This book has had two owners – St. Paul’s Anglican Church Allansford and Cecil Snook of Toorak but it is not known who had the book first. Nothing is known of Cecil Snook and the name does not appear to be of local interest. St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Allansford was established in 1882. It became part of the Panmure Parish in 1936 and in 1951 it was transferred to the Warrnambool Parish. This book is of interest as an example of a music book used at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Allansford early in the 20th century. This is a hard cover book containing musical notations and text. The cover is black with embossed lettering and ornamental patterns on the front. The cover has come apart from the binding and has been re-attached with brown tape. The inscriptions are handwritten in black ink and pencil. There is some scribble on the back page. The cover is torn at the edges and the first and last pages are a little tattered. ‘St. Paul’s Allansford’ ‘All Saints Grammar School, East St. Kilda, Cecil Snook. 2 Baxter Street, Toorak, 11-6-1916’ history of warrnambool, st. paul’s anglican church allansford

This school reader was used by Edmond and Mary Grace at Laang State School. Laang is in the Western District and is eight kilometres from Garvoc and ten kilometres from Panmure. The Laang State School opened in 1875 with a new building being erected in 1876 and additions being added in 1889. The school is now closed. Edmond Morgan Grace was born to William and Mary Grace in 1886 and died in 1953. Mary was his sister. Charles Hider, with his brother James, were early settlers in Warrnambool and both ran book shops in the town. This book is of moderate interest as an example of a late 19th century school reader and as one used at Laang State School by the Grace family. This is a brown hard cover book of 398 pages. The cover has an embossed patterning and lettering. The binding has come apart and has been mended with white adhesive tape. Some pages at the front and back are missing. The book has a contents page and three sections of text. There are many black and white illustrations. The inscription is handwritten in blue ink. The cover is somewhat faded and rubbed and some pages are stained. There is a printed label of the seller of the book pasted onto the inside of the front cover. ‘Edmond M. Grace Laang State School’ ‘Mary Grace Laang S.S.’ ‘C.Hider Opposite Court House Warrnambool’ edmond and mary grace, laang state school, charles and james hider

This book belonged to Evan Jones, a plasterer and stone mason from Warrnambool (born 1865). He and the Rev. Norman Crawford, the Curate at Christ Church, Warrnambool, began the first Boy Scout group in Warrnambool, the 1st Warrnambool Troop. When Baden Powell, the founder of the Boy Scout movement, visited Melbourne he presented Evan Jones with his scouting medal. The Boy Scout movement has been active in Warrnambool for over 100 years and currently there are two troops operating in the city - Warrnambool Tooram Scouts and Warrnambool Norfolk Scouts Evan Jones was also a Sergeant in the Warrnambool Garrison Artillery (a Volunteer Corps) and this partly explains his ownership of this book and his interest in military scouting. This book is of minor interest as an example of the type of book available early in the 20th century on military scouting. It is also of interest as a book belonging to Evan Jones, the co-founder of the Boy Scout movement in Warrnambool. This is a small book with a buff-coloured cardboard cover. It has red lettering on the front cover which is partly torn away at the right bottom edge. Many of the pages are also stained and torn away at the edges. The text includes sections on military patrolling in general and a section describing military patrols in the Boer War. There are several lift-out pages of sketches of patrols. The inscription is handwritten in pencil. S.M. Evan Jones, 1st W’bool Troop.’ warrnambool scout troops, evan jones

This set of books was given to Cornelius (Con) O’Mahony in 1883 when he won the Bowen Prize Essay Competition awarded by the University of Melbourne. The Bowen Prize was established in 1874 by the Governor of Victoria, Sir George Bowen. This was then awarded annually to the person who was a student or ex-student of the University of Melbourne who wrote the best essay on matters relating to British and British Empire history or literature. Con O’Mahony’s essay was on the Federation of the Australian Colonies. Con O’Mahony, born in Bendigo, studied at Melbourne University in the early 1880s. He was a lawyer in Kepler Street, Warrnambool from the late 1880s to his death in 1920, firstly in partnership with E. Klingender and later operating under the name of O’Mahony and Murray. These books are most important because: 1. They are a very attractive set of books with considerable antiquarian value. 2. They were given as the prize for winning the 1883 Bowen Prize at Melbourne University – a prestigious award still today. 3. They were given for a prize-winning essay on the advantages of Federation in Australia. The essay was written 17 years before Federation and so they forms an interesting part of the Australia-wide campaign for Federation. 4. The prize books were awarded to Con O’Mahony who played his part in Warrnambool’s late 19th century and early 20th century history as a prominent lawyer in the town for over 30 years.These ten volumes of books have hard covers in a dark red colour with a gold leather spine and leather reinforcements on the edges of the front and back covers. The front cover has an embossed gold emblem of the University of Melbourne and the spine has ornamental gold, black and red patterning and gold lettering. The insides of the cover have blue, red and orange mottled patterning and this is repeated on the edging of the pages. There are approximately 400 pages in each volume. A typed page on the Bowen Prize is inserted in the front of the first volume and the inscription on every volume is handwritten in black ink. The covers are a little scuffed and slightly torn in some volumes. Volume 1: ‘Con O’Mahony Sandhurst Mch 1883’ Volumes 11, 111, 1V, V, V1, V111, 1X, X: ‘Con O’Mahony Sandhurst 2 July 1883’ Volume V11: ‘Con O’Mahony Sandhurst 1883’ con o’mahony, bowen prize, history of warrnambool, federation movement in australia

This book was given by the Warrnambool State School as a school prize to Ruddy Holland in 1933. He went from the primary school to the Warrnambool Technical School and was well-known for is sporting prowess, especially as a footballer. The Warrnambool State School in Jamieson Street, Warrnambool was opened in 1876, replacing the four Common Schools on the town. This book is of interest as a memento of the Warrnambool State School in the 1930s and of Ruddy Holland, a well-known sportsperson in Warrnambool in the mid 20th century. This is a hard cover book of 206 pages. The cover is dark green with yellow, pink, black and green floral designs on the front cover and spine. The lettering is yellow. The book has several full-page black and white illustrations, with the one at the front detached from the binding. The cover is partly detached from the binding and has been mended with adhesive tape. The book plate on the first page is printed with an ornamental red, blue and gold border. The book plate has been filled in with hand-printing in black ink. ‘Warrnambool 1743, presented to Ruddy Holland, Leadership in Sport, Head Teacher’s Prize, Dec. 1933’. ruddy holland, warrnambool state school

This book belonged to Joseph Conn who was a blacksmith at Conn's Corner in Dennington. The author of the book was H Sample, an American professor who was a horse trainer.. In 1884 he was in Warrnambool giving a demonstration of his system of horse training. It is conjectured that Joseph Conn attended the demonstration and bought the book.This book is of some some interest because of its association with a local blacksmith, Joseph Conn and an American horse trainer, Professor Sample..This is a hard covered book with gold printing on the front cover and spine and an image in gold of a horse and a dog in a horse shoe.There are 284 pages. It contains printed material and illustrations. Some pages are torn and the binding is loose. There are three hand written signatures inside a front cover. Joseph Conn ( Three times)horse training, blacksmith, warrnambool, joseph conn

This book belonged to a Marian Adams from Limerick but, unfortunately no information has been found on this person or the connection to Warrnambool. There were several families in the Warrnambool area with the name ‘Adams’ in the 19th century. This book is kept as an interesting 19th century book but it will be of greater interest if information is found on Marian Adams. This is a hard cover book of 516 pages. The cover is brown leather with gold embossed ornamentation and gold lettering on the spine. The pages are gilt-edged and the cover has become partly detached from the binding. The pages are much stained and the cover is very rubbed. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. There are eight engravings on steel in black and white and all are protected with white tissue. There has been a book plate pasted onto the inside of the front cover but it has been torn away. ‘Marian Adams Limerick, October 19th 1870’ marian adams, history of warrnambool, william cowper poet

This copy of Alexander Pope’s early 18th century translation of Homer’s Iliad dates from 1818. It has two signatures – Thomas Smith and Mary Riley. Nothing is known of the latter person. There were two people named Thomas Smith who were prominent in the Warrnambool district in the 19th century. One was Thomas Smith the printer and the other was Thomas Smith, a farmer from Wangoom who had a daughter named Mary. It is not clear which of these may have owned the book but the signature suggests an educated person and we know that the son of Thomas Smith the farmer was illiterate so it is unlikely that the father owned a copy of Homer’s Iliad. This book is of interest because of its age (1818) and because of the inscriptions. There may be no connection between Thomas Smith and Mary Riley – merely two owners of the book. The book will have greater interest when its exact provenance can be established. This is a brown leather-bound book of 536 pages. The front cover and spine have gold ornamentation with gold lettering. The spine covering is partly torn away and the binding is coming apart. The pages show some staining. The two inscriptions are handwritten in black ink. The front pages have two black and white illustrations separated with tissue paper. ‘Tho. Smith’ ‘Mary G. Riley, Tillside, 20 George Street, East Melbourne, 24/5/1900’ homer’s iliad, history of warrnambool, thomas smith, mary riley

This book was given as a school prize to Walter Wright by the Wangoom School in 1873. The name ‘Wangoon’ is on the printed book plate – is this a misprint or an alternative spelling of ‘Wangoom’? Wangoom State School, No. 645, on the Warrnambool/Wangoom Road was opened in 1865 as a Common School. The school is now closed. The Hon. William Bayles, a Melbourne businessman with property near Macarthur, first became a member of the Legislative Council for Villiers and Heytesbury in 1864 and continued until 1880. He was a prominent and popular politician in Warrnambool, regularly giving prizes to pupils of schools in his electorate and in 1872 he offered a £10 prize for the best student in the district. No specific information has been found on Walter Wright or any family named Wright residing in the Wangoom area. There was a piano tuner named W. Wright in the Warrnambool area in the 1870s. Was this Walter’s father? This book is of interest because of the connection with Wangoom School, the Hon. William Bayles and Walter Wright. More interest will be created if information comes to light on water Wright. This is a hard cover book of 333 pages plus 32 pages of advertisements for books published by Henry S. King and Co. The cover is dark red with an ornamental pattern in black on the front cover and lettering in gold on the front cover and spine. The book has three full page black and white illustrations with the illustration next to the first page missing. There is a printed book plate pasted onto the inside of the front cover with blue printing and ornamentation and a handwritten name and date. The cover is partly detached from the binding and the cover and pages are somewhat stained and the cover is frayed. ‘State School, No. 645 Wangoon (sic), Class 3rd, Prize Presented to Walter Wright by the Hon. William Bayles, M.P. for Villiers and Heytesbury, Christmas 1873’. wangoom state school, walter wright

This book has been given as an end-of-year prize to someone in the Warrnambool Corps in 1904. As the book is for a young person it is presumed that the recipient was in the Cadet Corps section of the local Volunteer Corps. Members of the Cadet Corps were usually from a unit formed within a school. As neither the Warrnambool Agricultural High School nor the Warrambool Technical School were established at that time the recipient was probably a pupil at a private boys’ school. This book is of interest as a prize given by the Warrnambool Corps to a local Warrnambool boy in 1904. It will be of greater interest if we can decipher the name of the Sergeant-Major and the name of the recipient. This is a hard cover book of 160 pages. It has an olive-green cover with an image in red, black and yellow of a young boy in front of some buildings. The front cover has black and red lettering and the spine has an image of a woman and the lettering in gold and red. The book has a full page black and white illustration at the front of the book and there are 18 chapters of text. There has been a book plate pasted on to the inside cover but there is now only a fragment left. What is visible is handwritten in black ink. ‘….. Serg.-Major, Warrnambool Corps, Dec. 13th 1904’. warrnambool corps, warrnambool cadet corps, history of warrnambool

This book belonged to James and Catherine McGinness (both names are in the book). James McGinness (1842-1905) came to the Framlingham area in the 1870s and married Catherine Taafe in 1880. Members of the McGinness families had been involved in hotelkeeping in the Purnim district. James and Catherine McGinness had a farm at Framlingham (including the breeding of horses) with the property known as Riverview. The farm and derelict remnants of the house still exist today. The youngest son of James and Catherine was Paul McGinness, a hero of two World Wars and the founder of the airline Qantas. The original spelling of the surname was ‘McGuinness’ but James altered the spelling to avoid confusion over names with his brother John. This book is of interest because it belonged to the McGinness family of Riverview, Framlingham. Several of the names in the book are marked, especially those of ‘McGuinness’ showing that perhaps the McGinness family of Framlingham had expectations of claiming some of the money listed as unclaimed. This is a hard cover book of 472 pages. At the back of the book are several pages giving addresses of lawyers and opinions of the Press. The cover is red with an embedded pattern on the front cover and gold lettering on the front cover and the spine. The inscriptions are handwritten in blue and black ink. The book contains names of those deceased persons and/or their heirs who have appeared in advertisements regarding unclaimed money. There are several coloured insert sheets in the book with copies of letters of thanks sent by grateful readers. The cover is very stained and torn at the edges. ‘C. McGinness Framlingham’ ‘James McGinness Framlingham’ james and catherine mcginness, paul mcginness, history of framlingham, history of warrnambool

This New Testament was given to Private Henry Havelock Rogers (1895-1917), the son of Joseph and Ellen Rogers of Warrnambool. He left Australia on 4th April 1916 as a member of the 14th Battalion (17 Reinforcement Group) and died in France on 12th April 1917 as a result of wounds. The cousins named were the three older children of Arthur and Agnes Rogers, also of Warrnambool. Joseph and Arthur Rogers were brothers. The New Testament was found at the MacDonald Street, South Warrnambool home of Bill Rogers (part of his deceased estate). Bill Rogers was also a child of Arthur and Agnes Rogers but was not born until the early 1920s. This New Testament has a particular poignancy as a gift to a World War One Warrnambool soldier who was killed in the war in 1917. This is a leather-covered book of 612 pages. The cover extends over the edges of the pages and the pages are gilt-edged. There is a colour plate at the beginning of the text. There is a handwritten inscription in black ink on the second page of the book. The pages have a blue ribbon marker encased in the binding. ‘To Dear Harry from His Loving Cousins, Rita, Alfie and Charlie Rogers, 27/3/16’ henry rogers, bill rogers, rita, alfie and charlie rogers, world war one, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

This Bible was given in March 1916 to Private Henry Havelock Rogers (1895-1917), the son of Joseph and Ellen Rogers of Warrnambool. He left Australia in April 1916 as a member of the 14th Battalion (17 Reinforcement Group) and died in France in April 1917 as a result of wounds. The cousins named on the card were the three older children of Arthur and Agnes Rogers, also of Warrnambool. Joseph and Arthur Rogers were brothers. The Bible was found in the MacDonald Street, South Warrnambool home of Bill Rogers, another son of Arthur and Agnes Rogers not born until the 1920s (deceased estate item). This item has a particular poignancy as it was given to a Warrnambool World War One soldier who was killed in action. Perhaps he carried the Bible with him and it was returned to his family after his death. This is a brown leather-covered book of 822 pages. The cover extends over the edges of the pages and has gold lettering on the front cover and spine. The pages are gilt-edged and there are several colour maps at the end of the book. There is a blue ribbon marker encased in the binding. The inscription is on a loose card and is handwritten in black ink. ‘To Dear Harry Wishing Him God Speed & Safe Return From His Loving Uncle, Aunt And Cousins, Rita, Alfie & Charlie’. henry rogers, rogers families of south warrnambool, world war one and warrnambool

This tea caddy, an attractive item, was given to Margaret Fletcher (date of presentation unknown). A tea caddy in the 19th century was a valued object as tea was expensive and was bought in small quantities. The two side containers are for green and black tea and the middle one was for blending the tea mixtures. The caddy was lockable so that domestic workers etc could not have easy access to a valuable commodity. The local provenance of this object and the identity of Margaret Fletcher have not yet been established. She may be related to John Fletcher, the Warrnambool cordial maker or James Fletcher, the Warrnambool lawyer. This tea caddy is of great interest as an attractive artefact from the 19th century and as an example of a household item no longer in use. It is also of interest because it was given to Margaret Fletcher, possibly a local Warrnambool person. This is a polished wood container made in a casket style. The wood is believed to be Coramandel. The casket has curved sides and is on a base with four legs. The lid has a brass hinge and a gold lock with the key and the lock mechanism missing. Inside are three compartments, two with hinged lids with leather tops and zinc linings. The middle compartment has a glass container set in a wooden compartment. The inscription is on a brass plate inside the casket. ‘Presented to Margaret Fletcher as a Mark of Respect’. margaret fletcher, history of warrnambool

This stock measurer would have been used on a farm during the first half of the 20th century. A similar item with decimal measurements may perhaps be used today though mechanized weighing machines are now available. This stock tape measure has no known local significance but it is an interesting item and has its place in the history of agriculture in the district. It will be useful for display. This is a glassfibre measuring tape (imperial measure) in a circular brass holder. The tape has a metal clip at the end. The tape is yellow on one side (measuring weight of pigs) and red on the other side (measuring weight of cattle). The holder has a winding mechanism on the top attached by a brass screw. There is a knob on the winder to hold while turning the winder to bring out the tape to the measurement required and to retract it back into the holder. The holder has a black ridged pattern around the sides. The maker’s marks are etched into the back of the container and printed on the tape. ‘We –Bo’ ‘Comb Maal” On tape: ‘We-Bo Made in Denmark’ ‘Live weight of pigs in lbs in relation to chest-measure in inches’ ‘Live weight of cattle in lbs in relation to chest-measure in inches’ stock tape measure, history of warrnambool, agricultural history

This field First Aid kit is a mixture of items, some prepared for use in wartime, including World War One and some for use in peace time emergencies. The calico bag, produced by the Red Cross in Kalgoorlie, W.A., has been used by the State Emergency Service and at a later date by a scout group. The name, ‘S. Dempster’ is on the striped calico bag. Samuel Dempster was born in Ireland and was living at Panmure when he enlisted. He was attached to the 6 Ambulance training. He served from 1942-46 This is a calico shoulder bag with the shoulder strap adjustable with the use of metal clips. The bag is frayed and rusted and contains 14 items:-eight flat bandages, five safety pins, six small rolled gauze bandages, three navy blue packages of white absorbent gauze, one rolled package bandage,, rubber hose (broken), two small and one large field dressings, two shell dressings, Armed Forces shell dressing (Commonwealth of Australia), dark blue absorbent lint (yellow label), absorbent cotton wool (navy blue wrapper with red label), striped canvas bag, bottle of aqueous solution Acriflavine, two rolled bandages. ‘S.Dempster VX74418’ ‘Red Cross Society Kalgoorlie West Australia’ s. dempster, world war 2, samuel dempster, first aid kit wwii, warrnambool

English currency before decimalisation in the 1970's consisted of pounds, shillings and pence with twelve pennies to the shilling and twenty shillings to the pound.Coins ranged from farthings which were one quarter of a penny through to pennies, threepence, sixpence, shillings ,half crowns and crowns. Most coins had a variety of common names such as a " bob" for a shilling a "quid for a pound and a tanner for a sixpence. This coin is the equivalent of five shillings and is known as a crown. The text around the obverse, "Victoria Dei Gratia 1844". On the reverse the text of Reg Fid Def"Britanniar translates as Queen of Britain and defender of the faith. This coin is one of the smaller denominations.A common currency coin which has social and historical significance.Round copper coin with flat edge. The The obverse has an image of the young Victoria with text around the edge.The reverse has an image of Brittania in a chariot.Dotted edge around the inside rim of both sides.BRITTANNIAR REG FID DEFon the reverse and Victoria Dei gratia on the obverse.english penny, 1854 penny

This coin was minted in the time of Queen Victoria whose young image appears on the coin. It is a bronze coin mainly composed of copper with traces of tin and zinc. From 1825 English coins were minted in countries of the Empire where they were used as currency. In 1862 pennies would have been one of the more common denominations in circulation.A common item which relates to the 19th century with historical and social significance.Round copper coloured coin with head of young woman on the obverse and the image of Brittania on the reverse. There is text around the edge of both the obverse and reverse.The rim is flat.On the obverse is 1853 with Victoria Dei Gratia. Reverse has Brittannia REG FID. DEFwarrnambool, english penny, 1853 penny

This coin was minted in the time of Queen Victoria whose young image appears on the coin. It is a bronze coin mainly composed of copper with traces of tin and zinc. From 1825 English coins were minted in countries of the Empire where they were used as currency. In 1862 pennies would have been one of the more common denominations in circulation.A common item which is well worn and as such has historical and social significance.Round copper coin with image of woman on the obverse with letters EG. F D. The reverse side is extremely worn with only the date 1862 legible.There is a small section of dotted edge also below the date.1862warrnambool, english penny

This book belonged to Pearl McCullagh whose address is given as Oak Grove (the name of the property) inYangery with the name of Illowa S. School under the address. Because of the content of the book it is presumed that the ‘S’ stands for Sabbath or Sunday and the Sunday School may have been a Presbyterian one. Yangery is situated between Woodford and Koroit and Illowa, nearby, is about 8 kilometres from Koroit and about 9 kilometres from Warrnambool. Pearl McCullagh was the daughter of Samuel James and Charlotte Jane McCullagh. She was born in 1906 and married Ernest Keen. This book is of interest because it belonged to an early 20th century resident, Pearl McCullagh who lived at Oak Grove in Yangery. This is a soft cover book of 104 pages. The cover is brown with black lettering on the front cover. The cover is crumpled and worn away in places and the pages are dog-eared. The inscription is handwritten in pencil. ‘Pearl McCullagh, Oak Grove Yangery, Illowa S. School’.pearl mccullagh, history of illowa, history of yangery, oak grove yangery

This book, an Irish spelling book with a strong religious tone, is in a very tattered state but has the name ‘Freckleton’ on it and it may have come with the first Freckleton immigrants to Australia. In the 19th century there were Freckleton families in the Warrnambool district at Port Fairy, Cooramook, Mailors Flat, Woolsthorpe, Woodford and Wangoom. The provenance of this book is unclear but it is kept because of its early printing (1844) and because of its association with the Freckleton families. This is a soft cover book of 240 pages. The cloth cover is brown with no visible markings on the front cover or spine. The pages are bound together with string and the material on the spine is almost worn away. Some of the pages are torn and very dirty and all are dog-eared. There is a grey and white illustration on the first page. The inscriptions on the first and second pages, barely legible, are handwritten in pencil and in black ink. ‘W. Freckleton, landed (?) 1857….1875….1888’ ‘…May landeth….’ freckleton families,, western district, history of warrnambool

This book, an Irish spelling book with a strong religious tone, is in a very tattered state but has the name ‘Freckleton’ on it and it may have come with the first Freckleton immigrants to Australia. In the 19th century there were Freckleton families in the Warrnambool district at Port Fairy, Cooramook, Mailors Flat, Woolsthorpe, Woodford and Wangoom. The provenance of this book is unclear but it is kept because of its early printing (1844) and because of its association with the Freckleton families. This is a soft cover book of 240 pages. The cloth cover is brown with no visible markings on the front cover or spine. The pages are bound together with string and the material on the spine is almost worn away. Some of the pages are torn and very dirty and all are dog-eared. There is a grey and white illustration on the first page. The inscriptions on the first and second pages, barely legible, are handwritten in pencil and in black ink. ‘W. Freckleton, landed (?) 1857….1875….1888’ ‘…May landeth….’ freckleton families, western district, history of warrnambool

This wooden tray has been purchased from the Warrnambool Fancy Goods shop of M. Giblett. She had taken over this shop early in the 20th century from Mrs Martha Wright who was well-known in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for her shop in Liebig Street (95 Liebig Street today) and for her needlework classes in the town. Many of her pupils won prizes at the local Agricultural Shows. This tray is of some interest as an object bought at the Wright/Giblett Fancy Goods Store in Warrnambool early in the 20th century. This is a rectangular-shaped wooden tray with four raised pieces of wood attached to form edges. The tray has been painted yellow. There is a label on the base of the tray indicating the shop from where it was purchased. The tray has some chipped paint, some dirt marks and some small cracks in the wood. ‘Millinery, Art Needlework, Baby Wear and Wool Specialists, Wrights (M.I.Giblett) Warrnambool’ martha wright, warrnambool, m. giblett, warrnambool, history of warrnambool, art needlework in warrnambool

This medal has been issued to commemorate the Coronation of King George VI of England in 1937. It was issued by a department store in Warrnambool, that of Cramond and Dickson. This business was established by John Glass Cramond and James Dickson in Timor Street, Warrnambool in 1855. It moved to Liebig Street at the corner of Timor Street and sold mens and ladies wear. It had its own tailors and milliners and the building was a landmark one in Warrnambool for over 100 years. It closed in 1973. In 1937 the business of Cramond and Dickson was 82 years old. This medal is of great interest as it shows the level of fervor for British Royalty and all things British that was prevalent in Warrnambool in the 1930s. The Cramond and Dickson business was one of the most important ones in Warrnambool’s history as it operated for over 100 years. This is a silver-coloured medal commemorating the Coronation of King George VI of England. One side has the heads of King George and Queen Elizabeth surrounded by wording and the other side has the name of the Warrnambool store issuing the medal. The medal is tarnished. A piece of green string is attached to the hook at the top of the medal. ‘King George VI Queen Elizabeth Coronation 1937’ ‘Cramond & Dickson Warrnambool 1855-1937’ ‘P.J.King’ cramond and dickson, king george vi coronation, history of warrnambool

This letter has been written from France in 1917 by Private Edwin Johnson Carter to his friend Mrs Maggie Craig. It gives details of events in his life at the time – in the trenches in World War One. Private Edwin Johnson was a farmer from Nullawarre who enlisted in 1916 and served in France. He was drowned when the mail boat R.M.S. Leinster was torpedoed by a German submarine in the Irish Sea in October 1918. Private Johnson was returning from a visit to Ireland while on leave. This is an original letter from World War One It was written by a soldier from Nullawarre and has a particular poignancy as he writes: “My work brings me in contact with all that hurts in war. I am somewhat calm to it now but if I am spared to return I fear it shall be my nightmare.” He did not return but we have this letter to remind us of the horrors men such as Private Carter endured. This is an envelope containing a letter of two pages sent by a soldier on active service in France in World War One. Both the envelope and the letter are buff-coloured. The envelope has an image of an Australian Military Forces Y.M.C.A. logo, a Post Office stamp and a Censor stamp. The address is handwritten in pencil. The letter has an image of a Y.M.C.A. logo in red and black and the handwritten material is in pencil. Envelope: ‘On Active Service’ ‘Mrs Craig, Craiglea Trafalgar Victoria Australia’ Letter: ‘In the Field, France Dec 27 1917’world war one, private edwin carter, warrnambool history

This is a poster advertising an art exhibition by the Warrnambool artist, Robert Ulmann. The exhibition was held in the Naringal Hall in November/December 1982. Robert Ulmann (1927-1999) was born in Zurich, Switzerland where he studied sculpture and painting. After living in Canada for some time he came to Australia in 1969. From 1970 to 1972 he was employed by the Northern Territory Administration as a manual arts instructor to the aboriginal people of Docker River west of Uluru. He exhibited extensively in city and regional galleries and won numerous awards for his artistic works. His love of wildlife extended to his interest in the Southern Right Whale and he was greatly responsible for publicizing the annual appearance of the whales at Logans Beach in Warrnambool and protecting their environment. His studio in Warrnambool is still visited by many tourists. This poster is of interest as it concerns an art exhibition of the work of Robert Ulmann, a well-known Warrnambool artist of the 20th century. This is a sheet of white paper with black edging. It is an advertisement for a Robert Ulmann Art Exhibition. The page has a sketch of three birds with Robert Ulmann’s signature underneath. robert ulmann, history of warrnambool

This letter was written during World War One from France in 1916 by Private George McDowall to a friend Mrs Maggie Craig. Private George Francis Ernest McDowall was a farmer from Nirranda who enlisted in August 1915. He landed in Egypt in1916 and was transferred to the 8th Battalion. He was killed in action at Pozieres on 25 July 1916 and was buried in France. This letter is an original one and is an important relic from World War One – from a soldier from the Warrnambool area who did not return. The letter is headed ‘From my little dug-out in the trench in France’ and he wrote: ‘It is a great life this if one can only get through it’. He did not survive the war and was killed only two and a half months after this letter was written. This is a letter written from France in 1916 during World War One. It is handwritten in pencil on buff-coloured paper. The paper has been folded and it is a little torn at the top. The page has some staining from age and handling. world war one, private george mcdowall, warrnambool history, world war 1 soldier's letter

This is a programme for a concert put on by the Warrnambool High School students in 1927. The concert included choral items, folk dancing, a gymnasium display and two one-act plays. Warrnambool High School was established in 1907 and merged with Warrnambool North Technical School in the 1990s to form Warrnambool College. One of the performers in this concert was the Head Teacher of Warrnambool High School, Colonel George Langley. This programme is of interest as an example of the entertainment offered in Warrnambool in the 1920s by a local group. This is a one-page pink sheet of paper with black printing. The page has a black decorative border and the pink colouring has faded. The inscriptions are handwritten in blue ink. ‘1927’ ‘N. J. Absalom’ warrnambool high school, history of warrnambool

This is a program for two plays staged by The Arcadians in 1934. This drama group was originally known as the Warrnambool High School Ex-Students’ Dramatic Society and was founded in 1925 by Colonel Langley, the Head Master of Warrnambool High School and his wife, Edmee. The Arcadians drama group was still operating in 1947 and proceeds from the productions went to the Warrnambool High School, funding many school projects including a tennis court, a Senior English prize and Watson Hall. By 1934 a special project was the funding of the ‘Langley Library’. Notable among The Arcadians performers were Colonel George Langley (in the early years of the group), Horace Jones, an English teacher at the school, Syb Carpenter, Bill Earle, Mary and Ron Mack and Nancy Humm. This programme is of particular interest as an example of the plays staged by the well-known Warrnambool drama group, The Arcadians.This is a programme made of two sheets of green paper folded in two to make eight pages. The printing is in black. The sheets were originally stapled but the metal staples have been removed. The inscription is handwritten in blue ink. ‘N. J. Absalom’ the arcadians, warrnambool high school, colonel and mrs langley