This illuminated address was given to H.H.Smith, the Warrnambool Mayor, for his work with soldiers returning to Warrnambool and district during and after World War One. On the same occasion Smith was also given an armchair by the mothers, sisters and wives of Warrnambool returning soldiers. Henry Huntingdon Smith (1857-1941) started his own bakery business in 1885, firstly near the corner of Fairy and Koroit Streets and later building his own shop at the corner of Lava and Fairy Streets (Monaghans Pharmacy today). Smith was one of the most admired men in Warrnambool in the first half of the 20th century. He was a Warrnambool Councillor from 1918 to 1937 (Mayor for two terms) and served continuously on the Warrnambool Hospital Committee for 39 years. He visited patients at the Hospital twice a week. He took a particular interest in the welfare of returning soldiers and it was said that there was not a returned man or woman whom Smith did not greet on his return to the district. Smith also was a tireless worker for the Methodist Church as an office bearer and a Sunday School teacher. Smith was also Vice President in 1937 of the first Warrnambool & District Historical Society. This document is of particular interest as it is a good example of the type of illuminated address produced during the early years of the 20th century. It also shows clearly the respect and love that Warrnambool people had for Henry Smith, a great volunteer worker in the community. This is a piece of cream-coloured parchment paper with a margin ruled in black ink and handwriting in blue and black ink surrounded by red ornamental scrolls and flourishes. The paper has an address to H.H.Smith and is followed by 74 names and the date (1920). The paper is inserted into a piece of red leather cloth. This has folded edges and an ornamental gold pattern around the front edges and a gold border around the back edges. There are two holes at the top of the folder and these have metal surrounds. The backing folder is rounded at the top edges. ‘Warrnambool, 6th December 1919. To H.H. Smith Esq., Mayor of Warrnambool – We, the Mothers, Wives and Sisters of the Returned Soldiers of this City and District wish to express to you our deepest gratitude for your unswerving devotion to Our Boys interests during your long term as Secretary of the Welcome Home Committee’ (etc etc)henry huntingdon smith, world war one, history of warrnambool

This letter, the first air mail letter sent to Warrnambool, was written by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sir David Valentine Hennessy and carried by the aviator, Basil Watson on the first flight to Warrnambool January 24th 1917. The letter was delivered to the Mayor of Warrnambool, Cr Webb.There were several other letters delivered at the same time but this is the important official one. Basil Watson was a pioneer aviator who built his own aeroplane which was 18 feet long with a wing span of 26 feet and it had a 7 cylinder 50 H.P. Rotary Gnome engine. Watson flew from Point Cook to Warrnambool in one hour 55 minutes, an Australian cross-country flying record at the time. In Warrnambool Watson amazed the crowd with his dare-devil aerial acrobatics, looping the loop 14 times over the Warrnambool Racecourse. Basil Watson died when he crashed his plane into the sea near Point Cook, just two months after he landed in Warrnambool. This letter is of the utmost significance being the first air mail letter delivered to Warrnambool. It is an important memento of the first aeroplane flight into Warrnambool by the pioneer aviator Basil Watson. This is a cream-coloured sheet of paper folded in two to make four pages. It has handwriting in black ink on two pages. The writing is a little faded. The first page has the logo of the Melbourne Town Hall. The pages are partly torn at the folds. ‘Town Hall, Melbourne, 21/1/17. Lord Mayor’s Room, Dear Mr Mayor, I have much pleasure in sending you greetings by aeroplane piloted by my friend’s son, Mr Basil Watson. I hope when the cruel war is over and victory crowns our efforts, we all in the C’wealth will be able to fly from one state to the other. With best wishes for the New Year, …….. (signature indecipherable), D.V. Hennessy. His Worship the Mayor of Warrnambool.’pioneer aviation in the western district, basil watson, history of warrnambool

This is a booklet containing the newspapers published on board the ship, ‘General Wyndham’ during its voyage from Liverpool to Melbourne in 1857. The newspapers may be copies of the newspapers rather than original ones. Betsey(Betsy/ Betty) Smith, the wife of Thomas Smith of Warrnambool, came to Australia with their daughter Lizzie (Elizabeth) on board the ‘General Wyndham’ in 1857 on the particular voyage during which these newsletters were printed (the emigrant ships coming to Australia at that time usually carried printing presses of some kind). It is conjectured that Thomas Smith who had come to Australia on an earlier voyage and who was a printer in Koroit Street, Warrnambool in the 19th century, printed and bound the newsletters that his wife had kept. This book is of great importance as a good collection of the newsletters printed on board emigrant ships. If the newsletters came from Betsy Smith then the significance is even greater. The newsletters tell us so much about life on board the ‘General Wyndham’ ship – the range of articles, the light-hearted humorous touches, the accounts of the deaths on board, the picture of life on board that is conveyed and the overall professional look of the newsletters make the journal interesting to read and of great historical interest. This is a bound book of 44 pages containing a collection of nine newsletters printed on board the ship, ‘General Wyndham’ in 1857. The cover is light brown and is very stained. The contents of the newspapers include poems, news items, reports of the ship’s log and its progress, accounts of the activities and organizations aboard the ship, letters to the editor and editorials. The stamp of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society is prominent throughout the book and some of the pages have been bound at the edges with white taping.‘general wyndham’ ship, 19th century emigration to australia, betsy and thomas smith, history of warrnambool

This is a book given to Margaret Davidson in 1875 by her aunt, Mrs J. Davidson. Margaret Milne Davidson (1839-1928) was the eldest child of James and Isabella Davidson and she was born in Kirriemuir, Scotland. She came to the Warrnambool area in 1850. The property, ‘Woodend’, was near Cassadys Bridge (Caramut Road today). The aunt, Mrs J. Davidson would be the wife of John Davidson, the brother of James and a farmer at ‘Rosebank’, Woodford. The portraits of John and James Davidson are on the Warrnambool Pioneer Honour Board. This book is of interest because of its inscription. The book is connected to the Davidson families, prominent in Warrnambool’s pioneer history.This is a hard cover book of 832 pages. The book has a dark green cover with dark green and gold lettering with ornamental gold surrounds. The book has an index, short stories, poems, essays and articles on science and the arts. The book contains monthly journals for 1874 combined in one volume. The cover is stained and blotched. There are several stamps of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society. The inscription on the first page is handwritten in black ink. ‘Margaret M. Davidson, Woodend, from her aunt, Mrs J. Davidson, 30/9/75’.margaret davidson, james and john davidson, history of warrnambool

This is an album of Australian official photographs of Australian participation in World War One. Enlargements of the photographs could be obtained in the 1920s from the Australian War Museum in the Exhibition Buildings in Melbourne. World War One (1914-1918) was a highly significant event, not only in world history, but also in Australian history – a time when Australia participated to a strong degree, with a great number of Australian men and women dying in the war. These photographs were important in the 1920s as they showed war scenes and military activities that were not available to the public when the war was in progress. They are still important today showing Australian military action in World War One, a signal event in Australia’s history. The number of World War One War Memorials in most Australian towns and small settlements is an indication of the effect on the Australian people of the sacrifice of the lives of so many young people. Warrnambool was just one place in Australia that built a war memorial in the 1920s and continues today to remember World War One heroes as well as those from later wars. This is a brown photograph album containing 72 black and white photographs of Australian soldiers in World War One (Gallipoli, Palestine, France etc). The photographs have been commercially produced. There are four photographs to each page mounted on card. The cover is cardboard and the pages are bound with multi-coloured string. The cover has an imprint of a lady (ancient Greek style).Stamp of Warrnambool & District Historical Society world war one, history of warrnambool

This book, published in England, has been awarded as a school prize in 1887. Woodford School, No. 648, was an early National School which commenced in a house in 1854. In 1872 a sandstone building was erected. The school still operates. James Craig was the Head Master of Woodford School from 1884 to 1889. His wife was the Work Mistress of the school and both were involved in community affairs, particularly in regard to the Presbyterian Church and the local Mechanics’ Institute. Annis Morgan was born at Woodford to Jenkin and Mary Morgan in 1874. She would have been about 13 at the time she received the prize book. Annis (Ann) married Alan Patterson in 1897. This book is of considerable significance as it is connected with the history of Woodford, the Woodford school, the teacher, James Craig, the pupil, Annis Morgan and her family. This is a hard cover book of 812 pages The cover is black with an engraved ornamental pattern and edging and gold printing in the title on the cover and the spine. There is gilt edging on the pages. There is a bookplate on the inside front cover and one or two pages at the beginning are missing. The book contains many black and white illustrations with the first one covered by a piece of tissue (now blotched). The book contains poetry, short stories (some serialized) and some factual writing suitable for older children and adults. The cover is stained and somewhat faded and is ragged at the edges.Bookplate: ‘State School No. 648 Woodford, Fifth Class, presented to Annis Morgan, Christmas 1887, Jas. Craig, Head Teacher’. Stamp inside first page: ‘Warrnambool & District Historical Society WB 196’ history of woodford, woodford state school, annis morgan

This is a brochure advertising the Twilight Festival at Deakin University, Warrnambool Campus, in November 2015. The festival was held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Warrnambool Campus of Deakin University in 1990. The Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education had previously occupied the site at Sherwood Park and in 1990 the Institute merged with Deakin University to form the Warrnambool Campus of that university. This brochure is of interest as a memento of the 25th anniversary celebrations of Deakin University Warrnambool. This is a single sheet of paper advertising the Deakin University Twilight Festival in November 2015. One side has a black background with a coloured image of people watching a fireworks display and white printed material on a black and green background. The other side has a white background with green and black printed material and a map of Deakin University Warrnambool campus. deakin university warrnambool, education in warrnambool, warrnambool history

This book is an 1810 third edition copy of Walter Scott’s poem, ‘The Lady of the Lake’. It is notable for its illustrations of the drawings of Richard Westall (1765-1836), an English painter and illustrator and Queen Victoria’s drawing master. Westall is best-known for his portraits of Lord Byron. There is no information available on the original owner, the Reverend Matthew West. Tis book is important because: 1. It is an 1810 edition and of antiquarian interest 2. It belonged to Louie Mack, the cousin of Sir Ronald Mack, an important Warrnambool Parliamentarian. Miss Mack was well-known in the Warrnambool area as the Secretary of the Warrnambool Technical School in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The Macks were prominent early settlers in the Warrnambool area. This is a hard cover leather bound book of 433 pages (poem, ‘The Lady of the Lake’ by Walter Scott). The cover is brown leather with a gold ornamental border. The inside cover has a tan and blue mottled pattern. The book has illustrations with engravings from the designs of Richard Westall. The illustrations have a piece of tissue paper in front of them. The first page has a stamp of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society and there is a loose sheet indicating that the book was published in 1810 and that it belonged to Miss L.A. Mack.‘The Revd. Matthew West, Vicar’s Hall, Clane’. sir walter scott, richard westall, louie mack, history of warrnambool, rev. matthew west

This is a reprint of the first edition of The Weekly Times – originally printed on September 11th 1869. The paper was first published by the Daily Telegraph Newspaper Company and was described as ‘a Journal of literature, sport, agriculture, science and politics’. In 1892 it was acquired by the Herald Newspaper group which has been publishing The Weekly Times ever since. The Weekly Times is now regarded as the most important newspaper especially published for those living outside of Melbourne in rural Victoria. This newspaper reprint is of minor interest as it is a copy of the first edition of a newspaper that is widely read in rural Victoria, including Warrnambool and the Western District.This is a reprint of the first edition of the Melbourne newspaper, the Weekly Times (1869). It has 16 pages and includes news items, advertisements, black and white sketches, poems, agricultural information, ladies’ columns etc. The first page has the masthead and motto of the paper – ‘The Liberal Reviseth Liberal Things’. The paper is yellowed with age and some pages are tattered at the edges. The front page has originally had a stamp on it from the Melbourne Public Library. the weekly times, victorian newspapers, warrnambool history

‘Dawnings of Genius’ by the Rev. Theodore Alois Buckley contains chapters on the lives the many distinguished men in history. Our copy of this work was given to Jane McMeekin as a prize at the Koroit Street School some time in the 1870s. The Koroit Street School was a Denominational Board School opened by the Wesleyan Church in 1859 with William Nettleton as the Head Teacher. It was later known as Common School No. 673 and closed in 1876 when the Warrnambool State School in Jamieson Street was opened. There is no date to tell us when Jane McMeekin received this book but we know that Caleb Collyer, who married Ann Brown in 1869, was Head Teacher of Warrnambool Common School No. 673 in 1875. Jane Taggart McMeekin was born in Mepunga in 1864 to John and Isabella McMeekin. She may have been about ten or eleven when she received this prize. This book is of considerable interest as it was a school prize in the 1870s and concerns Jane McMeekin, Caleb Collyer and Common School No. 673 – all of relevance and importance in the history of education in Warrnambool.This is a hard cover book of 408 pages. It has a dark red leather cover with gold and black ornamentation and red lettering on a gold background. It has an introduction and thirty chapters on the lives of eminent men. It has many black and white illustrations. The cover is torn in places and somewhat stained and ragged around the edges. On the first page it has an inscription and a stamp of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society. ‘Second Prize, Fifth Class Girls, Awarded to Jane McMeekin, Koroit Street School, No. 673, Warrnambool, C. Collyer, H. Teacher.’ warrnambool common school 673, caleb collyer, jane mcmeekin, history of warrnambool, schools in warrnambool

This book was given in 1886 as a prize to Annie Egerton from Allansford State School. The prize was for recitation. Allansford State School No. 3 was opened in 1856 as a National School and is still operating. Allansford is about ten kilometres from the Warrnambool city area and most of it today is within the boundaries of the City of Warrnambool. John Jones was the Head Master of the school from 1867 to 1891. No details have been found on Annie Egerton or her family This book is of interest because it concerns 19th century Allansford State School, Head Master John Jones and pupil Annie Egerton. It is also a book of antiquarian interest. This is a hard cover book of 436 pages. It has a green cover with gold and black ornamentation and black and green lettering. The pages are edged with gold colouring. The book has 36 chapters telling the story of the merchant, James Meetwell and some pages at the back giving details of other books available from the publishers, Ward, Lock & Co. The cover is somewhat soiled. There is an inscription inside the front cover with handwriting in black ink and the word ‘Reciting’ written in pencil on the second page. ‘Allansford S. School, 3, Presented to A. Egerton for Reciting, 19-4-86, J.E.Jones, teacher’ ‘Reciting’ annie egerton, allansford primary school, john jones,, allansford state school, history of allansford

This book is of general as well as local interest as it gives short biographies of prominent 19th century Australian men. Included in the book are people of local importance to Warrnambool and district – Dr Fleetwood, Dr Singleton, Rev. George Tait, James Stewart Butters, Stephen Henty and Dr Thomas Scott. This book is important because it has interesting and informative biographies of prominent Australian men of the 19th century but it is of greater importance to Warrnambool’s historians because of its biographies of men who were influential in Warrnambool’s history. It is also of interest that the book has the signature of Henri Worland, the Town Clerk of Warrnambool from 1918 to 1949. Worland was also a great Warrnambool historian, preserving items of historical importance, writing on local history and talking about our history for a number of years in a series of broadcasts on Warrnambool’s 3YB. It is due to him that we have ‘Australian Representative Men’ in our collection today. This is a hard cover book with a black cover and gold-coloured lettering on the spine. The pages are unnumbered. The book contains 107 biographies of well-known 19th century men in Australia, together with their portraits fronted by a piece of tissue paper. The book also has articles on the Federal Council and the Soudan Expedition. The first couple of pages are missing. The cover is a little stained and some of the pages have blotches on them. There are several stamps of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society.‘H.J.Worland’ history of warrnambool, dr fleetwood, dr singleton, dr thomas scott, stephen henty, james stewart butters, rev. george tait

This is a typewritten account of the history of Port Fairy from 1810 to 1890. It was written by William Earle (1850 -1902). In an addenda at the back of this folder there is a note from William Earle which indicates that the booklet was written in 1896 ‘as a result of a prize offered by several residents in a Schedule issued in connection with a local Industrial Exhibition, which Prize it secured’. Does this refer to the 1896-7 Warrnambool Industrial and Art Exhibition? No evidence of this has yet been found. As this folder was given to the ShipLovers Society of Victoria Library in 1963, some ten years before Earle’s history was reprinted in 1973, it is an early copy of Earle’s original work and may have been produced in the late 19th century or early 20th century. The original material was first published by the Port Fairy Gazette in 1896.This folder is of great interest as it is an early copy of Earle’s History of Port Fairy, an important historical publication. This is a black cardboard folder containing 120 typewritten foolscap pages about the history of Port Fairy 1810-1890 (written by William Earle). Inside the front cover there is a stamp of the ShipLovers Society of Victoria Library. The front cover has a sheet of white paper stuck on with adhesive tape. It has a black and white sketch of an anchor, a sailing ship and a rope. The pages are attached to the folder with four metal studs. There is a loose sheet inside with a note about the donor of the folder and a name handwritten on the front cover. ‘W.Earle’ ‘Presented by Mr Owen, Warrnambool, May/1963’ history of port fairy, william earle, shiplovers society of victoria

This Bible was owned by Janet Hose (nee Murfitt) 1856-1947. She was married to George Hose and they lived in Warrnambool for all of their married life. They had eleven children and all the births and some of the deaths of the children are recorded in this little Bible. The book was purchased from James Hider who had been a carpenter, a land agent and a rate collector before he established a bookstore in Timor Street in the 1860s. He was heavily involved in community affairs, being a local Councillor and Mayor in 1868-9. He was also an early commercial photographer in Warrnambool. This small Bible is of great interest because of its connection to the Hose family in Warrnambool. In the book are recorded the births and deaths of members of the Hose family. It was a common custom in the 19th century to include family history details in family Bibles and some larger-style Bibles had pages specifically printed to include family history material. This Bible is also of antiquarian interest, an attractive item with its leather cover and gold clasp.This is a mottled brown leather-covered Bible of 840 pages. The pages are gilt-edged and there is a gold metal clasp to close over the pages. Inside the front and back pages there are signatures and other handwritten material, some written in black ink and some in pencil. There is also a label from the Warrnambool book shop and stationery store of James Hider. The inscription pages and the front cover are stained. The cover is also rubbed. ‘J.Hider Opposite the Post Office Warrnambool’ ‘Janet Hose 19/07, 78,83 (Plus the family history details of the Hose Family, mostly on the back pages) janet and george hose, history of warrnambool

This is a book given in 1860 to Miss M. Davidson by L.H.R Miss M. Davidson would most likely be Margaret Milne Davidson (1839-1928) who was born in Kirremuir, Scotland and was the daughter of James and Isabella Davidson of Woodend near Cassadys Bridge on the outskirts of Warrnambool. She never married. The identity of ‘L. H. R.’ is unknown. This book is significant firstly because of its antiquarian interest (an 1857 publication) and secondly because of its connection to Margaret Davidson. Her father and uncle and their families were pioneer settlers in Warrnambool and thus of great importance in our history. This is a hard cover book of 53 pages. The cover is brown with an ornamental pattern impressed into the front cover and gold lettering on the spine. The book has a Preface, an Introduction, 21 chapters of text by Rev. Albert Barnes and an Index. It has a colour fold-up map of Palestine. There is a stamp of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society on the first page and an inscription in black ink. The cover is partly broken away and torn. ‘Miss M. Davidson from L.H.R. Warrnambool 4 May 1860’. margaret davidson, history of warrnambool

These are two programmes of the Civic and Memorial Official Service held in the Warrnambool Town Hall on 26th May 1918. The service was held for two purposes. One was to celebrate the gazetting of Warrnambool as a city, two days earlier, on 24th May 1918. The other was to offer prayers and remember those on active service in World War One and those who had died in the war and to pray for the war to end. (World War One came to an end in the November of 1918). The service on 26th May in Warrnambool was conducted by the ministers of churches in Warrnambool and attended by the Mayor and Councillors and Council workers. A collection was taken up at the service for the British Red Cross Society. The Mayor at the time was William Swinton.This program is of considerable interest as it brings to our attention two events of importance in our history – Warrnambool becoming a city in 1918 and the city’s involvement in World War One and the long-term effects of this war on all settlements in Australia. It also highlights the importance at the time of the Christian religions in Australia.These are two copies of the programme of the 1918 Warrnambool Civic and Memorial Service. The programme is one sheet of buff-coloured paper folded in two to make four pages. There is blue printed material on three of the pages. The front page has the crest of the City of Warrnambool with blue edging and some ornamental scrolls. One programme is tattered at the edges. The two programmes have been glued together at the bottom left corner and have been partly mounted on a piece of white card. warrnambool city council, program civic memorial service 1918

This is a programme of the Warrnambool City Council Civic & Thanksgiving Official Service on November 1918. The service was held in the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens, conducted by the Ministers of the Churches in Warrnambool and led by the combined choirs of the churches. It was a public occasion held to offer thanksgiving for the end of World War One in November 1918. One of the hymns sung had the opening lines: ‘O God of Love, O King of Peace/Make wars throughout the world to cease’. The service was attended by the Mayor of Warrnambool and the City Councillors and Council employees. World War One was a signal event in the history of Warrnanmbool (as it was for all places in Australia) with so many young men volunteering for active service and so many dying overseas.This programme is of great interest as it records an important occasion in Warrnambool – the end of World War One and the official service of thanksgiving that commemorated this happening. This is a programme for the Warrnambool City Council Civic & Thanksgiving Official Service in November 1918. It is a sheet of buff-coloured paper folded in two to make four pages. There is blue printed material on three of the pages. The front page has the City of Warrnambool crest printed in blue with blue edging on the page and some ornamental patterns. The inside pages has a blue sketch of the flags of Australia and Britain. The programme is faded and creased and a little blotched.warrnambool city council, history of warrnambool, world war one

This book contains World War One cartoons drawn by Captain Bruce Bairnsfather. It is one of a series of books by Bairnsfather showing that humour can be found even on the battlefields of France. The cartoons were originally published weekly in ‘The Bystander’ magazine. World War One was an horrific conflict that took so many lives and affected adversely so many others. This book is of antiquarian interest as a book dealing with World War One, a conflict that affected Warrnambool in the same way as it affected every other place in Australia. This is a soft cover book of 42 pages. It has a green cover with a cartoon sketch in sepia tones on the front cover and an advertisement on the back page. The printing on the covers is in black. The book has advertisements on the inside covers, a Foreword and pages of cartoon sketches of soldiers in World War One. The pages have been stapled but the staples have been removed.world war one, captain bruce bairnsfather, warrnambool history

This is a programme for a Service of Intercession in Relation to the War. It was held by the Methodist Church (Victoria and Tasmania Conference) in October 1915. The Wesleyan Methodist Conference at Birmingham, England requested that Sunday October 31st 1915 be set aside as a Day of Thanksgiving and Intercession throughout Britain and all other countries in the British Empire. The service was held to seek Divine intercession and aid for those on active military service in World War One and for the families of these men and women. This programme is of interest as the 1915 service would have been held in Methodist Churches throughout Victoria and Tasmania and this would have included the Warrnambool Methodist Church. World War One was a highly significant event in the history of Australia and Warrnambool, along with all other places in Australia, was affected deeply by the war with many young local people enlisting and many dying on active service.These are two sheets of paper folded in two to make eight pages. The pages contain a programme for the Methodist Church service in October 1915. The printing is in blue on a whitish/bluish background. The front cover is edged with blue lines. There is a blue stamp of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society on the front cover. The programme has been stapled but the staples have been removed. methodist church, world war one

Doctor Horace Iles Holmes was born at Launceston Tasmania 09/08/1877. He was educated at Launceston High School and Tasmanian University and later at Melbourne University. After graduation he came to Warrnambool in 1905 and worked in the practice of Dr T F Fleetwood and took over the practice shortly afterwards along with the position of Honorary medical officer at Warrnambool Hospital and also health officer until 1944 and as an Honorary consulting medical officer from then until 1958. His practice which was located at " Ierne" opposite the Presbyterian Church in Spence St Warrnambool. He later moved to a new home and surgery at the corner of Spence Liebig st and Raglan parade which was later sold to Dr C B Berryman. A large medical clinic still operates from this site. Dr Holmes was a keen fisherman and a member of Rotary serving as district governor.This plate is a connection to a long standing doctor in the Warrnambool district. In his practice he would have treated many district people and as such this item has strong social and historical connections to the district. Rectangular brass plate engraved with name which has been coloured in black. There are six screw holes around the outer edge of the plaque. The back is plain .H.I. Holmes M.D. Surgeon & Physician. A stamped name at middle bottom edge is unreadablewarrnambool, warrnambool doctors, dr h i holmes, warrnambool history

This walking stick, which is also a horse measurer, belonged to Atwell George Bendall, the well-known racing man, judge and handicapper in the Western District early in the 20th century. Born in the Caramut district, he was the manager of the ‘Green Hills’ estate at Winslow, a property owned by his father who also operated a livery and coach service at Caramut. When his father died Bendall carried on the family business until the end of the 19th century when he went to live in Warrnambool. A lover of horses, Bendall was an amateur rider of note and an owner of several racehorses. He also took a keen interest in coursing and owned and bred many successful dogs. In Warrnambool he took an interest in trotting and owned several trotters. For the last sixteen years of his life Atwell Bendall was a handicapper for most of the Western District race clubs and his keen judgment and knowledge of horses were greatly admired and appreciated. He was also a judge at agricultural shows and other horse events and this is probably where he was made use of this horse-measuring walking stick. He died in 1922. This is a most significant item as it belonged to the prominent early 20th century horse racing identity in the Western District – Atwell Bendall. It is also of general historical interest as an ingenious object – a walking stick doubling as a horse measurer. This is a mottled brown-coloured wooden walking stick, slightly tapered and with seven segments. It has a wooden knob at the top curved and indented in an acorn shape. The knob has silver coloured nails or tacks driven into the raised sections. The knob lifts out and is actually a wooden ruler with silver casing at the top of the ruler. Also at the top of the ruler, at a right angle to the ruler, is a lift-out metal piece which has a spirit level at the top end and this metal piece is used to rest on the horse to estimate its measurement in hands. There is a leather strap near the top of the walking stick for attachment to the wrist and a gold metal cap at the bottom of the stick. A silver band near the top of the stick has an inscription. ‘A G. Bendall Warrnambool’ atwell bendall, history of horse racing in the western district, history of warrnambool

This prospectus contains the history of Leahy's electrical . The objectives of this company were to allow expansion of the present business ( est,1946) , to take advantage of the excellent corner site and to modernise the building and carry all heavy duty electrical and mechanical lines for commercial users and farmers.Attached was a hire car services which operated as Leahy's Hire cars. The service of the the previous business commenced in 1946 at 82 Fairy Street and grew to employ up to 25 tradesmen. However the assets of the business were lost May1, 1950 when building stock and plant was destroyed by fire.In October 1950 Mr leahy purchased the freehold on the corner of Liebig and Koroit Streets Warrnambool The directors of the new company were John James Leahy, John Beynon Dwyer, William John Taggart Walter, William James Croft, Martin White and James Albert Affleck. They aimed to raise 50000 pounds with 100000 shares at ten shillings each. This document shows the beginnings of one of Warrnambool's most successful 20th century companies. It lists the people associated with it from its inception many of whom were and are well known in the district. It therefore has strong social and historical significance.Cream soft card cover with dark blue text. It is stapled together and contains 6 pages on cream paper with black text.back cover is plain.Prospectus of Leahy's Electrical Industries Ltd Warrnambool Vic, 19th April 1951.warrnambool, j j leahy, jim leahy, leahy's electrical industries, prospectus leahy's electrical industries 1951

This Almanac was published by the Warrnambool Advertiser in 1873. The Warrnambool Advertiser was first published in 1868 by the Warrnambool Newspaper Company with James Hider as chairman. The first editor and publisher was Frank Davis who was succeeded in these positions in January 1870 by Daniel Harrison and Daniel George. The plant and goodwill was sold in May1874 to Fairfax and Laurie, the proprietors of the Warrnambool Standard. The owner of this booklet was Christopher Beattie who came to Warrnambool in 1853 and founded, with Henry Phillips, the undertaking firm of Beattie & Phillips in 1865. Beattie was heavily involved in community affairs in Warrnambool - the Fire Brigade, the Building Society, the Mechanics' Institute, the Manchester Unity Lodge and the Wesleyan Church. Several pages of the booklet have personal notes written by Beattie. The booklet remained in the possession of J J Leahy, the successor to Beattie & Phillips in the Fairy Street undertaking business.This booklet is of major importance as it is an original Warrnambool Advertiser Almanac of 1873. This Almanac was published two years before the Warrnambool Standard Almanacs were issued (1875-1930) and thus it contains information not available elsewhere. The association with Christopher Beattie of the firm Beattie & Phillips and the Beattie handwritten material are also of major interest to local historians.This is a booklet of 47 pages, the Warrnambool Advertiser Almanac of 1873. Some of the first and end pages are missing and some of the inside pages are torn or partly missing. Some of the end pages are loose. The booklet contains a monthly calendar with historical dates from Australia and overseas, Town and District Directories of people living in the Warrnambool area, general information on organisations and businesses in Warrnambool and the surrounding district and postal information. It also has many local Warrnambool and district advertisements, some with black and white sketches. There are also several pages with comments handwritten by Christopher Beattie. The pages have been tied together with string.Christopher Beattie Born on the/ 7th of January 1839 at Westlinton/ (near Carlisle), Cumberland, England 1872 [written in different hand at top of page]beattie & phillips, christopher beattie, warrnambool advertiser, history of warrnambool, james hider, frank davis, daniel harrison, daniel george, fairfax & laurie, henry phillips, j j leahy, undertakers

This is a Grade V Arithmetic book used by George Bonnett at Allans Forest School. The Bonnett family farmed in the Mepunga area on the Childers Cove Road. The Allans Forest State School, number 1086, was established in 1871 and closed in 1993. The first Head Teacher was Mr Bradhurst. The school closed in 1903 and re-opened in 1905 as a half-time school with Mepunga East and in 1908 it resumed as a full time school. This book is significant because it was used by George Bonnett at the Allans Forest State School and is a memento of both the Bonnett family of Mepunga and the Allans Forest State School, a school no longer existing. It is also of antiquarian interest as an example of arithmetic school text books used early in the 20th century. This is soft cover book of 128 pages. The cover is grey with black print and black lines around the edges of the front cover. The book has a prefatory note, arithmetical exercises and advertisements for other school text books published by Whitcombe and Tombs. The cover is torn and soiled and partly ripped away. There is handwriting in black ink on the first page.‘George H. Bonnett, Allans Forest State School’bonnett family, mepunga allans forest state school history of warrnambool

This is a New Testament in Chinese given to Thomas Wong Cheong on the occasion of his baptism in August 1886. Thomas Wong Cheong (also written Thomas Wong Tong) was a Christian Catechist appointed by the Foreign Missions Committee of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Victoria. He worked in Warrnambool, ministering to the local Chinese Christian community for 31 years. He died in 1923. A Chinese Church, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church, was erected in Ryot Street, Warrnambool in 1892. By the 1930s the Chinese community in the Warrnambool area had dwindled to a very few in number and the Ryot Street building was demolished in 1979. This is a significant book because of its association with the Chinese community in Warrnambool and the catechist Thomas Wong Cheong. The Chinese Church and the work of Thomas Wong Cheong are of importance in Warrnambool’s history from the end of the 19th century to the early years of the 20th century and this book would have been well-used during this time. This is a hard cover book with a black cover and the words, ‘New Testament’ printed in gold lettering on the back page (probably the front page when being read in Chinese). The text is entirely in the Chinese language with the Chinese characters in columns ruled longways. The signature of Thomas Wong Cheong (Tong) is written four times in blue and red ink. There is an inscription on the back page (front of book) and a page with a yellow background and black printing. Some of the pages have been torn (silverfish damage) and the edges of some pages have been stained. Most of the pages have four or five holes on the inside edges, suggesting that the book has been re-bound from a previous binding. There is a pink sticker of the Castlemaine bookbinder on the inside front cover.‘Presented to Thomas Wong Tong on the occasion of his Baptism, Creswick, Victoria, August 1st 1886, T. Angwin, Wesleyan Minister.’ chinese in warrnambool, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

This is the Eighth Reader in the series of school readers introduced in 1928 for the Education Department of Victoria and used extensively in Victorian schools in the early to mid 20th century decades. This copy was in use as a Form Two (Year 8) class set at St. Ann’s College, Warrnambool in the 1970s .This book is of general interest, being the final book in the series of school readers that were in widespread use in Victorian schools from the late 1920s to the 1950s. The book is also of interest because it was used at St. Ann’s College, Warrnambool in the 1970s and has the signatures of nine pupils who used the book at that time. St. Ann’s College, the Catholic secondary school for girls in Warrnambool in the 1970s, is now incorporated into the co-educational Catholic secondary school in Warrnambool – Emmanuel College. This is a hard cover book of 260 pages. It has a Contents page, an Acknowledgments page, reading material of prose and verse, including extracts from books of well-known authors and Notes and Explanations at the back of the book. The cover is brown with the emblem of the Education Department of Victoria on the front and the book is missing its spine covering. The book has many black and white photographs and sketches. The inscription and signatures on the first page are handwritten in black, blue and red ink.‘Form Two St. Ann’s College’ victorian school readers, history of warrnambool

This little book is very old, presumably 19th century, but the wording on the front cover is indecipherable, no date is evident and the first and last pages are missing. The book was owned by Mary Jane Freckleton with the main inscription written in an adult hand – ‘Mary Jane Frickelton, Mailers Flat’. The spelling of Mailers Flat with an ‘e’ was not a mistake but this was the common spelling in the 19th century and the early 20th century. According to the Freckleton family history ‘Freckleton’ was sometimes spelled ‘Frickelton’ or ‘Frickleton’. Mailors Flat is nine kilometres from Warrnambool and the Mailors Flat School, number 1210, was opened in 1872 in Caramut Road and closed in 1994. The first Head Teacher was Julian Castles. There were Freckelton families in the 19th century in Port Fairy, Caramut, Woolsthorpe, Woodford and Mailors Flat. The Freckletons at Mailors Flat were engaged in farming. Mary Jane Freckleton was for a time a pupil teacher at Mailors Flat School. She was born at the Injemira property and married Henry Giles. This is an interesting book because of its age and because it belonged to Mary Jane Freckleton, a member of the Freckleton families, early settlers in the areas north of Warrnambool. She may have used the book when she was a pupil teacher at the Mailors Flat School. This is a hard cover book of 284 pages (some pages missing). The cloth cover is brown and much torn and stained. There are 86 chapters of prose and verse and a sprig of dried flowers is enclosed in the pages. There is the red stamp of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society on the first page and several snippets of writing in black ink on the front and back pages.‘Mary Jane Frickelton Mailers Flat’mary jane freckleton, mailors flat school

This is a book, ‘Divine Conduct or the Mystery of Providence’ originally written by the Rev. John Flavel in 1677. This is a later edition with no date listed but it is presumed it was re-published in the 19th century. The book was given to Janet McGhie in 1849, the first anniversary of the Warrnambool Sunday School, just 14 months after the first European settlers arrived in the new settlement of Warrnambool. The first Sunday School in Warrnambool was located in McDowell’s Store and run by Thomas Denney and Richard Osburne. The latter in 1851 commenced Warrnambool’s first newspaper, the Warrnambol Examiner and in 1887 published an important history of Warrnambool. Janet Garden McGhie was the daughter of Matthew and Isabella McGhie who were pioneer settlers in Warrnambool. Janet McGhie married Alfred Coulstock at the age of 17 and died in Warrnambool in 1918 at the age of 80. She was aged 11 when she received this book and one wonders what she made of the ponderous text. This book is very precious as one of the few mementos we have of the very early days of Warrnambool’s settlement. It gives us a date for the establishment of the first Sunday School and the name of one of the award winners. It is also an interesting example of the pious and ponderous writings that young children were expected to read in the mid 19th century. It is presumed that at that time there would not have been a great choice of reading material available in Warrnambool to give to childrenThis is a hard cover book of 252 pages. The dark green cover has gold lettering on the spine which is almost obliterated. The cover is partly detached from its binding and is much stained and blotched. There is an inscription on the inside front cover in black ink and a red stamp of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society on the first page. There are some indecipherable pencil markings on this first page and the last page.‘Janet McGhee (or McGhie), 1st Anniversary Warrnambool Sunday School, Decr 3rd 1849’janet mcghie, warrnambool sunday school

Unfortunately we do not know who donated this book to the Warrnambool & District Historical Society and so we do not know the identity of C.M.B or S.A.B. S.A. Burtt is listed as a Timor Street grocer in 1856 and as a Director of the Western District Fishing Company (1858-9). Was he the S.A.B. who gave the book to his sister in 1854? The fact that we have the book indicates that perhaps C.M.B. also came to settle in Victoria at a later date.This is a very attractive little prayer book and remains for us a fascinating relic of 19th century migration to Victoria. It will be even more valuable if we ever discover the identity of the giver and receiver of the book.This is a hard cover leather- bound book. The book contains a Contents page, a Preface and the Common Prayers of the Church of England together with the Psalms of David. The spine has gold lettering and the cover is edged and reinforced with gold-coloured metal and there is a gold ornamental metal clasp which is affixed with small nails to the front and back covers and which closes over the pages. The pages are gilt-edged. The inscription on the first page is handwritten in blue ink and there is a loose sheet which is a printed prayer for the Governor and the Council and another loose piece of blue ribbon used as a marker. The spine of the book is slightly rubbed. There are some indecipherable pencil markings on the back page. ‘To C. M. B. A farewell gift from a brother to his sister on his sailing for Victoria From S.A.B.1854’ 19th century migration to victoria history of warrnambool