this is a significant item. It is an original poster of the Ozone Hotel. The building (Grand Ozone Coffee Palace/Ozone Hotel/Hotel Mansions) was very important in Warrnambool’s history. It was the grandest building ever erected in Warrnambool and a memento of the days when temperance hotels were prevalent in Victoria and tourism was beginning to be important in Warrnambool. This is an advertising poster made of buff-coloured, heavyweight cardboard. It has a sepia-coloured photograph of the Ozone Hotel at the top and black printed material on the bottom half. The poster is completely torn in two with two edge sections also detached. Parts of the top left and bottom left corner are missing. There is evidence of adhesive tape having been used for mending purposes in the past and the whole poster is a little grubby. The paper is now very brittle. ‘The “Ozone” Warrnambool’ ‘This commodious and well-managed hotel containing nearly a hundred rooms, is replete with every comfort for the accommodation of visitors at a moderate tariff …..’ ozone hotel, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

This book was a text book used by Arthur Gregory, the test room technician at Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory in the 1930s. He tested the suppliers’ milk and cream for butterfat percentage in order to determine the payment to the suppliers. Arthur Gregory later became the manager of Jays Laundry in Fairy Street. In the 1930s Arthur Gregory boarded at 28 Spence Street in Warrnambool. This boarding house was run by May Taggart, the wife of Sam Taggart, a Warrnambool tailor. Les O’Callaghan was also a boarder there and it was through his contact with Arthur Gregory that he obtained the position of laboratory technician at the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory. Les O’Callaghan remained for over 40 years at this factory (leased at that time by the Kraft company) and was very important in the development of laboratory techniques used in the dairy industry. The Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory was established at Allansford in 1888 and is still in production today, operated by the Canadian firm of Saputo. This book is of interest because of its connection to Arthur Gregory, a test room technican at the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory in the 1930s and to Les O’Callaghan, the Laboratory Manager and Microbiologist at Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory for more than 40 years. This is a hard cover book of 822 pages. It has a blue cover with gold lettering on the spine. It has 29 chapters, an appendix, a bibliography and an index. It has many black and white illustrations and drawings. The spine is slightly scuffed. The inscription is handwritten in pencil. ‘A.S.Gregory 28 Spence Street W’bool’ warrnambool cheese and butter factory, arthur gregory, warrnambool, les o’callaghan, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

We have little knowledge on this little teapot but is an item of interest and could even be part of a child’s tea set, based on its size. The hand painting on the pot is quite a typical depiction of Japanese scenes from the 19th century. We could find no provenance belonging to this item but it is an interesting and pleasing item suitable for display.Small white china teapot with lid and Japanese scene on both sides with trees and mountains in the background and village houses in the foreground. It is painted in greens, browns and blue and the painting is outlined in a slightly raised style. The trees in the background have raised white dots of paint. The front scene has two ladies and another person in a boat. The lid also has a similar scene. The lid, handle and rim of the spout are all highlighted in dark green.warrnambool, warrnambool history, teapot, asian teapot

This piece of music was composed by Joseph Summers (1839-1917). The date of the composition is between 1863 and 1866. The brother of Charles Summers, the sculptor, Joseph Summers was born in England and came to Australia in 1865. He was an organist and composer, an Inspector of Music in schools and in charge of music examinations conducted through Trinity College, London. In 1897 he moved to Perth. The signature of ‘Miss Jessie Webster’ presents a problem as no information has been found on this person. This is a most significant item because of the date, 1866, and the name, ‘Jessie Webster’. But it is not known if the music has any local provenance. The item also has social significance as an example of the type of music played in mid-Victorian drawing rooms. This is a piece of music of four printed pages of musical notation. The cover of this music is missing. The paper is white with black printing and all the pages are much mottled and stained. The edges of the pages are ragged and torn. There is some pencil scribble on the first page. A name and a date are written in black ink on the first page. ‘Miys (Miss) Jessie Webster, November 13th 1866’jessie webster, joseph summers, warrnambool

This is an early 20th century musical composition by a leading Tasmanian composer, Florence Hull (Mrs Arthur Kenny). It is a sentimental song as the ‘sprig of boronia’ is a withered one, kept as a relic of some past event. This music was printed in the Victorian School Paper for Grades 7 and 8 in 1918 and the proceeds of copies of one of the editions of this work were donated to the Hawthorn Red Cross in Melbourne. Florence Hull’s musical works and memoirs are in the Tasmanian Archives. Paul Dufault, who sang this song, was a leading Canadian tenor who toured Australia and Europe. He died in 1930 aged 57. This sheet music has significance as it was composed by a Tasmanian woman in the early 20th century and it represents the type of music popular in concert halls at the time. It has been in the Warrnambool and District Historical Society collection for many years. This is a four page piece of sheet music (cover plus two pages of music). The paper is cream-coloured, discoloured in places, with brown print on the back of the cover and black notation on the music pages. The front cover is in brown, yellow and green tonings, with a chromolithographic illustration of a Boronia flower spray and some music bars. The back of the cover has information on eight of Florence Hull’s other compositions with comments by critics. The pages have been torn and mended with adhesive tape.Front Cover: ‘Sung by Paul Dufault’ ‘A Sprig of Boronia’ ‘Music by Florence Hull’ ‘Copyright, Price 2/- nett, Published by F. M. Kenny, Melbourne, Allan and Co. Pty. Ltd., 276-278 Collins Street, Melbourne, Adelaide, Bendigo, Geelong’ In pencil on front cover: ‘To Mac from ….., 25/8/24’ florence hull, paul dufault, warrnambool, a sprig of boronia sheet music, sheet music, warrnambool history

This is a piece of music composed by Idabelle Firestone (1875-1954), an American composer and songwriter. She was born in Michigan and wrote many popular songs including, ‘Melody of Love’, ‘Bluebirds’ and ‘You are the Song in my Heart’. She was married to Harvey Firestone of the Firestone Tyre Company. This company sponsored the long-running radio and T.V. program called ‘The Voice of Firestone’ which had a 46 piece orchestra and aired classical and popular songs of the day. Richard Crooks (1900-1972), who sang and recorded this song, was a well-known American tenor who specialized in French and Italian opera and was associated with the New York Metropolitan Opera Company for many years. He was the host of ‘The Voice of Firestone’ from 1928 to 1945 and sang patriotic songs and popular hits etc. This copy of ‘In My Garden’ was sold at the shop of Miss H. M. Lindsay of 101 Liebig Street, Warrnambool. This shop is known to have operated in the late 1920s up to 1935 and was at first (in the 1920s) located at 180 Timor Street. This item is of some significance as an example of the type of music popular in the 1930s and an example of the work of Idabelle Firestone. It also has local significance as it was sold by a Warrnambool music store. This is a four page piece of music printed on seven sides (cover and five pages of music). The pages are cream-coloured, discoloured in places, with black printed musical notation and a back page printed in black containing advertisements for three other songs. The front cover has a sepia sketch of a woman (19th century or olde-worlde style) carrying a bunch of flowers and looking over a garden with an archway. There is a stamp (H. M. Lindsay, Warrnambool) and a pencilled number 6 (altering the price from 2/- to 2/6)Front cover: ‘Sung by Richard Crooks, In My Garden, Song for Medium or High Voice and Piano by Idabelle Firestone, Sung by Richard Crooks on H. M. V. Record E.D.23, Price 2/-, G. Schirmer Inc, New York, Allan & Co, Prop. Ltd., Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Bendigo’idabelle firestone, richard crooks, h.m.lindsay, warrnambool, idabelle fireston in my garden music, sheet musicin my garden