This book contains poems written by Richard Lawson and Emile Louis Meyrat when they were fellow teachers at the Warrnambool College/Academy early in the 20th century. Dr Richard Lawson (1875-1971) was born in Warrnambool, the fifth child of Thomas and Susan Lawson (shopkeepers in Timor Street). He attended primary schools in Warrnambool and Cobden and then went to Stanley’s Warrnambool Grammar School where he won a scholarship to attend Melbourne University. In 1899 he returned to Warrnambool and in partnership with William Oakley ran a school, the Warrnambool Academy. They were firstly established in Koroit Street and then at ‘Upton’ in Canterbury Road. They bought out the school formed by the amalgamation of Scott’s School and Stanley’s Grammar (Warrnambool College) and the school was then known as the Warrnambool College/Academy. This school closed in 1911 and Lawson became a teacher at the Warrnambool High School. He later became a lecturer at Melbourne Teachers’ College and gained a Doctorate with a thesis on literary translations. With James Elijah Lawson produced four volumes of ‘The National Grammar’ and two English Literature text books. In 1924 he became Professor of Education at the University of Otago, New Zealand. While in Warrnambool Lawson was an active sportsman, enjoying games of tennis and cricket. Emile Louis Meyrat, a South Australia born about 188, was educated at Way College and was a teacher at Lawson’s school. He and his wife, Annie Hawkins, had a daughter, Pauline Marie Louise, born in Hawthorn in 1909, but the couple divorced in 1914. In 1912 Meyrat was in Switzerland and published a poem called ‘Eurydicean’. Meyrat dedicated his poems in ‘Poems By Two Friends’ to his father’s memory. The date of the book, ‘Poems By Two Friends’ is printed in the Preface of the book – ‘May 20, 1909, Warrnambool College’. This book is of great significance as it is an original copy of the poems produced by two people, Emile Louis Meyrat and Richard Lawson, teachers at the Warrnambool College/Academy in 1909. This school is important in the history of education in Warrnambool and Richard Lawson is a key figure in this history. He also later had a distinguished career in education in both Australia and New Zealand. This book is rare and one of the few early 20th century books surviving that was written by local Warrnambool people and produced in Warrnambool. It is also of literary interest as an example of the type of poems produced by well-educated people early in the 20th century – classical and florid in style. This is a soft cover book of 100 pages. The cover is dark green with the title of the book in green print inside an ornamental pattern of lines. There is a Latin quotation inside the front page and some of the poems have French or Latin sub-titles. The book has an Index listing the 61 poems and a Preface. The book is bound with staples, glue and some stitching using string. Front cover and inside first page: Stamp of Warrnambool & District Historical Societyemile louis meyrat, richard lawson, warnambool college/academy, history of warrnambool

This a school text book edited by Walter Logie Forbes Murdoch (1874-1970). He had a distinguished academic career and is regarded as one of Australia’s best essayists. He was a household name to two generations of Australians through his radio broadcasts and syndicated literary columns in several Australian newspapers. He was in Warrnambool early in the 20th century as the proprietor of a private school. In 1904 he left Warrnambool to take up a lecturing position at Melbourne University. He went on to become the foundation Professor of English at the University of Western Australia and later its Chancellor. Murdoch University in Western Australia is named after him. He was knighted in 1964. He published over 40 books. This book is of interest because it was edited by Walter Murdoch, an important figure in Australian literature and a man who played a part in Warrnambool’s history. In 1901 Murdoch came to Warrnambool, going into partnership with James Scott, the proprietor of Warrnambool College. They bought out Stanley’s Warrnambool Grammar School. When Scott retired Murdoch became the sole proprietor of the school. While in Warrnambool Murdoch wrote a school history textbook, ‘The Struggle for Freedom’. He left Warrnambool in 1904This is a hard cover book of 448 pages. It has a dark red cover with gold printed letters on the spine and the printing on the front cover is etched into the cover. It has a Prefatory Note, a Contents page, Sections Three and Four containing extracts from English Literature (the book is the Part Two volume) and advertisements at the back for other books published by Thomas Lothian. The book is bound with glue.On the first page: ‘Ada Sheen, State School Fryerstown’.walter murdoch, warrnambool college (early 20th century), history of warrnambool

Launch of "Pioneers and Painters: One Hundred years of Eltham and its Shire" by Alan Marshall. The history was commissioned by the Shire of Eltham and published as part of the Shire of Eltham centenary celebrations. Left to Right: Cr. (Mrs.) Charis M. Pelling, Mrs Dreverman, Cr. G. C. Dreverman, Mrs Nina Christesen, Mr Clem Christesen, Editor of the literary journal "Meanjin". "Russian-born Nina Christesen (nee Maximoff) is regarded as the pioneer of Russian academic studies in Australia. In 1946 she became a lecturer in Russian at Melbourne University, and in 1947 established the Department of Russian Language and Literature, remaining its head until her retirement in 1977. In 1987 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia. Nina was married to Clem Christesen, founder and editor of the respected (if left-leaning) literary magazine "Meanjin". They lived at "Stanhope" in Peter Street, Eltham. Visitors included writers Patrick White and Xavier Herbert, painters Arthur Boyd and Clifton Pugh, and historians Manning Clark and Geoffrey Blainey. In 1955, both Nina and Clem were interrogated by the Petrov Royal Commission on suspicion of being Communist sympathisers, which they reputedly rebutted wittily. Nina died in 2001 and Clem in 2003. They are buried together at Eltham Cemetery. There is also a memorial to Nina at the Eltham Living and Learning Centre, in the form of a bluestone amphitheatre with a floor of hand-painted tiles. Main sources: Wikipedia, obituaries in The Age and The Sunday Age. " - Eltham District Historical Society newsletter No. 247, August 2019.This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book, "Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital imagesepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, shire of eltham, shire of eltham centenary, pioneers and painters, book launch, cr. g.c. dreverman, mrs. dreverman, nina christesen, charris pelling

Daughter of George Temple and Mary McAuslane of Castlemaine, Hilda married James Kerr in 1893 and lived at Lincluden, Raymond Street, Orbost. Her husband, Dr James Kerr, was a Scot who had come to Australia as a ship's doctor and practised in NSW before visiting Orbost on a government vaccination programme. He liked Orbost and returned there, its first doctor, until his death in 1928. Hilda was sometimes referred to as 'Mrs Dr Kerr.' She and her sisters Mabel Stewart Temple and Margaret Ferrie Temple were all talented writers and musicians. This poem is an example of the talent of Hilda Temple Kerr. Hilda Temple Kerr (1874-1956) grew up in Orbost. She was very talented and published several books. It is reflective of the style of poetry in the early 19th century.A rectangular piece of paper with a typed poem titled, "We Come" by Hilda C. Temple-Kerr.poetry literature kerr-hilda-temple

This book of poetry by E. J. Brady was originally published by the Bulletin Newspaper Company (Sydney) in 1899,Later it was reprinted by Thomas C. Lothian (Melbourne) in 1909, and by the Standard Publishing Company (Melbourne) in 1913.] E. J. Brady was an Australian poet. He was born at Carcoar, New South Wales, and was educated both in the United States and Sydney. He worked as a wharf clerk, a farmer, and journalist, and edited both rural and city newspapers This book is culturally important as Edwin James Brady represented the Bulletin school of the 1890s. The Bulletin was very popular with rural bush workers and selectors and became known as ‘the bushman’s bible’. It encouraged contributions of poetry, short stories and cartoons from its readerswho included miners, shearers and timber-workers from all over Australia. Some of this content was high quality and many of Australia’s important writers had their start with The Bulletin which became know as the ‘Bulletin School’ of literature.A small 155 pp fabric covered brown book with a very faded picture of a boat sailing toward a sunset on the front cover.poetry literature brady-edwin-james the-ways-of-the-waters

Grace Elizabeth Jennings Carmichael (1867-1904), poet and nurse, was born on 24 February 1867 at Ballarat, Victoria, daughter of Archibald Carmichael, a miner from Perthshire, Scotland, and his wife Margaret Jennings, née Clark, from Cornwall, England. . About 1880 the family moved to Gippsland where Henderson managed a station near Orbost. Grace learned to love the Gippsland forest. She began to express in verse her understanding of the sights, scents and sounds of the bush, often writing in some remote clearing, her manuscripts stored for privacy in a hollow trunk. The Bairnsdale Advertiser published her first story, and the Weekly Times an early poem; then on 28 November 1885 her poem 'The Old Maid' was published in the Australasian under her pen name Jennings Carmichael. Encouraged by its editor, David Watterston, Grace sent nearly all her subsequent verse to that newspaper. (Read more by Lindsay Gardiner in Australian Dictionary of Biography.) This is a useful collection of the poetry of Jennings Carmichael, a leading Australian poet who spent much of her childhood in Orbost.A 212 pp cloth bound book with a dark purple cover and gold print on the spine and front - "Poems by Jennings Carmichael".Inside cover.carmichael-jennings literature poetry

This book was originally intended as a Christmas and New Year diversion for soldiers facing a harsh winter in the trenches on Gallipoli. In November 1915 a committee was formed to produce the publication and a notice seeking contributions was circulated at Gallipoli. Prizes were offered for various categories and 150 submissions were received, although not all were incorporated in the book. After the evacuation of Gallipoli, official war correspondent Charles Bean and his assistant, Arthur Bazely, edited the contributions. The drawing on the front cover, "Gallipoli 1915" is by David Baker. Over 100,000 copies of the book were sold. About half went to the AIF and many could also be found in Australian households. It cost 2/6. The illustrations, stories, cartoons and poems for this book were cCreated by soldiers under enemy fire and in extreme hardship. This book is of great historic significance as a contemporary record of The AIF in Gallipoli.A thick 169 pp book with paper cover, titled in black text 'The Anzac Book / Written and Illustrated in Gallipoli by the Men of Anzac.It contains pages of text, some colour illustrations and cartoons. On the cover is a drawing of a determined looking soldier carrying a bayonet in front of a tattered British flag. world-war-1 literature book-the-anzac-book gallipoli

This is the author's account of life in Northern Queensland. Edwin James Brady was an Australian poet. He was born at Carcoar, New South Wales, and was educated both in the United States and Sydney. He worked as a wharf clerk, a farmer, and journalist, and edited both rural and city newspapers. Brady established a writers' and artists' colony at Mallacoota, in 1909, and he continued to live there until his death in 1952. E. J. Brady was a leading figure of Australian literature. He has an association with Mallacoota, a small town in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. A 303 pp book with a hard back cloth covered bright orange cover. It is titled in black print " The Land of the Sun" and has black print illustrations of crops and the sun. It contains black/white plates and a fold-out map of Queensland.brady-edwin-james book--the-land-of-the-sun queensland-northern

This book was written by Alexander Sutherland from the discovery of Australia, through to the exploration of Victoria and the first settlers to the pioneers. It then continues on to discuss immigration, the era of gold, the development of government, agriculture, music and art, literature and the metropolis of Melbourne. There were two volumes. It was published to co-incide with the centenary of Australia's first settlement.This book is a history of Victoria and Melbourne to 1888 and is useful resource for all local and social historians of Victoria and the metropolis of Melbourne.A very large book. It has no cover. Pages are gold edged and there is string in the binding.history-victoria sutherland-alexander melbourne-history

This piece of newspaper had been used as wallpaper lining. The Weekly Times was first published on September 11, 1869, by a group of Melbourne businessmen who owned the now-defunct Daily Telegraph, with the stated aim to be a “journal of literature, sport, agriculture, science and politics”. It is Australia’s oldest rural newspaper, and is known far and wide as the Bible of the Bush. (ref Weekly Times web-site)This is a useful research tool.A section of newspaper from the Weekly Times of 1884. there is also a photocopy of the item.newspaper weekly-times

This is the second edition. The letters were written by Nathan Spielvogel, a country school teacher for the 'Dimboola Banner'. It cost one shilling. Nathan Frederick Spielvogel (1874-1956), teacher, writer and historian, was born on 10 May 1874 at Ballarat, Victoria. As well as his stories he published a number of books about the history of Ballarat. Spielvogel was a teacher, writer and historian. As a country schoolteacher, he traveled widely in the eastern Australian outback and also made a journey to London. Spielvogel gained distinction as one of the only Australian Jewish writers of his time. Many of his early books were best-sellers. He has an association with the history of Orbost having spent a year as a teacher at Orbost.A small brown soft covered booklet of 108 pages, titled "A Gumsucker on the Tramp" in black print. On the front cover is an illustration of It contains an Australian's impression during a lengthy trip to Europe.literature spielvogel-nathan gumsucker-on-the-tramp

The Lady's Realm was a illustrated monthly women's magazine published in London in the 19th century, initially edited by W. H. Wilkins. It also published 36 volumes between 1896 and 1914. The Lady's Realm was a British women's magazine published from 1896 until 1914, possibly until 1915. It primarily targeted upper-class readers as well as an aspirational middle-class audience, featuring photographs, poems, fiction, and columns by popular authors such as Marie Corelli, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Jack London, and H.G. Wells. (Wikipedia) Founded in 1833, the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts is the longest running School of Arts (also known as a "Mechanics' Institute") and the oldest continuous lending library in Australia. These magazines reflect women's interests in the early 20th century. Women’s magazines developed rapidly through the 1800s, reflecting both marketing developments and social changes. As the century progressed, publications aimed at women changed from the middle-class drawing-room journals of the 1830s and 1840s to the cheaper, chattier, more domestic magazines of the 1880s and 1890s. This item oi an example of a publication aimed at a particular social class.A thick hard back book with a dark blue and red fabric cover. It contains short stories by various authors. "SYDNEY MECHANICS SCHOOL OF ARTS 225 PITT STREET" on front cover.literature-lady's-realm short-stories

This diary probably belonged to Alan Richardson who was a member of the Rechabites. Alan Richardson, was a wmiller at Tabbara. He helped to build and held a ticket for the paddle steamer "Curlip". He was a member of the Rechabites from March 3 1892. The Independent Order of Rechabites began in Salford, England in 1835. It was named after Rechab, a leader in the Old Testament, who instructed his tribe to refrain from drinking alcohol. During the Industrial Revolution the idea of temperance became popular as damage was caused to families by alcohol. In Australia it was first established in Tasmania in the mid 1800s. In 1847 a branch was created in Victoria, and it then spread to other States. Members were provided with assistance during times of sickness, death and hardship. This item is associated with Alan Richardson. The Richardsons were a prominent pioneering family in early Orbost.A small book, a diary with a fabric and paper cover. It contains handwritten costings for building projects, There are some loose pages with Literature associated with the Rechabites. rechabites richardson-alan

The Weekly Times was first published on September 11, 1869, by a group of Melbourne businessmen who owned the now-defunct Daily Telegraph, with the stated aim to be a “journal of literature, sport, agriculture, science and politics”. It is Australia’s oldest rural newspaper, and is known far and wide as the Bible of the Bush. (ref Weekly Times web-site)This magazine is a useful reference tool on the history of the Royal Melbourne Show as well as The Weekly Times.A souvenir edition of The Weekly Times dated Wed. Sept 7 1994. Price $1.10. It marks the anniversary of the first Weekly Times, Sept 11 1869. Inside is a special preview of the Royal Melbourne Show, a history of the show and a history of The Weekly Times. It also contains a brief history of 125 years of rural news. On the front cover is a colourful picture of an older man sitting on a tree stump outside a bark hut. He is reading an early edition of The Weekly Times.weekly-times souvenir-newspaper magazine royal-melbourne-show rural-history

This book was produced with a grant from the Victorian Government Dept of State and Regional Development. Grace Elizabeth Jennings Carmichael (1867-1904), poet and nurse, was born on 24 February 1867 at Ballarat, Victoria, daughter of Archibald Carmichael, a miner from Perthshire, Scotland, and his wife Margaret Jennings, née Clark, from Cornwall, England. . About 1880 the family moved to Gippsland where Henderson managed a station near Orbost. Grace learned to love the Gippsland forest. She began to express in verse her understanding of the sights, scents and sounds of the bush, often writing in some remote clearing, her manuscripts stored for privacy in a hollow trunk. The Bairnsdale Advertiser published her first story, and the Weekly Times an early poem; then on 28 November 1885 her poem 'The Old Maid' was published in the Australasian under her pen name Jennings Carmichael. Encouraged by its editor, David Watterston, Grace sent nearly all her subsequent verse to that newspaper. (Read more by Lindsay Gardiner in Australian Dictionary of Biography.)This is a useful collection of the poetry of Jennings Carmichael, a leading Australian poet who spent much of her childhood in Orbost.A thin, stapled, yellow covered paperback book. It is titled "Grace Elizabeth Jennings Carmichael" and is a limited edition print of Carmichael's poetry. Print is black.poetry literature jennings-carmichael

Hardback. Dark brown cover with the title in gold lettering. There is also a border in gold decorating the outer edge of the front cover. The spine is also decorated in gold along with the title and the volume number.non-fictionA history of Victoria from the time of the discovery of Australia through until 1888.melbourne, victoria, exploration, settlement, john batman, john pascoe fawkner, pioneers, colonisation, immegration, aboriginals, discovery of gold, democracy, burke and wills, agriculture, manufacturing, literature, art, music, drama, education, science, churches, history

This object was related to the teaching of children's literature as part of the Labrianship course at the Ballarat College of Advanced EducationReddish brown ink printed onto white paper advertising a workshop by famous puppet master Walter Wilkinson for the Australian Children's Theatre to be held at ACT House, 77 Davis Street, Kew. The flyer includes line drawings of 4 puppet characters along the top of the page.ballarat college of advanced education, puppet, puppetry, theatre, entertainment, walter wilkinson

In 1873 Teesdale residents formed an institute to provide literature to improve the minds. The site was gazetted on 25 October 1875 – a one acre site on the corner of Bridge Street and Mercer Terrace. A Mechanics Institute was built and later a supper hall was added in front of the institute. The mechanics institute and supper hall was destroyed by fire on the night of 29 March 1969. (http://linkingtowns.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91&Itemid=252) Blue hard covered book of 239 pages. Many illustrations f constellations during each month. Inside front page 'Mechanics Institute Teesdale No 270'astronomy, library, teesdale, mechanics institute

Hard covered children's bookboys book, children's literature

The Australiana Festival of Art, Music, Literature and History was held in Wilson Hall, University Grounds in aid of the University Building Fund. It was held from Tuesday 12 to Saturday 16 May 1959.Red soft covered programmeaustraliana, wilson hall, hentys, aborigines, bushranging, federation, building fund, university, art, literature, music, history

This item is from the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art, and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the lack of financial support led the WMI in 1911 to ask the City Council to take it over. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library as it was then called. When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1942 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. About Ion L Idriess Ion Llewellyn Idriess was born in Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales on 20th September 1889 and passed away on 6th June 1979 in Mona Vale, Sydney, New South Wales at the age 89. After Idriess finished school he worked in the assay office of Broken Hill Proprietary mine. Both Idriess and his mother had typhoid fever when Ion was about 15 years old and it caused his mother’s death. After spending time with his Grandmother in Sydney he found work on a paddle-steamer and had a relapse of the fever. He then went into the western district of New South Wales where he worked in many different itinerant jobs, including rabbit poisoner, boundary rider, drover, sandalwood harvester, shearer, dingo shooter and opal miner. While opal mining at Lightning Ridge he wrote short stories, about life on the opal fields, for the Bulletin using the name “Gouger”. Idriess then moved to North Queensland in search of gold, tin and sandalwood. He travelled over a great deal of the Cape York Peninsula spending a lot of this travel time with local indigenous people; thus began his lifelong interest in their customs. He then spent time on cattle stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1914 Idriess travelled to Townsville and enlisted in the 5th Light Horse as a trooper. He became a specialist in sniping and was a spotter for the noted sniper Billy Sing. He saw service in Palestine, Sinai and Turkey. Idriess was wounded at Beersheba and after fighting the Battle of Gaza he was invalided home in March 1918. After recovering from his wounds Idriess again travelled to Cape York Peninsula where he worked with pearlers and missionaries in the Torres Strait Islands. He then went gold mining in Papua New Guinea, buffalo shooting in the Northern Territory of Australia and then exploring in Central and Western Australia. LITERARY WORKS OF IDRIESS In 1928 Idriess settled in Sydney and published the first of his 47 books. In 1931 - “Lasseter’s Last Ride”, became his first best seller. In the years 1932 and 1940 he published three books in each year. “The Cattle King” (1936) and “Flynn of the Inland” (1932) have gone through reprinting forty to fifty times. His last book was published in 1969. Idriess’ books where in general non-fiction and were written in a colourful and immediate story style, taken from life experiences gained during his travels. Idriess was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his service to literature in 1968. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. About Ion L Idriess Ion Llewellyn Idriess was born in Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales on 20th September 1889 and passed away on 6th June 1979 in Mona Vale, Sydney, New South Wales at the age 89. After Idriess finished school he worked in the assay office of Broken Hill Proprietary mine. Both Idriess and his mother had typhoid fever when Ion was about 15 years old and it caused his mother’s death. After spending time with his Grandmother in Sydney he found work on a paddle-steamer and had a relapse of the fever. He then went into the western district of New South Wales where he worked in many different itinerant jobs, including rabbit poisoner, boundary rider, drover, sandalwood harvester, shearer, dingo shooter and opal miner. While opal mining at Lightning Ridge he wrote short stories, about life on the opal fields, for the Bulletin using the name “Gouger”. Idriess then moved to North Queensland in search of gold, tin and sandalwood. He travelled over a great deal of the Cape York Peninsula spending a lot of this travel time with local indigenous people; thus began his lifelong interest in their customs. He then spent time on cattle stations in the Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1914 Idriess travelled to Townsville and enlisted in the 5th Light Horse as a trooper. He became a specialist in sniping and was a spotter for the noted sniper Billy Sing. He saw service in Palestine, Sinai and Turkey. Idriess was wounded at Beersheba and after fighting the Battle of Gaza he was invalided home in March 1918. After recovering from his wounds Idriess again travelled to Cape York Peninsula where he worked with pearlers and missionaries in the Torres Strait Islands. He then went gold mining in Papua New Guinea, buffalo shooting in the Northern Territory of Australia and then exploring in Central and Western Australia. LITERARY WORKS OF IDRIESS In 1928 Idriess settled in Sydney and published the first of his 47 books. In 1931 - “Lasseter’s Last Ride”, became his first best seller. In the years 1932 and 1940 he published three books in each year. “The Cattle King” (1936) and “Flynn of the Inland” (1932) have gone through reprinting forty to fifty times. His last book was published in 1969. Idriess’ books where in general non-fiction and were written in a colourful and immediate story style, taken from life experiences gained during his travels. Idriess was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his service to literature in 1968. Fortunes in Minerals Author: Ion Idriess Publisher: Angus & Robertson Date: 1954 Label on spine with typed text PAT 549 IDR Inside front cover has a sticker that reads Corangamite Regional Library Service warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, ralph eric pattison, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, ion idriess, fortunes in minerals

Peter Fryar became a staff member at the Mt Helen. He served on the staff at Ballarat Teachers' College, The State College of Victoria at Ballarat, Then Ballarat College of Advanced Education. Appointed to dean of the Faculty of Human Studies at Ballarat College of Advanced Education in 1980, and Department Director of Ballarat College of Advanced Education in 1987, He retired in 1989.Handwritten notes on foolscap paper bound in cardboard with a green crocodile skin print cover and taped spine.ballarat teachers college, peter fryar, physical education, ballarat college of advanced education, state college of victoria, state college of victoria ballarat, carnival, english, english literature