Could have been used at home or business. An ink wellwas made of glass or ceramic and typically sat on a desk. The writer would dip the pen (or quill) into the bottle to put more ink on the pen. Because they sat on a desk, ink wells were often decorativeWe have mostly dispensed with ink bottles and quills. This item is an example of early stationery equipment commonly used in schools, households and commercial enterprises.A clear glass inkwell which is quite heavy and not easily upset. It has a concave hole in the top. ink-well writing penmanship

This item is from the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art, and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the lack of financial support led the WMI in 1911 to ask the City Council to take it over. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library as it was then called. When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. WARRNAMBOOL'S MECHANICS' INSTITUTE Warrnambool's Mechanics' Institute (or Institution as it was sometimes called) was one of the earliest in Victoria. On 17th October 1853 a meeting was held where it was resolved to request the Lieutenant Governor of the Colony to grant land for the erection of a Mechanics' Institutes building. A committee was formed at the meeting and Richard Osburne chaired the first meeting of this committee. The land on the North West corner of Banyan and Merri Streets was granted but there were no funds to erect the building. The Formal Rights of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute's encompassed its aims and these were officially adopted in1859; "This Institution has for its object the diffusion of literary, scientific, and other useful knowledge amongst its members, excluding all controversial subjects, religious or political. These objects are sought to be obtained by means of a circulating library, a reading room, the establishment of classes, debates, and the occasional delivery of lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, mechanics, astronomy, chemistry, natural history, literature, and the useful and ornamental arts, particularly those which have a more immediate reference to the colony." The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute opened its first reading room in November1884 in the National School building at the corner of Banyan and Timor Streets. The Institute was funded by member subscription, payable on a quarterly, half yearly or yearly basis. Samuel Hannaford, the Manager of the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, was the first Honorary Secretary of the Mechanics' Institutes, and an early President and Vice-President. He also gave several of the early lectures in the Reading Room. Another early Secretary, Librarian and lecturer was Marmaduke Fisher, the teacher at the National School. Lecture topics included The Poets and Poetry of Ireland', 'The Birth and Development of the Earth', 'The Vertebrae - with Remarks on the pleasures resulting from the study of Natural History' and 'Architecture'. In 1856 the Reading Room was moved to James Hider's shop in Timor Street, and by 1864 it was located in the bookshop of Davies and Read. In the 1860's the Mechanics' Institute struggled as membership waned but in 1866, after a series of fund raising efforts, the committee was able to purchase land in Liebig Street, on a site then called Market Square, between the weighbridge and the fire station. A Mechanics' Institute building was opened at this site in August 1871. The following year four more rooms were added to the main Reading Room and in 1873 the Artisan School of Design was incorporated into the Institute. The same year Joseph Archibald established a Museum; however it deteriorated when he was transferred to Bendigo in 1877. In 1880, with Archibald's return to Warrnambool, the Museum was re-established, and in 1885 a new building was built at the back of the Institute to accommodate the re-created School of Design, the Art Gallery and the Museum. In 1887 the Museum section was moved to the former court house in Timor Street (for some time the walls of the building formed part of the TAFE cafeteria but all is now demolished)). In 1911 the Museum was transferred back to the original building and the management of the Mechanics' Institute was handed over to the Warrnambool City Council. The Museum and Art Gallery became one and housed many fine works of art, and the Library continued to grow. The building was well patronised, with records showing that at the beginning of the 20th century there were between 500 and 800 visitors. During World War One the monthly figures were in the thousands, with 3,400 people visiting in January 1915. The Museum was a much loved Institution in Warrnambool until the contents of the Museum and Art Gallery were removed to make room for the Warrnambool City Council Engineers' Department. The contents were stored but many of the items were scattered or lost. When the original building was demolished the site became occupied by the Civic Centre, which included the new City Library. (The library was temporarily located in the old Palais building in Koroit Street.) In the process of reorganisation the Collection was distributed amongst the community groups: -The new City Library took some of the historic books and some important documents, historic photographs and newspapers. -The Art Gallery kept the 19th Century art collection and some of the artefacts from the museum. -The Historic Society has some items -The State Museum has some items -Some items were destroyed -Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village has old newspapers, Government Gazettes, most of the Mechanics' Institute Library, ledgers and documents connected to the Mechanics' Institute Library, some framed and unframed art works and some photographs. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute Library book collection is deemed to be of great importance because it is one of the few collections in an almost intact state, and many of the books are now very rare and of great value. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. From The Ushers Desk to The Tabernacle Pulpit The Life and Labours of Pastor C.H. Spurgeon Author: Rev. R. Shindler Publisher: Passmore and Alabaster Date: 1982Label on spine cover with typed text PAT 920 SPU Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library covered by a sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Service warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, great ocean road, from the ushers desk to the tabernacle pulpit, the tabernacle pulpit, pastor c.h. spurgeon, rev. r. shindler

Used in the Physics Department at the Ballarat College of Advanced Education.Desk-top electric calculator with 16 digit electronic display; 4 memories; operations controlled by keyboard. Type: Sharp Compet 363P; Serial No. 11110811Metalic adhevise strip label: "Ballarat C.A.E. PHYSICS"ballarat college of advanced education, physics, sharp, electronic calculator

Used in the Physics Department at the Ballarat College of Advanced Education (Now Federation University.Desk-top electric calculator with 16 digit electronic display; 4 memories; operations controlled by keyboard. Type: Sharp Compet 363P; Serial No. 11110811Metalic adhevise strip label: "Ballarat C.A.E. PHYSICS"ballarat college of advanced education, physics, sharp, electronic calculator, calculator

Fiddleback wooden wall telephone with central battery and writing desk and card instruction frame. Introduced circa 1906. Has transmitter and receiver and crank handle.Card on front: not legiblewooden wall phone, fiddleback

When the Commonwealth Post and Telegraph Act was passed in June 1902, and a national Postmaster General's Department (the PMG) was established the responsibility for the nation's mail and telephone services fell on Post Offices. The Bendigo Post Office, built in 1887 and continued to deliver communication and postal services until 1997. Ted Rankins was the last Post Master at the Bendigo Post Office and a long term telegraph volunteer post his retirement. Now a Visitor Centre, dedicated volunteers at the Post Office continued to demonstrate and educate the public about the daily workings of the Post Office up until 2019 when Covid 19 disrupted every day life. This sign was issued to Ted during his time working at the Post Office and is part of the postal collection donated by the Rankins family in memory of Ted. Yellow plastic desk plate. Made from one piece of plastic which has been folded to make the 'A' frame shape. Name printed on front.MR. E. RANKINSted rankins collection, bendigo post office, bendigo tourism, city of greater bendigo tourism, post office collection

This inkwell stand contains 24 individual inkwells. Rather than attempting to top up the individual inkwells on each pupil's desk, the inkwells would have been collected together, and topped up in the stand. This would have avoided ink spillage or splatter on multiple desks.After a child was deemed old enough to progress from just using slate and board, he/she would have been supplied with a pen shaft made of wood and with a very basic metal nib. An ink jug would be used to fill up the individual inkwells using the inkwell stand. This operation would have been conducted by the teacher him/herself, or by an older pupil under the close eye of the teacher.Wooden inkwell stand with 24 holesNoneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ink, inkwell

The latch from the front of the right hand section of Robin Boyd's desk.walsh st miscellaneous

Black and white photo: four sisters of the Poor Clare order (Bendigo Community of Poor Clare Colletines) which is situated at 18 Edward's Road, Kennington, 3550. Three nuns seated at long desk, one standing. Nuns are dressed in full robe and veil. Appear to be engaged in a drawing activity. Labrador dog sitting in front of desk. Written on back of photo in blue ink 'Painting'.church, diocese of bendigo, poor clare order

8670.1 - Wood table/desk with two draws either side. 8670.2 - Wood draw with curved wooden handle. 8670.3 - Wood draw with curved wooden handle.

Churchill Island Heritage Farm has a large photograph collection dating from the nineteenth century.Colour photograph of a woman wearing a long white semi-sheet wrapper, in front of the writing desk in Amess House, with her right hand resting on a wooden chair.catalogue number on reverse in pencilchurchill island, photograph

This inkwell was in use up until the early 1960's (especially in schools) and used as a source of ink into which a nib pen was inserted which could hold only a small amount for distribution onto mainly paper. The pen itself did not contain any "self" ink replenishment(such as fountain pens or later on biros ). Writing using this method involved a greater time period and also involved a drying application such as blotter to stop the ink from smudging(blurring or becoming smeared).This ink well is very significant to The Kiewa Valley because it represents a period before "cartridge" fountain pens and biros. It was in a "slower" paced era when written communication was not required to be an "instant" method. This was also a period in time when all forms of communication, especially in a rural settings, had no requirement, because of the facilities available, to be the "now" contingency. The "lay back" environment of semi isolated rural areas can be highlighted by the well used phrase of the times - "she'll be right mate"Brown coloured inkwell. Made of pottery, cylindrical shaped container with a raised neck opening at the top. This item has a flat bottom for positioning on a desk or other flat surfacepottery, inkwell for nib pens, stationery

Large black and white photograph of students at desks in the gym building of Preston College of TAFE. They seem to be sitting an exam, with two teachers at side rear. Undated but estimated to be 1980s.preston college of tafe, students, nmit

White partly glazed ceramic probably stoneware inkwell. May have been used in a desk or writing case as the bottom outer side is unglazed. Quite roughly made.ceramics, stoneware

Thought to have belonged to founder, Mother Gonzaga Barry. One of of early furnishings of the convent.Small wood writing desk with drawers on right hand side and false drawers on left. Leather inlaid top with gilded pattern. Hinged lid and hinged top storage.

Five-person council meeting desk. Brown polished wood featuring the shire carved logo affixed to front. Five red vinyl/leather inserts on top for writing.

Desk calendar with adjustable day, dates and months also used as an ink hand blotter. The calendar is made out of a chrome-like substance while the blotter is padded fabric.Nilhand blotters, desk calendars

Black and White photograph of one of the work desks for the AVM system at the Gertrude St winding house, probably soon after it was commissioned. Shows two workstations with an operator at one.In blue ink "Tram Power Operations - Bouverie St c1985" (this is incorrect - Carlton had a very large illuminated board in front of the operators, showing sub-station status." Photo "11187/B" - possibly of the photographic section.trams, tramways, avm, automatic vehicle monitoring, instructions, communications, control centre, training, gertrude st

Audio manager Karl Hughes sits at his desk, answering the phone as he acknowledges the photographer with a smile. Behind him are bookcases filled with audio reels and cassettes. To his left, a glass wall is covered with photographs and news clippings of audio book award success. On his desk sits a computer, some DAT tapes and piles of paperwork.Karl Hughes on the phone surrounded by audio reels and tapesbraille & talking book library, robert de graauw, karl hughes

Heidelberg Golf Club: Clubhouse renovations 1997-98 - Ladies' competition desk in locker room 1997Colour photograph and captionclubhouse redevelopment 1998, hgc clubhouse 1997, ladies' locker room

Heidelberg Golf Club: Clubhouse renovations 1997-98 - Men's competition desk in locker room 1997Colour photograph and captionclubhouse redevelopment 1998, hgc clubhouse 1997, men's locker room

An olive green lady's wooden writing desk set. It is decorated in silver, black and red on front. It has a purple fabric lining. Inside is a sheet of poetry, a ruler and two pens.writing-set communication domestic

Used in the Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education, Physics Department as a stand-alone unit or it could be connected to the Sharp Memorizer - 60 if one was available.Desk-top electric calculator with 16 digit electronic display; 2 memories;operations controlled by keyboard. Type: Sharp Compet 32, Model C5 - 32C Serial No. 912908With dymo tape labels: "1st YR"; "PHYSICS"; "PURCHASED 6/11/69" Gold sticker: "Edwards Sales and Service 42 3951"electric calculator, ballarat institute of advanced education, physics department

EIG School - Ralph Birrell Collection - Latrobe Uni Construction, 1965-69. Angled drafting desks. Plastic surround has imprinted on it PURUTZ on front and on rear Made in Australia.Kodakeducation, tertiary, latrobe university bendigo, eig school - ralph birrell collection - latrobe uni construction, 1965-69. angled engineer desks in building