This is one of a collection of items received from the practice of Dr Lachlan Hardy-Wilson, FRCOG, Launceston, Tasmania.Set of stainless steel tenaculum forceps. The instrument resembles a set of scissors in style, with rings at one end for finger grip. Body of the instrument curves to one side, and each arm of the forceps ends in a curved point. The points at the end of each arm touch at the centre. Body of forceps is engraved with the word 'STAINLESS'. The initials 'L.H.W.' have been scratched into one arm of the forceps.

General anaesthesia relaxes muscles around the airway which can result in the airway becoming obstructed. Holding the jaw open or keeping the tongue out of the way were crucial. Often, brutal devices were used to open the jaw or pull the tongue forward to clear the airway.Set of four chrome plated metal tongue depressors of different sizes. Each depressor has been engraved with a number (1 - 4). Numbers 2 - 4 also have a metal tube that could be used to administer anaesthesia simultaneously. Numbers 2 - 3 also have cross-hatched grooves in the depressor and all have finger grips engraved into the handles.boyle-davis, airway management

This item was donated to the museum by Joseph Dallimore. Dallimore was brought up at Lake Gillear, and as a young man he left Australia to travel overseas both to help his parent's business in the wool trade and for pleasure. He wrote many letters to his parents keeping them updated with the prices he received from selling wool and on his travels. Later in life Dallimore enlisted in the Australian Army and went on to have a distinguished career during the Boer War. He would have collected this piano whilst on service in South Africa.South African thumb piano from the Zulu culture. It is a wooden panel board with 15 iron finger keys in it. They are stuck onto the wood at one end with some sort of glue and also held in place by an iron rod passing over the top of them. At the bottom of the board is a metal panel and attached to that is a small circular cymbal. There is a string tying the metal panel to the wooden board.There are no original markings on this although the original museum label is still stuck to the bottom which says, ' Native piano ( Mashona)' on it in script.south africa, joseph dallimore. war, boer war, zulu, finger piano, music

Four cardboard glove -shaped inserts with 'four fingers'. Two outer cardboard shapes have advertising slogan (matching). Banner emblem with word ' DENTS' World emblem on upright hand - words either side 'Hand in glove with the world 'You will enjoy wearing these gloves by DENTS the world's leading glove makers for 200 years Easy care with longer wear'See abovecommerce, advertising, costume accessories, glove accessories

This timepiece uses Braille to indicate the position of the numbers, which the wearer could then use to orient themselves and tell the time from the metal hands. The 12 position is indicated by three dots, with the 3,6,9 positions by two dots. The user would start with a finger at the centre of the face and work outwards to the end of each hand to determine position and hence be able to figure out the time. Since the watch is designed and made for touching, the metal hands are particularly robust.Silver pocket watch with Braille to indicate number position. Clock face = "Algex in Cabloc 17 jewels Swiss made" On back watch sticker "Ali".assistive devices, braille

This hand-held signalling lamp could have had a number of uses. It could have been used by groups such as the Boy Scouts or most likely was used by local air raid wardens and other military personnel in World War Two. Its large face and the reflecting mechanism would have made it useful over a long distance.This lamp is of historical interest and is retained for display and research purposes.This is a cylindrical metal lamp with a clear glass front attached to the lantern by metal screws. The lantern has been painted black. There is an electric bulb behind the glass and a reflector disc behind the bulb. A handle, attached to the metal body, has two strands of electrical wiring at its end. The handle includes a finger clip, which, when pressed, produces a signal inside the glass area.signalling lamp, world war two military equipment

This box which once contained linen thread manufactured in Scotland and labelled "British" manufacture" was used for the repair/manufacture of clothing by professional seamstresses and those wives required to "do" repair stitching of family clothes. This box was manufactured in a period when the title "United Kingdom" was used (late 1700's early 1900's) to describe the union of Britain and Scotland. The label however can be misleading as the"British Manufacture" thread was manufactured in Scotland. The broad term "British Manufacture" was used for the benefit of those in the "colonies" of Australia and New Zealand, during a period when the "coined" phrase "best of British, or British best" was synonymous to "top quality". After World War II the need for "cheaper products" was more persuasive than the quality of the product. In rural areas this shift to cheaper "non British" goods was at a slower rate than in the cities. Goods such as clothing manufactured or altered by seamstresses were regarded as of a higher standard and therefor the use of linen thread from "Britain" was a sign of quality and reliability.This box which contained linen thread, "British" made, is very significant to the Kiewa Valley because it demonstrates the conditions under which households in the late 1800's and early 1900's evolved from a "domestic repair /replacement" of damaged clothing to a consumer of recycled and shop bought clothing and linen. The ability of semi isolated rural based families to purchase "off the rack" clothing was severely affected by weather, long distance over dirt roads(poorly serviced) to large towns(shops), horse/cart or slower driven cars. The purchasing of clothing was, on the whole, from trading house "mail order" consignment orders.This red paper covered box has a white covered lid (top) with black print detailing the manufacturer and contents. This box contained 150 yds of linen thread 2 cord. A small added note pasted on one side "USUAL TWIST (s)" describing the thread's appearance. Two semicircular "finger" holes on two sides of the lid permit easier removal of the lid from the base.On the top lid: "W.&J. KNOX'S" below this a crest with latin motive "MOVEO ET PROFICIOR" English translation "I proceed and am more prosperous" encircling an open winged falcon. below this "LINEN THREAD", "2 CORD." "WARRANTED" "150 Yds." Made from Flax." British Manufacture". On one side "DRABS SOFT FINISH" within a shield "KNOX'S TWO CORD 150 YARDS 30" next to this a trade mark "W & J KNOX below this "made in KILBIRNIE, SCOTLAND"thread, cord. flax, box container, linen thread, seamstress items, cardboard box

Three Danish brothers, Moritz, Julius and Jacob Cohn arrived in Bendigo in 1853. In 1856 they began making cider and soft drinks and two years later built a brewery. Cohn Brothers built an empire of breweries, cordial factories, hotels and liquor stores. In 1925 they sold the hotels and breweries to Carlton & United but continued to make their other products until the 1970s when the company became part of the Coca-Cola Amatil Group. A cardboard carrier for six small bottles. Its 19 centimeters long and 13 centimetres wide. There are two cardboard pieces in the middle which are 18 centimetres heigh and have a slot near the top for fingers which is nine centimetres long and two centimetres wide. The carrier is a cream colour and has red, green, yellow and black small circles and writing on it COHNS DRINKS QUENCH.cohns drinks, cohns drink carrier

Blue metal flat base (painted) with a finger handle. In the middle of the base is blue painted metal cylinder. All of this blue painted area looks like a "cup & saucer". Inside the "cup" is narrow white painted metal cylinder with a larger opening at the top to insert a candle. There is a metal wire spring clamp around this opening which could have clamped small glass surround (missing)candlestick holder, candles, light

Three older women sit in lounge chairs, along a wall covered with a trailing leaf design. On the right, the lady is dressed with a scarf and a rug on her lap as she feels something between her fingers. To the far left, a similar rug appears on the lap of a woman who is speaking to a visitor or possible staff member. In the middle, a lady sits with hands in her lap, looking directly towards the camera. This image was used for publicity purposes, as per the imprint on the back.1 B/W photographs of three older females sitting inside58/8 Association for the Blind 7 Mair Street Brighton Beach 3188 Please return to P.R. Departmentassociation for the blind, elanora home (brighton)

This timepiece uses raised dots to indicate the position of the numbers, which the wearer could then use to orient themselves and tell the time from the metal hands. The 12 position is indicated by three dots, with the 3,6,9 positions by two dots. The user would start with a finger at the centre of the face and work outwards to the end of each hand to determine position and hence be able to figure out the time. Since the watch is designed and made for touching, the metal hands are particularly robust.Silver fob watch with raised dots to indicate number position. assistive devices, braille

Historically this school writing slate pre-dates paper and electronic writing pads. This was used for non permanent written communication within or outside the classroom. It use was mainly as a quick temporary method and could be easily erased by cloth or fingers. As it could be used repeatedly without additional cost and was therefore a very cheap method of teaching and learning outdoors as well as indoors. This was especially relevant to country schools and outdoor excursions. It was fairly robust but could shatter if allowed to fall on the ground.This item evolved from a form of communication, that of primitive engravings on stone. This tablet was a refined writing/drawing pad that did not require any electronic/battery power input. This writing slate was so useful in an era where relative isolation (Kiewa Valley Schools) from electronic and cheap writing pads was the reality and the norm. This was a time when the hand writing and hand drawing was a basic form of non spoken communication. Students used this slate pad to reinforce their skills which would come in handy when they needed to produce temporary notices on slate information boards, e.g. rail/bus-time/route alterations.Writing slate used for Primary School classes. Wooden frame. Has hole in frame and string threaded through to allow it to be hung on a hook or nail.slate pads, chalk boards, school learning utensils

Called "Klimt Print #2". Winning quilt in the 2017 Expressions Wool Quilt Prize Statement: "Every finger print is unique just as the art of Gustav Klimt is unique leaving an imprint for us which only he could leave." Art Quilt Australia 2017, held at the Queen Victoria Art Gallery (Royal Park location) Launceston, Tasmania, includes the 2017 winners of the prestigious Expressions Wool Quilt Prize (sponsored by the National Wool Museum) and the OZQN Award of ExcellenceWhole cloth painted quilt, hand wool embroidery, wool thread and metallic thread quilting.Klimt Print #2 Sue Reid

Articles in annual report include: "President's Report: A Season of Celebrations", "A Future in their Fingers: 1894-1994", "Pride and Problems", "The Next 100 years", "Volunteer Report: Service Since Day 1", "Blind Member's Council: Keeping the focus Sharp", "Once in a Century Appeal, CEO's Report: New Beginnings", "Services: Vision and Hearing Assessment, Rehabilitation, Confident Living, Resident Care, Telephone Support Programs, Information Radio, Vision Information Line, Newsline, Training" "Treasurer's Report: Satisfying Results"32 printed pages with illustrationsassociation for the blind, corporation records

Historically this item was before electricity lighting was available. There is no protection around the candle to prevent wind or air movement from extinguishing the candle flame therefore this means of night illumination was used within a house environment. It could be easily moved from room to room but would have insignificant "candle power" to lighten more than a few metres around it. This item was before kerosene lamps, gas lighting and electric/battery lamps This candle holder would have been used within the homes of Kiewa residences to illuminate the way from room to room where there were no other forms of lighting available. As it is relatively light in weight and with a finger/s grip it is highly portable and was in time replaced by battery powered torches. It was used in a period where home, or local made candles were a necessity of living. This Item was used before battery powered torches were invented. Although candles are still used in the late 20th and after, their fundamental use has changed and they function more as a mood enhancement item or as a back up for an electrical power failure and the alternative battery powered torch also runs out of power.1. This small basin shaped candle holder is formed of metal and sealed with a pale grey enamel skin. It has a black painted edge and finger holder. It has a raised vertical spout for the securing of the candle. The bottom of the basin is contoured from the candle base to the outer edge to allow for melted candle wax to be safely held within the basin. 2. As above. The handle is rusty but otherwise in good condition. candle-holder, portable light enamel household goods

Sepia studio photo. Woman wearing academic regalia, pincenez, ring on 4th. L.H. finger. Figure holds sheet music in both hands. Cane table at figure's right. Studio view in background. Printed in script 'Stewart and Co. Printed in capitals '284 - 286 Bourke Street, Melbourne'at bottom left. Writtyen back"Mr and Mrs Dowsey. With fond love from Auntie May. 19.11.06Stewart and Co., Bourke Street, melbourneperson, individual, female - academic

Copy of newspaper article 'The Age' 1.3.1973, written by Claudia Wright. Article describes the life and times of Joyce Smith, publican, Shamrock Hotel, Bendigo. Contains photos of Joyce Smith and photo of Joyce on the staircase of the Shamrock, where she is wearing a white arctic fox fur over a formal gown. Joyce was renowned for her diamond rings (six on one finger) and her love for her dachshunds.bendigo, hotel, shamrock hotel

Red based metal tin marked "Baird's Shortbread fingers", containing many MMTB paper tickets. Tin has a tartan pattern, metal lid. Tickets - both penny and decimal currency, paper flimsy, some have dates written on the back, some have been grouped using staples. Some multiple currency - e.g. 20c or 2/-. tickets themselves have not been sorted as such.trams, tramways, tickets, mmtb, decimal currency

The certificate is part of a larger collection of material once belonging to the Kew Lioness Club, which was donated to the Kew Historical Society for safekeeping.The Lioness Club of Kew was the first Lioness Club in the Melbourne area. As such its records are of Historic and Social Significance as a record of post-war community organisations run by women. As the records were donated to the Kew Historical Society as a place of deposit, they are well provenanced. They comprise albums, objects, and a history of the Club so provide a complete picture of the Club's operation.A framed certificate presented to the Lioness Club of Kew in 1978 officially recognising the Club under the sponsorship of the local Lions Club. The certificate lists the original members Helen Joyce (President), Thelma Leech (Secretary), Beryl Mainon (Treasurer) and Dorothy Cameron, Arleen Ekberg, Ruth Finger, Norma Finley, Jean Franklin, Cherie Kinnear Wells, Valerie Newbegin, Lorna Patching, Marjorie Rogers, Shirley Van Scoy, Joyce Ward and Jan Watkins.lioness club (kew), women's groups -- kew -- melbourne (vic.), women's clubs

Lace-up 'jumpers' or jerkins were widely worn until the early years of the 20th century when they were repalced by woollen jumpers. They made a comeback in the early 1970s among some players who preferred them because they were harder for opposition players to grip than conventional woollen jumpers. This one was worn by Roger Merrett in the 1984 premiership win over Hawthorn. Lace-up jerkins were banned by the VFL in 1986 after Melbourne player Robbie Flower injured a finger in the lacing of an opponent's jerkinLace-up cotton jerkinVFL and Nubrik embroidered badges on front, white cotton "25" on back of jerkin

This biscuit/tea caddy was probably targeting the "theatre going" family or those who liked looking at the colourful shakespearian scenes. This item however demonstrates that the rural (Kiewa Valley) appreciation of classic English plays was, in this time period (early 1900's), just as strong as in the larger towns and cities. This item also presents the period in which the "olde" Elizabethian phrases and words were taught in regional high schools. Although this speech pattern and phraseology was of a specific time period and going out of fashion when Australia was first settled it was an inherited form of communication(higher social/economical level). In the context of the rural Australia "scene" and in this time frame of the elite "boarding school" generation this item was a visual reinforcement of the education level and position of the family who owned this tin.This item is highly significant because it not only presents the social aspects of early life in the Kiewa Valley but also the variety of educational levels and economical variations of the rural population within the Kiewa Valley. The egalitarian perception of the inhabitants of the Kiewa Valley was still at the infancy of early Australian social interactions. This biscuit /tea container was however a leveling of the socio-economic playing field of the time.This biscuit or tea tin, has besides having an outer lid (hinged), it also has an internal lid(with a circular finger grip). Although the shape is rectangular it has a slight concave bulge at each side of the centre of each of its main frame. It is made of pressed light steel and has a raised floor. The corners are bevelled and the outer lid has a bevelled slope ridge in parallel to the extremities of the main tin frame. There are painted scenes from the following Shakespearian plays on each side of the tin; "As you like it", "Hamlet" and on each of the bevelled corners are the portraits of Shakespeare(in the middle), the caricature mask faces of "the theatre" above and on the bottom section the "Director's chair"food storage, kitchen table container, domestic educational storage, shakespeare illustrations

Clothing. A pair of black leather ladies gloves inside original brown paper envelope. Three decorative lines of stitching from fingers to wrist. Gloves unused. Still stitched together. Brown paper envelope torn at one end. Printed on envelope, ''Ball & Welch Ltd Melbourne, Always Dependable''. ''Glove and Hosiery Specialists'', ''After having been fitted on cannot be exchanged" "Navy Blue''. Old box 573.Stamped inside wrist ''6 1/2 9''costume accessories, female, black leather ladies gloves

Black and White print contained within the Wal Jack Bendigo and Geelong Album, see Reg Item 5003 for more details. Photo of an illuminated street sign, lamp, near Geelong Railway Station, at Mercer St corner, 11-7-1950. Photographer not known. Photo is glued into album. Sign has the words "Geelong Electric Tramways / Board tram at Curve" with a hand and finger pointing the direction to walk in.trams, tramways, geelong, signs, railway station

This kiln glazed container for liquid's, was the type used in the 1700's to mid 1900's to contain fluids mainly for human consumption which needed to retain liquid that could be affected by sunlight and or required to be maintained at a cooler temperatures. Ginger beer and other "brews" for human consumption were the prime target. The ability to refill these vessels were of the utmost importance to the consumer. Over time these containers were reduced in size and produced for "special" liquids e.g. alcoholic Port. This Demi John stone ware was manufactured in Tamworth (England) and imported into Australia during a period when the majority of "quality" domestic items were sourced from "the Mother Country" and the ties between the still "colonial" outpost were very strong. This bondage remained longer in rural communities than in the cities. The "multi-culturalism of the post World War II era resulted in the lessening of the earlier ties. The growing of nationalism, the Aussie evolution, was brought about by the increased social and business/commercial interactions between Australia and the United States of America, post World War II.This container(jug) is very significant to the Kiewa Valley, a rural region that required these type of liquid storage vessels, especially in the late 1800's to the mid 1900's. These were times when household refrigeration, if available, would be from the "block ice" coolers or "cool" storage nooks and crannies within farmhouse locations.This large "stone ware" glazed Demi John, alias Carboy has a capacity of over 20 litres. It has a conical smooth lipped neck top with a wide, flat(three to four finger) carry and poring handle. The top third portion of the jug is caramel in colour and the bottom a darker cream. It has a manufacturer's seal stamped into the surface before glazing. This item would have been corked and then sealed (air tight) with wax.manufacturer's seal "GEORGE SKEY WILNECOTE TAMWORTH"household liquid jar container, 1800's food storage, kiln fired glazed pottery

Mary Margaret Baird, born circa 1834, was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Logan, of Butterdean, Berwickshire. In 1860 in Victoria, she married Matthew Hamilton Baird, a well-known pastoralist and grazier, the owner of Mt Bute Station near Linton, as well as other rural and metropolitan properties. Margaret Baird lived at Mt Bute in the 1860s and early 1870s, after which it is understood she lived mostly in Melbourne. She died in 1910 at 'Waratah', Clendon Road, Toorak. Margaret and Matthew Hamilton Baird had nine children born between 1861 and 1877, not all of whom survived to adulthood. They are both buried in the Linton cemetery.Framed, hand-coloured/modified photograph of Margaret Baird. Portrait shows a lady in an elaborate gown, seated at a small, round table, her hands on a book. Two other books also on table. Large, draped window to RHS of sitter shows glimpse of garden. (Backdrop appears to be painted rather than photographed.) Lady wears a ring on her 3rd left finger, and a brooch at her neck. Hair neatly parted and coiled.mary margaret baird, mathew hamilton baird, mt bute station

Collection of images taken by the Royal Blind Society of New South Wales and used by Ron Black to promote the work of the society. These include a young child finger painting, an adult walking a rope bridge, rowing, a talking book machine (TBM), a narrator in the studio, Rob McQuillan using a TBM, staff sorting mail, transcribing print into Braille and proof reading Braille, Dawn Davis with a refreshable Braille display, and daily home living skills such as cutting up food, using a CCTV to read a newspaper and Michael Simpson using a computer in the office.14 coloured photographs previously stored in albumroyal blind society of nsw, rob mcquillan, dawn davis, michael simpson

Newspaper article from 'Bendigo Advertiser' supplement 11th December, 1968. Article is titled 'Queen of the Shamrock' and tells the story of Joyce Smith, licensee of the Shamrock Hotel who was known as 'Diamond Lil'. She was 'known for wearing 10 diamond rings on her fingers ... and not as well known perhaps for her charity' Photo from same article, attached behind text article, shows Joyce pouring a beer behind the 'Golden Bar' at the Shamrock Hotel.person, bendigo, joyce smith (diamond lil')

Lance Corporal "Alfred Alexander Priest" No. 5162. Enlisted 31/12/15 into 6th Battalion, 16th Reinforcements. Embarked 1 April 1916 for England the 29 Aug 1916 to France. Hospitalised 8 Nov 1916 for trench foot and rejoined unit 11 Feb 1917. WIA 27 Feb 1917 GSW left forearm and rejoined 30 July 1917. WIA 4 Oct 1917 GSW left finger and rejoined 1 Jan 1918. WIA 16 May 1918 multiple gunshot wounds - died 27 May 1918. Buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery.Ful length portrait of Alfred Alexander Priest in full uniform of WW1 ANZAC Soldier, in sepia. Man standing in an outside setting, holding a cane.Front bottom right hand corner written "KALMA BENDIGO". Back top right corner written "Len's Uncle, Alfred Priest".ww1, 6th battalion, alfred alexander priest

This doll’s arm was part of the cargo from the Fiji and was part of the articles salvaged from the wreck. The three-masted iron barque Fiji had been built in Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on 22nd May 1891 bound for Melbourne, under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. The ship’s manifest shows that she was loaded with a cargo of 260 cases of dynamite, pig iron, steel goods, spirits (whisky, schnapps, gin, brandy), sailcloth, tobacco, coiled fencing wire, concrete, 400 German pianos (Sweet Hapsburg), concertinas and other musical instruments, artists supplies including brushes, porcelain, furniture, china, and general cargo including candles. There were also toys in anticipation for Christmas, including wooden rocking horses, miniature ships, dolls with china limbs and rubber balls. On September 5th, one hundred days out from Hamburg in squally and boisterous south west winds the Cape Otway light was sighted on a bearing differing from Captain Vickers’ calculation of his position. At about 2:30am, Sunday 6th September 1891 land was reported 4-5 miles off the port bow. The captain tried to put the ship on the other tack, but she would not respond. He then tried to turn her the other way but just as the manoeuvre was being completed the Fiji struck rock only 300 yards (274 metres) from shore. The place is known as Wreck Bay, Moonlight Head. Blue lights were burned and rockets fired whilst an effort was made to lower boats but all capsized or swamped and smashed to pieces. Two of the younger crewmen volunteered to swim for the shore, taking a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, 17 year old able seaman Julius Gebauhr, a German, reached shore safely on his second attempt but without the line, which he had cut lose with his sheath-knife when it become tangled in kelp. He rested on the beach a while then climbed the steep cliffs in search of help. At about 10am on the Sunday morning a party of land selectors - including F. J. Stansmore, Leslie Dickson (or Dixon) and Mott - found Gebauhr. They were near Ryans Den, on their travels on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head, and about 5km from the wreck. Gebauhr was lying in the scrub in a poor state, bleeding and dressed only in singlet, socks and a belt with his sheath-knife, ready for all emergencies. At first they were concerned about his wild and shaggy looking state and what seemed to be gibberish speech, taking him to be an escaped lunatic. They were reassured after he threw his knife away and realised that he was speaking half-English, half-German. They gave him food and brandy and some clothing and were then able to gain information about the wreck. Some of the men took him to Rivernook, a nearby guest house owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Stansmore and Dickson rode off to try and summon help. Others went down to the site of the wreck. Messages for rescuing the rest of the crew were sent both to Port Campbell for the rocket rescue crew and to Warrnambool for the lifeboat. The S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. After travelling the 25 miles to the scene, half of the Port Campbell rocket crew and equipment arrived and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time the crew of the Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. Mr Tregear from the Rocket Crew fired the line. The light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully fired across the ship and made fast. The anxious sailors then attempted to come ashore along the line but, with as many as five at a time, the line sagged considerably and some were washed off. Others, nearly exhausted, had to then make their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Many onlookers on the beach took it in turns to go into the surf and drag half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers included Bill (William James) Robe, Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody. (Peter Carmody was also involved in the rescue of men from the Newfield.) Arthur Wilkinson, a 29 year old land selector, swam out to the aid of one of the ship’s crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken. Plunken was attempting to swim from the Fiji to the shore. Two or three times both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck. A line was thrown to them and they were both hauled aboard. It was thought that Wilkinson struck his head on the anchor before s they were brought up. He remained unconscious. The carpenter survived this ordeal but Wilkinson later died and his body was washed up the next day. It was 26 year old Bill Robe who hauled out the last man, the captain, who had become tangled in the kelp. The wreck of the Fiji was smashed apart within 20 minutes of the captain being brought ashore, and it settled in about 6m of water. Of the 26 men on the Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach and their coffins were made from timbers from the wrecked Fiji. They were buried on the cliff top above the wreck. The survivors were warmed by fires on the beach then taken to Rivernook and cared for over the next few days. Funds were raised by local communities soon after the wreck in aid of the sufferers of the Fiji disaster. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship. His Masters Certificate was suspended for 12 months. At the time there was also a great deal of public criticism at the slow and disorganised rescue attempt to save those on board. The important canvas ‘breech buoy’ or ‘bucket chair’ and the heavy line from the Rocket Rescue was in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue: they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. Communications to Warrnambool were down so the call for help didn’t get through on time and the two or three boats that had been notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much looting occurred of the cargo that washed up on the shore, with nearly every visitor leaving the beach with bulky pockets. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls, which were duly confiscated and he was ‘detained’ for 14 days. Essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck “Fiji tobacco” was being advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a steep cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. In 1894 some coiled fencing wire was salvaged from the wreck. Hundreds of coils are still strewn over the site of the wreck, encrusted and solidified. The hull is broken but the vessel’s iron ribs can be seen along with some of the cargo of concrete and pig iron. Captain Vickers presented Bill Robe with his silver-cased pocket watch, the only possession that he still had, as a token for having saved his life and the lives of some of the crew. (The pocket watch came with 2 winding keys, one to wind it and one to change the hands.) Years later Bill passed the watch to his brother-in-law Gib (Gilbert) Hulands as payment of a debt and it has been passed down the family to Gilbert Hulands’ grandson, John Hulands. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its hand crafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. The knife handle had a personal inscription on it. A marble headstone on the 200m high cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach, west of Moonlight Head, paying tribute to the men who lost their lives when Fiji ran aground. The scene of the wreck is marked by the anchor from the Fiji, erected by Warrnambool skin divers in 1967. Amongst the artefacts salvaged from the Fiji are bisque (or china) toys, (including miniature animals, limbs from small bisque dolls), rubber balls, a slate pencil, a glass bottle, sample of rope from the distress rocket and a candlestick holder. These items are now part of the Fiji collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum, along with Captain Vickers’ pocket watch and Julius Gebauhr’s sheath knife. Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S259. The Fiji is archaeologically significant as the wreck of a typical 19th century international sailing ship with cargo. It is educationally and recreationally significant as one of Victoria's most spectacular historic shipwreck dive sites with structural features and remains of the cargo evident. It also represents aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The Fiji collection meets the following criteria for assessment: Criterion A: Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. Criterion B: Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history Criterion C: Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history. Doll’s arm salvaged from the wreck of the Fiji. This moulded arm, made of bisque (sometimes described as china or porcelain) is for a small doll. Its hand has the fingers touching each other with the thumb tucked into the palm. The white coloured arm is finished with glazed paint. The arm is discoloured in places with a tan colour. The arm is solid rather than jointed and goes from hand to upper arm. There is a groove around the top of the arm, which would enable the arm to be attached to the cloth body of a doll.1891, china, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwrecked artefact, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, porcelain, doll, moonlight head, wreck bay, cargo, bisque, toys, doll's arm, doll's limb