This certificate is an invitation to the opening of the first Parliament of Australia on January 1st 1901 in Melbourne. On this date the six Australian self-governing colonies were federated to become the six states of Australia. The designers of the certificate were Norman Lindsay and John Longstaff. This particular invitation was sent to George Rolfe and his wife and two of his stepdaughters, Annie and Florence. George Rolfe (1836-1919), a tea merchant from Melbourne, began buying blocks of land near the mouth of the Hopkins River in Warrnambool in the 1870s. By the early 1880s Rolfe owned 50 acres in the town, including farming properties and used the buildings near the mouth of the Hopkins as holiday accommodation. He called his property Lyndoch which he improved with the addition of stables, chaff and bone sheds, jetty, boathouse, reservoir, water well and windmill and extensive gardens and he spent most of his later life in this Warrnambool area. Lyndoch today is the site of an aged care facility. This certificate is of considerable importance for two reasons: 1. It is an important memento of a signal event in Australia’s history - the Federation of the States in 1901. 2. The certificate was an invitation to the family of a prominent Warrnambool person – George Rolfe of Lyndoch.This is a piece of thick paper with illustrations and decorations in brown, red, blue, yellow and green tonings. The lettering is in white with coloured capital letters. The images include the shields of the six Australian States, the Coat of Arms of Britain and Australia, outlines of two trees (gum tree and oak tree) and three symbolic female figures representing Justice, Britannia and Australia. The top border decoration represents the waratah flower. The names of the invitees on this certificate have been handwritten in black ink. ‘Opening of the Parliament of the Commonwealth by His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall and York’ ‘Mr G and Mrs Rolfe and the Misses Rolfe (2)’ george rolfe of lyndoch, federation of australia, history of warrnambool, george rolfe, opening of first parliament of australia

This is a hard cover book with a cream and sepia-coloured paper cover and a dark red hard cover with gold lettering. There are 392 pages, including an indexnon-fictionHistory of the Wallace family of Nullawarre and the Burleigh family of Cudgeewallace family, burleigh family, mepunga, oliver wallace, thomas wallace, eliza burleigh, warrnambool history, fermanagh history, cudgee

This ledger relates to the property Kenilworth which is situated near Cavendish, 16 miles from Hamilton on the Wannon River. It was taken up by Thomas Norris in 1839 and originally carried 800 cattle and 20000 sheep on 63000 acres. By 1858 it was in the hands of John Mackersey and Thomas Bostock. In 1859 it belonged outright to John Mackersey who was there until 1870. He was considered a worthy son of a Presbyterian minister and was well regarded in the district for his contributions in church, sport and sheep breeding... However he did not do well and lost the property before going to New Zealand in 1870. These journals provide a yearly record of flock, harvest and yields along with income details. It also provides details relating to rentals, selections and purchases during the era from squatting to freehold land. This journal provides a detailed view of matters relating to the business of sheep farming. It records purchases and stock sold, wool clips, lambs, sheep losses and different breeds. Kenilworth was a significant property in the Western District of Victoria and it dates from a period of early settlement in Victoria.Dark green hard cover with gold lettering. Both covers have in gold lettering: John Mackersey1826-1892 Stock Book 1857-1870. One cover has Horses and cattle and the other, sheep. It is a facsimile copy. The two sections are divided by a green sheet of paper. Acknowledgements to The State Government of Victoria, State Library of Victoria, Hamilton History Centre, Dr G Handbury AO, Margaret Gardiner, Godfrey and Margaret Mackersey, L Alan Brumley, M P Heuval. john mackersey, thomas bostock, thomas norris, kenilworth, history of warrnambool

John Mackersey farmed the property Kenilworth which is situated near Cavendish, 16 miles from Hamilton on the Wannon River. It was taken up by Thomas Norris in 1839 and originally carried 800 cattle and 20000 sheep on 63000 acres. By 1858 it was in the hands of John Mackersey and Thomas Bostock. In 1859 it belonged outright to John Mackersey who was there until 1870. He was considered a worthy son of a Presbyterian minister and was well regarded in the district for his contributions in church, sport and sheep breeding. However he did not do well and lost the property before going to New Zealand in 1870. This publication contains the typed transcripts of his journals, stock books.A significant collection of documentation of one of Western Victorian earliest settlers, depicting many aspects of life at that time.Dark blue hard cover with gold lettering on front cover and spine. It is a typed copy of the original handwritten journals. There are seven sections each separated by a title sheet of blue paper. Acknowledgements to The State Government of Victoria, State Library of Victoria, Hamilton History Centre, Dr G Handbury AO, Margaret Gardiner, Godfrey and Margaret Mackersey, L Alan Brumley, M P Heuval. john mackersey, kenilworth, thomas norris, thomas bostock, warrnambool history

This booklet tells the story of the Presbyterian church over 100 years at Woodford. It contains photos and information about people associated with church over that time. This booklet gives an overview of the people associated with the church.Small blue coloured paper cover with black text. Some black and white photos included in bookletwoodford, woodford presbyterian church history, warrnambool

These pages of accounts are from the firm of Mackay Taylor, Lawyers, a prominent firm in Warrnambool for over 100 years. The Warrnambool legal businesses of George Mackay and James Fletcher merged in 1893 and was known as Fletcher and Mackay. In the 1920s Mr Mackay took J. McD Taylor as a partner and the premises at 131 Kepler Street were built about that time, with the firm being known as Mackay and Taylor. After the original partners died there was a succession of partners with the legal firm continuing as Mackay Taylor until the 1990s. These account sheets from a prominent 20th century legal firm in Warrnambool are of considerable importance as they document the legal records of many Warrnambool and district personalities from the early 20th century. The information contained in the sheets will therefore add to the known history of many local people from the past and will be very useful to researchers.These are handwritten accounts for bills to be paid to Mackay Taylor Lawyers for services rendered. The accounts are described in detail and are written on quarto size paper with the requisite red lines already printed on the pages. There are over 100 sheets and they date from 1938 to 1940. There are also two original Certificates of Title for Eva Willis (1916, portion of land in Cramer Street) and Archie Jackson (1924, portion of land in Cramer Street). warrnambool, warrnambool lawyers

This calendar was issued to customers of Harry Taylors Mens Shopin Warrnambool in 1962. Harry Taylor came to Warrnambool in 1932 and opened a menswear shop in Liebig Street. By 1962 Harry’s sons were running two shops at 132 and 136 Liebig Street. In the 1980s the shop at 132 Liebig Street was known as Taylors Colonial. Today this shop is still operated by members of the Taylor family under the name of Surfodesy. Members of the Taylor family been associated with men’s wear and sports wear shops in Warrnambool, for over 80 years and so any historical item connected with the shops is of some importance. The production for customers of a yearly calendar by businesses was, and still is, a feature of our social history.This is a 1962 calendar printed in blue and red on white paper. It has been produced for Harry Taylor’s Men’s Shop in Warrnambool and features two photographs, one of Margaret Smith, the tennis player and one of the Duke of Edinburgh. There is much typed material showing dates etc of prominent sports activities in Australia in 1962. A calendar for 1962 is at the bottom of the page.warrnambool, calendar

This book gives details of the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance, war memorials and monuments in suburbs and towns and cities around Victoria and descriptions of the lives of some Victoria war heroes of the Boer War, World Wars One and Two, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.This book is of some local interest as it contains information on war memorials and war heroes in Warrnambool and other district localities. It will be useful for research This is a hard cover book with a multi-coloured paper dust jacket with an image of a soldier on the front and yellow and white lettering. The book is red-coloured with white lettering on the spine. Cover – A Guide to Victoria’s Wartime Heritage – Remember Themmelbourne shrine of rememberance, war history, warrnambool

This album contains a collection of family photos, greeting cards and hand drawn floral emblems. Among the photographs are two which have details on them: a young girl named Margaret Clarke aged 8 1870 and another of Charles Alexander Clarke. The photographers are from many places including Britain, Melbourne, Portland and a number by Daniel Clarke of Warrnambool. Daniel Clarke was one of Warrnambool’s more important photographers, operating a business for thirty years in the town. He also worked as an artist and taught art in local schools. He painted a number of versions of Tower Hill. He died in 1918 at the age of 91.This album shows a collection of photographs and cards which were important to families in the later part of the 19th century. It has artistic and historical significance, with the photographs in particular depicting many different styles of clothing and household details of the time. Brown leather with a figured pattern and gold detail. Bent metal clasp Back cover in cross-hatched pattern. Spine has 5 horizontal lines. Edges of pages are edged in gold. Pale grey water wave patterned paper inside front and back covers. Pages inside are varied with some having coloured floral embellishments while others have pockets to hold from 1 to 4 photographs or card. One photograph of young boy has Charles Alexander Clarke written on bottom in black pen. A card with illustration of honeysuckle on front, has With Love to Mrs. Smith from Isabel,warrnambool, history of warrnambool, margaret clarke aged 8 1870, charles alexander clarke 1870, daniel clarke photographer

Warrnambool Football Club was formed in June 1861 making it one of the earliest clubs formed in Australia and many of the earliest players and associates were members also of the Warrnambool Cricket club which was established around 1854. Games of various sized teams were played in the early years and it was in 1889 that the Warrnambool and District Football Association was formed. The year marked with the celebration of this dinner, was important in the club’s history as it marked their entry into the wider Hampden football league, where it still plays to the present day. As the venue for this dinner, the Commercial Hotel on the corner of Liebig and Timor Sts, was commonly used in the early days as a club meeting place. The history of the club was recorded in “The Birth of the Blues” by Ron Cole, Harry Keilar, Ron McCorkell and Ian Wright, in 2007.The Warrnambool Football club is one of the longest surviving sporting clubs in the Warrnambool district and as such, would have involved or touched the lives of many of its residents. This serviette marks a dinner which was an important event in the history of the Warrnambool Football Club. White crepe paper with circular bell pattern, which has been embellished in each corner with pink flowers and green leaves. Centre of circle printed in large red lettering.WFC Complimentary Dinner Saturday Oct. 21st 1933 Commercial hotel.warrnambool, warrnambool football club, wfc dinner 1933, commercial hotel 1933, commercial hotel

The Warrnambool Baptist Church in Koroit Street celebrated 150 years of formal worship in 2014. This book gives a brief overview of those years from 1964 to 2014 as the first 100 years have been recorded elsewhere. The book gives details on resident ministers, women’s and men’s fellowship societies, missionary work, local church activities and Sunday School classes. The book is of some importance as it gives us a good picture of the Baptist Church in Warrnambool over the past 50 years. It will be useful for researchers and for others interested in the Church’s activities. The author is well-known in Warrnambool as a former pharmacist and a volunteer worker in historical and cultural spheres (Flagstaff Hill, Mahogany Ship Committee, Portuguese Festival etc)This is a paper back book of 52 pages. It has a red cover with a colour photograph of the interior of the Warrnambool Baptist Church. The pages are glued together. The book contains printed material, black and white and colour photographs and illustrations. Front Cover: ‘Loving God, Loving people’ – A Brief History of Warrnambool and District Baptist Church 1964 to 2014 warrnambool, warrnambool baptist church

This DVD gives information about the Pye family. Thomas Pye came to Sydney as convict in 1837 and was assigned to work for Captain Sylvester Brown and came to the Port Philip district with his master. Sylvester's son, Thomas, travelled to the Western District in 1844 and took Thomas and his wife. Mary with him. Thomas Browne later wrote novels under the name of Rolf Boldrewood . In his book " Old Melbourne Memories " Thomas Pye is given the name Joe Burge. Thomas Browne established the property "Squattlesea Mere" and Thomas Pye and his family settled in Port Fairy and then in Bessiebelle. Today this little settlement has many Pye descendants. The other matter of interest is that Thomas Pye's son,Charles Pye, gained the Victoria Cross in India and is buried at Tower Hill. his DVD is of historical interest because it records the story of the Pye family in the Western District.This is a DVD with blue hand writing on the front and an accompanying sheet of paper showing an English country scene. It is enclosed in a plastic mesh envelope.TAPESTRY Our Pye Family history through all generations by Elizabeth Pye.pye family, warrnambool, captain sylvester brown, thomas browne, rolf boldrewood

The Shire of Warrnambool operated toll gates from 1866 to 1869 as a means of revenue rai sing for road construction. There were three toll gate locations – on the main Belfast (Port Fairy) Road at Dennington Bridge, on the Woodford Road at Russells Creek and on the Geelong Road at the Allansford Bridge. The toll gates were unpopular and unprofitable for the lessees as travellers were able to avoid the tax by skirting around the gates. They had toll houses besides the gates. The printers of these tickets, Fairfax and Laurie were the lessees at the time of the Warrnambool Examiner newspaper. This paper, founded by Richard Osburne and John Wilkinson, and published with some gaps from 1851 to 1880, is a key source today of Warrnambool’s history at that time. These toll gates tickets are significant because:- 1. They date back to the 1860s and were only issued from 1866 to 1869. 2. They are the only artefacts we hold of the time when toll gates were operating in our local district 3. They are the best example of how the Shire of Warrnambool in its early history raised revenue for road building and maintenance This is a book of toll gate tickets for sale at the Main Belfast (Port Fairy) Road Toll Gate. The tickets (about 50) are yellow and in duplicate with provision to detach the outer ticket for the purchaser to keep. The tickets (two shillings and sixpence) are bound with an adhesive tape and the cover is mottled in pattern (brown and blue). There are also four loose tickets in blue (3 shillings). Back Cover: ‘136’ Tickets in book: ‘Shire of Warrnambool, Main Belfast Road, Toll Gate 2s 6d., Fairfax and Laurie, Printers’ Loose tickets: ‘Shire of Warrnambool, Main Belfast Road, Toll Gate, 3s.’ shire of warrnambool, toll gates

The Shire of Warrnambool operated toll gates from 1866 to 1869 as a means of raising revenue for road construction. There were three toll gate locations – on the main Belfast (Port Fairy) Road at Dennington Bridge, on the Woodford Road at Russells Creek and on the Geelong Road at the Allansford Bridge. The toll gates were unpopular and unprofitable for the lessees as travellers were able to avoid the tax by skirting around the gates. They had toll houses besides the tollgates. The printers of these tickets, William Fairfax and Henry Laurie, were the lessees at the time of the Warrnambool Examiner newspaper. This paper, founded by Richard Osburne and John Wilkinson, and published with some gaps from 1851 to 1880, is a key source today of Warrnambool’s history at the time. These toll gate tickets are significant because:- 1. They date back to the 1860s and were only issued from 1866 to 1869 2. They are the only artefacts we hold of the time when toll gates were operating in our local district 3. They are the best example of how the Shire of Warrnambool in its early history raised revenue for road building and maintenance. These are eleven toll gate tickets, ten for the Belfast (Port Fairy) Road toll gate and one for the Woodford Road toll gate. One is mounted on a Swintons store label (6 pence) and four are mounted on cardboard (2 shillings, sixpence, and two shillings and sixpence) and six are loose (three shillings, two shillings and sixpence and threepence). The Belfast Road tickets are yellow, green, blue and cream and the Woodford Road one is white. All have black printing. There is also an undated newspaper cutting with information on the toll gate tickets. Belfast Tickets: Shire of Warrnambool, Main Belfast Road, Toll Gate and the price Woodford Road: Shire of Warrnambool, Woodford Road, Toll Gate, 1s 6d Six of the eleven tickets also have ‘Fairfax and Laurie, Printers’ The sixpence ticket on card has the name R P Christian in ink written on the back of the card. shire of warrnambool, toll gates, r p christian, woodford road, main belfast road, swintons pty ltd

This is the program of the 2014-5 exhibition at the Warrnambool Art Gallery, ‘From the Sacred to the Profane – The Challenges and Possibilities of Renaissance Art’. This exhibition was a joint project between the National Gallery of Victoria and the Warrnambool Art Gallery and was officially opened in December 2014 by the Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Tony Ellwood. This program is of interest as a souvenir of an exhibition in Warrnambool that was an important one as it featured historical and valuable works of art from the National Gallery of Victoria. This is a sheet of paper folded to make six sides. One side has a plasticized surface. The pages have a black background with white and red printing on five sides and a colour photograph of a painting on the front page. The back page has the logos of the Warrnambool Art Gallery Foundation, the Victorian State Government, Arts Victoria, Warrnambool City Council and Deakin Worldly.national gallery of victoria, warrnambool art gallery, art in victoria, renaissance art, warrnambool history

This magazine lists events and exhibitions which are current at this time. The events listed range from an interview with a local artist to exhibitions, designer of the month, public programs, and Sunday musicA record of current events and some of the people involved in the Warrnambool Art Gallery. 14 page magazine. Cover is black and white with some orange highlights. Most of the pages are printed in colour. Back cover is orange.warrnambool history, warrnambool art gallery 2014, warrnambool wag

The Flagstaff Beacon was printed weekly from 14th July 1979 to 5th October 1979. The paper was published in Warrnambool by Trevor Alan Mackay (Ennisclay Pty Ltd) and the address was listed as 104 Liebig Street with the Classified Department at 148 Fairy Street. The name of this paper was a reference to the two operating lighthouses on Flagstaff Hill in Warrnambool. The Flagstaff Beacon was delivered free to Warrnambool householders but extra copies could be obtained for 20 cents a copy. The paper produced the usual newspaper material – current news, sport, real estate, movies, women’s news, motoring, advertisements etc. In August 1979 the Flagstaff Beacon offered colour reproductions of any photographs appearing in the paper. This was described as the first service of its kind to be offered in Victoria. These newspapers are of considerable interest as they are some of the few surviving copies of the 1979 Warrnambool paper, The Flagstaff Beacon. They also are of historical interest because of their news items and their advertisements. These are 13 copies of the Warrnambool newspaper, The Flagstaff Beacon. The newspapers are printed in black and white with a masthead featuring a colour – mainly red and orange. The masthead also has an image of a lighthouse, perhaps the Upper Lighthouse at Warrnambool. Most of the copies have 20 pages. The copies have some staining where they have been folded. warrnambool newspapers, the flagstaff beacon, history of warrnambool

Tait collection: item 33 of 62 This probate document gives details of the will of Thomas Smith, a farmer in the Wangoom district who was a pioneer settler, having arrived in the area about 1848. He erected the Shamrock Hotel in Dennington in 1868 and it was opened for business in 1869 with David Duffy as the first licensee. Thomas Smith was the licensee in 1870 and members of his family (Cornelius, Robert and Mary Smith) held the licence of the hotel until 1880. A codicil to the will gave Mary Smith, Thomas’ daughter, the hotel land and building. This hotel closed in 2011. Thomas Smith signed the original will with a cross (his mark). Other names mentioned in the probate document are Frederick Wilkinson, Master-in-Equity, Ernest Chambers, Solicitor, John Drayton, Clerk to E. Chambers, William Ardlie, Senior, Solicitor, Thomas Goodall, Clerk to William Ardlie, Richard Sheldrick, Clerk to William Ardlie, Walter Davies, Stationer.This is a significant document as Thomas Smith was a prominent owner of land, especially in the Dennington area. The Shamrock Hotel in Dennington was built by Smith and still owned by him when he died in 1880. The will gives important details of the estate of Thomas Smith and adds to our knowledge of his life and work. Document – Probate, 1880/1907 - the Will and Codicil of Thomas Smith, Farmer of Dennington The will has six ruled paper pages of typewritten material. Each page has printed ruled red lines top, bottom and sides and all are tied with green corded string. There are handwritten corrections and signatures, including those of Ernest Chambers, Solicitor of Warrnambool and John Drayton, Clerk to E. Chambers.Thomas Smith Shamrock Hotel, Dennington Ernest Chambers, Solicitor thomas smith wangoom 1848, shamrock hotel dennington, warrnambool history, thomas smith 1880

Tait collection: item 37 of 62 This is a document giving details of the Will and Probate of Caroline Manton who died in 1889 and was the wife of Frederick Manton and lived at ‘Tenilba’ in Domain Street, South Yarra. She left personal estate to the value of £536 for the benefit of her husband and children but no other details on her life have been found. The lawyer in the case was Ernest Chambers who had legal offices in Port Fairy, Koroit and Warrnambool at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. This document was in his possession in his Warrnambool office and it was passed down to successive lawyers in the legal premises in Kepler Street, Warrnambool and located in 2014 in the same building, the former legal premises of Mackay Taylor. This document is of minor interest as it does not appear to have any relevance to local Warrnambool history except that the lawyer involved had legal offices in Warrnambool.This is a cream-coloured parchment paper of three pages stitched together with black cord. There is handwritten material written in brown-coloured ink on five pages. The seal of the Supreme Court of Victoria is attached with black ribbon. The ink on the front page is fading and difficult to read.caroline manton, ernest chambers, tait collection

Tait collection: item 42 of 62 This is a document giving details of the Will and Probate of Patrick White, a farmer from Codrington who died in 1883. He left personal estate to the value of £316, with the beneficiaries being his wife, Eleanor and his son George. The lawyer concerned with this document was Ernest Chambers who had legal offices in Port Fairy, Koroit and Warrnambool at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. He had possession of this document and it was passed down to successive lawyers occupying the legal premises in Kepler Street, Warrnambool and located in this Kepler Street building in 2014. This document is of minor significance as Patrick White was not a resident of Warrnambool. The interest lies in the fact that the lawyer, Ernest Chambers, practised in Warrnambool in the 19th centuryThis is a cream-coloured piece of parchment paper containing details of the Will and Probate of Patrick White of Codrington who died in 1883. The paper is folded in two and the edges of the pages have blue lines ruled on them. There is handwritten material (black ink) on three of the pages. The seal of the Supreme Court of Victoria is attached with olive-green ribbon and there are five red stamps of the Master in Equity of the Supreme Court. The writing is fading in places but the document is readable. In the Supreme Court of the Colony of Victoria In the Probate Jurisdiction In the Will of Patrick White late of Codrington in the Colony of Victoria Farmer deceasedpatrick white,, codrington, ernest chambers, warrnambool history

This is a novel written by Ethel Patricia Stonehouse under the name of Lindsay Russell. She was born in Nhill in 1883 and was educated at Charlton State School. From 1894 on she wrote verse and short stories and worked as a journalist in Melbourne. She published her first novel in Melbourne in 1912 and lived for a time in London where she met Dr John Scott whom she married in 1914. After the First World War she came to live at Mortlake and her novel writing ceased. Most of her novels are about women rebelling –against Catholicism, Calvinism, the English class system and the restraints of marriage. Her railings against the Catholic Church and the oppression of women caused her to be a controversial figure, especially in Mortlake, but she was a popular novelist with one of her books, ‘Smouldering Fires’, selling over 100,000 copies in Australia alone. She died in 1964. No details on the inscription or the recipient of the book, ‘Isie’ have been found. The name, ‘Glasgow’ suggests that the book at some stage was connected with the Glasgow family of Wangoom. They were important local dairy farmers and cheese makers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.This book is of great interest because it was written by an Australian woman and one who lived for many years in Mortlake, a town close to Warrnambool. The connection with the Glasgow family is also of interest. This is a hard cover book of 320 pages. The book has a dark blue cover with gold lettering on the front cover and spine and some gold scroll work on the front cover. The book has a Prologue and 22 chapters and contains advertisements at the front and the back of the book for other books published by Ward, Lock & Co. There is a black and white illustration at the front of the book with a piece of tissue paper covering it. The page at the front of the book that contains an inscription is detached. The inscription and another annotation are written in black ink. The cover is partly detached from the pages and the cover is marked and worn. ‘To Isie Wishing her many happy returns of the day From Father, 15-9-14’ ‘Glasgow’ lindsay russell, ethel stonehouse, history of mortlake, australian literature, warrnambool history

This book belonged to Captain Charles Rogers of the Australian Army. He was part of the Guard of Honour during the visit of the Duke of Gloucester in 1934. The visit was part of Victoria’s Centenary celebrations. Rogers was a well-known Warrnambool identity in the 1930s, 40s and 50s as a horseman and an army man. He was a long-serving Warrnambool Agricultural Show official as a judge of equine events. He died in 1961. The book is of interest as it belonged to a well-known resident of Warrnambool in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. This is a hard cover book of 1068 pages. It has a red cover with black printing on the spine. The book has an Introduction, textual material on military law in three Sections and an Index. It also has several pages of advertisements printed on pink paper at the front of the book. The cover at the top part of the spine is torn away, there is evidence of silverfish damage in several places and the text has been annotated in many places, in handwriting in red ink. There is a signature of the owner in pencil on the one of the first pages and blue stamps of the Warrnambool & District Historical Society on the same page and on a back page. There is evidence of mould on the back cover.‘C.A.Rogers’ captain charles rogers, military law, history of warrnambool

This book was written by Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), a famous and influential English Protestant preacher who attracted a great following in the 19th century, not only in England, but throughout the British Empire and U.S.A. He reached the masses by producing many religious tracts, costing one penny, and publishing his sermons and his John Ploughman books with their simple homilies. These books were sub-titled ‘Plain Talk for Plain People’ with the copy we have being the second in the series labelled ‘140th thousand’ and published in 1892, the year of Spurgeon’s death. It appears that Spurgeon’s books were in many a home in Warrnambool in the 19th century. This book is of great interest as one which was familiar to many residents of Warrnambool and district in the 19th century. Charles Spurgeon was apparently widely known to Warrnambool residents in the 19th century. The Warrnambool Examiner newspaper frequently carried news items about Spurgeon’s eloquent preaching and the crowds he was drawing. It also published some of his sermons from time to time and reported at length his final illness and death. One of the unidentified photograph albums in the collection of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society contains a photograph of Charles Spurgeon and his wife. This is a book of 158 pages with some of the pages missing at the end. The book is coverless and held together with string and a piece of glued paper. The text has 38 short instructional articles with many black and white illustrations. The first and last pages are torn and almost detached. history of warrnambool

This recipe book has been compiled by Mrs W. Moffatt to raise funds for the Wickliffe Hall Improvement Fund (1915). Wickliffe is a small town in Western Victoria situated on the banks of the Hopkins River on the Glenelg Highway 100 kilometres from Warrnambool. Jessie Moffatt (nee McLellan) married William Moffatt in 1885 and died in 1938. William Moffatt leased the Berrambool Estate near Wickliffe in 1893, bought it in 1903 and the Moffatts lived there until their deaths in the 1930s. This recipe book is of interest because of its social history, telling us what recipes were popular in the early 1900s and the use made of a recipe book to raise funds for local community funds. The book is also of interest because it is an example of the voluntary work done by a woman in the Western District in the early 20th century. The book is also of interest because the names of some of those who contributed the recipes are listed and many of them have local connections. The Warrnambool names listed include Williams and McCormick. This is a soft cover book of 149 pages. The cover is grey with dark blue lettering and some ornamental patterning. The book contains over 1400 recipes and many advertisements for businesses in Victoria at the back and front of the book. There are two loose sheets of paper with recipes. The binding has come apart and has been loosely mended with adhesive tape. The cover and some of the pages are a little tattered. jessie and william moffatt of berrambool, history of warrnambool

This note-pad and holder perhaps belonged to Jessie Bell whose name is written on the first page. There are several entries on the pages and the dates range from 1908 to 1929. The entries include references to a Banquet for Mr J. Duffus, Purnim, 1912, Jack Ross’ Wedding Party, Dennington, 1912, R.J. Jones’ Dance, Woolshed, 1928 and Leila Jenkins’ 21st Birthday Party, 1928. This notebook and holder is of interest because it is an example of the type of appointment book used by the more affluent in the early 20th century. This is a heavily-embossed silver note-pad holder with a hinged lid on the front and clips at the side to hold a pencil. The writing material inside the pencil is missing. The back of the holder has a blank space in the middle where a name can be inscribed. At the top of the holder is a ring, holding a chain with an ornamented clip at the end. This enables the holder and pad to be hooked over a belt or lapel. Inside the holder are fifty paper pages on which to write appointments or notes. The pages are gilt-paged. The paper contains several notes handwritten in pencil re dances, parties etc. First Page: ‘Jessie A. Bell, Warrumyea, Wangoom, Warrnambool’ jessie bell, appointment book, warrnambool history

Satchels such as these were commonly used by young boys to carry their lunch and school items between school and home. They were used commonly in the days when much of the requirements such as slates and paper were used as class sets. They proved to be serviceable and required only the most basic of maintenace as in stitching, to be kept in good order. Being adjustable they would also serve a student for a number of years.No information is available on Henry Alexander Cain of Surrey Hills.A common item with which many people would identify.Brown leather rectanular satchel with gusset on either side . It is fastened on the front with two metal buckles and has four adjustable leather back straps attached to the bag with metal studs. These are adjustable through holes in the leather straps. Likewise the front straps can be fastened in a number of different holes. The leather has an overall snake skin pattern.Solid leather is stamped in the leather on the front. henry Alexander Cain ******Rd Surrey Hillswarrnambool, school history, boy's school bag

The Davidson brothers, James and John, were pioneer settlers in the Warrnambool district, with John establishing th property of Rosebrook in Woodford and James establishing the homestead of Woodend in West Warrnambool. Another brother William was an early storekeeper in Woolsthorpe. He died in 1904 and may be the W. Davidson who was the recipient of this book. The Midgleys came to the Yangery Creek area in 1852 and established the property of Yangery Grange. Mrs Midgley presumably belonged to one of these families from pioneer times. Ethel Davidson would be a descendant of one of the Davidson families but there were several women with this name born in the 19th century though one born to a William Davidson in 1887 may be the later owner of this book. This book is of interest because of its connection to members of the Davidson families – pioneer settlers in the Warrnambool area.This is a hard cover book of 461 pages. The cover is dark red with some ornamental borders and gold lettering. The book has two black and white full page illustrations, with the first one protected with tissue paper. The inscriptions are handwritten in blue and black ink. ‘To W. Davidson from Mrs Midgley’ ‘Ethel M. Davidson’ william davidson, ethel davidson, history of warrnambool.

This book has been given to John Ardlie by Lewis Gilles in 1866. John Martin Ardlie came to Warrnambool in 1852 as the Clerk of Courts and remained in this position until 1868. He died in 1872. He was a leading figure in community affairs for twenty years and Ardlie Street in Warrnambool is named after him. His family home was Wyton, site of the old convent at Emmanuel College today. Lewis Gilles, important in the early history of Tasmania as a bank owner and breeder of cattle, came to Warrnambool in 1854 as the first resident Police Magistrate. He remained until 1866 when he went to England (the occasion of his presentation of this book to John Ardlie). He died in 1884 in South Australia. Gilles Street in Warrnambool is named after him.This book is of high significance because of its connection to two very important early residents of Warrnambool – John Ardlie and Lewis Gilles. This is a hard cover book of 336 pages. The cover is brown with gold ornamentation and lettering on the front cover and spine. The pages are gilt-edged. The first letter of each hymn is ornamented and there is an illustration covered with tissue paper on the first page. One page shows silverfish damage and the cover is partly detached from the binding. The cover is frayed in places and a little stained. The inscription is handwritten in black ink. ‘Presented to J. M. Ardlie by his friend and comrade L.W. Gilles 1864 Worthing Sussex on departing from Warrnambool 4 May 1866’. john ardlie, lewis gilles, history of warrambool

This is an early map of the Borough of Warrnambool (1872/3) showing the central town area of Warrnambool and the surrounding district. Reserves, public buildings and some businesses are marked. The map was photolithographed by John Noone, a Melbourne artist and photographer who claimed in 1858 to have the oldest-existing photographic studio in Melbourne. Photolithography was a process first developed in Melbourne. For several years Noone was the official photographer for the Victorian Crown Lands Office and for the Victorian Public Library and Museum. The map has the stamp of the seller of the map – Charles Hider, the well-known stationer and bookseller in Timor Street, Warrnambool. The owner of the map, Henry George Marfell, (1883-1962) was the son of John and Mary Ann Marfell. The Marfells were well-known in Warrnambool as grain merchants and managers of the Warrnambool Co-Operative Milling Company. It is surmised from the writing on the Marfell label that this map was at some stage given by Henry Marfell to the old Warrnambool MuseumThis map of early Warrnambool is of considerable significance, firstly because its original state and early date (1873) make it of antiquarian and historical interest. Also the connection with the names, Charles Hider and Henry Marfell and the old Museum gives it added provenance and interest.This is a wax paper map mounted on cloth. At the top it is attached by nails to a piece of wood and at the top it has a cloth ring for hanging the map. The map is in black shadings on a yellow background. The map is badly creased and coming away from the cloth at the edges and at other various points. There is some red or pink marking or staining on the township area of the map (originally the sold lands on this map were coloured in brown and the reserves, buildings, etc in pink). On the left hand corner there is a piece of paper glued on with some handwriting in ink (Marfell). There is also the stamp of the seller of the map – Charles Hider, stationer and bookseller, of Timor Street Warrnambool‘Early Map of W’bool, H.G. Marfell’ history of warrnambool, charles hider, henry marfell

This is a programme of a concert called ‘The All Nations Night’ staged by the Warrnambool Orchestral Society and held in the Warrnambool Town Hall on Show Night, November 13th 1902. The conductor was Louis Bayer (1857-1907). Born in Germany, Bayer came to Warrnambool in 1891 and with his wife taught piano, violin, orchestration and singing and established the Warrnambool Orchestral Society. In 1896-7 Louis Bayer was the musical director at the Warrnambool Industrial and Art Exhibition, writing the Cantata for the opening ceremony and directing over 60 performances, including 22 operas and many concerts. Bayer was a composer and wrote several operas including one called ‘Federation’. Bayer’s wife was an accompaniste at this ‘All Nations Night’ concert and his son, Otto was the horn player. The concert featured the soloists, Nellie McClelland, Lucy Meares, W.D. Thomson and D. Williams. The concert may have been sponsored by Youngers Stores. This large department store was established in 1888 and closed in the 1980s. This programme is of great significance as it featured a 1902 concert conducted by Louis Bayer, one of the most important musical identities in Warrnambool’s history. These are two sheets of green-coloured paper folded in two to make eight pages. The printed material is in black type. The pages include the concert programme, a list of members of the orchestra and several advertisements for Youngers Stores. The front page has the concert title (‘The All Nations Night’) in a text box bordered by a floral pattern. The pages are a little torn at the edges. younger & co, warrnambool, history of warrnambool, louis bayer