Norma Tullo began her dressmaking business in 1956. At the age of 20, she rented a small shop in the Metropole Arcade, initiating a career that included manufacturing, designing and retailing. In 1965, she became the first Australian to be selected by Butterick Company Inclusive to join their pattern making company. The stylish Tullo ‘look’ in the first half of the 1960s was young, colourful, feminine and most importantly had a strong American appeal. The patterns were distributed worldwide except to Russia and Germany. In the second half of the 1960s, she developed a new design range, influenced by the American 'hippie' style, featuring floor length dresses with long narrow sleeves, high round collars, and ruffles on the hems and at the cuffs. Patterns and colours became brighter to match prevailing tastes. Patricia Desmarchelier, the donor, purchased this and two other items of evening wear by Norma Tullo in a Brisbane CBD boutique fashion store during 1967/8 for her personal use. At the time, she was an undergraduate student who saved earnestly to buy the outfits to wear to college formals and balls that were popular during those years.Aesthetically significant dress by Norma Tullo.Long blue cotton evening dress designed by Norma Tullo. The floor length dress has a high rounded collar, long sleeves with buttoned cuffs. The light-weight cotton outer layer is supported by a thicker cotton underlayer. Dimensions: Shoulder width 37.5cm Bust: 90cm Waist: 66cm Hips: 96cmLabel: TULLOaustralian fashion, fashion designers, norma tullo, fashion -- 1960s, hippie style, evening wear, evening dresses, dresses, melbourne fashion houses

Dress, blue/white denim-type weave, button-through. 7 white buttons and hooks-and -eye at the waist. belt of same fabric with 8 lines of oversewing, white button and two buttonholes. Dress has shirt collar, two patch pockets on skirt and long sleeves with buttoned cuffs and two keepers at waist.costume, sunbury asylum, george evans collection

Donated by Lewe who is a local member of Beechworth RSL.The social significance is that it represents Lewe’s service and is shared by donating his jacket.Jacket service dress blue grey with insignia rank for leading aircraftsman on the upper sleeves of both arms.Shoulder flashes with the word,Australia , on both shoulders.8 gold buttons in parallel columns of 4.2 buttons one on each breast pockets.Gold airforce eagle on both upper lapels.Label on outside of inside right breast pocketCloth label 75mm wide by 80mm long. Faint grey no,s - “12 “at top left corner”,8051” at right corner and “12” on bottom left corner. Ink wording as follows: “KENTISH CLOTHES “ on top first line of label,”S.A./1972/Gov,t or Defence arrow sign/8405-66-037- 4802/size 39 REGULAR/MATCHING TROUSERS/35 WAIST/SERVICE NO” with dotted line for wearer to write on.This is blank. “NAME” with dotted line also blank.” DRY CLEAN ONLY/REPRESS WITH DAMP CLOTH/DO NOT SIRO-SET” on bottom of wording.jacket, service, dress

1. This is a light blue full length dress, made from polyester and cotton. It has epaulettes. It has 2 breast pockets - held shut with brass buttons, It is held shut with 5 brass buttons. the brass buttons are round with a motif of a crown and an eagle. 2. Light blue belt. It is cotton polyester. Uses a brass buckle.Inside shirt, written on label = W326143 B. Williams.raaf, cadets, female uniform

Saved from the ship Speke which ran aground on the coast of Phillip Island on the 22nd of February 1906. The figure head of the Speke was in the shape of woman, wearing a flowing white dress with blue cuffs and collar and carrying a large bunch of daffodils. It was originally nine feet four inches long. This sculpture went missing after the event and decades later the head only was re-discovered in Mr Thompson’s garage. It was then restored by Headmaster Kevin and the senior children of Cowes State school in 1940.The Speke was an all steel ship built in Wales in 1891. She was delivering wheat to Geelong and confused a bushfire in Cowes for navigation lights. Many local people salvaged goods from the resulting wreckage.Large wooden figure head, carved to resemble a woman. Painted aspects of hair, face, collar. Mounted on an undecorated wooden shield.phillip island, speke, kitty miller bay, figurehead, cowes state school

Handkerchiefs have been used for centuries as a piece of cloth deemed useful for personal hygiene. They are usually kept in one's pocket but at times through history have been fluttered to attract attention or send a message. In harder times they proved to be a cheap item often used to add interest to an outfit. This item is one of five handkerchiefs which were brought back from France after WW1 by great uncles of Gloria Redman and have been passed down through her grandmother and mother.This item has significance as an item linked to a local family and World War 1 and as such has social, and historical significance. It is well provenanced and can be used to provide interest to the relating of a fairly common story whereby many soldiers brought or sent back small items such as handkerchiefs to their loved ones at home.White linen painted with an image of a lady in red crinoline dress with black lined pattern around bottom of dress. Three blue birds on the left side.and surrounded by semicircles of flowers around bottom half of hankerchief. Bordered with pink printed line and hemmed in green stitching.warrnambool,, world war 1 hankerchief, printed silk hankerchief, redman hankerchief, crinoline lady hankerchief

The Kangaroo Hoppet is Australia’s premier long distance cross country ski race, and a member of the Worldloppet series of international cross country ski events. The first race at Falls Creek was held in 1979 under the name of “Australian Birkebeiner”. It was a 21km race with about 80 participants organised by the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club of Mount Beauty. The course started and finished at Falls Creek Alpine Resort and took participants out into the Bogong High Plains. After running the event for 10 years, it was decided they should become part of the Worldloppet series of marathon ski races. Representatives from the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club and the Australian Ski Federation attended the Worldloppet Annual Meeting in Finland in June 1990 to put the case for the acceptance of an Australian event into the Worldloppet series. Before being admitted, they had to demonstrate that the Birkebeiner Club could run a world class event, so three months later in August 1990 a 42km event named the Australian International Ski Marathon was held at Falls Creek together with a 21km Birkebeiner race and a 7km event called the Birkebeiner Lite. The event was approved by delegates from USA, Norway and Austria, in 1991 Australia became the 12th member of Worldloppet, with the condition that there had to be a name change. After some late night discussion allegedly involving red wine from North East Victoria the main event became the 42km Kangaroo Hoppet, with the minor events being the 21km Australian Birkebeiner, and 7km Joey Hoppet. In the winter of 1991, the first Kangaroo Hoppet was held. It was a great success and has been a regular fixture on the international ski calendar ever since. It features the main 42km event as well as a 21km event and a 7km event. The Hoppet brings the Australian snowfields to an international audience. In 2012 the Men's Winner was Alexander Legkov from Russia in a time of 1:23:00. The winner of the Women's event was Maria Graefnings of Sweden in a time of 1:33:14. The planned course was modified and shortened due to the predicted high winds and poor visibility. The 42km Hoppet course was shortened to 30km.This poster is significant because it documents an event which brings international attention to Falls Creek and the surrounding region.A poster featuring a skier dressed in blue and red with trees in the background. Stylised snowflakes are on either side. The page border is red. Logos of AGL, Falls Creek All Season Alpine Resort, Alpine Shire, Tourism Victoria, Parks Victoria and the Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club are across the bottom of the poster.At the top right hand corner within a circle: Australia's PREMIER X-COUNTRY SKI RACE 22 Beneath the image KANGAROO HOPPET 25th August 2012 FALLS CREEK VICTORIA AUSTRALIA / 42KM 21KM 7KM / www.hoppet.com.au kangaroo hoppet, worldloppet events, falls creek, mt. beauty

CEMA Art Collection Winner of Portland Artists' Society Prize for category Oil.The painting portrays a standing female figure. She has straight black hair which sits just above shoulder length. she has a short fringe. She wears a blue and green dress with orange markings. She is depicted as looking at the observer and holds something in her right hand which is held across her body. The background is a mixture of purple, green and blue. The work has a thick wooden frame and exposed canvas.Front: - 63 AMOR (lower right, black paint) Back: ELMA AMOR HERBST "GIRL" (1963) (lower left, typed label)cema, portland artists society, female artist, women, female artists, female portrait, portrait painting, portrait

sepia photograph on green board : group of men at the Central Red, White and Blue Mine. Men are dressed in suits, waistcoats, hatsMine Manager George Kingsley, back row 3rd from right. ( James Lerk 20.10.2000 ) On back of photo Mng 29. Photo taken outside Violet Street, State School.A. Schilling ( Photographer )person, group, central red, white and blue mine

The donor Margaret was born in 1944 and grew up at 31 Drummond Street Blackburn. The doll was a gift at 5 years old.A walking doll A child's doll resembling a small child dressed in summer clothes and a straw hat, She has blonde hair plaited and tied with blue ribbons. The dress is floral cotton with white collar and two press studs in centre back. Floral pants match the dress. Cream net socks and cream plastic shoes.|The hat is straw with blue frill around the brim and five blue bows around the crown tied with blue ribbon. Eight items including the doll.Pedigree E#Englandtoys, dolls

Colour photo showing two children (or possibly more) playing in an open-sided shed. A girl about 6 years old stands looking at the camera, her hands clasped above her head. She is wearing a light blue patterned sleeveless dress. Behind her, a younger boy is climbing up a wooden frame. He is wearing dark trousers, a reddish jacket and a pale check shirt. There are wooden crates stacked to one side. An adult may be standing on the left.

An item forming part of a collection of costumes, photographs and documents relating to the Weir family who lived in a mansion, originally named Illapa, at 84 Princess Street, Kew, from c.1917 to 1950. This historically significant collection includes items relating to both George Weir (1866-1937), his wife Edith Mary Weir (1867-1948) and their children. George Weir attained national prominence in the mining industry, becoming General Manager of the North Broken Hill Silver Mining Company in 1903 (later renamed North Broken Hill Mining Company 1905-12, and North Broken Hill Ltd 1912-1988), and subsequently President of the Mine Owners Association. He was to remain General Manager of North Broken Hill Ltd until his retirement in 1926.This garment is part of a collection of women’s clothing, owned and worn by Edith Mary Weir (nee Betteridge) - born in Clare, South Australia 1867, died Kew 1948 - and also by her daughter. The garments date from the 1880s to the 1930s. The collection includes day dresses, evening dresses, evening coats, capes, and undergarments. As the wife and daughter of a mine manager, the collection includes representative examples of clothing worn by upper middle class Australian women in domestic circumstances, and at social and civic events. A number of the costumes from the 1920s to the 1930s are of a particularly fine quality, being both rare, representative and intact examples of Australian fashion of the period. The garments in the Weir Collection were donated to the Kew Historical Society by a granddaughter of Edith Weir in 2017.Pale blue shot silk dress, comprised of a separate pale blue silk bodice and a wide flaring skirt of the same fabric. The bodice features silk embroidery in the same colour as the dress and wide bands of brown lace at the neck, on the front of the bodice and on the sleeves. Blue silk fabric tabs extend across the lace at the front with gold buttons at either end. The bodice has an attached blue silk belt. As part of the ensemble, there are also pale blue silk stockings, of the period. edith mary weir (nee betteridge), women's clothing, dresses, fashion -- 1900s, weir collection

Joseph Butterworth COOMBS (1842-1901), was an accountant who founded a successful mercantile trading company. At the time of his marriage to Caroline Mary MICHEL in 1869, Coombs had already purchased ten acres of Studley Park. The acreage included land on the west of Fenwick Street that extended along lower Stawell Street to the corner of Yarra Street, all of it connected directly to the Yarra environs. A right of way to Studley Park Road was on the title, though Coombs went on to purchase more land, some of which faced Studley Park Road. In addition to owning the Studley Park acreage, Coombs later acquired 1,201 acres of land abutting the Acheron River. While retaining the Kew property he became a Taggerty Councillor and was Shire President for a time. J.B. Coombs died at Acheron Station in 1901 (aged 59 years). A few months after, tenders were called to repair the Kew dwelling, the Fenwick Street property now appearing in records with the name ‘Hope Mansell’. Caroline Coombs remained at Hope Mansell until she died in 1924, survived by three sons and five daughters. Not long after her death, advertisements appeared for the sale of the Studley Park land. The sale seems to have been a mechanism for distribution of the Estate, as the following year the original ten acre holding was transferred to members of the family. The eldest daughter Mabel married William Younger who, with his brother Alexander, developed Younger and Mackie Courts, both south of Studley Park Road. [Research: Kerry Fairbank]In 1961, the granddaughter of Joseph and Caroline Coombs, Mabel Isola (Younger) Grattan, donated ten 19th century dresses and parasols to the Kew Historical Society. The costumes, now known as the 'Coombs Collection', are the earliest recorded items of clothing to enter the Society's collection. Each of the items in the Coombs Collection, of which this item forms a part, is historically, aesthetically and socially significant. As a collection, the costumes includes outstanding examples of morning wear, day dresses, wedding dresses, and clothing accessories, providing evidence of outstanding dressmaker skills in Victoria during the mid to late Victorian period. Two-piece royal blue heavy silk dress comprised of a tightly waisted top that extends below the waist at the front and the back, and a floor-length skirt. The full skirt and the sculpted fabric that is part of the top are designed to cover a bustle. The elaborately styled bodice is joined with fabric-covered buttons at centre front. The bodice is distinctively styled with the use silk velvet banding and tassles that extend the woven silk webbing. The outfit is in excellent condition apart from some wear on the velvet and the buttons.women's clothing, australian fashion, dresses, costumes, fashion & design, outerware

Two Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) Sisters are assisting a young male patient who has a movement disorder, to change position in his reclined chair.The Trained nurses (Nurses) of the Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS), later known as Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS), visited patients in their home and gave best practice care in many fields of nursing, and to people of many cultures, throughout its 130 years of expansion. Initial visits not only assessed the specific nursing situation but the situation as a whole. Their patients ranged in age from babes, children, adults to the elderly and referrals were taken from Hospitals, General Practitioners and allied Health facilities. Some of the care the Trained nurse (Sisters) provided is as follows: – Post-Natal care given to mother and babe, Wound Care following various types of surgery, accidents, burns, cancer, leg ulcers etc. Supervising and teaching Diabetic Care, including teaching and supervising people with Diabetes to administer their own Insulin, and administering Insulin to those unable to give their own injections. Administering other injections and setting up weekly medication boxes. The Sisters performed Catheterizations on adults suffering from conditions such as Quadriplegia, Paraplegia, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Guillan-Barre Syndrome, and when required at school on children for e.g. those with Spina Bifida. The Sisters visited those requiring Cystic Fibrosis support and care; those requiring Haemo-Oncology care, including visiting children at school; those requiring Home Enteral Feeding care, and those requiring IV therapy at home and home Dialysis. Palliative Care was given including pain relief with the use of syringe drivers, personal care as needed, and advice and support to both patient and family. The Sisters provided Stoma management to those needing Urostomy, Ileostomy and Colostomy care and those requiring Continence care. HIV/AIDS nursing care was provided; visits to Homeless Persons were made. Personal care was given to patients ranging in age and with varying mobility problems, such as those with MS, MND, Guillan-Barre Syndrome, Poliomyelitis, Quadriplegia, Paraplegia, Acquired Brain Injury, to those following a Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke), those with severe Arthritis and those with a form of Dementia. When necessary the elderly were assisted with personal care and advice given on safety factors with the use of hand rails, bath or shower seats, and hand showers. Rehabilitation with an aim towards independence remained at the forefront of the Sister’s minds and when possible using aids and instruction on safe techniques enabled the person to become fully independent. All care included giving advice and support to the patient and their Carers. The Sisters liaised with the persons Doctor, Hospital and allied Health personal when necessary.A coloured photograph showing two Royal District Nursing (RDNS) Sisters with a young male patient who is lying in a reclined chair. The Sister standing on his left is smiling; she has short straight dark hair, and is wearing a RDNS light blue apron over her royal blue dress and darker blue long sleeve cardigan. The Sister on the right hand side of the patient's chair is laughing. She has blonde hair and is slightly bent over the chair as her left hand is supporting his left leg. She is wearing the RDNS summer uniform of the day - a white short sleeve blouse under a royal blue V neck tunic style frock. Her right arm is bent and resting on top of the patient's chair and pillow. The young man has short dark hair and is smiling and looking towards the left of the photograph. He is wearing a dark blue long sleeve top and his right arm is extended toward the Sister on the left hand side of the photograph. His legs are over his coverings with his left leg bent at the knee. He is wearing light coloured pants and has a pink and white striped slipper on his foot. His pillow is white, and coverings seen are blue and white check, white, and a pale pink sheepskin. A wood board wall is in the background. A vase of flowers are standing on the part of a round low table that can be seen in the right hand rear corner. A pale lilac wall can be seen on the right hand side. A small section of a dark patterned carpet can be seen.royal district nursing service, rdns, rdns uniform, rdns patient care

Australian Home Journal from April, 1960. On the front cover: shortie jacket directions for knitting page 29. These free patterns enclosed No. 5525 32" bust lady in green dress. No. 5526 40" bust lady in brown dress and blue hat. No. 9053 baby's frock and slip. The magazine has 52 pages. Price 1 shilling.books, magazines, women's magazine

The dress is an excellent example of mid-1970s evening wear and comes with its original box and dockets. It was purchased from a local op shop by a Brighton Historical Society volunteer, who subsequently donated it to BHS in 2017. The receipts tell us that the dress was originally purchased from Georges department store on Collins Street by Mrs Eunice Amelia Hill (b. 1917) of 6 Webb Street, Brighton. Eunice placed the dress on lay-by and paid for alterations in December 1974; it was delivered to her home in January 1975.Full-length knit dress of blue, green and silver patterned lurex with Georges box and receipts. High neck with metal zip centre back. .1 - dress .2 a-b - Georges box with lid .3 a-c - envelope & 3 layby & alteration receipts stapled together & separate delivery invoice .4 - Receipt for dress alteration & delivery chargeLabel, woven black on white acetate, centre back: PRINTED BY HAND / Pelilla / MADE IN ITALY Label, printed black on white acetate, centre back: 65% RAYON / 35% POLYESTER / MADE IN ITALYevening dress, maxi dress, 1970s, brighton, eunice amelia hill, georges of collins street, pelilla

Worn by an Australian Navy Warrant OfficerJacket Double Breasted Service Dress Navy Blue with rank insignia, [ Warrant Officer] on lower arms; on the upper arms; shoulder flashes with gold embroided word, "Australia" on both shoulders. 8 gold button with embossed Australian Navy Emblem and the word "Australia" in parallel columns of 4. Size 109R. Manufacturer's identification label on inside right breast.Inscriptions inside pocket 8405.66.132.2318 size.109R match. ADI logo. 5114147 Baumgarton. Trouser size.99R 70% 30% Wool/Poly. Dry clean onlywarrant officer navy australian senior service

This uniform was worn by Sandra "Sally" Allmand circa 1953-57 as a member of the 3rd St Andrews Girl Guides company in Brighton. Sally Allmand went on to serve on the Brighton Council from 1977 to 1983 and was mayor in 1981.1950s Girl Guides uniform consisting of a dress, belt and beret. Blue cotton dress with long sleeves and high collared neck. Various patches sewn onto sleeves and front breast. Three front pockets fastening with black plastic buttons featuring Girl Guides trefoil logo. Breast pocket has two vertical white stripes. Brown leather belt with silver metal buckle with embossed Girl Guides logo and the text "Girl Guides Association / Be Prepared". Navy blue felt beret with two sewn-on patches. Included with the dress are a Girl Guides 'test card' dated 1953 and a rectangular De Reszke cigarette tin containing a collection of Girl Guide ribbons, patches and buttons. .1 - Dress .2 - Belt .3 - Beret .4 - Test card .5 - Box of patches and ribbonsDress label: "The Guide Shop / STATE HEADQUARTERS / RUN BY GUIDES / FOR GUIDES".girl guides, sally allmand, 1950s

The Fashion & Design collection of the Kew Historical Society includes examples of women’s, men’s, children’s and infants’ clothing from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Items in the collection were largely produced for, or purchased by women in Melbourne, and includes examples of outerwear, protective wear, nightwear, underwear and costume accessories.White cotton apron dress with blue trim, with a label on the inside collar "Sanfor". Sanfor refers to Sanforization which was a process used to treat cotton fabrics, patented by Sanford Lockwood Cluett (1874–1968) in 1930. It is a method of stretching, shrinking and fixing the woven cloth in both length and width before cutting and producing, to reduce the shrinkage which would otherwise occur after washing. The items was donated by Teresa Mayer. sanfor, women's clothing, uniforms, teresa mayer, protective wear

The Percy Uebergang family lived at Tooram Park, Allansford from 1912 until 1992. This book is part of the collection of items given into the care of the Cheese World Museum. Uebergang catalogue No.M1704 The book was given to Joyce Uebergang as a Christmas present from her aunt. Children's picture book with full colour cover featuring a yellow border. The front cover shows two Negro children sitting on a gate; the girl is dressed in blue with a yellow headscarf, the boy is dressed in yellow striped trousers, red and white spotted shirt and is playing a banjo. The title 'Merry and Bright' is red with yellow shadowing. The back cover shows two boys in a bedroom boxing one another, together with a wee black and tan dog.To Joyce from Auntie Aggie Xmas 1933/This book belongs to Joyce Uebergangallansford, uebergang, joyce uebergang, children's literature, books, merry and bright

Coloured photo of the Grade 6 Netball - A3 Team of 1981. Photo taken in library. The girls are wearing yellow t-shirts with a printed emblem and Golden Square printed on them and dark blue skirts. The coach, Gloria Mackay, is dressed in blue. The names of the girls are: Natasha Lister, Anita McLean, Leanne Atherton, Kellie Mackay, Samonne Mathews, Luellen Bowe, Linda Thompson, Andrea Dalrymple, holding a ball, Elizabeth Sheen and Leanne Strauss.education, primary, golden square laurel st p.s., golden square laurel street p.s. collection - photograph - photograph grade 6 netball - a3, gloria mackay, natasha lister, anita mclean, leanne atherton, kellie mackay, samonne mathews, luellen bowe, linda thompson, andrea dalrymple, elizabeth sheen, leanne strauss

From its beginnings in 1958, the Society has mounted exhibitions and/or displays, in early days in shop window and in community spaces located in the Kew City Hall (later Kew Library), and since 2010 at the Kew Court House. Exhibitions typically coincided with the annual Kew Community Festival in March, but after 2013 evolved into three new exhibitions yearly at the Kew Court House. Smaller displays continue to be mounted in the Kew Library.Very faded photographic colour positive of a christening gown and four Victorian-era dresses displayed at the 1976 Festival of Kew exhibition mounted by the Kew Historical Society. This picture is one of the earliest showing items from the Coombs Collection on display. The collection had been donated to the Society in 1961. Dresses displayed: L-R blue silk 2-piece fitted day day dress with long train; cream satin parasol; gold taffeta wedding dress with long train; blue silk 2-piece day dress with applied later lace at neck and waist; duck egg blue quilted afternoon dress with buttons at front. Inscribed verso: Kew Historical exhibition 1976festival of kew 1976, kew historical society -- exhibitions, coombs collection

This certificate is an invitation to the Evening Reception in Melbourne in 1901, an event which was part of the celebrations in Melbourne to commemorate the Federation of the six colonies into the six States of Australia in January 1901. The certificate was sent to the invitees after the event as a souvenir of the occasion. The certificate was designed by the artists Julian and Howard Ashton and lithographed and issued by Sands and McDougall Limited of Melbourne. This particular certificate was sent to George Rolfe and his wife Annie. George Rolfe (1836-1919), a tea merchant from Melbourne, began buying blocks of land near the mouth of the Hopkins River in the 1870s. By the early 1880s he had acquired 50 acres of land in the town and several nearby farming properties. He used the buildings on the land at the mouth of the River Hopkins as holiday accommodation and called this property Lyndoch. Rolfe improved this property adding stables, jetty, boathouse, bone and chaff sheds, reservoir and windmill and extensive gardens. Rolfe spent most of his later life at Lyndoch. Today the property is the site of an Aged Care Facility. This certificate is of considerable importance for two reasons: 1. It is an attractive and valuable memento of a signal event in Australia’s history – the Federation of the States in 1901. 2. The certificate was an invitation to Mr and Mrs George Rolfe. Rolfe was a prominent person in Warrnambool in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is a multi-coloured certificate mounted on a piece of grey cardboard. The certificate is highly embossed and has a figure of Britannia in a red dress and a mailed vest holding a shield with the Union Jack emblem. Britannia is extending her hand to a figure of a younger woman representing Australia. This figure is dressed in blue and holds a shield which has a blue cross with white stars. The borders have vines and vine leaves and the Royal Crest is at the base of the certificate. The names of the invitees are handwritten in black ink. ‘In Celebration of the Opening of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, To Meet Their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, His Majesty’s Ministers of State for Australia have the honor to invite Mr & Mrs G. Rolfe to an Evening Reception at the Exhibition Building, Melbourne on the 9th of May 1901, at 8 0’clock’. george rolfe of lyndoch, warrnambool, federation of australia, history of warrnambool, george rolfe

The Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) Altona Centre was situated at Blackshaws Road, Altona. This photograph is a pictorial record of the staff at Altona Centre in the 1990s.Gradually over the years, Melbourne District Nursing Service (MDNS), later known as Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS) from 1966 when they received Royal patronage, opened Centres throughout the Melbourne Metropolitan area and outer suburbs with Heidelberg Centre opening in 1971. Their Trained nurses (Sisters) left from these Centres each morning to carry out their nursing visits in a specific area (district), taking any sterilized equipment needed with them. They returned at the end of the day to write up their patients nursing histories, clean and reset any equipment used ready for sterilization, and contact other medical and community personal as necessary. The Trained nurses (Nurses) of the Melbourne District Nursing Society (MDNS), later known as Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS), visited patients in their home and gave best practice care in many fields of nursing, and to people of many cultures, throughout its 130 years of expansion. Initial visits not only assessed the specific nursing situation but the situation as a whole. Their patients ranged in age from babes, children, adults to the elderly and referrals were taken from Hospitals, General Practitioners and allied Health facilities. Some of the care their Trained nurses (Sisters) provided is as follows: – Post-Natal care given to mother and babe, Wound Care following various types of surgery, accidents, burns, cancer, leg ulcers etc. Supervising and teaching Diabetic Care, including teaching and supervising people with Diabetes to administer their own Insulin, and administering Insulin to those unable to give their own injections. Administering other injections and setting up weekly medication boxes. The Sisters performed Catheterizations on adults suffering from conditions such as Quadriplegia, Paraplegia, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and Guillan-Barre Syndrome, and when required at school on children for e.g. those with Spina Bifida. The Sisters visited those requiring Cystic Fibrosis support and care; those requiring Haemo-Oncology care, including visiting children at school; those requiring Home Enteral Feeding care, and those requiring IV therapy at home and home Dialysis. Palliative Care was given including pain relief with the use of syringe drivers, personal care as needed, and advice and support to both patient and family. The Sisters provided Stoma management to those needing Urostomy, Ileostomy and Colostomy care and those requiring Continence care. HIV/AIDS nursing care was provided; visits to Homeless Persons were made. Personal care was given to patients ranging in age and with varying mobility problems, such as those with MS, MND, Guillan-Barre Syndrome, Poliomyelitis, Quadriplegia, Paraplegia, Acquired Brain Injury, to those following a Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke), those with severe Arthritis and those with a form of Dementia. When necessary the elderly were assisted with personal care and advice given on safety factors with the use of hand rails, bath or shower seats, and hand showers. Rehabilitation with an aim towards independence remained at the forefront of the Sister’s minds and when possible using aids and instruction on safe techniques enabled the person to become fully independent. All care included giving advice and support to the patient and their Carers. The Sisters liaised with the persons Doctor, Hospital and allied Health personal when necessary.The coloured photograph shows 29 female staff of the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS), Altona Centre. The rear and centre rows of staff are standing and the front row of staff are kneeling. They are outside a grey brick building with a flat roof. A white sign is on the right hand upper corner of the building and has the words, written in blue capital letters, "Royal District Nursing Service Altona Centre". Part of a window can be seen beneath this. Part of two other windows can be seen in the centre and to the left of the building. Most Sisters are wearing RDNS uniforms, some with a short sleeve white with a blue pattern dress and a red belt. Others with a white with pattern blouse and dark blue skirt, and some have a red sleeveless jumper over their uniform, and some are wearing a dark blue cardigan or long sleeve dark blue jumper. Three staff are wearing day wear, one with a purple blouse and black skirt, another with a white blouse and pale blue skirt and the third wearing a white blouse, brown cardigan and bone slacks.. royal district nursing service, rdns, rdns centre, rdns uniform