Various letters written to Mrs P Amery of 11 Maury Road, Chelsea during her role as the Honorary Secretary for the Chelsea RVIB Auxiliary. Correspondence between Head Office and the Auxiliaries (who provided a lifeline of donations) was a crucial way to maintaining a good relationship, providing support and acknowledgement for the hard work undertaken by volunteers. A summary of these letters is listed below: 1939 - Appreciation for holding the role as Honorary Secretary. 1941 - Congratulations on appointment as secretary to the RVIB Chelsea Auxiliary. 1944 - Congratulations on re-election as Honorary Secretary 1952 - Acknowledgement of unselfish and valued service upon her retirement of the Secretary role. 1954 - Acknowledgement of service upon her retirement on behalf of the President and Committee members of the Chelsea auxiliary5 letters from the RVIB to Mrs P AmeryVarious illustrations based upon the letterhead used at the timeroyal victorian institute for the blind, p. amery, auxiliaries

EDHS Newsletter No. 271 August 2023 Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) is the Archive of the State Government of Victoria. Established fifty years ago under the Public Records Act 1973, PROV at the Victorian Archives Centre in North Melbourne now holds around 106 kilometres of public records from 1836 to the present day. There are also PROV collections at Ballarat, Beechworth, Bendigo, Geelong and the University of Melbourne. Our next meeting will be about PROV and former PROV staff member Andrew Lemon, will briefly reminisce about his work there, in it’s early days. As Assistant Director Access Services at PROV, David Taylor oversees the management of, and access to, the State collection. David will be outlining PROV’s unique role in Victoria, the nature of the public records it holds and how researchers can use increasingly sophisticated online resources to discover more about their ancestors and Victorian history. Finally, our Society member Irene Kearsey will talk about her experiences as a long-time volunteer at PROV.1:21:12 duration Digital MP3 file; 27.8MBaudio recording, eltham district historical society, meeting, society meeting, eltham, david taylor, dr andrew lemon, irene kearsey, public records office victoria (prov)

This framed photograph is of the Victoria Challenge Shield which was presented in 1888 by the Warrnambool firm of Cramond and Dickson for competition among the Victoria Garrison Artillery members in Victoria. There were 8 garrison groups in Victoria at that time. The shield was 22 inches wide and two feet six inches high.The quality of the shield can be gauged by that fact that it was exhibited at the Glasgow International Exhibition of 1888 and was one of the items inspected by Queen Victoria. The stipulation by the donors was that the competition had to be held in Warrnambool. The Warrnambool artillery group won the trophy in 1898 and this is noted in one of the newspaper cuttings included with the photograph of the shield. The Cramond and Dickson general store in Warrnambool was founded in 1855 by John Cramond and James Dickson and was a prominent business in Warrnambool until it closed in 1973. This photograph is of considerable interest as it is a reminder of the Victoria Challenge Shield that was a competition prize for competing groups of the Victoria Garrison Artillery in the times when volunteer militia groups were strong in Victorian country towns ( from the 1860s to the beginning of the First World War). This is a framed oval photograph of the Victoria Challenge Shield. The photograph is of poor production and fading. The shield details include images of War and Peace, Coat of Arms, militia figures and guns and a rifle match (in the centre). There are two newspaper cuttings included in the frame and a handwritten date. The photograph has a beige background and is under glass in a wooden frameVictoria Challenge Shield inspected by Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen at the Glasgow International Exhibition 24th August 1888 presented by Messrs Cramond & Dickson Warrnambool cramond & dickson warrnambool, victoria challenge shield, garrison artillery groups in victoria

The author of the letter the Princess Royal is patron of the Mission to Seafarers in Australia. The letter marks the 150th anniversary in 2007 of the establishment of the Mission to Seafarers in Australia. It acknowledges the work of the Mission and the men and women in Melbourne and the Victorian Ports offering the "hand of friendship to seafarers from all over the world".It also acknowledges the significant role of volunteers in supporting the work of the Missions. This letter is one of 3 letters held in the collection and received from Royal patrons. Letter, signed, on Buckingham Palace letterhead mounted and housed in gilt painted frame, glazed . Fitted with single twist hanging wire, and 4 felt stoppers; Core flute backing with Brown paper tape to seal. Signature bottom right in Black ink "Anne" / Conservation Framer's label initials in black ink : "E LH 22/2/08"mission to seafarers, sesquicentenary, commemorations, princess anne, princess royal, letter, 2007