Share certificate issued by New Gippsland Boulder Mine - operating at Errinundra and receipt for Herbert, Eric W. Receipt is for amount of four pounds - signed by Bird, W. Prospectus was printed in 1934 at office of Snowy River Mail - 4 page booklet. Gold, copper and silver were the target minerals.The crusher from the Boulder Mine is now at the Slab Hut in Orbost. The first Gippsland Boulder Co.,was at Boulder Creek – 13 miles north of Club Terrace, within 2 miles of Errinundra River. The company registered in January 1898 and commenced crushing in September with a 10-head battery. In the first nine months’ yields totalled 1,418 oz from 972 tons.There was a tramway between the mine workings and the battery.The crusher from the Boulder Mine is now at the Slab Hut in Orbost. This document is a reference for gold mining and exploration in the Far East Gippsland area. The Herbert family has reside in Orbost since the late 19th century.Copy of New Gippsland Boulder Mine share certificate and receipt. Framed in small black wooden frame.certificate-share-new-gippsland-boulder-mine mineralogy mining boulder-creek

Alexander Ross was born in Castlemaine in 1879. He became a member of the 4th Battalion Infantry Brigade and was noted for his soldierly qualities. When volunteers were called for the First Contingent, Mounted Infantry Unit going to South Africa, he was one of the first to enlist. In the Battle at Rensburg he was shot through the chest and died shortly after. Major Eddy and Lieutenant Roberts also died in the same action. About a fortnight before he was killed Corporal Ross had mailed the Queen's Chocolate Box he had received, to his father. In it was a letter which included information "...I am quite well and have not seen action yet. I remain Your affectionate son Alexander Ross"Digital portrait from "In Memory of the Gallant Officers and Men of Victoria in Transvaal War, 1899-1900".alexander ross, corporal, castlemaine, 4th battalion infantry brigade, first contingent, mounted infantry unit, south africa, rensburg, major eddy, lieutenant roberts, queen's chocolate box

The photo is a Panorama showing Sturt Street, taken from the Town Hall, looking north east with Mount Warrenheip and Black Hill in the view. Shows the buildings east of Lydiard St, including Bridge St, Camp St and part of Victoria St. One tram is westbound, about to cross Lydiard St. Rose Series P4500. Has signs for the "Mail Echo", Plume petrol, ANA, the Mechanics Institute, and Longhurs Bread. On the rear Wal Jack has written extensive notes for Ken Magor noting the streets in the view and the Ballarat East loco depot and Goods shed. Wal has dated the photo 1940 to 1944, though the trams do not have white bumper bars that featured from 1941 to 1945.Yields information about Ballarat during the 1940sPostcard black and white, divided back, with a handwritten note on rear.See image 2 for details of the handwritten note by Wal Jack on the rear. tramways, trams, bridge st, sturt st, ballarat east, rose postcards

The Feelix library was developed to help children who were blind or have low vision experience the connection with books via tactile objects. Each print book was hand selected, a clear Braille overlay placed on the pages, and items relating to the story were made or purchased and added to the kit. The kit (book and objects) was held inside a cardboard suitcase and sent through the mail in a bright orange, zippered plastic padded pouch with a carry strap. Launched at the Melbourne Zoo on 11 February 2003, these images were taken of the families who attended, including Zoos Victoria CEO Laura Mumaw, Minister for Community Services Sherryl Garbut and RVIB CEO Doug Kent, and the Feelix kits displayed on the day.37 digital photographs of families and official guests at launch of Feelix libraryroyal victorian institute for the blind, feelix, sigrid thornton, sherryl garbut, laura mumaw, doug kent, louise curtin

Postcards, all featuring the cable tram era, left to right, top to bottom: 1 - Town Hall Melbourne - damaged paper 2 - General view of Collins Street Melbourne - from Spring St looking west 3 - Central Railway Station, Melbourne - the principal building is complete though the roof along Swanston St over the other platforms is yet to be completed. 4 - Bourke St Melbourne - looking west from Swanston St - has the Wertheim and Roberts Stores in the view along with the post office. 5 - Bourke St Melbourne - looking east from Swanston St with Morells Orient Hotel and the Royal Mail Hotel on the two corners 6 - Melbourne from St Kilda Road.Demonstrates a set of 6 postcards featuring Melbourne cable trams.Set of 6 cable tram postcards mounted on to light weight boardtramways, flinders st station, swanston st, bourke st, collins st, st kilda road

This is a ship model of the SS Orotava, a British Screw Steamship built at Barrow-in-Furness, county of Lancashire, by the Naval Construction and Armaments Company (NC & A Co.) in 1889. Her gross tonnage was 5552.10 tons, length 430 feet, breadth 49.3 feet and depth 34.2 feet. She was built for Pacific Steam Navigation Company (of 31, James Street, Liverpool) and used as a passenger liner. She was launched 1889 and made 2 voyages for the Pacific Steam Navigation Company in 1889. Then under her new management of the Orient Line, she made her first sailing 6th June 1890 from Liverpool to Australia via Suez. During the Boer War (1889 – 1903) she served as a troop ship but apart from this she remained in the Orient Line’s Australia service until 1906. On 14th December 1896 the Orotava sunk at Trilbury Docks after being serviced on her return from Australia, becoming unstable and taking in water. Five men lost their lives. The ship was then raised to dry dock and repaired for service again and an investigation launched into the cause of the sinking. Between 1901 – 1906 the name ‘Orient-Pacific Steam Line’ was used due to the close ties between the Pacific and the Orient lines. In 1906 the Pacific Steam Line Australian service was taken over by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. and the alliance between them and the Orient Line was dissolved in 1909. Orotava was then used in the West Indies service of the Royal Mail Line In World War 1 (Dec 1914 – June 1916) she served as HMS OROTAVA, an armed merchant cruiser. She was broken up in 1919. Ship model of SS Orotava, 4 masts, 2 funnels, British passenger liner, launched in 1889.No case. Mounted on timber base. (some rigging broken, lifeboat now a separate piece)."OROTAVA" painted in white on each side of the bow. 'OROTAVA / LONDON" painted in white on the stern.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ship model, ss orotava, naval construction and armaments co., n c & a co., pacific steam navigaiton company, passenger liner, orient line, orient-pacific steam line, royal mail line, hms orotava

Clothing. One pair of shoes. Ivory coloured cotton canvas. Size 3, marked on sole of right shoe. Instep straps fastened by buttonhole to shanked round metal buttons. Low wooden heels. Decorative ''button'' stitched centre front of shoe.Wedding dress and shoes were worn by Mary Smith for the marriage to John Keane 6th August 1902, at the Roman Catholic Church, Wycheproof. Mary Smith was the daughter of Felix Smith. He built the Wycheproof Court House, Post Office and Royal Mail Hotel. Mary and John Keane lived in a mud brick house after their marriage. See also 11400.76 & 11400.75costume, female, wedding shoes

Cardboard backed , cloth bound , Ritewell No 248 Minute Book (M ?) Hall written in blue ink The Bendigo Repertory Society, paper cuttings from 1929- 1970's was formed in 1929 when at the invitation of Mr. G. Hall, Mr.J.Beresford Fowler came up from Melbourne to found a drama group here. In 1930 the group took the name of Bendigo Repertory Society and presented its first public production, 'The Rat Trap' by Noel Coward. Page 3 and 4 have black white photos taken from 1929 Illustrated Tasmanian Mail -of the play The Vortex -at the Theatre Royal by Noel CowardH.Hall

2 post cards, buff coloured, one penny stamp mark embossed on front. A. Addressed to Bennett, Attenborough & co., Solicitors, Sandhurst. Sent 22/2/87, from Gordon & Gotch Limited, Advertising Manager. ' your letter arrived too late to send by Frisco Mail. We will send on to London on Friday to our London House and they will ? For us. B. Addressed to Connelly Esq, solicitor, Albion Chambers, Sandhurst. 'Lady Barkly GM, a special meeting of directors to be held on Saturday at 5 p.m. to meet Mr. Wilks, John D. Crofts, Manager, Sandhurst 29th. June 1883.business, legal, connelly & tatchell, connelly & tatchell

A black cover book, on the first page a cut out of a woman in a garden and on the facing page in black pen: practical book agricultural science. L. John Ellison "Jacka Jacka", Joan, Vea(?) Horsham and the date 1940. Also in green pen at the top of the page: Beauty born 04/01/1962. On the following 2 pages an index of topics and dates of entry, the first date is February 27 and the last November 30th, there are 29 topics taking up 73 pages. the rest of the book is taken up by cuttings from the Weekly Times and the Mail mainly about land and history of the Horsham, Wimmera area.books, school, practical exercise book agricultural sci

Black and white print of a donated negative. Print made 12/1998. Photo of SEC tram No. 33 at the Sebastopol terminus with the Royal Mail Hotel in the background. Photo taken during 1968. Tram still has destination of Sebastopol on north end, Fosters Lager sign on hotel and Twin Lakes sign on the tram. Tram overhead has the sheet metal device to assist in putting the trolley pole back on. Two parked cars in the photograph. Photo shows ground conditions at the terminus and taken at same time as Reg. Item 863. Driver turning the pole at the time. Negative rescanned 9-5-2020 and image updated.tramways, trams, sebastopol, royal mail hotel, ballarat, 33, tram 33

Kodachrome Transparency - 35mm slide - cardboard mount, with one side with red border and words "Kodachrome Transparency" top and bottom. On the other side is "Made in England" and "View from this side". Photo taken by Ben Parle 4/1956. Photo of Ballarat No. 32 at the Sebastopol terminus, with the Royal Mail Hotel in the background. Photo taken with two friends of the photographer and the conductor, before turning the trolley pole. The tram has the destination of Lydiard St. North. Advice from R. Merchant 5/10/04 - Hugh Ballment (left) and Bob Young. See worksheet for email. For high resolution scan see btm2827h.tif "Sebastopol Ballarat" "1/54"tramways, trams, sebastopol, royal mail hotel, tram 32

Kodachrome Transparency - 35mm slide - cardboard mount, with one side with red border and words "Kodachrome Transparency / Processed by Kodak" top and bottom. Photo taken by Ben Parle 8/4/1958, date stamped onto slide. Has slide No. "11" stamped in red in top corner. Photo of Ballarat 38, inbound from Mt. Pleasant, about to turn from Barkly St into Main St. Tram has the destination of Gardens via Drummond North. Note mail box on tram stop sign / pole. Advertisement on large bill board for Penfolds Wines. For high resolution scan see btm2883.tif"Mt. Pleasant line" / "8-4-58"tramways, trams, main st, barkly st, mt pleasant, tram 38

Yields information about the appearance of Bridge St early 1960's and the buildings on either side. Shows the festoon lighting.Digital Copy of a photograph sourced by Roger Greenwood as part of his work on the production of a Video Tape on Ballarat's trams. Photographer and source details not provided by Roger. See btm6304doc.pdf Image looking west along Bridge St Ballarat with the festoon lighting in position. See Reg Item 6303i. This image appears to be early 1960's, possibly a bogie tram with yellow stripping at the Grenville St end, but not the large white stripe. Has the Stones Corner and The State Bank buildings in the view. Photo from a postcard, published c1967 as advised in the e-mail of 20/7/15. Print in box 13 trams, tramways, bridge st, stones corner, main road

The commemorative booklet 'Our Invited Guests for the Opening of the First Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia : An open directory of the guests invited to Melbourne, May 9th 1901' lists invitees from each Australian State. Mr & Mrs. J. M. Campbell are on this list, and recoded as residing at "Ramornie" 40 Pakington Street, Kew.The document design has artistic and aesthetic merit. While it is not rare, it is representative of the kinds of formal designs used for the Australian Commonwealth celebrations at the time of Federation, and is in excellent condition. Such items as this invitation have local, state and national historic significance as mementoes of a key moment in Australia's history. Locally, the invitation is part of a group of Federation-related items issued to James Maitland Campbell (and his wife). Campbell was three times mayor of Kew in the second half of the 19th Century and the owner of Ramornie in Pakington Street, one of the significant extant mansions in Kew.An invitation on card to Mr. & Mrs J. M. Campbell to attend an evening reception at the Exhibition Building, Melbourne, on 9 May 1901, to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall as part of the celebrations of the opening of the first Federal Parliament. A figure of Britannia, in red dress and mailed vest holding a shield like the Union Jack, is on the left of the invitation; she reaches out her hand towards a younger female figure, representing Australia, who is dressed in blue and holds a shield which is white with a blue cross decorated with stars. The writing is on a scroll in the centre of the certificate, and there is a border of vines and vine leaves. The royal crest is at the base of the certificate.Printed on a banner across the top: 'IN CELEBRATION / OF THE / OPENING / PARLIAMENT of the COMMONWEALTH / OF AUSTRALIA' Printed below the banner: 'To meet Their Royal Highness / the DUKE and DUCHESS of CORNWALL & / YORK / His Majesty's / MINISTERS OF STATE FOR AUSTRALIA / have the honor to invite / [handwritten] Mr. & Mrs J. M. Campbell / to an Evening Reception at the / Exhibition Building MELBOURNE, / on the 9th of May 1901, at 8 o'clock'.federation -- australia -- 1901, parliament -- australia, invitations -- 1901

The “Q” Theatre Guild was formed in 1957. It inherited the productions and casts of the earlier Kew Light Opera Company. The Guild initially performed in the Kew Recreation Hall (Wellington Street) and later at the Kew Civic Hall (Cotham Road). A partial list of its performances include: 1957 The Geisha 1958 Maritana 1959 They All Do It (Cosi Fan Tutti) 1959 Blossom Time 1959 Love’s a Luxury 1960 There And Back & The Bohemian Girl 1960 Die Fledermaus 1961 Gay Rosalinda 1961 The Land of Smiles 1961 Kisses For A Kid & Hansel and Gretel 1962 Die Fledermaus 1964 Monsieur Beaucaire 1964 Macbeath [The Beggars’ Opera] 1964 The Beggars’ Opera Undated And So To BedThe Marion Tilley scrapbook is a significant record of performing arts in Melbourne during the 1950s and 1960s. The scrapbook includes programmes, photographs, newspaper reports and personal annotations which are a rich source of detail about repertoire, performers, and artistic sensibility in the period.Souvenir programme isued by the "Q" Theatre Guild incorporating Kew Light Opera Company for a performance of 'The Bohemian Girl: A Romantic Opera in 3 Acts' by Michael William Balfe. There are various personal annotations on the cast list. The most interesting highlights one of the ladies of the Chorus, Joan Carden.The annotation reads: "Feb 18-1974 in Courier Mail Brisbane. Joan Carden to make debut as Opera Singer Covent Garden London. Leading role of Gilda in Rigoletto." The programme forms part of a scrapbook that includes programmes, photographs and theatre reviews for the Kew Light Opera Company and later "Q" Theatre Guild."q" theatre guild, joan carden, the bohemian girl (opera), theatre groups (kew)

Booklet. 12 page auction catalogue for household furnishings at 36 Hopetoun Rd. Toorak, Victoria. Auction of 287 items held on 27 March 1944 under instructions from the executors of the late Dr. Ramsay Mailer. Auctioneers were A. Gordon Allard & Co. of 37 Queen St, Melbourne. Printed by Stock land Press. Handwritten in ink on the front page is the following, by author unknown - 'My late sister Matron Agnes Wilson had charge of his private Hosp. in Burke Rd. Camberwell and years later of his Hosp in Wood St. East Preston which she named 'Pleasant View' '.A. Gordon Allard & Co.person, individual, auction, auction, household furnishings, 36 hopetoun rd., toorak, dr. ramsay mailer, agnes wilson, a. gordon allard

20-page booklet containing price list for bulbs, flowers and plants grown by W Murfet, New Street, RingwoodSeason 1925-26. Telephone Ringwood 123. Contains details of dozens of varieties of bulbs and flowering plants, including information of growing season, height, planting instructions, and cost per dozen or by the hundred. The goods could be delivered by rail or post, within Australia, at the purchaser's risk and expense. The booklet was printed at the "Ringwood and Croydon Mail" office (Adelaide Street), phone 65.

Vinyl Exterior, printed paper pages.After landing his D.H.4 safely at a midwestern airfield in the face of a brewing storm. A United States mail pilot clambers out of the cockpit as ground crew unload his cargo. In this authentically detailed scene of the airmails early years by French aviation artist Paul Lengell'e a postal clerk checks the mailbags and packages against a manifest before they are loaded into the waiting truck.

This exercise book contains details on the work carried out by A.Greed, a tradesman undertaking small carpentry and repair jobs in the Warrnambool region. The works completed date from 17 April 1945 to 11 October 1949. Mr Greed apparently worked mostly for the Public Works Department and had contracts for schools including Ecklin South, Panmure, Cudgee, Dennington, Mailors Flat, Grasmere, and Warrnambool Technical School and for other public buildings including the Warrnambool Court House, the Police Station and Housing Commission buildings. Other contracts included ones for the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve, Callaghan’s Garage, the Caledonian Hotel, the Methodist Croquet Club and many private home owners. Details on the identity of ‘A. Greed’ are not known as there are several possibilities for the 1940s era. One clue is that an ‘E. Greed’ was also an employee.This exercise book is of some interest as an example of a tradesman’s handwritten details of his work as a carpenter and repair man in the 1940s in the Warrnambool area. There are many local names and businesses of interest mentioned in the exercise book. This is an exercise book with a grey cover with red binding. The dark blue printing on the front cover is enclosed in scroll patterns and the back cover has dark blue printing The cover is creased and has some ink splotches. The front cover has been stamped but the printing is now mostly illegible. The pages contain handwritten work and accounting information in black and blue ink. Some pages have been overwritten in red and black ink and pencil and there is one loose sheet.The Vana Exercise Booka.greed,, warrnambool tradesman, history of warrnambool

Eltham Gateway, Sweet D Lites, 820 Main Road, Eltham. Former Burgoyne shop and Post Office, now home to San Antonio Barbershop. Once affectionately known as the Hilltop milk bar, or Burgoyne’s, this is one of the only three remaining early twentieth century village shops in Eltham and as the community’s first post office. In the 1920’s, the post office was run from a tiny 6 by 6 corrugated iron shed at the side of the store. Miss Hunniford, the post mistress, would give you your mail or take your letters to send, as there was no postal delivery service at that time. In an emergency, such as illness, you could send a telegraph for tuppence (around two cents) a word. Later, this was the site of the Eltham’s first telephone exchange. Tomorrow's history documented todayeltham, jim connor collection, main road, eltham gateway, burgoyne's shop, sweeet d lites, hilltop milk bar

Anthony Hordern sen. (1788–1869) came from Staffordshire, as a free immigrant in 1823, and the business was originally established as a drapery store in Pitt Street by his wife Ann. The family moved to Melbourne and remained there but a son Anthony junior purchased land in George Street Sydney in 1842 and set up business with his brother Lebbeus. They broke their partnership in1855 and Anthony took his sons Anthony and Samuel into partnership as they became old enough. Anthony Hordern & Sons was the largest department store in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. with 52 acres (21 hectares) of retail space, and was once the largest department store in the world . It also operated one of the largest mail order businesses in Australia. One of their advertising slogans was that they sold "anything from a needle to an anchor". A strip of blue cardboard with 95 small, white 2 hole buttons . The cardboard folds into 3 for easy storage with each section holding 36 buttons. 7 buttons are missing - used. The buttons are sewn onto the card with a running thread that is covered by backing paper.on backing of card a picture of an 'Anchor and Rope , Needle and Thread' / FROM A NEEDLE / TO AN ANCHOR / TRADE MARK / MADE IN ENGLAND. inside ' MADE IN 14 LINES ENGLAND 'horden anthony senior, horden and son pty ltd, sydney, new south wales, moorabbin, department stores, market gardeners, pioneers, dressmaking, craftwork, sewing needles, clothing, buttons

This program was produced by the Snowy River Mail for a community singalong held in Orbost on Tuesday June 2 1953 to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11. In June 1953 , Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan, and became the Head of the Commonwealth. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II as monarch took place on 2 June 1953. Elizabeth ascended the throne at the age of 25, upon the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was proclaimed queen by her various privy and executive councils shortly afterwards. The coronation took place more than a year later because of the tradition that holding such a festival is inappropriate during the period of mourning that follows the death of a monarch. This community event was typical of the general feeling of respect and admiration felt by the rural communities towards the British Royal Family. This item reflects the significance of monarchy for Australia and the constitutional history of Australia.The item reflects the interest in the royal family to Australians at this time as well as the general feeling of respect and admiration felt by the rural communities towards the British Royal Family.A white paper program with the words of songs printed in black. There is a rust mark from a metal staple in the top left corner. It is titled "Your Coronation Community Songs".queen-elizabeth-11 royalty community-event-orbost souvenir-program

This share certificate is made out to Herman Wehner of Orbost for 25 shares at 20/- per share in the Orbost Butter & Produce Co.. It has been signed by M. Blacklock as the secretary and James Nixon and H. James as directors. The Wehner family is/ was a prominent family in Orbost from the late 19th century. Herman Wehner founded Wehner's Blacksmith's at Orbost in 1889. Oswald Wehner began working in 1910 with his father. In 1947 Ossie's son Tom started blacksmithing, retiring in 1991 and closing the business, The building remains in Nicholson Street. The original Orbost Butter and Produce factory was built in 1893 by a group of landholders described in The Snowy River Mail in 1916 as including “two or three exceptionally constituted individuals who did not know when they were beaten”.The Orbost Butter and Produce Co. Ltd was registered on June 1st 1893 and was an important source of income to the Orbost district.A pink paper certificate with black print and handwritten details. It has a "Not Negotiable" stamp vertical centre. It has also been cancelled.orbost-butter-produce-co.

Carrol Preston has used newspaper references from 1877 through to 1917, to document the history of the Orbost - Bairnsdael railway line.. It starts with the lobbying and jockeying, and moves through to the opening in 1916. The title is a reference to plans to further extend the railway beyond Orbost - but "The Iron Horse stopped at Orbost Railway Station". Most articles are from the Snowy River Mail and Bairnsdale Advertiser. All newspaper articles are dated and sourced. About 1912 work began at Newmerella on clearing the track for the railway line from Bairnsdale to Orbost. A canvas town sprang up on the higher land adjacent to the river flats. Local farmers supplied meat, milk and fresh produce to the camp, as well as gaining employment carting and labouring. The line opened in 1916, the Orbost railway station being built on the Newmerella side of the river.This item is associated with the history of the Orbost-Bairnsdale railway line and therefore reflects the role that the rail line played in the social and economic history of Orbost. On April 10 1916, the first scheduled train service left Orbost for Bairnsdale. The Bairnsdale-Orbost railway was opened to serve the agricultural and timber industries. This book has been compiled by a local historian. A spiral bound book titled, "The Iron Horse Stopped at Orbost Railway Station". The cover is blue / green with the title in black and red print. Underneath is a railway track leading to the bottom of the page. The book is 110 pages, A4 size and contains maps and photos. in black print on cover - "The Iron Horse Stopped at Orbost Railway Station ; The newspaper story of the eventual construction of the ORBOST RAILWAY LINE (in red print); Compiled and produced by CARROL PRESTON (in white print)railway-transport orbost-bairnsdale-railway east-gippsland-railway

From the Snowy River Mail October 4 1978 page 9 - " A MOBILE BAND - Although Orbost Municipal Band participated in Saturday's Primary School workathon, members feet didn't touch the ground. They idi it bthe easywayon the trailer of a truck. The band encouraged walkers with stirring music along the road to Marlo." The first Orbost Brass Band was formed in 1889. Around 1908 the town band split and the Orbost Workers' Band was formed. Eventually the two bands merged in 1913 to reform as the Orbost Municipal Band under conductorship of Charles Spink. The band continued for many years but was later disbanded and again reformed. This was to happen a number of times, the last time being in 1961 and continuing through to the late 1970's. Further info and Ref: In Times Gone By - Deborah Hall This is a pictorial record of the Orbost Municipal Band. The various Orbost bands over the years played a major role in community activities providing entertainment and musical experiences for the many members.A black / white photograph showing a group of uniformed band members sitting on folding chair s on the tray of a large flat bed truck. They are holding musical instruments. A young boy is sitting on the edge of the tray and three other children are standing on the road nearby.on back - information from S.R.M.music orbost-municipal-band entertainment recreation

George Barraclough (1907-1981), a landholder from north of Licola, in the Victorian Great Divide, made a number of these spikes, as needed. As accounts were paid, receipts were pasted to the account, the account was impaled on the spike, and the spike was rehung on a nail on a wall stud. All transactions dealing with money were filed in this manner, as an orderly way of tracking items that were usually remotely ordered and delivered on the mail car. George Barraclough used No8 in a number of creative ways, and his durable and untilitarion toasting forks are still in family use today. After George died in 1981 the spikes with their accounts passed to his daughter Linda Barraclough, who archived the accounts and later made copies available for study. Those accounts form a record of the businesses of Heyfield for 1940s and 1950s.This bill hook is of historical significance as a survivor of bush ingenuity and bush filing systems. Commercially made bill spikes were in common use in offices, where they usually consisted of a heavy metal base with an upright pointed piece of wire. Number 8 fencing wire was an important and readily accessible repair commodity for rural dwellers, and achieved iconic status as the most generic method of repair for cars broken down (resort to nearest fence) and was even used to hold houses together. Referring to "No 8 fencing wire" became a type of Australian shorthand for bush ingenuity. It is no longer available, being replaced by 4mm high tensile wire. This item is important both as an example of inventive use of No8 wire, and also as an example of the bush filing methods in use in the 1940s and 1950s. No 8 fencing wire holds a similar position in New Zealand - see Wikipedia NZ at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_8_wire A section of number 8 fencing wire twisted to form a bill spike. It has a rounded.base made from several twists of wire in a flat platform, with the remaining wire rising from the centre to form a stem that terminates in a hook with a sharpened point.wire, bush ingenuity, barraclough, licola north