This lifebuoy is part of the lifesaving equipment that would be carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century. The strips of cork wood have been joined together to make the ring shape. A lifebuoy, or life-preserver, is used as a buoyancy device to keep a person afloat in the. It is usually connected by a rope to a person in a safe area such a nearby vessel or on shore. The lifebuoy is thrown to a person in distress in the water, allowing the rescuer to pull the person to safety. The lifebuoy is a made from a buoyant material such as cork or rubber and is usually covered with canvas for protection and to make it easy to grip. The first use of life saving devices in recent centuries was by the Nordic people, who used light weight wood or cork blocks to keep afloat. From the early 20th century Kapok fibre was used as a filling for buoys. Light weight balsa wood was used as a filler after WW1. In 1928 Peter Markus invented and patented the first inflatable life-preserver. By WW2 foam was combined with Kapok. Laws were passed over time that has required aeroplanes and water going-vessels to carry life-preservers on board. The lifebuoy is an example of equipment carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century to help preserve life. There were many lives lost in Australia’s colonial period, particularly along the coast of South West Victoria.Lifebuoy, round cork filling inside white canvas cover with four reinforced bands. Four ropes are attached.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, life rings, lifebuoy, safety ring, life-saving buoy, ring buoy, life preserver, personal floating device, floatation device, safety equipment

The box pieces belong to a VeeDee Massager that has been in the Historical Society collection for several years. It is an interesting example of the dubious medical aids used by 19th century and early 20th century people who resorted to this sort of appliance to try to find relief for many ailments. The box lists the ailments that the massager claims to be able to treat effectively. These include rheumatism, lung troubles, sciatica, insomnia, kidney disease, paralysis, constipation, deafness, bowel complaints and tumours. These box pieces are kept because they have much information on them regarding the use of the VeeDee massager, with a list of the ailments and medical conditions that are claimed to be cured or aided by the use of massager. The information is of use when researching social and medical history and tells us much about the primitive knowledge of ailments and illnesses in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The massager is a medical curiosity of much interest to people today and is a valuable and fascinating display piece. These are the remains of a box that contained a VeeDee massager. There are two pieces - a flattened piece of cardboard that once formed the base and sides of the box and another cardboard piece that was the top of the box. The two small ends of the original box are missing. The inside of the box is red and the base and the sides are green and white with illustrations and descriptive material in black printingThe box pieces have much printed material on them in six languages, but the main heading is ‘THE VEEDEE FOR VIBRATORY MASSAGE’warrnambool, allied health

This fire helmet may have been one used in England or one used in the late 19th century and early 20th century in Australia. It was made by Firmin & Sons of England, a firm which was founded in 1655. It supplies military ceremonial buttons, badges and uniforms and brass and pith helmets of various kinds. It is regarded as the oldest manufacturing business operating in England today. The Warrnambool Fire Brigade was established in the early 1860s and today has both paid and volunteer firefighters.This helmet has no known local provenance but is retained for display purposes.This is a brass helmet with an oval crown with an ornate scrolled curved piece coming over the crown. There is a decoration of a winged dragon breathing fire and on the front side a torch, an axe and a hose with decorative surrounds. There is a breathing hole at the top of the crown in a petal shape. On the sides are metal medallions holding a chin strap which is adjustable. The edge of the crown has a scrolled band. The front peak is angled with a folded metal edge and the rear peak is a concave shape with a brass screw in the middle. Inside the helmet are 8 screws holding the upper decorative arching piece and a black leather band with eyelets tied together to fir the individual head. There is an oval plaque with wording contained within a decorative belt.Firmin & Sons Ltd 108 & 109 St Martins Lane W.C. Late of 153 & 154 Strandwarrnambool fire brigade, history of warrnambool

This docket from the firm of Wilson and Anderson, auctioneers, gives details of the sale of 3 rams on behalf of Joseph Tilley of ‘Aringa’. The total profit for Mr Tilley was £6. Wilson and Anderson were stock and station agents operating in the early 20th century from the Royal Chambers in Kepler Street, Warrnambool. Joseph Tilley ran the property of ‘Aringa’ which was on the Portland Road, five miles from Port Fairy. He also owned the Penshurst Hotel at that time. This docket is of some importance as it is an original one and gives details of a 1917 sale of rams with the names Wilson and Anderson and Joseph Tilley of some local interest. It gives us the prices for rams at the time and the type of account form used. This is an original docket of 1917. It is a printed one with printed red lines for entering the details of the sale. The client’s name and sale details are handwritten in black ink.aringa, joseph tilley, wilson and anderson

Bottle and Jars found at the Museum in the ground Bottle with Pecks RD NO 30273 embossed on base - Peck's Fish Paste, circa: early to mid 20th century Historic - Bottle and Jars found at the Museum in the ground Bottle and Jars found at the Museum in the groundBottle and Jars found at the Museum in the ground Bottle with Pecks RD NO 30273 embossed on base - Peck's Fish Paste, circa: early to mid 20th century puffing billy, bottle and jars

Photograph of wooden bridge over the Yarra River taken from a point just north of the river crossing at Yarra Glen early 20th century. The town of Yarra Glen is to the right (out of frame). A post and rail fence indicates the road to Yering and Lilydale to the east of the bridge. A bend of the river is in the foreground and trees line the eastern bank.On back of postcard at the top "POST CARD". On the left hand side "THIS SPACE MAY BE USED FOR PRINTED OR WRITTEN MATTER". On the right hand side "ONLY THE ADDRESS TO BE WRITTEN HERE". In a box in the right hand corner "A HALF-PENNY STAMP TO BE PLACED HERE". Along the left hand margin "Ajax series. Printed in England" yarra river, post and rail fence, wooden bridge, river crossing, river bridge, yarra glen bridge, yering

This candle holder would probably be mostly used for a candle placed on a table, cupboard or bench. It is unornamented and so would not occupy any place of importance. Candles and lamps were the chief source of light in households until the advent and use of electricity in the early 20th century. Gas lighting was in use in street lighting and in industry for some time before this. Electric lighting for households became available in Warrnambool in the 1920s but the use of lamps and candles was still prevalent until the middle of the 20th century. This candle holder is of some interest as an example of a household item from times past. It will be useful for display. This is a china candle holder. It has a white glaze and the base is circular in shape. The rim or lip is ridged around the edge. One side of the object is cracked. household lighting, history of warrnambool, candle holder

Commercial tin openers first appeared in the mid 19th century and this model dates from the early 20th century. An improved version when a second serrated wheel was added came into operation about the mid 1920s. Tins (now cans) of food with sealed tops became popular in the 20th century and all households needed a tin opener. Today the can opener is still used but increasingly the can lids have an inbuilt clip that is pulled out to open the can. This tin opener has no known local provenance but it is retained as an early model of a tin opener from the past. It will be useful for display. This is a cast iron tin opener with a cutting blade attached to a piece of metal with a screw. The metal handle curves out from the metal piece holding the blade. The opener is a little rusty in parts. The name ‘Guard ’ is on both sides of the handle in raised metal letters.‘Guard’ household items, history of warrnambool

This item is a photograph album that would have been owned by a person or family in the late 19th or early 20th centuries. In most cases (but not in this one) family photographs would have been mounted in the pages and kept as part of a family’s history. Albums such as this one, with photographs, would then become family heirlooms and treasured as such. They would have been expensive to buy at the time so were the province of the more affluent. This album, in very good condition, is beautiful, aesthetically-pleasing and redolent with the history of earlier times. This album is retained as a beautiful example of the type of photograph album that the more affluent members of society would have owned over a 100 years ago. This is a leather covered photograph album. The cover is brown with ornamental floral scrolls and ornamental gold panels. Some of the gold etching and some of the leather areas have worn away. The spine has ridged gold bands with the gold etching heavily faded. The metal clasp that closes the pages is made of silver (tarnished) and is of a decorative pattern. The sixteen pages are made of heavy stiffened cardboard and have centre cut-outs (to contain photographs). These cut-outs are oval and rectangular (arched at the top) in shape and are outlined in gold. On every second page, the cut-out is decorated with sprigs of flowers delicately painted in colour. The pages are gilt-edged. There are three loose sheets of paper which look to be original backing pieces for photographs. There are no photographs in the album.warrnambool, antiquarian, photograph, album

This is a bowler hat, commonly worn by men in the second half of the 19th century for semi-formal and informal wear. The bowler hat was first made by the hatters, Thomas and William Bowler, in 1849 and was said to have been commissioned by the owners of Holkham Hall, England, for use by gamekeepers on horseback to protect their heads from low-hanging branches. In the 19th and early 20th centuries bowler hats were worn mainly by businessmen in Britain, U.S.A and Australia but were also popularized for general use by notable personalities and actors such as Charlie Chaplin. This hat has no known local provenance but is retained for display purposesThis is a black felt hat with a rounded crown and a ribbon around the crown. The rim is slightly turned up. There are breathing holes in the crown.men’s headgear from the past, history of warrnambool

The hotel at Bonang was also known as Clancy's Hotel, Bonang, after its licensee, William Clancy. It operated from the late 1890s until early 20th century. William Clancy was aslo the postmaster at Bonang. A post office operated at Bonang from at least 1859. At the time Bonang was "a small, scattered collection of buildings marking the intersection of the Bonang Highway and the McKillops Bridge Road" ( from Regional Heritage Assessment 1996). As the mining activity declined the township became even smaller as many of the population moved to Orbost,, a larger settlement. This is a pictorial record of Bonang, a small settlement approximately 50 km north of Orbost. The buildings in the photograph no longer exist.A black / white photograph mounted on grey card. there are stains from water damage on the mount. It is a photograph of two single-storeyed timber buildings fronting a wide dirt road. On the right is the Bonang Hotel with four men in suits standing on a verandah. The building on the right is the Bonang Post Office and there are three men outside it. the photograph has been posed. on back - 'Grandma Clancy owned the hotel & Uncle Will had a gold mine which he worked"bonang bonang-post-office bonang-hotel clancy-william clancy's-hotel-bonang

This was originally built as a State Savings Bank of Victoria branch in 1916. The first manager was Mr Campbell Cameron. On 26 August 1990, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) entered into an agreement with the Treasurer of Victoria for a merger with the State Bank of Victoria (SBV). All former State banks were given new signage in November 1992. The CBA operated the branch for a relatively short period of time with the branch closing in 2000. Community pressure for a local bank resulted in the Bendigo Bank opening a branch on the site in 2002. (See Bendigo Bank file)A colour photograph of a two storey building with a red terracotta tiled roof. signage indicates it is occupied by the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The upper storey is rendered; the lower part of the building is red brick. The lower storey windows have been 'modernised'; the upper storey ones are in keeping with a build of the early 20th century. Adjacent to the door there appears to be an automatic teller machine.commonwealth bank, state savings bank of victoria, commercial establishment, union road, surrey hills

Promoting the 1934 centennary celebrations, Portland, 1934.Colour lithographic print showing a man and a woman in stylised mid-nineteenth century dress, portrayed in an early 20th century style, overlooking Portland Harbour. Text states "Visit Portland/ The first Victorian Settlement/ during the Centenary Celebrations/ from 15th to 23rd November 1934. Framed under non-reflective glass in brown and gold wooden frame.Front: (no inscriptions) Back: (no inscriptions)lithograph, centenary, 1934, portland, portland bay

These are 1907 cheque book butts from the Bank of Australasia. The names in the book suggest that they came from the Warrnambool branch of this bank. A branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in Warrnambool in 1854 with new premises erected for the bank at the corner of Timor and Kepler Street in 1860. In 1953 the Bank of Australasia became the A.N.Z. Bank and the building in Kepler Street was closed. The butts are mainly drawn to an unidentified person, ‘self’ but some names included are ‘Dr E.J. Connell’, ‘O’Mahony’ (solicitor), ‘F. Tozer’, ‘A Bostock’, ‘P. Manifold’. These are all local Warrnambool names of the early 20th century.This cheque butt is of some interest as an example of the cheques issued by an individual in the early 20th century. The names in the butts are also of interest as prominent residents of Warrnambool at the time.This is a 1907 cheque book butt with a pale blue cover and 30 butts of cheques drawn from the Bank of Australasia. The last cheque has been poorly removed and part of the cheque is still in the book. Information on the Bank of Australasia policies is on the inside front cover and the butts have blue printed numbers on them. The information re the cheques drawn is handwritten in black ink. Most of the cheques are drawn to ‘self’. Butt One – ‘ No. A 261,761, 18 Jany, 1907, Self, £1-0-0’bank of australasia, bostock family, manifold family, warrnambool

These hair tongs were used to curl or wave hair. They have the name’ Marcel’ on them. In 1872 Francois Marcel Grateau invented a hairstyle called the ‘Marcel Wave’ where women’s hair styles had mostly deep waves rather than curls. The tongs that were held manually and heated and used at home to produce deep waves or curls become a commonplace item in a woman’s home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the 1930s electric hair tongs were introduced but the non-electric ones continued to be used until the 1950s. These hair tongs belonged to a woman from England and would have been used in the 1930s or 40s. They are a good example of the type of household article used by women 70 or 80 years ago and will be useful for display.This is a scissors-like article with wooden handles and metal blades for waving or curling hair. One blade is heavily curved and the other is a solid round shape. The ends of the blades are tapered. The blades were heated over a stove and used manually to enclose part of a woman’s hair to produce waves or curls. The handles were originally polished black and are somewhat rubbed and the blades and other metal parts are a little rusty. ‘Marcel’ ‘12’ hair curling tongs, warrnambool

This tool belonged to Ernest Brighton Phillips, a Warrnambool furniture maker. Ernest Phillips (1875-1924) was born in Warrnambool and learnt his carpentry trade at the Warrnambool Box Works. In the late 1890s Phillips established a furniture store at the corner of Liebig and Koroit streets and by the early 20th century he had the largest furniture warehouse and factory in Victoria outside of Melbourne. His products were sold all over Australia. Phillips and his family lived at ‘Heatherlie’ in Koroit Street. Today this property is the site of the residential complex for senior citizens known as ‘Heatherlie’. This tool is of considerable interest as it belonged to Ernest Phillips, a prominent businessman in Warrnambool at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It is also of interest as a good example of a tool that was in use 100 years ago. This is a small tool with a wooden handle. The top part of the handle that screws in is missing. The tool is attached to the handle by a brass ring and a screw and the tool itself is a thin nail-like piece of metal with a small metal piece at the end in the shape of a star with six points. This end piece gouges out a hole or a pattern in wood or other hard material. The tool belonged to Ernest Phillips and his name is stamped on the handle. Three oblong-shaped metal nails were also with this tool but were not necessarily used with it. ‘E. Phillips’ernest phillips, history of warrnambool

Bullock teams and bullockies were common sights in Australia in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Bullock teams were used for the transport of heavy goods such as wool, wheat, timber, sugar cane, farm equipment, building supplies etc. and their presence and that of their colourful bullock drivers in the countryside have become part of Australia bush folklore. Bullocks were often favoured over horses as they could pull heavy loads over rough surfaces and were less expensive to maintain. As the bullock teams frequently varied in size (up to 40 bullocks have been recorded in the one team) the whip was always a very long one. This item is of considerable significance as a memento of the days (19th century and early 20th century) when bullock teams were the common form of transport for heavy goods. As in other parts of Australia, bullock teams were a feature of the area around Warrnambool and created much interest when they arrived in the smaller towns. This is a wooden stick, slightly tapered to the top, with a leather binding at the top with a small knob. Attached to the top of the stick is a whip made of plaited leather. The leather is brown and stained and slightly worn. At the end of the whip is a strip of plain leather with a knot at the end. bullocks and bullockies in the western district, warrnambool, history of warrnambool

Red covered pattern book of needlework designs from Briggs of Manchester. Over 130 pages with inserts and advertising specific products in the Briggs range.non-fiction

Made in the early 20th centuryAn iron handmade woodworking tool used to shave wood or metal tools and instruments to size and is used for detailed work. It has a concave blade and two handles. 'RH' is stamped on the right handle. 'RH' stamped on the right handle.tools, woodworking tools, woodcarving tools, handtools, iron

This is a marble stopper bottle from the Port Fairy aerated waters factory of the Webb brothers. A marble stopper bottle was filled upside down so that as soon as the filling stopped the stopper was forced down to seal the bottle against the rubber ring. Pressure inside the bottle would keep the marble pressed against the top of the bottle. To open the bottle the marble was pressed down where it would fall into the neck chamber below. The marble would stay inside the chamber when the bottle was tilted up for drinking. The Webb brothers operated the Port Fairy Aerated Water and Cordial Factory in William Street (no 29) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This bottle is of interest as an example of a marble stopper bottle from the aerated waters factory of the Webb brothers in Port Fairy. Cordial manufacturing was an important industry in Warrnambool and district for over 100 yearsThis is a marble stopper glass bottle. It has a rounded base with a rounded body tapering to a deeply-indented section which forms a narrow neck chamber. The top is rounded moulded glass with an opening. The green marble is loose inside the neck chamber and the rubber ring has been displaced and is at the bottom of the bottle. There is some discolouration inside the bottle from the original contents.‘Webb Bros. Aerated Waters Port Fairy’ cordial manufacturing in warrnambool district

Early 20th Century glass syringe Glass syringe, with open circular hand crip and string resistence wound around cork stopper, with bakelite (?) cap and handle repaired with metal welding. deaf children australia, syringe, ear syringe, glass syringe

A tool used in the early 20th Century.A two piece metal wrench with an adjustable chain that is used to tighten around metal objects. It has a double triangular pointed grooved jaw grip, a handle and chain attached. They provide safe, reliable and powerful torque. The dual reversible jaws allow ratchet action in both directions without removing the chain wrench from the pipe.Stamped on the handle - Drop forged from bar steel by J.H. Williams & Co, Brooklyn, NY. On a grip jaw at the top is stamped - No 1, 'W' in a triangle shape, Patented Oct.4 '81, Dec.13 '81, Mar. 14 '82, Sep.25 '83, Feb.14 '88 and Brook Chain Wrench at the bottom.tools, equipment, hand tools, wrenches, steel

Used in the 19th or early 20th centuryA long handled steel vintage post hole digger with two large curved split blades. Each blade is attached to the top of the handle by three screws. It has a rotating action with the digger boring into the earth as the handle is turned. There is an attachment at the end of the steel handle for a missing turning handle.'S' is stamped on the top of the handle.tools, agricultural tools, farming equipment, garden tools

Used in the 19th and early 20th century.A metal scythe with a long curved wooden handle to manoeuvre the blades. There are also two shorter wooden handles or 'nibs' fitted at an angle to suit the user attached to the main handle by a metal ring. It has two curved pointed cutting blades which are attached by nuts and bolts to the handle.agricultural tools, scythes, cutting tools, agricultural equipment

Sloan's liniment was used in the late19th and early to mid 20th century. Originally used for horses but later advertised as good for Man and Beast.While the bottle of Sloan's liniment has historical value, the link with Warrnambool lies in the chemist's label of J Paterson who operated a business at 186 Timor Street, Warrnambool around the 1930s.Brown glass bottle with black metal screw-top lid. Bottle has a short neck. The indented rear has the maker's name imprinted. The black and white printed paper label has a picture of a man's head and wraps across the front and sides and has a red sticker with the Warrnambool retailer's name..Front: SLOAN'S/FAMILY/LINIMENT/(text obscured)/NEW YORK (obscured) ST LOUIS/NETT CONTENTS 2½ FL. OZS Left side: INSTRUCTIONS-Massage (obscured) gently with/fingers. Then (obscured) liberally with a soft/ flannel cloth or a piece of absorbent cotton. If skin is tender,/do not use./ CAUTION:-COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE./Do not Use near Fire or Flame./Regd Vic 1173 Right side: EXTERNALLY: Recommended by us in the treatment of Muscu-/lar Congestion and Muscular Pain due to the exposure and fatigue or/of rheumatic origin, Lumbago, S--- and sc--- and s--- of/Muscles and Tendons, Neuralgia, (obscured), Stiff Neck, Backache, Bruises, Chilblains, Mosquito Bites and/stings of major non-poisonous insects. An Excellent Counter (obscured) Back: THIS BOTTLE ALWAYS REMAINS/ THE PROPERTY OF/CHAMBERLAIN'S PTY LTD/SYDNEY warrnambool, chemists, timor st, sloan's liniment, paterson j

Lifebuoys are flotation devices used to rescue and save people whose lives are at risk in the water. They are part of a ship's safety equipment. The cork material is very buoyant. The first use of life saving devices in recent centuries was by the Nordic people, who used light weight wood or cork blocks to keep afloat. From the early 20th century Kapok fibre was used as a filling for buoys. Light weight balsa wood was used as a filler after WW1. In 1928 Peter Markus invented and patented the first inflatable life-preserver. By WW2 foam was combined with Kapok. Laws were passed over time that has required aeroplanes and water going-vessels to carry life-preservers on board. The lifebuoy is an example of equipment carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century to help preserve life. There were many lives lost in Australia’s colonial period, particularly along the coast of South West Victoria.Lifebuoy, round cork inner only, no canvas covering.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, lifebuoy, cork lifebuoy, flotation device, safety equipment, life rings, safety ring, life-saving buoy, ring buoy, life preserver, personal floating device, floatation device

These handsaws belonged to a Warrnambool furniture maker and dealer, Ernest Brighton Phillips (1875-1924). He learned cabinet making at the Warrnambool Box Works and established a furniture warehouse at the corner of Liebig and Koroit Streets in the late 1890s. By the early 20th century he had the largest furniture warehouse and factory in Victoria outside Melbourne and his furniture was sold all over Australia. He and his family lived at ‘Heatherlie’ in Koroit Street and today the site of this family home houses the retirement village complex known as ‘Heatherlie’. The makers of these saws was Robert Sorby of the Kangaroo Works in Sheffield, England. This business was established in 1928 and is one of the world’s premier manufacturers of specialist woodworking tools. These two tools are of some significance as they belonged to Ernest Phillips, a prominent businessman in Warrnambool at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. These are also a good example of the type of tools used in the woodworking trade 100 years ago. These are two handsaws which belonged to Ernest Phillips. They have wooden handles attached to the blade by metal screws. One screw is missing on the larger saw. The blades are made of steel with serrated edges and they are inserted into a fold of steel along the top edge. The handles are well-worn and the blades are a little rusty. ‘Robt. Sorby Sheffield Cast Steel’ ‘E. Phillips’ ernest phillips, robert sorby, history of warrnambool