The owner of this book was Edith Larwill. She was a violinist who played in the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra early in the 20th century. She married Henry Jacobs, a Warrnambool Real Estate Agent and in the 1940s and 50s she took an active part in the musical life of Warrnambool as a violinist and accompanying pianist. Her son Frank was also a businessman in Warrnambool. This book is of moderate interest as a text book used by Edith Jacobs. She was prominent in the 1940s and 50s in the Warrnambool musical scene. This is a hard cover book of 210 pages. It has a dark green cover with gold lettering on the spine. The book has a Preface, 24 chapters of text and an Appendix. The text includes many musical notations. The signature of the owner is handwritten in black ink. There is some damage to the bottom edge of the spine. The stamp of a Brisbane music shop on the first page is indecipherable. ‘Edith Larwill’ edith jacobs (nee larwill), history of warrnambool

This booklet is a souvenir of St. John’s Young Women’s Association (St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Spence Street, Warrnambool) and was printed about 1910. It contains the favourite sayings or quotations of over 200 people living in the Warrnambool district at the time. A young women’s group commenced at St. John’s in 1892 and church groups for both young men and young men were well-organized and popular in the 20th century. It is presumed that the booklet was sold as a fund raiser for the youth group. The identity of ‘C.McLaren’ is not known. This booklet is significant because it contains not only the names of over 200 people living in the district at the time but also their contributions to the booklet. These contributions give us some small insight into the philosophies of these people when we study the quotations they chose to contribute. The contributors include the well-known names of Younger, Forrester, Tyers, Mainland, Dickson, Davidson, Swinton, Goodall, Battarbee, Salamy, Shaddock, Newcombe and Uebergang This is soft cover booklet of 40 pages (the pages are not numbered). The cream-coloured cover overlaps the printed pages. The front cover has black printing and two black scrolls at the top and bottom of the cover. The book has been bound with one staple and tied with white cord. There are two blue stamps of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society at the front and the back of the booklet and the inscription is handwritten in black ink. The cover is a little stained and slightly torn at the left bottom edge. ‘C. McLaren, Merri St., W’bool’. st. john’s presbyterian church, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

This cook book has been published by the Friends of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Inc. This group do volunteer work at Flagstaff Hill, publicize the activities and historical collection at the Village and raise funds to carry out improvements and new installations. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village was established in 1975, initially as a private venture sponsored by a group of businessmen in Warrnambool but it was later taken over by the Warrnambool City Council. It operates as an historical park and a tourist venture every day of the year except Christmas Day and has a night Sound and Light Show called ‘Shipwrecked’. The historical collection at the Village features many important shipwreck relics from the area, with the most important being the ‘Loch Ard’ ceramic peacock. The cook book is a tribute to the local women of the past and there are many recipes collected from the ‘Grannies’ of yesteryear. The tea rooms at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village are called ‘Stella Maris’ (Latin for ‘Star of the Sea’) and call to mind both the maritime heritage of the area and the name of the Australian Catholic Missions to Seamen which still operates. This book is of interest as a product of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. It has been edited by John Lindsay who was one of the founders of Flagstaff Hill in 1975 and is today a Life Member and Helen Sheedy who has also been connected with the administration of the Village in the past. The book also features art works from many artists from Warrnambool and district. This is a soft cover book of 100 pages. The cover has a white background with a colour sketch of the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Stella Maris Tea Rooms on the front cover and a colour photograph of a Flagstaff Hill panorama on the back cover. The book contains an introduction, some information related to food, cooking and diet, recipes from the past and present, some local historical material and some information on the artists whose work is featured in the book. Many colour sketches and photographs are scattered throughout the text. The book is bound with plastic spiral rings and the front is covered with a sheet of clear plastic. stella maris tea rooms, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime village, history of warrnambool

This is a receipt book issued by the Warrnambool Harbour Board to masters of ships that took on fresh water in Warrnambool Harbour. The Port of Warrnambool was administered by various bodies since the early 1850s with Harbour Masters, Pilots, Boatmen and Customs officials appointed by the Colonial Government. In those times these officials were responsible to the Chief Harbour Master and the Ports and Harbours Department in Melbourne but over the ensuing years the Port of Warrnambool came under different colonial and State Departments and the titles of the harbour officials in Warrnambool changed accordingly. In 1928 the Warrnambool Harbour Board was formed with Captain James Menzies as the Warrnambool Harbour Master. This Board was dissolved in 1937 and Captain Menzies was transferred to Portland where he stayed until 1945. Warrnambool ceased to operate as a port in the early 1940s. This receipt is of maritime interest. The book records the names of several ships in Warrnambool from 1927 to 1937, including the ‘Casino’, ‘Chillagoe’, the dredge ‘Pioneer’, and ‘Kapera’. This is a receipt book used by the Warrnambool Harbour Board. The book has mostly the pink copy of the receipt issued but there are a couple of the original receipts still intact. The receipt book has been printed and the details on the receipts have been handwritten in ink. The cover is cardboard with brown taping and the stamp of the Warrnabool Harbour Board is on the back cover. ‘Warrnambool Harbour Board’ warrnambool harbour board, captain james menzies, maritime history of warrnambool.

This is a programme of a concert called ‘The All Nations Night’ staged by the Warrnambool Orchestral Society and held in the Warrnambool Town Hall on Show Night, November 13th 1902. The conductor was Louis Bayer (1857-1907). Born in Germany, Bayer came to Warrnambool in 1891 and with his wife taught piano, violin, orchestration and singing and established the Warrnambool Orchestral Society. In 1896-7 Louis Bayer was the musical director at the Warrnambool Industrial and Art Exhibition, writing the Cantata for the opening ceremony and directing over 60 performances, including 22 operas and many concerts. Bayer was a composer and wrote several operas including one called ‘Federation’. Bayer’s wife was an accompaniste at this ‘All Nations Night’ concert and his son, Otto was the horn player. The concert featured the soloists, Nellie McClelland, Lucy Meares, W.D. Thomson and D. Williams. The concert may have been sponsored by Youngers Stores. This large department store was established in 1888 and closed in the 1980s. This programme is of great significance as it featured a 1902 concert conducted by Louis Bayer, one of the most important musical identities in Warrnambool’s history. These are two sheets of green-coloured paper folded in two to make eight pages. The printed material is in black type. The pages include the concert programme, a list of members of the orchestra and several advertisements for Youngers Stores. The front page has the concert title (‘The All Nations Night’) in a text box bordered by a floral pattern. The pages are a little torn at the edges. younger & co, warrnambool, history of warrnambool, louis bayer

This is a programme of a concert called ‘Grand Symphonic Concert and Irish Ballad Night’ staged by the Warrnambool Orchestral Society at the Warrnambool Town Hall on July 10th 1902. The conductor was Louis Bayer (1857-1907). Born in Germany, Bayer came to Warrnambool in 1891 and, with his wife, Eleanor, taught piano. violin, orchestration and singing and established the Warrnambool Orchestral Society. In 1896-7 Bayer was the musical director of the Warrnambool Industrial and Art exhibition, composing the Cantata for the opening ceremony and directing over 60 musical performances, including 22 operas and many concerts. Bayer was a composer and wrote several operas, including one called ‘Federation’. Bayer’s wife was an accompaniste at this symphonic concert and two of his sons played the horn and the drums. The soloists at this symphonic concert included Minnie Sloane, Lucy Meares and J. Robertson. This programme is of great significance as it features a concert conducted by Louis Bayer, one of the most important musicians in Warrnambool’s history. This is a yellow-coloured piece of paper folded in two to make four pages. The pages have details of the concert programme, a list of members of the orchestra, one advertisement and a front page with the concert headings in a fancy border. The pages are somewhat torn at the folds and there is heavy staining, especially on the back page. warrnambool orchestral society, louis bayer, history of warrnambool

This book is a 1988 reprint of an 1897 novel by Mary Gaunt (1861-1942). She was an Australian writer of more than 20 novels and many travel books, short stories and magazine articles and achieved international recognition. The wife of Dr H.L. Miller, she lived in Warrnambool from 1894 to 1900. ‘Kirkham’s Find’ was written while she was in Warrnambool and is of particular local interest as it is partly set in an area that can be identified as Allansford. The novel outlines the difficulties faced by a woman in the 19th century if she wished to pursue a career and gives us a good description of 19th century rural Australia. Although it is only a reprint this novel is of some interest as it was written by Mary Gaunt, an Australian writer of considerable importance. As a one-time resident of Warrnambool and a writer using local places and situations in her stories, she has a place in Warrnambool’s history. This is a soft cover book of 340 pages. It has a purple cover with a reproduction of a 19th century painting on the front cover and material about the contents of the book on the back cover. The spine is an orange colour with black and white printing. The book has an introduction by Kylie Tennant, an afterword by Dale Spender and 29 chapters of a novel. mary gaunt, history of warrnambool, women in literature

This book by J. M. Barrie was a prize given in 1927 by Warrnambool High School to Janet Slade. She was born in Warrnambool in 1913 and marred Stewart Lindsay in 1935. The presenter of the prize, Cr Frederick Williamson, had a tailoring shop in Liebig Street and was a City Councillor from 1924 to 1930, 1934 to 1939 and 1942 to 1945. He was a Mayor of Warrnambool in 1944-5. George Langley was the Head Master of Warrnambool High School from 1924 to 1940. He had a distinguished military career in both World Wars One and Two. Warrnambool High School was established in 1907 and moved to its present site in Albert Park in 1961. It merged with Warrnambool North Technical School to form Warrnambool College in 1995. This book is of interest as a memento of several features of Warrnambool society in the 1920s - Warrnambool High School, a pupil, Janet Slade, an important Head Master, Colonel George Langley and a Warrnambool businessman and Councillor, Frederick Williamson. This is a hard cover book of 432 pages. It has a dark blue leather cover with a gold monogram on the front cover and gold ornamentation and printing on the spine. The book has 28 chapters. The school book plate on the first page has green ornamental edging, the Warrnambool High School shield and handwritten material in black ink. The cover and spine are somewhat faded.‘W.H.S. Nil Sine Labore, Form C, To Janet Shade For C Chemistry, presented by Cr. F. Williamson, G. F. Langley B.A., Headmaster, December 1927.’ warrnambool high school, frederick williamson, george langley, janet shade, history of warrnambool

This is a novel written by Mary Gaunt (1861-1942). She was an Australian writer who published over 20 novels, many travel books, short stories and magazine articles and achieved an international reputation as an author and intrepid traveller, especially in Africa and China. From 1894 to 1900 she lived in Warrnambool (she was married to Dr H. L. Miller) and continued to write while she was resident in the town, using local places and situations in some of her writings. This is a significant book as it is an original copy of one of Mary Gaunt’s novels. As a resident of Warrnammbool for some time and as a significant Australia author she has her place in Warrnambool’s history. The inscription in the book does not have any known significance. This is a hard cover book of 314 pages. The cover is light brown with black printing on the front cover and spine and an image of a tropical island scene on the front cover. There are a signature in black ink and an inscription in pencil on the first page. The cover is very stained and the spine has a number ‘46’ on white paper glued on. ‘Charles R. Boucher’ ‘Dec. 25 1928, Charley from Ethel and Forest’. ‘46’ mary gaunt, history of warrnambool, australian literature

This book belonged to Agnes Swinton (b.1900). She was the daughter of John and Charlotte Swinton of Warrnambool. Her father, John, was the fifth son of William and Ann Swinton who came to Warrnambool in 1854 and established a store in Timor Street. The Swinton family still operates a commercial business in the same street and the name ‘Swinton’ is well-known in Warrnambool. Agnes’ sister, Doris had a distinguished military career in World War Two and was a long-term Matron of the Warrnambool Hospital. This book is of considerable interest as it belonged to a member of the Swinton family which has been connected with Warrnambool’s history since the 1850s. This is a leather-covered book of 216 pages, plus a Supplement of 12 pages. The text is printed in two columns to a page. The front cover has gold lettering printed into the leather. The cover is a little crumpled and some of the pages are dog-eared. ‘August 1922’ ‘Agnes S. Swinton, ‘The Brae’, 4 Merri Crescent, Warrnambool’ swinton family, warrnambool, history of warrnambool, presbyterian church, warrnambool

This book was a prize awarded to Miss Middleton, a pupil at Ormiston House College, East Melbourne in 1887. The Principals of the school were the Misses Singleton and their father, Dr John Singleton was a practising doctor in Warrnambool from 1860 to 1865. He had an important influence on Warrnambool, establishing several Total Abstinence Societies and campaigning for improved health conditions for pastoral workers in the district and the aborigines at Framlingham. In Melbourne Dr Singleton and his wife worked tirelessly for the underprivileged. He established many institutions for the less fortunate, including the Prisoners’ Aid Society, the Children’s Hospital, lending libraries, cottages for widows, shelters for homeless men and women, a society for the protection of animals and the Collingwood Free Medical Dispensary. He died in 1891 at Ormiston House, his daughters’ school and home. It is not known which of the Singleton daughters ran the school and no information has been found on Miss Middleton. This book is of considerable interest as it has a close connection to Dr John Singleton, important not only in the social history of Melbourne but also in the history of Warrnambool. This is a hard cover book of 160 pages with 16 pages at the back of the book of advertisements for other books published by the Religious Tract Society. The cover is brown with a sketch of a young man and lettering in gold and an ornamental floral pattern on the front cover. The gold lettering and the ornamental floral pattern are also on the spine. The book has 13 chapters with ornamental scrolls and initials at the beginning and end of each chapter. There are also some full page black and white sketches in the book, with the one at the front of the book covered by a piece of tissue paper. The book plate at the front of the book is white with a gold border pasted onto the page and handwritten details have been added in black ink. The book is a little scuffed at the edges of the cover. ‘Ormiston House College, East Melbourne, Principals, The Misses Singleton, Prize for Writing and Maps in Upper Third Class Awarded to Miss Middleton, Christmas 1887.’ dr john singleton, ormiston house, history of warrnambool

This is a book prize given to Bessie Mackay some time in the 1890s. Unfortunately neither the book nor the book plate has any date. Bessie Mackay is probably Marie Elizabeth Mackay, born to Thomas and Marie Mackay in 1883. Thomas Mackay was an auctioneer and commission agent in Warrnambool in the later decades of the 19th century. Ellerslie College was an important private school in Warrnambool and the building still stands (Koroit Street). It was a purpose-built school, initially for girls and it was erected in 1889 for Bella Davidson. Miss Davidson conducted this school until 1891 when it was taken over by William Lawson. He had had a school for boys and girls in King Street and when he moved his school to Ellerslie College he was employing three lady teachers as well as his male staff. It is not known whether Bessie Mackay was a pupil at Miss Davidson’s school or Lawson’s school or both. This book is of great interest as a memento of Ellerslie College, a well-known private school in Warrnambool in the late 19th century and early 20th century. At that time, most pupils in Warrnambool wishing to go on to higher education attended private schools. This is a hard cover book of 128 pages. The cover is dark green with an image of a bunch of flowers in silver, red and black colouring on the front cover and on the spine. The printing is in black lettering on the front cover and in silver colouring on the spine. The book has eight chapters with a full page colour sketch at the front of the book. The cover is slightly frayed and a little stained. The book plate has black printing on a white background and handwriting in black ink. ‘Ellerslie College, Warrnambool, Non Scholae Sed Vitae Discimus, Name. Miss Bessie Mackay, Class V, For Geography’. ellerslie college, warrnambool, history of warrnambool, bella davidson, william lawson, bessie mackay

This book, marked ‘W. College, 1890’, has been in the collection of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society for a great number of years. It is presumed that the ‘W’ stands for Warrnambool and that the book belonged to a pupil or teacher from the Warrnambool College run by James Scott. This school commenced in 1887 in ‘Airlie’ in Henna Street and was at ‘Ashton’ (now part of Emmanuel College) from 1889 to 1899. The owner of the book, ‘N.’ (or W). H.’, has not been identified but it looks like a teacher’s handbook, rather than that of a pupil. This book is important, firstly for its antiquarian interest and as an example of a 19th century school text book and secondly for its association with James Scott’s Warrnambool College, a prominent private school in Warrnambool in the 19th century. This is a hard cover book of 328 pages, with some pages at the back listing other books published by Ward and Lock. The cover is dark red with gold and black lettering on the front cover and on the spine. The book has a Preface and an Introduction and there are several ornamental scrolls at the beginning and end of the text sections. The inscription is handwritten in pencil. ‘N (or W) H.’ ‘W. College, 1890’ warrnambool college (19th century), james scott, history of warrnambool

This book is a novel by John Whitson published in 1907 and it could have belonged to either Thomas Redford Senior or his son. Thomas Redford Senior (d. 1909) was in the produce business with Frederick Stevens in Warrnambool in the 1860s and in 1879 he took over the business under the name of T.Redford and Co. This business operated at the corner of Fairy and Timor Streets. Thomas Redford Junior was a Major in World War One. He was killed at Gallipoli and his body was recovered from the site of his death by members of his company who were also from Warrnambool. Notable among these men was Paul McGinness, a war hero who was later to found the airline Qantas. This book is of interest as it belonged to a member of the Redford family, prominent in business in Warrnambool and in military exploits in World War One. The book gives us a idea of which novelists were popular reading in the early years of the 20th century. This is a hard cover book of 283 pages. It has a light brown cover with lettering in black, gold and brown, a colour image of a rose on the spine and a colour image of a house and a car on the front cover. There is a full page colour plate at the beginning of the text pages and this is covered with protective tissue. The inscriptions are handwritten and printed in black ink. At the back of the book there are advertisements for other books published by Little, Brown and Company. The binding is coming loose at the top edge and the cover is very faded and stained. ‘T. Redford 1908’ ‘Redford’ thomas redford, history of warrnambool

This is a product that was sold in the general store of Cramond and Dickson in Warrnambool early in the 20th century and produced for this store at the time. It may also have been given to customers as an advertising feature. John Glass Cramond and James Dickson established a drapery store in Warrnambool in 1855, firstly in Timor Street and then in Liebig Street. It specialized in men’s and women’s clothing and drapery and had a tailoring and millinery business. The store opened branches in several towns in the vicinity of Warrnambool, including Port Fairy. It also opened a branch store in London, enabling it to import materials and other items direct from London. The Cramond and Dickson store in Warrnambool closed in 1973. This mitt is of considerable interest as it is a sample of the wares and advertising articles coming from the general store of Cramond and Dickson of Warrnambool. This store was of great importance in Warrnambool as a dominant business in the town/city for over 100 years. This is a rectangular-shaped oven mitt with light brown leather on one side and a green-coloured felt-like material with a fluted edge on the other side. The mitt has machine stitching diagonally across both sides and machine stitching around the edges. A leather looped tag is attached at one corner so that the mitt can be hung up. The reddish-brown printing on the leather side of the mitt is stamped into the leather. The leather side is a little stained. ‘Cramond & Dickson. Warrnambool, Port Fairy & London’ cramond & dickson stores, warrnambool, port fairy, london, history of warrnambool, john glass cramond, james dickson

These essays have been written by Walter Murdoch, a distinguished Australian academic and essayist. Murdoch (1874-1970) gained an Arts Degree at the University of Melbourne, with first class honours in philosophy and logic. In 1901 he came to Warrnambool, going into partnership with James Scott as proprietors of a private school, Warrnambool College. They bought out Warrnambool Grammar School, previously run by John Stanley. When Scott retired Murdoch became the sole proprietor and headmaster. While in Warrnambool Murdoch continued to write for Melbourne newspapers and published a book, ‘The Struggle for Freedom’ which covers English and Australian constitutional history. This book sold 10,000 copies in its first year. In 1904 Murdoch left Warrnambool to take up a lecturing position in English at the University of Melbourne. 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. Murdoch became a household name in Australia through his radio broadcasts and syndicated articles and literary columns in several Australian newspapers. During his lifetime Murdoch published over 40 works and he was knighted in 1964. This book is of interest as one written by Walter Murdoch who not only is important in Australian literature and academic circles but also has his place in Warrnambool’s history. This is a hard cover book of 209 pages. The cover is green with black printing and has an image of a quill outlined in black. The spine is much faded. The book contains a Preface and 28 short essays. The inside cover and the edges of the pages are stained. walter murdoch, warrnambool college (early 20th century), history of warrnambool

This book has been written by Walter Murdoch, the distinguished Australian academic and essayist. Walter Murdoch (1874-1970) gained an Arts Degree at the University of Melbourne with first class honours in philosophy and logic. In 1901 Murdoch came to Warrnambool in partnership with James Scott as co-proprietors of the private school, Warrnambool College. They bought out the Warrnambool Grammar School previously run by John Stanley and, when Scott retired, Murdoch became the sole proprietor and headmaster of the school. While he was in Warrnambool Murdoch continued to write for Melbourne newspapers and published a book, ‘The Struggle For Freedom’, covering the constitutional history of Britain and Australia. This book sold 10,000 copies in its first year. In 1904 Murdoch left Warrnambool to take up a position as a lecturer in English at the University of Melbourne. Later he became the foundation Professor of English at the University of Western Australia and later its Chancellor. Murdoch University in Western Australia is named after him. Murdoch became a household name to two generations of Australians through his radio broadcasts and his literary columns in several Australian newspapers. He published over 40 books and was knighted in 1964. This book is of interest as an example of the writings of Walter Murdoch, important not only in the history of Australian literature but also of note in the history of Warrnambool. This is a hard cover book of 195 pages. The cover is orange with red lettering and an image of a mountain (on an island?). The spine is a little faded. The book contains a Preface and 21 short essays containing thoughts concerning Australia in the early years of World War Two. walter murdoch, history of warrnambool, warrnambool college (early 20th century)

This book subtitled, ‘A Story of the Amazing Ability and Fidelity of an Australian Black Tracker’, has been written in the late 1930s by Edward Daniel Oakley (1877-1962). He was the fourth child of Thomas and Eliza Oakley who had the farm, Oakbank, near the mouth of the Hopkins River, Warrnambool (Otway Road area today). Edward Oakley first worked at Saltau’s shipping office in Warrnambool then ran a dairy farm, Halifax, near Cudgee. He later had wheat farms in the Grampians area and at Willaura before returning to Warrnambool in 1923. He built a row of shops in Liebig Street and opened a boot and shoe store. He was instrumental in persuading Fletcher Jones to open a shop in Warrnambool. After he retired he researched and wrote the story of Jimmy of Murrumbar. This book is of high significance because: 1. It was written by a local Warrnambool businessman, Edward Oakley. He and other members of his family were prominent residents of the city in the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries 2. It was written in the late 1930s and tells of the story of a young aboriginal boy, one of the early writings appreciating the talents and worth of young aborigines. This is a hard cover book of 181 pages. A buff-coloured dust cover has been pasted over the hard cover and it has a black, grey and white illustration of a young aboriginal boy being chased. This illustration is repeated in black and white on the second page. The titling on the cover is in red and black printing. The front cover has become almost detached from the pages. An inscription on the inside cover is handwritten in black ink. The book has a foreword, an appreciation, a contents page and 23 chapters. ‘Best Wishes for a Happy Birthday from Graeme Dorman Dec 8th 1942’ edward oakley, history of warrnambool, aboriginal literature, jimmy of murrumbar, thomas and eliza oakley

This book has the sub-title: ‘A Complete Guide to the Table, the Toilette and the Ball Room with hints on Courtship, Music and Manners’. It was sold in Warrnambool at the book shop of C. & R. Lavery. They were early Warrnambool settlers and opened their bookselling and newsagent business in 1877. The shop was in the Oddfellows Hall in Koroit Street. This book is of interest as an example of the type of book produced in the late 19th century as an instructional manual for men in the area of manners and etiquette. It is also of interest because it was sold by a local bookstore in Warrnambool. This is a hard cover book of 184 pages. The cover is green with black lines on the cover edges and the titles printed in black lettering. The book has several pages at the front and the back giving information on other books produced by the same publisher (Ward, Lock, Bowden & Co.). These advertisements are accompanied by black and white illustrations. The book has an introduction and 24 sections on etiquette for men for various places and occasions. Each section starts with an ornamental first letter in black and white. The book cover has partly come apart from the pages and the cover is somewhat stained and very faded on the spine. Several of the pages at the back are torn and stained with some of the text missing. There is a label with the sellers’ information pasted on to the back of the front cover. ‘C. & R. Lavery Booksellers Koroit Street Warrnambool’ lavery family, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

This collection of short stories by Mary Gaunt has been edited and published by Bronwen Hickman. Mary Gaunt (1861-1942) was a writer of novels, travel books, short stories and other articles. She was known internationally for her writings in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Born in Chiltern, Victoria, she was the first woman to study at Melbourne University, travelled extensively in West Africa and China in areas rarely visited by white women and published 26 books. From 1894 to 1900 Mary Gaunt lived in Warrnambool where her husband, Hubert Lindsay Miller, was a local doctor. Some of her writings were produced while she was in Warrnambool and some have local content. This book, although a modern reprint, is important as the only collection of the short stories of the internationally-known author, Mary Gaunt that we have in our collection. Mary Gaunt not only lived and wrote in Warrnambool for some years but also used local places, people and events in her writings. One of the stories in ‘Life at Deadman’s’ (‘The Humbling of Sergeant Mahone’) is based on the events in the late 19th century when whisky was being made illegallyin the Nirranda district. Mary Gaunt apparently had met the real main character in this saga. This is a soft cover book of 178 pages. The cover is yellow with an image in sepia tones of Mary Gaunt. The lettering on the front cover and on the spine is green and black. The back cover contains critical comments on Mary Gaunt’s work and information on the editor. The book has a map, an introduction, a list of the sources of the stories, twelve short stories, a list of works by Mary Gaunt and a note on the author by the editor. ‘With Good Wishes Bronwen Hickman’ mary gaunt, dr h.l.miller, whiskey stills in the warrnambool district (19th century), history of warrnambool, australian women writers

This is an early school reader and the name, ‘B. Morris’, suggests that it belonged to Bruce Morris, the editor of the Warrnambool Standard newspaper from 1946 to 1968. Bruce Morris was prominent in Warrnambool as the writer of a great number of historical articles in the Warrnambool Standard and as a passionate supporter of regional Victoria. He was the son of Frederick and Sarah Morris and the grandson of George Lance, prominent in 19th century Warrnambool as a plumber, inventor, musician, artist and writer. Lance is regarded as the founder of the Warrnambool Art Gallery. Bruce Morris helped to establish the Warrnambool Rostrum Club. This book is of interest because it is an early 20th century example of a school reading book. If it belonged to Bruce Morris then it is of greater interest. Bruce Morris rates with Richard Osburne, Edward Vidler and Henri Worland as a significant promoter of, and writer on, Warrnambool’s history. This is a soft cover book of 16 pages. It has a pinkish-red cover with a black and white illustration of The Three Bears story on the front cover and the titles in black print. The back cover has advertisements for other books by the same publisher (Macmillan and Co.). The inscription and some other writing on the front cover are handwritten in blue ink. The cover is a little faded and has partly come away from the pages. ‘B.Morris’ bruce morris, history of warrnambool

This book was given in 1941 as a prize to Shirley MacDonald from the South Warrnambool Sunday School. This Sunday School was operated by the South Warrnambool Presbyterian Church and existed from 1902 to 2004. The church was in MacDonald Street which was named after John MacDonald, an early teacher and auctioneer in Warrnambool but no details have been found on Shirley MacDonald. This book is of interest as a memento from the South Warrnambool Sunday School and as an example of the type of book given as prizes to young girls in Warrnambool during World War Two. This is a hard cover book of 256 pages. The cover is red with black lettering and the there is a dust cover partly pasted onto the hard cover. The dust cover is multi-coloured with an image of a river scene (man in trouble in the water with a woman trying to help him) on the front and a horse and rider on the spine. The lettering on the dust cover is in yellow and dark blue tonings. The book has become detached from the pages at the back. The inscription is handwritten in blue ink on a printed book plate pasted on to the inside front cover. There is a black and white full page illustration at the front of the book ‘Xmas 1941 Awarded to Shirley MacDonald, Sth Warrnambool Sunday School’ south warrnambool sunday school, shirley macdonald, history of warrnambool

This book, written for girls by the English novelist, Bessie Marchant, was given as a prize to Claire Gilbert. She was the daughter of Roy and Miriam Gilbert and lived in Coulstock Street. Her father worked at Swintons Store in Warrnambool. She would have been at school in the 1940s. She married a farmer, Ainslie Crothers. It is presumed that ‘Y.W.L’ stands for ‘Young Women’s League’, but no Warrnambool group with this name has been found (apart from a Young Women’s Association run by the Presbyterian Church in the 1920s). This book is of interest as it belonged to a local girl, Claire Gilbert, at school in the 1940s. This is a hard cover book of 152 pages with 16 pages at the back giving information on other books published by the same company. The cover is green with the title information enclosed in dark red text boxes with green printing. The spine has red printing with red lines and squares for ornamentation. The inscription is handwritten in black ink on a printed book plate pasted onto the first page. There is a colour plate at the beginning of the story. ‘2nd prize Awarded to Claire Gilbert, Y.W.L., Warrnambool’ claire gilbert, yung women’s league, history of warrnambool

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

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

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

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

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

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