Bushfire behaviour is influenced by many things including temperature, relative humidity, forest type, fuel quantity and fuel dryness, topography and even slope. Wind has a dominant effect on the Rate of Spread (ROS), and also bushfire size, shape and direction. Fuel arrangement is as important as fuel quantity (tonnes/ha). Fibrous and ribbon bark, together with elevated and near-surface scrub fuels act as ladders which lead flames into the tree canopy. But the availability of fuel to burn depends largely on its moisture content. When it exceeds 20-25% not much will burn, whereas 12-15% is generally ideal for fuel reduction burning, but if the moisture content drops as low as 7-10% virtually everything will ignite, and fire behaviour becomes extreme. During the afternoon of the Ash Wednesday bushfires on 16 February 1983 fuel moisture contents were recorded at Stawell as low as 2.7%. Fine fuels like leaves and bark can rapidly absorb moisture after a shower of rain, or from the air when the Relative Humidity (RH) is high, and the temperature is low. Conversely, they can also dry out very quickly. So even though the overall fuel quantity in the forest doesn’t change, the fine fuel availability can increase rapidly from zero after rain to many tonnes per hectare as the fuel dries out. This can happen over a few hours on hot and windy days. Heavy fuels like logs on the ground take longer to dry out. Since the 1930s foresters, firefighters and researchers have been working to develop quick and reliable techniques for measuring fuel moisture content. One of the most accurate methods is slowly drying a sample of fuel in a conventional oven for 24-48 hours to remove all the moisture and measuring the weight difference, but this takes time and is not practical in the field when rapid measurements are needed. But oven drying is often used as a benchmark to compare other methods. Microwave ovens are faster but can cause uneven drying and even char the fuel. They are also not very practical for use in the field. Some mathematical models rely on weather records such as rainfall, wind speed, evaporation, cloud cover, shading, relative humidity, slope, aspect and season of the year to predict soil and fuel moisture. The Keetch-Byram Drought Index of soil dryness is the most common. But complex fuels with leaves, twigs, grass etc make the predictive models often inadequate for fine fuels. The most common technique in Victorian forests until recently was the trusty Speedy Moisture Meter. Originally developed in England during the 1920s for measuring moisture in wheat and other grains it was adapted for Australian forest fuels in the 1950s (I think). Fuel was first ground using a Spong mincer, often attached to the bullbar of a vehicle, and a small sample placed into the Speedy together with a measure of calcium carbide and then sealed. A chemical reaction created gas pressure which was read on the external dial. There were important techniques with cleaning, mincing and using the chemicals with the Speedy to give reliable readings, but it was quick, inexpensive, robust, portable and practical in the field. It was used routinely before igniting a fuel reduction burn or measuring fuel moisture differentials on slash burns. But in about 1996, Karen Chatto and Kevin Tolhurst from the Department’s Creswick Research Station developed the Wiltronics Fuel Moisture meter which measured electrical resistance. Wiltronics is an Australian owned company operating from Ballarat. The final result was a kit that was portable, accurate and could reliably measure fuel moisture contents between 3% and 200%. Although expensive, it is now widely used by fire agencies around the world which has virtually relegated the Speedy to the back cupboard.Prototype Fuel moisture meterT-H Fine Fuel Meterforests commission victoria (fcv), bushfire, forest measurement

Vassilieff dynamited rock from his own property to build his house. Stonygrad is reminiscent of a grotto and in parts, of a sculpture. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p135 Stonygrad, the home built by Expressionist painter and sculptor Danila Vassilieff, is reminiscent of a grotto and in parts, of a sculpture. Vassilieff, who amongst others influenced painter Sydney Nolan and Albert Tucker, was a member of the artists group the Angry Penguins. He was also a highly regarded art teacher at the nearby Koornong Experimental School and taught at Eltham High School. Art critic Robert Hughes described Vassilieff’s painting as ‘lyrical without social commentary’, and said Vassilieff was ‘the most oddly neglected artist in recent Australian History’. Vassilieff, who was born in 1897 in Russia, had an unusually adventurous life before he settled in Warrandyte. The 12th of 18 children, he lived on a farm in the Don Basin. Vassilieff trained with the Imperial Military Academy at St Petersburg and fought in World War One as an officer in the White Russian Army against the communists. In 1920 he was captured, then escaped from prison, stole a horse and rode bareback 150 miles to the Black Sea, helped at first by Tartar freebooters. He then travelled to India, Shanghai and arrived in Queensland as a refugee in 1923 where he began painting. He and his wife Anisia bought a sugar farm near Ingram, and later he constructed railway lines at Mataranka, in the Northern Territory.4 In 1929 Vassilieff went to Brazil for formal art training from former fellow-officer Dmitri Ismailovich, but he soon left to travel up the Amazon River. He then worked as a sidewalk artist in the West Indies and travelled for two years in England, France and Spain. In 1937 he arrived in Melbourne where he lived until his death in 1958. His first major Australian series was the Carlton streetscapes and from 1951 he sculpted in local hard limestone. Vassilieff rejected all dogma and regarded religious subjects as suitable only for decorative arts. In 1944 he helped defeat a communist attempt to take over the Contemporary Art Society. For a short time, from around 1955, Vassilieff taught at various Victorian schools. The Angry Penguins painted mainly between 1937 and 1947, and included Arthur Boyd, Albert Tucker, Sidney Nolan and Joy Hester. The group formed as they felt isolated from European thought and art (including Surrealism) from which their work was derived. They were also angry at what they considered to be the complacency and insularity of their society. They maintained Australians at first were scarcely aware of the threats of the Wall Street Crash and Hitler and were little interested in the Spanish Civil War. The Angry Penguins also objected to the White Australia Policy. Hughes said although most of the Melbourne Expressionists in the 1940s were unskilled and their work crude in style, they helped jolt Australian painting from its pastoral complacency. Their style influenced nearly every painting produced by significant figurative artists in Melbourne in the 1950s such as Charles Blackman. From 1939 Vassilieff built Stonygrad, mainly with local stone. The house stands at the end of a private road surrounded by trees with the quiet occasionally broken by the sounds of bellbirds. To build his house Vassilieff dynamited rock and cut trees from his own property. The original section of the three-level house is of irregular-shaped pieces of solid stone, exposed inside like the exterior. Vassilieff later built sections with timber and brick. Inside is rustic and cave-like, and several rooms are linked by arched openings with no doors. One undulating wall was carved out of rock from which two sculptured heads protrude. Several ceilings are of rough-hewn logs and the built-in table and bookcase are rough, as is a timber ladder leading to a bedroom. Not for the elderly or unsteady! Yet the general impression in the muted light is beautiful, with artistic originality.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, danila vassilieff, hamilton road, north warrandyte, stonygrad

The black and white photograph depicts the Lady Bay Lighthouse Complex at Flagstaff Hill, Warrnambool. It was opened on this site in 1871. From left to right, the Chartroom (previously named the Store), Upper Lighthouse, Flagstaff, Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters. The bluestone buildings are facing North on Merri Street. The Harbour Pilot's Lodgings were on the east of the Complex. There are two unknown male figures standing in front of the light-coloured picket fence that encompasses the Complex. The photograph is mounted on card. WARRNAMBOOL'S LADY BAY LIGHTHOUSES In the 1800s ships sailing from England to Australia began to use Bass Strait as a faster route to Melbourne. Small navigation errors led to many tragic shipwrecks. From 1848 lighthouses were operating along Victoria’s southern coast as a guide for sailors. Coastal towns such as Warrnambool grew and the exchange of trade and passengers was of great benefit. However, the uncertain weather changes, relatively shallow waters and treacherous, hidden rocky reefs were not really suitable for a Harbour and in the 1840s and 1850s, there were many shipwrecks in the area, with some even stranded in its Lady Bay harbour. A jetty was built in 1850 and a flagstaff to guide seafarers was placed up high on what became known now as Flagstaff Hill. In November 1857 the Victorian Government recommended that Warrnambool Harbour had beacons and two lighthouses to guide vessels into and out of the Harbour safely. The white light of the Middle Island lighthouse was to be used for the first time on September 1, 1859. The red light of the Beach Lighthouse, a wooden obelisk structure, was first operated on March 25, 1860, but in 1868 this light was ‘discontinued’ due to it being too low. Melbourne’s Department of Public Works decided to relocate the Middle Island Lighthouse Complex - Lighthouse, Keeper’s Quarters, Privy, Store Room and even water tanks - to Flagstaff Hill. The lower obelisk was shortened, and a protruding gallery, railing, and external ladder were added, and the light from the Beach Lighthouse. A green guiding light was erected on the end of the jetty. The transfer of the Complex began in March 1871. Each shaped stone of the lighthouse was carefully numbered, removed then reassembled on Flagstaff Hill. In 1872 the well was sunk behind the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage. The Keepers and families had left Middle Island in April and moved to Flagstaff Hill in October 1871. Vessels entering Lady Bay align the Upper and Lower Lighthouse towers during the day and the lights at night. The Upper Lighthouse is a round tower, and the Lower Light is square. The Lighthouses were categorised as harbour lights rather than coastal lights, so they remain under the control of the Victorian Government’s Ports and Harbours section. The lights were originally powered by oil, then acetylene gas, later by electricity, and then converted to solar power in 1988. In 1993 the solar panel was replaced by a battery charger. A decision was made in 1936 to replace the lighthouses’ lights with unattended lights that no longer required Keepers and Assistants. At least 29 Keepers had attended to the lighthouse from its opening in 1859 to when the last official Lightkeepers left In April 1916. The Warrnambool Harbour Board rented out the Quarters from 1916 to 1936. The Board closed down but the rentals continued with other unknown landlords. In the 1970s the Flagstaff Hill Planning Board was set up under the chairmanship of John Lindsay. The Board was to make recommendations to the Warrnambool City Council regarding using the buildings and the rest of the Crown Land on the site. The Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village opened in 1975 and began renovating the Cottage in stages, during which time evidence of a 1920s fire was found in the eastern section of the cottage. Additions of a porch on the west and a washroom on the east were made in the 1980s. The western part of the building is now a Shipwreck Museum and the east has returned to a late 19th-century Lighthouse Keeper’s cottage and includes the screen made by Assistant Lighthouse Keeper Thomas Hope in the late 19th century. He served as Assistant Keeper in Warrnambool for two periods.The Warrnambool Lighthouse Complex is now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, H1520, for being of historical, scientific (technological) and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. The Complex is significant as an example of early colonial development. The buildings are significant for their connection with the important navigational function of the Lighthouses, a function still being performed to this day. The buildings are also significant as an example of structures designed and works carried out by the Public Works Department in Victoria in the mid-to-late 19th century. The structures still stand strong. Photograph; Warrnambool Lighthouse Keeper's cottage, lighthouse, flagstaff and chartroom at Flagstaff Hill, and a light-coloured picket fence with gate. Two male figures are in front of the fence. Black and white print glued to a yellow card. The inscription is indecipherable. The right side of the cottage has a built-in, enclosed addition.Ink stamped in lower right hand corner, too faded to be legible.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, warrnambool, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, lighthouse keeper's cottage, lighthouse residence, lighthouse, chart room, quarters, privy, middle island, beach lighthouse, obelisk, lighthouse complex, lady bay complex, warrnambool port, warrnambool harbour, lady bay, keepers, lighthouse keeper, upper lighthouse, lower lighthouse, assistant keeper, ports and harbours, cottage

This rod was salvaged from the American three-masted wooden clipper ship, Eric the Red, named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red. The ship first traded in coal between America and Britain and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 its hull was re-metalled and the vessel was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 Eric the Red departed New York under the command of Captain Z Allen, with 24 crew plus two passengers. It was heading for Melbourne and then Sydney. The ship was commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 American exhibits for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The items included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, and samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Also on board was general merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The ship had been at sea for 85 days when, on 4th September 1880, it hit the Otway Reef on the southwest coast of Victoria and was quickly wrecked. Captain and crew ended up on floating parts, or in the long boat or the sea. He was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued by the steamer Dawn and later taken to Warrnambool, where they received great hospitality and care. Four men lost their lives; three crew and one passenger. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne and then returned to America. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. The salvaging ship Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally, those on board the Pharos had found the name of the wrecked vessel. The government steamer Victoria and a steamer S.S. Otway picked up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated onto Point Franklin. Some of the vessel's yards and portions of its masts were on shore with pieces of canvas attached, confirming that the vessel had been under sail. On shore were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. There were sewing machines, some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”, and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire, some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”, and kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts. Other cargo remains included croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a flywheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs, wooden clothes pegs and a ladder. There were three cases of goods meant for the Exhibition Other items salvaged from amongst the debris floating in the sea were chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and flycatchers. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with a chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. A life belt was once on the veranda of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has several artefacts from the wreck. There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA)Iron rod with flat lugged washer. The rod is made of a heavy metal with encrustations and signs of rusting on the surface. It is stepped down in diameter mid-shaft and is slightly bowed on the narrower end. The narrow end flares out slightly in the last few centimetres with a burred foot and has a circular head on the wider end. The washer on the narrower end cannot move past the centre or the narrow end of the rod. The washer is a different metal from the rod and has a small lug jutting out along the circumference in one position. The rod was recovered from the wreck of the ship the Eric the Red.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, rod, iron-rod, eric the red, steamer dawn, cape otway reef, 1880, captain allen, usa pavillion, melbourne exhibition, melbourne international exhibition, captain jones, medal, united states government, pharos, a. james, flag board, steamer victoria, steamer otway, diamond oil, r w cameron and company, long and co., t s and co melbourne, a. field and son, taunton, massachusetts, ketch apollo, ship nail

Built by William Ellis in 1865 of local uncut stone about 30cm thick, the cottage is now a museum and home to the Nillumbik Historical Society. Ellis Cottage is historically significant for its association with the Ellis family, who were pioneers of the Diamond Creek district and the benefactors of the notable Nillumbik Cemetery gateway. It illustrates the development of farming in the area. Ellis Cottage is historically and technically significant for its rare use of uncut local stone for building purposes. Covered under Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. National Estate Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p79 Ellis Cottage, built by William Ellis, is a memorial to the courage of pioneers in the Diamond Valley area.1 Now a museum and home to the Nillumbik Historical Society, it is a fine example of an early settler’s house in Diamond Creek – and one of the few original buildings standing from the middle of the 19th century. It is a poor man’s cottage – typical of the dwellings of those who had to work hard to wrest a living in this district, because most of the land was not fertile enough for major forms of farming. The pretty stone cottage at 10 Nillumbik Square, built in 1865, is made of local uncut stone about one foot (30 cm) thick. It once stood near the centre of the 147 acres (59.4ha) Ellis bought in 1850. The property extended from Diamond Creek to Reynolds Road and from Perversi Avenue to the Wattle Glen School. It stood in the electoral parish of Nillumbik. The Nillumbik township (later called Diamond Creek) was not created until 1867. In 1912 the property was cut in half by the new railway to Hurstbridge. Ellis paid £147/10/- for the land - about three times what a Victorian farmer would usually earn in a year. Despite the poor quality soil Ellis became a very successful farmer with an orchard, vegetables and a dairy herd. Five years later, in 1855, Ellis bought 70 acres (28.3ha) from neighbour, Hugh Larimour. In 1857 Ellis bought 208 acres (84ha) at Yarra Glen. In 1877 he bought 122 acres (49.3ha) at Diamond Creek and later bought land at Greensborough and Woodstock. Ellis was born in 1815 at Blackawton, a small Devonshire village, and became a tenant farmer. It is not known why Ellis came out to Australia or settled in Diamond Creek. In 1847 he married Margaret Child at the Melbourne Presbyterian Church. Ellis and Child had no children and 18 years after the wedding, while probably living in Kangaroo Ground, Ellis built this small cottage. The simple cottage has a central hall and two rooms on each side. To maximise the small space the ceiling cavity was designed large enough to provide sleeping accommodation accessed via a ladder. Each room was heated by an open fireplace and the one in the kitchen was large enough to roast a sheep. A large cellar under the front room probably stored farm produce. Water came from a well as reticulated water did not arrive at Diamond Creek until 1914. In 1870 Ellis’ 22 year-old nephew Nathaniel joined him from England.2 Until 1890 they developed Ellis Park, praised in The Evelyn Observer, May 30,1890 as a model farm. Ellis had become wealthy, and on his death in 1896 his estate was valued at £9000. In his will he left £100 to construct memorial gates at the Nillumbik Cemetery where he was buried.3 Ellis left the farm to his second wife Louisa. As he had no children, upon her death the farm passed to Nathaniel, but he did not take it up. The farm was sold and leased several times until 1967, when engineer Phillip Lovitt bought the property and carried out major structural works. The Shire of Diamond Valley bought it in the 1980s and in 1989 restored it with the Nillumbik Historical Society. The stone walls of the cottage had been plastered with mud and straw mortar, which were removed as they were riddled with vermin. Doors, windows and a floor were replaced and the original roof of timber shingles had been replaced with slate. The well was too deeply cracked to be restored, so was used for a flower bed. Two mature Italian Cypresses at the entry are also heritage protected as they relate to similar trees planted at Shillinglaw Cottage and other early buildings in Nillumbik Shire.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, ellis cottage, diamond creek, nillumbik historical society, william ellis

The SS ‘Excelsior’ was an iron screw steamer, built in Southampton, England, in 1882 and first registered in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1882. Her journey from Southampton, England to Melbourne, Victoria is reported to have taken just 66 days. She would prove to be a very popular vessel on Port Phillip Bay, though her reign may have been relatively short as she was sunk in 1890. She was refloated sometime between 1890 to 1900 as some records state 1890, others at 1900. Gross Tonnage: 350, Net Tonnage: 172, Length: 186 ft 6 in (56.85 m), Beam: 21 ft 1 in (6.43 m), Depth: 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m), First Owner: Huddart Parker & Co. A Timeline of SS Excelsior’s life: 15 Jan 1883 → the SS ‘Excelsior’ commenced the Melbourne to Geelong run. 27 Jan 1940 21 Jan 1890 →the SS ‘Flora’ ran aground whilst heading out to Hobart, Tasmania, on a tight bend in the Yarra River at Spotswood. Whilst stuck fast in the mud, the SS ‘Excelsior’ ran into her stern – thankfully the damage to both vessels was only minor. 9 Jan 1897 → The SS ‘Excelsior’ sank the Ketch ‘Lu Lu’ on the south bank of the Hopetoun Channel near Geelong, Victoria. Blame is shared between Captains of both vessels: At the meeting of the Marine Board the report of the nautical expert committee, relative to the collision between the steamer Excelsior and ketch Lulu, was considered. The committee recommended that the matter should be remitted to the Marine Court, and a charge of misconduct preferred against Gilbert Moore, master of the Excelsior. Mr Wilson, one of the committee, dissented. He thought in view of the nature of the evidence charges should be preferred against both masters. Mr Dickens moved an amendment to the latter effect, but it was rejected, and the report adopted. 11 Jul 1899 → The SS ‘Edina’ sinks the SS ‘Excelsior’ during thick fog: Shortly after, half-past 11 o’clock this, morning a serious collision took place in Port Phillip Bay between the steamers Edina and the Excelsior. The Edina was on her way to Geelong, to which place she makes a trip every forenoon in the course of her trade with that port, and the Excelsior was coming up the bay to Melbourne. The weather was calm but thick, and a fog hung over the water. The Edina struck the Excelsior on the port side amidships, and she sank within a quarter of an hour. Both vessels carried a large number of passengers, and large cargoes, but there was very little excitement. The whole thing happened so suddenly that until the crash came those on board the steamers were not aware that any other boat was near at all. When both vessels began to draw away after the collision it was at once seen that the Excelsior was the most seriously injured of the two, and she at once began to settle down rapidly. Some of the Excelsior’s passengers were dragged on board the Edina at once, while the remainder, including the crew, were rescued by boats. As far as can be ascertained no one was drowned, but some 20 or 25 were injured. Dr. Wilson, headmaster of the Brighton Presbyterian Ladies’ College, was perhaps the most seriously injured of the Excelsior’s passengers. He was looking down the companion ladder ‘when the collision took place, and he was thrown violently below, sustaining a compound fracture of the right fore-arm. When attended to it was found, that he suffered severely from the shook of his fall and was rather in a bad way. A lady passenger by the Excelsior had her side lacerated, while another had her ankle sprained. The remainder of the others injured had either small cuts or were suffering from shock. The Excelsior went down stern first, and now lies in about five fathoms of water, with her bow above the surface. The Edina is almost uninjured, but she will be immediately placed in dock, as she is making water slightly. c 1900 → The SS ‘Excelsior’ was raised from her watery grave where a large cut can be seen on the SS Excelsior in dock and reveals the breach made and damage done by the Edina. c 1939 → Records regarding the SS ‘Excelsior’ are elusive until c 1939, when she was commissioned to relocate to Brisbane, Queensland, during the Second World War: The Excelsior came to Brisbane on a voyage north during the 1939-45 War. Being unseaworthy she could not be taken further and was used here as a workshop. After the war, she was discarded on Bishop Island. c 1946 → Sometime after WWII was over, the SS ‘Excelsior’ joined many a ship in the graveyard at Bishop Island in Queensland. The island has been the site for the disposal of many ships. Ships recorded as being discarded here include the Groper, Adonis, Roderick Dhu, Excelsior, Yosemite, Maida, Civility, Captain Cook, Bingera, St. Kilda, Lucinda, Moreton, Miner, Schnapper, Lochiel, Queensland, Victoria, and BadgerThe SS Excelsior is a well known ship from the history of Geelong. Its collision with the equally well known SS Edina is of particular interest to Geelong. She was a famous ship in the reckon of Port Phillip despite her short life stand, especially when compared to the SS Edina. Colour painting of ship departingship collision, ship wreck, ss excelsior, ss edina, bishop island

This hand written letter, in black ink script on blue lined paper, is impressed with the official stamp of the Victoria Steam Navigation Board. The left margin has the reference “S82/12" It is transcribed: "Victoria Steam Navigation Board, Melbourne, January 12th 1882 To Frederick Chapman, Master, S.S. "Julia Percy" You are herewith furnished with a copy of the report of the Official Court which assembled to enquire into the circumstances attending the collision between the steamers "Julia Percy" and "Nelson" off Apollo Bay near Cape Otway on the morning of the 25th December 1881, and you are hereby expected to attend at the Board Room, Custom House, Melbourne, at 2pm, on 13th January instant to show cause why you should not be censured accordingly. [Signature] Secretary" This document refers to the matter of a collision between two steamships, the Julia Percy and the Nelson, on 25th December 1881. The Julia Percy was at that time owned by her first owners, the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company, and she sailed under the command of Captain Chapman. She had left Melbourne the evening of 24th December, with about 150 passengers, sailing in fine weather through Port Phillip Heads around 9pm. She was headed for Warrnambool, Belfast (now named Port Fairy) and Portland. The Julia Percy was off Apollo Bay when Captain Chapman was woken by the ship’s whistle after midnight, the steamer Nelson being on a collision course with the Julia Percy.[See Link.] The Nelson struck Julia Percy midship. Boats were lowered from the ship (apart from a damaged lifeboat) and about 30-40 of the passengers boarded the Nelson. The engine room and the forehold were checked and found clear of water. The company manager, Mr Evans, had been on the Nelson, so he boarded and inspected the Julia Percy and the decision was made to continue on to Warrnambool with the passengers as there appeared to be no immediate danger. However, Captain Thomas Smith said the Nelson was taking on water, so Julia Percy followed her for about an hour towards Melbourne on standby in case of need. Then Julia Percy turned around towards Warrnambool again. Shortly afterwards the Nelson turned to follow her, the ships stopped and passengers were returned to Julia Percy, and three from Julia Percy boarded the Nelson. Both ships proceeded on their way. Julia Percy passed Cape Otway light afterwards, signalling that there had been a collision. It was discovered later that one of the passengers was missing, then thought to have boarded the Nelson but later thought to have fallen into the sea and drowned while trying to jump from Julia Percy to Nelson. There had been 3 tickets purchased under the same name of that passenger “Cutler”; a father, son and friend named Wordsworth, which had caused quite some confusion. No further mishap occurred to either ship and both the Julia Percy and the Nelson reached their destinations safely. An enquiry was instigated by the Victoria Steam Navigation Board regarding the cause of the accident between the two steamships, in connection with the death of Cutler who was supposed to have lost his life by the collision. The enquiry resulted in the following decision: "The Victorian Steam Navigation Board having taken into consideration the points urged by Captain Thos [Thomas] Smith and also by his legal advisers, is of opinion that the charge prepared against him has been sustained, but taking into consideration Captain Smith’s previous good conduct and character, the board suspends his master’s certificate No 227 issued by this board for a period of six calendar months from this date – Robert Fullarton, Chairman. “The Victorian Steam Navigation Board having beard the statement of Captain Frederick Chapman urged in his defense to the charge of dereliction of duty as master of the Julia Percy, in having no standing order on board that vessel to be called in the event of any approaching steamer’s lights being seen, find such charge sustained, and censure him accordingly – Robert Fullarton, Chairman.” ABOUT “JULIA PERCY” The S.S. Julia Percy (later named Leeuwin ) was an iron passenger-cargo steam ship built in 1876. At one point in time the Julia Percy would sail from Warrnambool to Melbourne every Friday and return from Melbourne to Warrnambool every Tuesday. The cost of a return ticket for a Saloon Fare was £1.0.0. She would sail “if practical and weather permitting”. Shipping was the cheapest and most practical means of carrying produce and goods during the period 1840-1890. Regular domestic steamer services commenced in the Warrnambool district in the late 1850’s and by 1870 the passenger trade was booming. Produce was loaded from the jetty into ‘lighters’ (small boats), which took it to the ships at anchorage in the bay. Passengers were taken to the ship’s side then climbed aboard up ladders or gangways. The coming of the railway in October 1889 meant the gradual decline and end of the steam shipping era. The Julia Percy was built in Glasgow by Thomas Wingate & Company, Whiteinch, in 1876 for the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company, which commissioned her for trade in Victoria’s western district. She was first registered in Warrnambool, Victoria in 1876. The Julia Percy changed hands several times. Her next owner was the Western Steam Navigation Co (1887), managed by Mr. T.H. Osborne (the company’s office was on the corner of Timor and Liebig Streets, Its north-western wall is now part of the current Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery. ) The Melbourne Steamship Co became the next owners (1890), followed by William Howard Smith and Sons (1901) for use in Queensland coastal trades, then she was bought by George Turnbull in 1903 and used for local mail contract in Western Australia. The Julia Percy was sold to the Melbourne Steamship Company Ltd. (1906) and re-named the “Leeuwin” but continued in her Western Australian coastal run. She was converted into a coal hulk in Melbourne in 1910 as a result of damaged caused when she was driven against the jetty at Dongara during a gale. The ship was eventually dismantled and scuttled in Bass Strait on 28 December 1934. The document is significant for its association with the wreck of the Leeuwin (Julia Percy), which is on the Victorian Heritage Register, VHR S413. . It is historically significant for being a rare artefact that has potential to interpret aspects of Western Victoria’s 19th century steamship trade and Victorian cultural history. The Leeuwin (Julia Percy) is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as being historically significant ‘as one of only four wrecks of steamships in Victorian waters associated with the western district of Victoria’s coastal steamship trade. Reports of Victoria Steam Navigation Board about the collision on 25th December 1881 between the steamers " Julia Percy" and "Nelson". Letter from Victoria Steam Navigation Board, Melbourne to Frederick Chapman, Master, S.S. "Julia Percy", dated January 12th 1882. reference on letter in left margin "S82/12"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill –maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, victoria steam navigation board, captain frederick chapman, captain thomas smith, thomas wingate & company, steamer julia percy, steamer leeuwin, steamer nelson, steam ship, warrnambool steam packet company, t. h. ostorne, western steam navigation co., charles cutler

Betty Sale (1905-1976) won the Tasmanian State Championship in 1934, 1935 and 1936. She also worked as a car saleswoman in Hobart. In 1939, London reported: “Betty Sale, pretty Tasmanian brunette, will soon leave England for Finland, where she will drive an ambulance behind the Mannerheim Line. With twenty-three English society girls, she volunteered for the job because she wanted to do something for the brave Finns.” Betty volunteered for First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Service (F.A.N.Y.), conveying refugees and casualties to hospitals by ambulance in Finland’s harsh weather. Back in England, as a corporal, she worked during bombings in Plymouth, writing to her brother: “Bombs were dropping all around us, fires are raging, debris everywhere and huge holes around us. When we had got all the live ones, we went and collected dead bodies.” Betty was awarded an MBE and the Winter War Medal for Civilians from Finland Government 1939-40. MCK142 Published The Age 29 August 1935 Photographer notations on slide: "Vic. Women's Golf Ch'ship 1935 B98" Published: The Age 29 August 1935 p. 11 Published title: SIX STATE CHAMPIONS IN NATIONAL GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP. Published caption: Six State champions for the first time in the history of women’s golf are competing in the matches for the Australian title. — 1. Miss B. Sale (Tas.). 2. Miss J. Hood-Hammond (N.S.W.). 3. Miss J. Gardiner (Qld,) 4. Miss K. Rymill (S.A.). 5. Mrs. O. J. Negus (W.A.). 6. Mrs. S. Morpeth (Vic.) RESEARCHER'S NOTE: The Age listed Golfer 1 as Miss B. Sale and Golfer 4 as Miss K. Rymill. We verified that these should in fact be the other way around: 1 is Miss K. Rymill, 4 is Miss B. Sale. Description: Action shot of woman driving golf ball Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer: MISS BETTY SALE Mrs Margaret Elizabeth Scott Rigg (1905-1976) MBE Betty Sale grew up in Hobart and attended St Michael’s Collegiate School. She was a champion Tasmania golfer and won the State Championship in 1934, 1935, 1936. Betty competed in the Australian Women’s Golf Championship at Royal Melbourne against the British Women’s Team in 1935. Betty worked as a car saleswoman at Robert Nettleford Pty Ltd at 113 Macquarie Street, Hobart. They were the agent for Austin, Buick, Chevrolet and Vauxhall. In April 1939, Betty sailed on the RMS Orford to London where she worked in sales for Henley’s, an exclusive motor sales firm. In November 1939 she volunteered for the Woman’s Transport Arm of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Service (F.A.N.Y.) and was part of the team delivering 10 ambulances to Finland, which had been invaded by the Soviet Union. Betty worked conveying refugees and military casualties to military hospitals, often over tracks with only sleigh marks to guide them. Despite contracting measles she continued to work tirelessly, often for 22-hour shifts. She was awarded the Finland Winter War medal 1939-1940 for civilians by Field-Marshall Mannerheim (later President of Finland). Betty was quoted in the Australian Women’s Weekly 17/1/1940: “I joined the ambulance corp for Finland because I was filled with admiration for the courage and determination of the Finns. I don’t think that there has ever been anything so dramatic in history as the manner in which Finland, a land of 4,000,000 people has resisted the aggression of the teeming millions of Russians.” After six months working in Finland, the FANYs found themselves held up unable to get aid from Britain to escape and they felt a burden on the Finns. Eventually money was sent privately from a neutral country and the 17 FANYs determined to get away. They set off from Helsinki with only the civilian clothes they were wearing and travelled by train and bus to a northern port where they boarded a cargo vessel. For a fortnight they did not change their clothes and slept under tarpaulins in the hatchway. The only choice of food was porridge or pea soup. After two weeks aboard the cargo vessel, a palatial liner approached the ship and in mid-ocean the FANYs were transhipped by rope ladders. The women enjoyed three course meals and other luxuries for three days before arriving back in England. Betty, now a corporal, worked for two years transporting civilian and military casualties during bombings in Plymouth. In a letter to her brother, Mr J Sale of Gerogery NSW, Betty wrote, “We have had a very lively time here as we have been blitzed for two nights. There is literally nothing of Plymouth left. We were out all the first night with the ambulance collecting casualties and have never seen such injuries. Bombs were dropping all around us, fires were raging, debris everywhere, and huge holes in the roads. When we had got all the live ones, we went and collected dead bodies. The people are marvellous.” “Next night, we had a worse blitz. We were not out so long but it was not a pleasant party. I didn’t know I was so brave but could not stand it too long. Mr Menzies was here for the second night’s blitz. We have adopted a homeless and hurt dog – a raid victim – and the poor fellow is completely exhausted.” In 1942, Betty worked in Algeria in charge of 100 specialists and technicians - the first servicewomen to arrive in North Africa. In 1945, she was awarded an MBE in recognition and on behalf of the work this unit was involved in. In 1945, Betty was promoted to Captain and posted to Australia to establish a Signal Station. In 1946, she married Lt-Col H. Henry O. Rigg of the Royal Artillery in Tasmania. The couple had first met in Algeria in 1943. The Australian press closely followed Betty’s wartime activities praising her courage, capability, driving and mechanical knowledge and of course Australian women’s hardiness. After the war, Betty lived in Sheffield, England with her husband, working as an office manager. She continued to play golf until her death aged 71 in 1976. golf, women golfers, royal melbourne golf club

The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built many ships that had wheels with the same decorative, starburst pattern on them as this particular wheel segment, including the Eric the Red. The wheel was manufactured by their local Bath foundry, Geo. Moulton & Co. and sold to the Sewall yard for $100, according to the construction accounts of the vessel. Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) - about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Segment of a ship's wheel, or helm, from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red. The wheel part is an arc shape from the outer rim of the wheel and is made up of three layers of timber. The centre layer is a dark, dense timber and is wider than the two outer layers, which are less dense and lighter in colour. The wheel segment has a vertically symmetrical, decorative copper plate inlaid on the front. The plate has a starburst pattern; six stars decorate it, each at a point where there is a metal fitting going through the three layers of timber to the rear side of the wheel. On the rear each of the six fittings has an individual copper star around it. The edges of the helm are rounded and bevelled, polished to a shine in a dark stain. Around each of the stars, front and back, the wood is a lighter colour, as though the metal in that area being polished frequently. The length of the segment suggests that it has probably come from a wheel or helm that had ten spokes. (Ref: F.H.M.M. 16th March 1994, 239.6.610.3.7. Artefact Reg No ER/1.)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ship's-wheel, eric-the-red, helm, shei's wheel, ship's steering wheel

The wooden door was salvaged from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red, which was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. Eric the Red was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871, having had a 1,580 tons register. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. On 4th September 1880 the Eric the Red approached Cape Otway with a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. He ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats. The mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod and samples of wood. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Door from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. The wooden singular rectangular door includes three insert panel sections. The top section is square shaped and is missing its panel or glass. The centre timber panel is about a third of the height of the top panel and the bottom timber panel is approximately equal in height to the total height of the two upper panels. The door fastenings include both a metal door latch and traditional door bolt. They are both attached to the front right hand side of the door. The bolt is just below the top panel, and the door latch is in approximately the centre of that side. The door latch has a round mark where a handle could have been attached. The wood of the door has scraping marks in a semi-circle around the door latch where the latch has swung around on its one remaining fastening and grazed the surface. There is a metal hinge at the top section of the door on the opposite side to the latch. The painted surface has been scraped back to expose the wood. The door is shorter than the average height of a person. On the reverse of the door there are lines on the panels, just inside their edges, is what appears to be pencil. The door is not aligned straight but is skew to centre.warrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, eric the red, jaques allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne exhibition 1880, cape otway, otway reef, victorian shipwreck, bass strait, eric-the-red, door

This wooden sword is said to “possibly be the only remaining part of the figurehead from the sailing ship Eric the Red.” It was previously part of the collection of the old Warrnambool Museum and the entry in its inventory says “Wooden sword, portion of the figurehead, held by “Eric the Red” at the bow.” A large part of the ship’s hull was found on the rocks and a figurehead may have been attached or washed up on the shore. The shipping records for E. & A. Sewall, the builders, owners and managers of Eric the Red, are now preserved in the Maine Maritime Museum. There is no photograph on record of Eric the Red but photographs of other ships built around that time by the same company show that these did not have figureheads, and there is no record found of a figurehead for Eric the Red being ordered or paid for. Further research is being carried out. The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built Eric the Red, a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) - about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse. (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA)This carved wooden sword, recovered from the Eric the Red, is possibly the only portion of the figurehead recovered after the wreck. There are spirals carved from the base of the handle to the top of the sword. The hilt of the sword is a lion’s head holding its tail in its mouth, the tail forming the handle. The blade of the sword has engraved patterns on it. Tiny particles of gold leaf and dark blue paint fragments can be seen between the carving marks. There are remnants of yellowish-orange and crimson paint on the handle. At some time after the sword was salvaged the name of the ship was hand painted on the blade in black paint. The tip of the sword has broken or split and the remaining part is charcoal in appearance. On both the tip and the base of the handle are parts made where the sword could have been joined onto the figurehead There is a white coating over some areas of the sword, similar to white lead putty used in traditional shipbuilding. The words “ERIC the RED” have been hand painted on the blade of the sword in black paint sometime after it was salvaged.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, sword, wooden sword, eric the red, carved sword, figurehead, snake head on sword

This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Triangular shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn

This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Oblong shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn

The set of seven 1858 plans shows proposed plans for the original Lighthouse Complex that was built on Middle Island in 1858-1859. The whole complex was then transferred to Flagstaff Hill in 1871. The plan, dated 1909, is for proposed additions and repairs to the Quarters at Flagstaff Hill. The plan 'Alterations and Additions' shows alternate plans for changes to the quarters at the Flagstaff Hill location. This plan has no date. The Complex comprised the Lighthouse, the Lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters, the Store (now called the Chart Room) and a Privy, which was not included in these plans. The Keeper’s bluestone Quarters was a cottage divided into two compartments, one for each keeper and his family. The bluestone Store was divided into three; a store, a workshop an oil store (or office). The Privy comprised of a small building also divided into two separate, back-to-back toilets, one for each Keeper and his family. The Flagstaff Hill Keeper's Quarters have had extensions and additions at various times, and these have also been removed at various other times. THE PLANS - *Dec. 1858 (12/58) ‘Lighthouse Keepers Quarters No.2 Warrnambool’ (2375.01)* Public Works Office Melbourne – Front and Back elevations, sections, and floor plan. The drawing shows timber walls. [The floor plan is the closest plan to the current building, however, the walls are timber in this plan.] *Nov. 1858 – No.3 ‘Lighthouse Keepers Quarters Warrnambool’ (2375.02)* Office of Public Works, Melbourne – Back and End elevations and section through. The drawing shows stone walls. One side; Senior Keeper’s bedroom, living room and kitchen with storeroom. Another side; is the Assistant’s bedroom, living room and storeroom. *Nov. 1858 - No.4 ‘Lighthouse Stores Warrnambool’ (2375.03)* Office of Public Works – Front, Side and end elevations, centre section. The drawing shows stone walls. *Nov. 1858 – No.4, ‘Lighthouse Stores No. 2 Warrnambool’ (2375.04)* Office of Public Works – Front, side and end elevations, centre section. The drawing shows timber walls. *Nov. 1858 – ‘Details Lighthouse Keepers Quarters No. 2 Warrnambool’ (2375.05)* Public Works Office Melbourne. The plan shows the foundations, joists and eaves. The drawing shows timber walls. (Nov. 1858 – ‘No.4 ‘Lighthouse No. 2 – Warrnambool’ (2375.06)* Public Works Melbourne (Part of the paper is missing). This plan shows an octagonal tower, internal stairs, a balcony landing, and a weather vane on top. *November 1858 – No. 1, ‘Lighthouse – Warrnambool’ (2375.07)* Office of Public Works Melbourne. This plan shows a round tower, including the stairs, windows on the tower and the weather vane on the top. *4/3/9 [1909] – ‘Additions and Repairs, Lighthouse Quarters, Warrnambool, General Plan’ (2375.8)* Department of Public Works Melbourne’s official stamp is signed by Croft. It shows the floor plans of the Store, Upper Lighthouse and the Quarters. The Store building has three sections; a Store, Work-Shop and Office, with an internal wall between them and separate entries. The Quarters are divided into two dwellings. The Senior Keeper’s side on the left has fireplaces in two of the three bedrooms and there is a pantry and wash house. The Assistant’s side has no fireplaces in the bedrooms and there’s no pantry or washhouse. These plans include proposed changes to the buildings. The Senior Keeper’s Quarters would have a partition on bedroom 2, a bath with plumbing and drainage, a wall moved and a built-in side porch. The Store would also have a built-in porch. The undated plan 'Additions and Alterations' (2375.9) shows alternative arrangements for water tanks, plumbing and such. WARRNAMBOOL'S LADY BAY LIGHTHOUSES- In the 1800s ships sailing from England to Australia began to use Bass Strait as a faster route to Melbourne. Small navigation errors led to many tragic shipwrecks. From 1848 lighthouses were operating along Victoria’s southern coast as a guide for sailors. Coastal towns such as Warrnambool grew and the exchange of trade and passengers were of great benefit. However, the uncertain weather changes, relatively shallow waters and treacherous, hidden rocky reefs were not suitable for a Harbour and in the 1840s and 1850s there were many shipwrecks in the area, with some even stranded in its Lady Bay harbour. A jetty was built in 1850 and a flagstaff to guide seafarers was placed up high on what became known now as Flagstaff Hill. In November 1857 the Victorian Government recommended that Warrnambool Harbour had beacons and two lighthouses to guide vessels into and out of the Harbour safely. The white light of the Middle Island lighthouse was to be used for the first time on September 1, 1859. The red light of the Beach Lighthouse, a wooden obelisk structure, was first operated on March 25, 1860, but in 1868 this light was ‘discontinued’ due to it being too low. Melbourne’s Department of Public Works decided to relocate the Middle Island Lighthouse Complex - Lighthouse, Keeper’s Quarters, Privy, Store Room and even water tanks - to Flagstaff Hill. The lower obelisk was shortened, and a protruding gallery, railing, and external ladder were added, as well as the light from the Beach Lighthouse. A green guiding light was erected on the end of the jetty. The transfer of the Complex began in March 1871. Each shaped stone of the lighthouse was carefully numbered, removed then reassembled on Flagstaff Hill. In 1872 the well was sunk behind the Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage. The Keepers and families had left Middle Island in April and moved to Flagstaff Hill in October 1871. Vessels entering Lady Bay align the Upper and Lower Lighthouse towers during the day and the lights at night. The Upper Lighthouse is a round tower, the Lower Light is square. The Lighthouses were categorised as harbour lights rather than coastal lights, so they remain under the control of the Victorian Government’s Ports and Harbours section. The lights were originally powered by oil, then acetylene gas, later by electricity, and then converted to solar power in 1988. In 1993 the solar panel was replaced by a battery charger. A decision was made in 1936 to replace the lighthouses’ lights with unattended lights that no longer required Keepers and Assistants. At least 29 Keepers had attended to the lighthouse from its opening in 1859 to when the last official Lightkeepers left In April 1916. The Warrnambool Harbour Board rented out the Quarters from 1916 to 1936. The Board closed down but the rentals continued with other unknown landlords. In the 1970s the Flagstaff Hill Planning Board was set up under the chairmanship of John Lindsay. The Board was to make recommendations to the Warrnambool City Council regarding the use of the buildings and the rest of the Crown Land on the site. The Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village opened in 1975 and began renovating the Cottage in stages, during which time evidence of a 1920s fire was found in the eastern section of the cottage. Additions of a porch on the west and a washroom on the east were made in the 1980s. The western part of the building is now a Shipwreck Museum and the east has returned to a late 19th-century Lighthouse Keeper’s cottage and includes the screen made by Assistant Lighthouse Keeper Thomas Hope during one of his two periods of service there. THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS Lighthouse Keepers were responsible for keeping their Lighthouse’s lights shining at night. They kept a lookout for passing vessels and changes in weather. They were expected to clean, polish and maintain the equipment and buildings. They kept regular and detailed records of who was on watch, and the time the light was lit, trimmed and extinguished. They kept a journal about other events that occurred. They keep regular, accurate Meteorological Logs. It was expected that they were competent in Morse code signalling. They would be called to help in times of disasters and shipwrecks, and to give official statements about these events. Many Lighthouse Keepers also volunteered as members of the lifeboat crew. The Lady Bay lighthouses were officially classified as small, so the Keepers had the official titles of Senior Assistant Lighthouse Keeper and Assistant Lighthouse Keeper. They were employed by the Public Service and paid rent to live in the Lighthouse Quarters. They were compulsorily retired at the age of 60, with most receiving a superannuation payment. Despite their time-consuming duties, there was time to follow hobbies and crafts such as growing vegetables, playing musical instruments, making models of buildings including lighthouses, and crafting furniture pieces. An example of a keeper’s skills is the carved fire screen made by /assistant Keeper Thomas Hope in the early 20th century and displayed in the Lighthouse Keeper’s cottage at Flagstaff Hill. The last occupants of the Middle Island Complex were Senior Keeper Robert Deverell, his Assistant Keeper, Andrew Farncombe, and their families. They all became the first occupants at the Lady Bay Lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters on Merri Street. The Warrnambool Lighthouse Complex plans are the origin of what is now the Lady Bay Lighthouse Complex. They are a record of the people, process and departments involved in bringing the complex into fruition. The plans are significant to the Complex, which is now listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, H1520, for being of historical, scientific (technological) and architectural significance to the State of Victoria. The Complex is significant as an example of early colonial development. The plan are significant for their connection with the important navigational function of the Lighthouses, a function still being performed to this day. The plans are also significant as an example of a product from the Public Works Department in Victoria in the mid-to-late 19th century. The structures built to these plans still stand strong. Plans for the Lighthouse Complex in Warrnambool, including Lighthouses, Keeper's Quarters and Stores. Seven of the plans are on thin fragile paper, one is on thicker, stronger paper. The drawings have been made in pens coloured red and black. They originate from Public Works in Melbourne. Seven were drawn in 1858, one in 1904, the other is not dated.Dec. 1858 - Lighthouse Keepers Quarters No.2 Warrnambool. Public Works Office Melbourne. Nov. 1858 - No.3 ‘Lighthouse Keepers Quarters Warrnambool. Public Works Office Melbourne. Nov. 1858 - No.4 ‘Lighthouse Stores Warrnambool. Office of Public Works. Nov. 1858 - No.4, ‘Lighthouse Stores No. 2 Warrnambool. Office of Public Works. Nov. 1858 - Details Lighthouse Keepers Quarters No. 2 Warrnambool. Public Works Office Melbourne. Nov. 1858 - No.4 ‘Lighthouse No. 2 – Warrnambool. Public Works Melbourne. Nov. 1858 - No. 1, Lighthouse - Warrnambool. Office of Public Works Melbourne. 4/3/9 [1909] - Additions and Repairs, Lighthouse Quarters, Warrnambool, General Plan. Department of Public Works Melbourne. SIGNED "Croft" "15A" on reverse [no date] - Lighthouse Quarters Warrnambool, Additions and Alterations. "9A" on reverseflagstaff hill, warrnambool, lighthouse keeper's cottage, lighthouse residence, lighthouse, plans, public works, melbourne, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, chart room, quarters, privy, middle island, beach lighthouse, obelisk, lighthouse keeper, assistant keeper, lighthouse complex, lady bay, lady bay complex, keepers, upper lighthouse, lower lighthouse, ports and harbours, cottage, harbour board, flagstaff hill planning board, meteorological record, robert deverell, andrew farncombe, warrnambool port, warrnambool harbour, residence, alterations, repairs, department of works

Record of 1972 Premiership YearYearbook of 1972 Premiership Season. The foreword is by the Carlton President George HarrisColour MagazineFront Cover many player autographs from 1972 playing list including premiership players. 1972 Summary Carlton would win their 11th Premiership by defeating Richmond by 27 points at the MCG. This win would be our 3rd Premiership in 5 years, and from 4 Grand Finals (1968, 1969, 1970 and 1972) in one of the more successful streaks in our Club's proud history. In a high scoring game, Carlton scored 28.9.177 to Richmond, 22.18.150. 1972 marked the introduction of the final 5 for the first time in VFL history, one year too late for the club, which had finished fifth in the previous year. Carlton and Richmond were by far the best two clubs during the home and away season, with the Blues finishing 1st with an 18 win, 1 draw and 3 loss record, 2 points ahead of the Tigers in second place. The club played consistent footy all year, never losing two games in a row. Winning streaks included 5 in a row (rounds 5 to 9) and 8 in a row to finish the last eight home and away games. With the introduction of the Elimination Final for the first time, Carlton was the only club to have a bye in the first week of finals. In the second week, we would meet Richmond after they had comfortably accounted for Collingwood in the Qualifying Final. The Semi Final would be a great game, with the Blues opening a 13 point lead by three quarter time. Richmond would kick 4 goals in the last term to level the match by the final siren, 8.13 (61) being scored by each side. In the Semi Final Replay the Tigers would kick away from the Blues in the second quarter, winning comfortably and advancing directly to the Grand Final. St Kilda were slightly better than Carlton in the first half of the Preliminary Final, holding an 11 point half time lead. The Blues would show why they were currently a competition power in the second half, kicking 9 goals to 5 to beat the Saints by 16 points, and advance to the clubs fourth Grand Final in five years. Carlton would smash Richmond in the Grand Final, kicking 8 goals in the first quarter, 10 goals in the second, and 7 goals in the third to lead by 54 points at three quarter time. The Tigers would kick 7 goals to 3 in the final term to add some respectability to the final score, but the result was never in doubt. Ladder Pos Team Wins Draws Losses Points For Against % 1 Carlton 18 1 3 74 327.275.2237 228.298.1666 134.3 2 Richmond 18 0 4 72 358.321.2469 293.340.2098 117.7 3 Collingwood 14 1 7 58 343.280.2338 246.271.1747 133.8 4 St Kilda 14 0 8 56 283.291.1989 241.275.1721 115.6 5 Essendon 14 0 8 56 333.319.2317 307.298.2140 108.3 6 Hawthorn 13 0 9 52 324.333.2277 295.280.2050 111.1 7 Footscray 11 0 11 44 273.292.1930 289.304.2038 94.7 8 Melbourne 10 0 12 40 290.303.2043 276.273.1929 105.9 9 Fitzroy 9 0 13 36 282.305.1997 296.286.2062 96.8 10 Geelong 7 0 15 28 285.284.1994 344.305.2369 84.2 11 Sth Melbourne 2 0 20 8 206.277.1513 340.283.2323 65.1 12 Nth Melbourne 1 0 21 4 226.272.1628 375.339.2589 62.9 People of 1972 Captain: John Nicholls Coach: John Nicholls Leading Goal-kicker: Greg Kennedy - 76 Best & Fairest: Geoff Southby Leading Brownlow votes: Alex Jesaulenko, Trevor Keogh - 11 Milestones Debuts: Rod Austin, Eric Pascoe, David Dickson, Greg Kennedy Lower Levels Reserves: The Blues also competed in the Reserves Preliminary Final. The team can be viewed here.

This medal for bravery, for rescue of the crew from the shipwreck “Eric the Red” on 4th September 1880, was awarded to one of the crew of the steamer S.S. Dawn by the President of the United States in July 1881. The medal is engraved with the name “Nelson Johnson” (the anglicised version of his Swedish name Neils Frederick Yohnson). It was donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in 2013 by Nelson’s granddaughter. Nelson had migrated from Sweden to Sydney in 1879. The next year in 1880, aged 24, he was a seaman on the steamship Dawn and involved in the rescue of the survivors of the Eric the Red. Nelson Johnson was a crew member of the S.S. Dawn and was one of the rescue team in the dinghy in the early morning of September 4th 1880. Medals were awarded to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn by the President of the United States, through the Consul-general (Mr Oliver M. Spencer), in July 1881 “ … in recognition of their humane efforts in rescuing the 23 survivors of the American built wooden sailing ship, the Eric the Red, on 4th September 1880.” The men were also presented with substantial monetary rewards and gifts. The city of Warrnambool’s care of the survivors was also mentioned by the President at the presentation, saying that “the city hosted and supported the crew ‘most graciously’. Previously, a week after the shipwreck, the Australian Government had also conveyed its thanks to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn “Captain Griffith Jones, S.S. Dawn, The Hon. Mr Clark desires that the thanks of the Government should be conveyed to you for the prompt, persevering and seamanlike qualities displayed by you, your officers and crew in saving the number of lives you did on the occasion referred to. The hon. The Commissioner has also been pleased to award you a souvenir in commemoration of the occasion, and a sum of 65 pounds to be awarded to your officers and crew according to annexed scale. I am, &c, W Collins Rees, for and in the absence of the Chief Harbour Master.” The Awards are as follows: - Crew of DAWN'S lifeboat-Chief Officer, Mr G. Peat, 15 pounds; boat's crew-G. Sterge, A.B., 5 pounds; T. Hammond, A.B., 5 pounds; J. Black, A.B., 5 pounds; H. Edwards, A.B., 5 pounds. Dinghy's Crew-Second Officer, Mr Christie, 10 pounds; boat's crew -F. Lafer, A.B., 5 pounds; W. Johnstone, A.B., 5 pounds; Mr Lear, provedore, 5 pounds; Mr Dove, purser, 5 pounds. Captain Jones receives a piece of plate. (from “Wreck of the ship Eric the Red” by Jack Loney) The medal’s history, according to the Editor of ‘E-Sylum’ (the newsletter of The Numismatic Bibliomania Society “… appears to be an example of an 1880 State Department medal, catalogued as LS-3 (page 322 of R. W. Julian's book, Medals of the United States Mint: The First Century 1792-1892). The reverse is mostly blank for engraving, surrounded by a thin wreath. It was designed by George Morgan, chief engraver for the Philadelphia Mint, and struck in gold, silver and bronze. The one pictured here (in The Standard newspaper, 2nd July 2013) appears to be silver.” The following is an account of the events which led to the awarding of this medal. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three-masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first-class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and a hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30 am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However, he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, southwest of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its riggings, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually, the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30 am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time, they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, and its sailing time was different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey, she was commanded by Captain Jones and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight, the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much-needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship nor its cargo was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steamship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay, the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally, those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation, Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated onto Point Franklin. Some of the vessels' yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of f locating wreckage about 10 miles off land, southeast of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and flycatchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with a chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and this medal awarded for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and teapots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that was awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is similarly inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high-quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and shed around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7-foot-long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at shipbuilding in Apollo Bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children, the father of the medal’s donor being the youngest. They lived in 13 Tichbourne Place, South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". The medal for bravery is associated with the ship the “The Eric the Red which is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) This medal was awarded to Nelson Johnson by the U.S. President for bravery in the rescue of the Eric the Red crew. The obverse of the round, solid silver medal has an inscription around the rim. In the centre of the medal is the head of Liberty to the left, hair in a bun, with a sprig of leaves in the top left of a band around her head. There is a 6-pointed star below the portrait, between the start and end of the inscription. There are two raised areas on the rim, horizontally opposite each other, from the edge to just below the lettering and coinciding with the holes drilled in the edge. Slightly right of the top is a round indentation in the rim. The reverse has a wreath of leaves as a border, joined at the bottom by a ribbon bow. In the centre of the medal is an inscription, decorated with 3-pronged design and dots. The edge is plain with 2 small, rough and uneven holes horizontally opposite to each other, as though they had been used for mounting the medal at some stage. The medal has a matte finish on both sides and is slightly pitted and scratched.“PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES” around the perimeter of the obverse of the medal. “TO / Nelson Johnson, / seaman of the British, / str “Dawn”, for bravery, / at risk of life, / in / rescuing the crew of / the American Ship / “Eric the Red.” “M” on obverse, truncation of the portraitwarrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, eric the red, zaccheus allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne exhibition, cape otway, otway reef, victorian shipwreck, medal, nelson johnson, neils frederick yohnson, s.s. dawn, george morgan, hero

Combination of three movie films. Movie One (1950s): 00:00 – 13:14 Black and white footage of Diamond Creek firemen practising in Diamond Street in the 1950s for forthcoming demonstrations of abilities. Mentions of Gordon Brandy and Joe Hislop Running out hoses from old hose reels along Diamond Street, Diamond Creek Displays from various brigades running out and connecting hoses. Also scenes from the 1950s of Diamond Creek Fire Brigade competing in various locations around Victoria and Tasmania. Mentions of Brigade members Dave Kidd, Bruce Hackett, Ron Kirkbride, Jack Marks, Graham Upton who are prominent in these events. Members of Kyneton Fire Brigade also present. Members competing in running out hose reels, connecting hoses togethers and to hydrants then climbing towers to direct water from hose or at a target hanging above the road. Diamond Creek members identified wearing a diamond on their chest and back. Includes scenes of Scottish pipe bands at the events and significant crowds of spectators. Footage of Mel Stone and Beryl Marks, Stan Redpath and Ron Kirkbride, then Ron Kirkbride and Eric Holt viewing flower displays. Film changes to colour at Diamond Creek oval for practice with fire engine entering oval. Members depicted include Bill May, Jack Sinclair, Jim Cox, Bob Beale, Dave Kidd, Bruce Hackett and Captain Clarrie Stone. Reverts to black and white in the 1950s where the Brigade joins forces with the Diamond Valley Community Hospital for a Gala Day on the Diamond Creek Oval. Changes to colour again, possibly same event and scenes of children on bikes and scooters or with prams and carts racing around the oval. Mention of young lad Brian Laurie who has his own fire truck. Dart throwing, pony rides. Scenes with Dr Don Cordner, Gus Lyons, Vic Cohn (?) and spinning wheel and Diamond Creek School children entertain a large crowd with Maypole dancing. Movie Two (1950s): 13:25 – 19:00 This black and white film was taken by a TV film crew in the 1950s depicts a typical call out for the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade. In this case the careless action of a member of the public throwing a lighted match from a car, which can cause extensive damage. Footage features the Shire of Eltham War Memorial tower at Kangaroo Ground before it was modified with a fire spotter’s cabin. Discusses fire spotting operations from the tower. Shows a fire spotter walking around the top of the tower. A fire is detected, and the information is relayed to the nearest fire station, in this case, Diamond Creek. The telephone call is received, and the alarm sounded. Captain Clarrie Stone and firemen May and Shaw leave their workplaces and prepare for action. Scenes of running across the Main Hurstbridge road showing the shops (Shell service station and Chemist prominent). Scenes entering the fire station which has a pictorial warning covering the entire door “Only you can prevent forest fires – If you’re careless – we’re homeless!” Eric Holt pinpoints the location of the fire while Captain Clarrie Stone and Fireman Shaw take note. The advance vehicle (an FE Holden ute, rego GTE-696) leaves to assess the extent of the fire. Having assessed the fire, Fireman Shaw communicates with base showing radio with call sign VL3JZ. Eric Holt takes the call. In the meantime, Captain Clarrie Stone and Fireman Shaw undertake some limited action to address the fire. Firemen Bill May, Jim Bates and Hugh Bar (?) man the tanker. A photo portrait of Queen Elizabeth is visible hanging on the wall. They are later joined by Firemen Jim Cox, Eric DeBuse (?) and Jack Marks. The tanker is seen departing the station and diverging off before the bridge. Captain Clarrie Stone and Fireman Shaw are seen pumping water on the flames with hand pumps when the tanker arrives. The hose is unreeled, and water turned on the flames. Jack Sinclair joins the action. Jim Cox directs water to the high stuff. The fire put out, Jack Marks and Eric DeBuse wind in the hoses and the team head back to town. It’s peaceful again at the memorial tower. Movie Three (1969-1987): 19:14 – 34:34 Colour film “Fired with Dedication”, Country Fire Authority Victoria, produced by I.L. Wadeson, Commentary by A.M. Hem. Credits with CFA Victoria emblem and then placed over a view of an old-style ladder engine. Opens with the scene of a fire engine outside the Diamond Creek Fire Station then various trophies reflecting the competition success of the brigade in various track and disciplined events. Two trophies shown of particular pride to the brigade were for first place in the Torchlight Procession at the State Championships in Mildura in 1986 and also at Swan Hill in 1981. Still photo scenes of ex Captain Clarrie Stone, Brigade Captain for 21 years; ex Captain Jack Marks, 10 years; ex Captain Ian Douglas, 10 years. Cuts to scene of radio control room, January 1969, and news of a fire on the northern side of the township of Diamond Creek. With scenes of flames in bush, the narration explains that until the early 1960s the area was an orchard district which protected the town against the savagery of bushfires. But due to competition from other areas more suitable for orcharding and easier transport to Melbourne the district could no longer remain competitive, and orchards were replaced by grassed areas, which together with the bush areas were a feeding ground for fire. On 8th January 1969, high temperatures and strong north winds, were, with the carelessness of some individual all that was necessary to produce the worst fire the district had seen. Cuts to scene of blackened fields and cattle - Hundreds of hectares of grass land were blackened, and cattle had to be transported to other areas for agistment. Scene of destroyed buildings in the township – 13 houses and the public hall in the town were destroyed as was the theatre equipment which was owned by the fire brigade. The Church of England Hall and bell tower were badly damaged. The whole town could have been burnt out but for the determination, skill, and courage of the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade. Scenes of all that was left of the home on the hill on the west side of the Church of England. Also, the remains of the old Pisy (?) home on the top of the same hill near Lambert Street, and the ruined Crocker home. Cuts to a scene in the mid-1970s to mid-1980s of a house fire in Haley Street attended by the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade. Although the house was severely damaged, it was saved. Mentions that whilst assistance is appreciated, in some circumstances, those doing so are not properly dressed for fighting fires. Breathing apparatus is a must in structure fire attack. Next scene (either on Mangarook or Coventry oval) showing off four Diamond Creek Fire Brigade efficient and very expensive firefighting units. Features a forward control vehicle Toyota 4WD used for conveying task force personnel to the required areas; a Hino Model 3.2 tanker, diesel powered and carries 3,000 litres of water and has a 16 HP petrol driven pump which delivers 900 litres of water per minute; an International tanker (registration TCM-418) which carries 3,000 litres of water with pumping capacity of 600 litres per minute. The Ford diesel powered pumper (registration MXE-754) is a well-equipped vehicle with a water capacity of 1,000 litres and capable of pumping 1,900 litres of water per minute from the main pump, has many lockers which hose equipment such as breathing apparatus and various types of hose nozzles and foam making equipment. The vehicle carries 360m of 64mm diameter hose which can be laid out from the rear lockers and a portable lighting plant, an Oxy Viva resuscitator to revive smoke inhalation victims and forcible entry tools to gain access to structure fires. Views of the main pump and control panel on the vehicle. As well as the main pump, the vehicle is equipped with an auxiliary pump which allows the facility to pump whilst moving. Fire fighters must undergo constant training and hone their skills, Scenes of a training exercise using the pumper to pump from static water. First, the short lengths of suction hose are coupled, a strainer fitted to ensure debris does not foul the pump. Gauges must be constantly monitored to ensure manageable water pressures are maintained. Pressures are normally controlled to allow two fire fighters to work at each nozzle outlet. Two nozzles are tested, one adjustable jet fog type which is used on flammable gasses or within a structure fire to absorb heat. A straight jet nozzle to project water long distances to protect exposed surfaces close to a fire radiated heat. The pumper is quite a versatile vehicle in handling structure fires, but it also carries specialist equipment needed in containing hazardous chemical incidents. Cuts to scene of parade – the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade has with other neighbouring brigades participated in most town fairs and earns the respect of the watching public. It can be seen why this brigade has been so successful at disciplined contests. Views of Plenty Fire Brigade Road Rescue unit which is equipped with the “Jaws of Life” Scenes of athletic competitions – many neighbouring brigades indulge in friendly but keen competition at the Diamond Creek Town Fair. The young are also encouraged to participate in all aspects of Junior Fire Brigade activities and become tomorrow’s generation of volunteer fire fighters. Scene of the 1986 Diamond Creek Town Fair which was the last time veteran Captain Clarrie Stone BEM marched with the brigade. Clarrie was awarded the British Empire Medal for his service to the Country Fire Authority. Also, scenes of vehicles in the parade. Cuts to scene of brigade members in drill formation for inspection by Acting Chief Harry Rothsay (?) on the occasion of the opening of the new fire station extensions on August 29, 1987. Rudy Libel (?) Captain at the time. Scenes of crowds including many dignitaries of neighbouring brigades present including Lieutenant Gordon Grandy (who came down from Queensland for the occasion) and ex-Secretary David Kidd and wife Betty, also ex Captain Clarrie Stone and Mrs Nel Stone, a life member of the Ladies Auxiliary, the Reverend Jock Ryan, son of J.L Ryan, founder of the Diamond Creek Fire Brigade, Foundation Captain of the fire brigade, Keith Bradbury and Mrs Bradbury. Pauline Dick accepts a community service award for services to the CFA. Recognising over 47 and a half years of service, a presentation is made by Mr Neil Marshall, Acting Chairman of the CFA to ex Captain Clarrie Stone with response by Clarrie. Other members of the official party include Cr. Martin Wright, Shire President Wayne Phillips and local Member of Parliament, Mrs Pauline Toner. Ex foreman John Bennett is presented with a life member’s awards by Captain Rudy Libel. The camera also catches Gwen Cox, Jean Ryan and Bessie Layton (?) Provides historic footage of people, places and equipment and a record of the worst fires expoerienced in Diamond Creek in 1969BASF Standard Quality SQ E-180 VHS dubbing (poor quality) of three films Converted to MP4 file format 0:34:38, 1.85GBOn label: "Donation - August 2000 Diamond Creek Unit Old films made up from Fire Brigade shows at competitions - also Kangaroo Ground Tower being used"video recording, diamond creek fire brigade, 1986 diamond creek town fair, a.m. hem, acting chief harry rothsay, athletic competitions, beryl marks, bessie layton, betty kidd, bill may, bob beale, brian laurie, bruce hackett, captain clarrie stone, chemist, church of england hall, clarrie stone, clarrie stone bem, country fire authority victoria, coventry oval, cr. martin wright, crocker home, dart throwing, dave kidd, david kidd, diamond creek, diamond creek fire station, diamond creek oval, diamond creek school, diamond creek town fair, diamond street, diamond valley community hospital, dr don cordner, eric debuse, eric holt, fe holden ute, fire damage – buildings, fire spotter, fire spotter’s cabin, fire station extension, fired with dedication (film), firefighting units, fireman shaw, firemen jim cox, ford pumper, foundation captain, gala day, gordon brandy, gordon grandy, graham upton, gus lyons, gwen cox, haley street, hino model 3.2 tanker, house fire, i.l. wadeson, ian douglas, international tanker, j.l ryan, jack marks, jack sinclair, january 1969, jaws of life, jean ryan, jim bates and hugh bar, jim cox, joe hislop, john bennett, kangaroo ground, kangaroo ground tower, keith bradbury, kyneton fire brigade, lambert street, main hurstbridge road, mangarook oval, maypole dancing, mel stone, mildura 1986, mrs bradbury, mxe754 vic registration, neil marshall, nel stone, orchard district, oxy viva resuscitator, pauline dick, pauline toner mp, pisy home, plenty fire brigade road rescue unit, pony rides, radio control room, reverend jock ryan, ron kirkbride, rudy libel, shell service station, shire of eltham war memorial, shire president wayne phillips, spinning wheel, stan redpath, state championships, swan hill 1981, tcm418 vic registration, torchlight procession, toyota 4wd, trophies, vic cohn, victorian bushfires - 1969, vl3jz

Material relating to the Shire of Eltham War Memorial located at Garden Hill, Kangaroo Ground. Also known as The Eltham Shire War Memorial Tower, Shire of Eltham Soldiers' Memorial and Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Park. Includes photocopies, newspaper clippings, correspondence and more beginning from early history 1919-2009. Contents: Archive Box 1 Folder 1 (Publication Proofs) The Tower of Remembrance and War Memorial Park On Garden Hill at Kangaroo Ground, Victoria 1919-2010 Folder 2 (Up to 1960) 1. Binder with plastic pockets. Photocopies. Minutes of the Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Bazaar Committee, 1922-1926 EDHS Newsletter No. 123 November 1998 PRESIDENT'S REPORT ACQUISITION FROM NILLUMBIK SHIRE'S MEMORABILIA Recently found in a storage box of old Shire of Eltham items was a school size, blue lined black covered writing book. It is recognized as the minute book and cash receipt book of the period 1922-1926 when the Memorial Park Committee, who it seems were part of the Shire of Eltham Soldier's Memorial League, was requested to raise funds for building the Shire of Eltham War Memorial Tower at Kangaroo Ground. History tells us that the tower, which is currently being refurbished, was officially opened by the Governor General of Australia, Lord Stonehaven on 11.11.26. The ladies invited to the first meeting at the Shire Hall did so on 21st September 1922. The minutes book reads: Present: Mesdames Bell, Bourchier, McMahon, Gosling, Cockcroft, Wraight, E Coutie, R Rogers, A Jones, AH White, Davies, Everitt and the Misses Lacey, Harris, N Weller, Gosling, Bell and D and G J Bourchier. These people became the Kangaroo Ground Memorial Bazaar Committee along with others named at further meetings. They conditionally accepted the role of raising funds, their condition being that the Bazaar Committee be given representation on any committee empowered to deal with the memorial in proportion to the amount of money raised by the bazaar'. The Andrew Ross Museum has the original book. We at Eltham District Historical Society have two photocopies for public perusal. 2. Transcriptions of newspaper articles 1919-1920. 6 pages. 3. Photocopy of program for thanksgiving service July 6th, 1919 held at Public Hall, Panton Hill. 4. Photocopies: a. Kangaroo Ground, The Advertiser, 17 Oct 1919 (working bee) b. The Advertiser August 1920 – advertisement for coach between Eltham and KG. c. Anzac Memorial Service, The Eltham & Whittlesea Shires Advertiser & Diamond Creek Advertiser, April 14, 1922 and April 28, 1922 d. Anzac Day services. April 27, 1923 e. Photocopy Anzac Commemoration, local newspaper, May 2, 1924 f. Shire of Eltham Memorial Service, The Advertiser April 23, 1926 g. Eltham Shire War Memorial Advertiser August 13,1926 h. Eltham Shire War Memorial The Advertiser October 26, 1926 i. Eltham The Advertiser, December 17, 1926 j. Kangaroo Ground April 26, 1929 5. Photocopy. Eltham War Memorial Tower article, The Advertiser, November 19, 1926 6. Typed transcription of parts of newspaper articles for three titles, November 1926 7. Transcription. Public Notice, October 16, 1926 8. Photocopy Kangaroo Ground Armistice Day local newspaper, November 25, 1927 9. Photocopy Kangaroo Ground Armistice Day local newspaper, November 16, 1928 10. Photocopy Kangaroo Ground, local newspaper, April 26 1929 11. 3 Original Copies. One Hardback. Dedication of memorial official brochure, 1951 original but damaged 12. Photocopy with notes from G.G. relating to the land transfer/acquisition/contract via White and Gepp. Folder 3 (1961-1970) 1. Original newspaper article: Place with a view at Kangaroo Ground, The Age, May 11, 1963, p18 Folder 4 (1981-1990) 1. Newspaper article, Memorial a fire watch. Diamond Valley News, March 16, 1982, 2 original copies. 2. Newspaper article. An Obvious Monument by Russell Yeoman article with photo: Network Nov/Dec 1984, p14. Folder 5 (1991-2000) 1. Original newspaper article: “Kangaroo Ground Tower is top spot”. Thought to be from a tourist information free newspaper, Mountain Country, Summer [1993] p39. 2. Newspaper article with reference to quoins – a contrasting edging or corner stone on the façade of a stone or brick house. Age August 2000 3. Program. Service program for Remembrance Day commemoration ceremony, 1996. 4. Speech by Harry Gilham for Remembrance Day commemoration ceremony, 1996 5. Newspaper article: Remembrance, Diamond Valley News, 20 November 1996 6. Word Document. A Tower of Strength by Dean Stewart April 1997 7. Newspaper articles: Tower group needed, Diamond Valley News, September 17, 1997, p3 and advertisement “Nillumbik, Nominations for Kangaroo Ground Memorial Tower and Grounds Advisory Committee”, Diamond Valley News, September 17, 1997 8. Newspaper article: Council apology; scaling new heights, 1997 about Aboriginal Reconciliation. Probably Diamond Valley News ca 1997. 9. Photocopy / Newspaper Article: Two newspaper clippings, “Memorial with a view” 30 April 1997 and “Funds boost to restore tower to its former glory”, Diamond Valley News, 3 December 1997. 10. Newspaper article: Kangaroo Ground Tower of Remembrance Nillumbik Mail, 9th August 2000 and Research notes (July 2000) by Harry Gilham pertaining to photo in August 2000 newspaper article. 11. Photocopy. Newspaper article: New lease of life for tower (Concept plan) Nillumbik Mail, September 27, 2000 12. Photocopy: 4 pages, War Memorials of Victoria; a pictorial record, c.1994 Folder 6 (2001-2010) 1. Newspaper article: $10,000 to start refurbishment, Nillumbik Mail, Feb 21, 2001 2. Circular. KG War Memorial Advisory committee circular August 2001 3. Newspaper article: Tower group retained 4. Program for re-dedication of the Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Tower 8th November 2001 with copies of pages 65-70 of from The Tower of Remembrance and War Memorial Park 1919-2001 (see Folder 1) - Speaking notes from the day from Nillumbik Shire Mayor, Cr. Sigmund Jorgensen and Harry Gilham and Speech by John Landy, Governor of Victoria 5. 2 pages of Harry Gilham notes – Draft of ‘book’ notes ‘Thank you’ for rededication ceremony to be held Thursday, Nov 8, 2001 - list of invitations, notifications and acknowledgements. 6. Proposed running sheet. Re-dedication of KGT. November 8, 2001 7. Newspaper article (2 copies) Century of war service, DVL November 14, 2001 page 6 8. Letter. Gov. John Landy to Harry Gilham. Thank you for visit. [2001] 9. Newsletter Clipping: Governor of Victoria re-dedicates KG War memorial Tower, Nillumbik News (NSC) Christmas 2001 10. Newspaper article: War Memorial to be restored: DVL November 19, 2003 11. Newspaper article: Memorial Facelift Sept 29 2004. 12. Folder. Collection of maps and context Yarra Water proposal to build water tanks 13. Newspaper clipping. Pressure on with new tank. Re installation of water tank near site. DVL March 2, 2005 14. Folder of emails and designs from Dennis Ward re poppies and prostrate rosemary for formal garden around base of tower April 2005 15. Folder. Letters and paperwork re the Victorian Government “Community Cabinet” and invitation for community groups to speak directly with a government minister. Actual submission not included in folder. 16. Newspaper clipping. Time to remember among the poppies, Diamond Valley Leader, 9 November 2005, p1 and 17. Newspaper clipping. Lone pine company for souls. DVL 9 November 2005 18. Folder. Restoring Community War Memorials Grants Program. Application and associated paperwork 2005/2006 January 2006 19. Newspaper article. Shared views. Valley Weekly, June 21 2006 20. Newspaper article: Kangaroo Ground, Restoration on schedule, DVL October 2006? 21. Newspaper article. Towering over the terrain. The Age August 8, 2009 22. Photocopy. Nillumbik Shire Council. Policy and service report re lease of land to Victoria Police for police radio communications and re-building of radio tower. December 9, 2009 23. Schematics: A3 photocopies, Kangaroo Ground memorial Tower, front and rear view, Tom Manley, 17 Apr 2001 Folder 7 (2011 on) 1. Magazine article and cover. Cover story – The Kangaroo Ground Memorial Tower, The Genealogist, March 2010 2. Newspaper article. (2 copies) Photo and caption. Diamond Valley Leader, July 14, 2010 3. Newspaper notice: Notice of application for a planning permit to construct radio communications tower, DVL, October 10, 2012 4. Copy. Reference enquiry to National Film and Sound Archive. 10 September 2012 5. Copy letter. Quotation/estimate for Shire of Nillumbik on renovation and underpinning of old care takers cottage, KG. 30 September, 2012 6. Story. The Kangaroo Ground Tower of Remembrance by Amy Shaw. Yarrambat Primary School Year 6 History speech, 2014. 7. Program: Remembrance Day service, 11th November 2014 8. Newspaper article. Tribute to bravery DVL, November 19, 2014. 9. Minutes. MAC meeting. 2 September 2016. Folder 8 (Interpretative Signs Grant 2000-2001) 1. Folder. Various including Letters. EDHS Grant project: Kangaroo Ground Park and Tower of Remembrance interpretative signage from Parks Victoria 2000-2001. Folder 9 (Miscellaneous) 1. Folder Gilham collection. Google earth images of Tower, Extract describing history of Tower, including honour roll for WW1 and WW2, 8 pages, Extract describing history of Tower, including honour roll for WW1 and WW2, 3 pages, 2002 and 2004; Kangaroo Ground Tower; Southwell-Keely M.; WAR MEMORIALS IN AUSTRALIA; 8 pages, https://web.archive.org/web/20080722161554/http://www.skp.com.au/memorials2/pages/30054.htm) 2. Letter. Undated, unsigned re application to council to proposed work to police radio masts behind caretaker’s cottage. 3. Brochure: Heritage Nillumbik. Includes cover photo and other information about site. Published by Nillumbik Shire Council. About 2006. 4. Folder of notes and photocopies of various Certificates of Title for property 5. Inward loan documents. Two. Andrew Ross Museum inward loan for collection items from “War Memorial Tower” 2003 6. Photocopies of postcards of Soldiers War Memorial: One taken c.1926 before completion around base, on colour print on paper (enlarged) of Soldiers War Memorial postcard c.1930s prior to gun placements with typed text pasted on and additional detail version mounted on card with handwritten explanatory notes by Harry Gilham. 7. Photocopy of photo of tower 1944 with guns in place from Gordon and explanatory notes plus A4 photo paper print of image (photoshopped cleaned up). 8. Miscellaneous photocopies of photos taken by Harry Gilham of Memorial Park entrance, model tower in font of tower entrance, caretaker’s cottage, spiral staircase, Menin Gate sign and possibly planting of Lone Pine. Folder 10 (Fire Spotting Operations) 1. Biographical notes on Herman Motschall 1969-1981 2. Newspaper article, Memorial Tower top site for fire spotter, Diamond Valley News, May 15, 1973. 3. Proper Officer's report on an addition to the Kangaroo Ground Memorial Tower for Fire Spotting purposes: "This report covers the history of the tower, its uses, and reasons why it should be put to greater use, benefiting the Shire Council and ratepayers" Includes detailed commentary around the proposal to use the Shire of Eltham War Memorial at Kangaroo Ground for fire spotting. From Shire of Eltham archives. H. J. Masefield Property Officer. 4. Eltham Shire Council meetings 14 and 24 September 1973 references to fire watching facilities. Summary of end of season reports from spotters 1965-1973. 5. Newspaper clipping; Memorial a fire watch by Marguerite Marshall Diamond Valley News 16 March 1982 6. Letter: Cover letter from Dennis Ward 20 Feb 2006 architect for CFA Cabin design and Proposal to upgrade the fire spotting cabin, 2007 including a cost and concept plan dated 7 February 2009. 7. Newspaper article. From that first puff of smoke – horror. Diamond Valley Leader, Feb 25, 2009, p. 7 8. Invitation: State Government announcement of refurbishment of KGWM Fire spotting tower 19 October 2009 9. Newspaper article. Tower– up, Black Saturday watch. Cover and page. Diamond Valley Leader, October 28, 2009 10. Invitation. Opening of newly upgraded fire spotting tower, 11 April 2010 11. Newspaper article. Incredible luxury at fire spotting tower, Diamond Valley Leader, April 21, 2010, p, 5 12. Printout of plan of base of tower including comms cabinet and ladder to CFA cabin. Dated 17/6/2010   Archive Box 2 Folder 11 (Moor-rul Viewing Platform) 1. Agenda. Planning and building committee 12 March 2003 Application for construction of a viewing platform and road entry refurbishment and coach parking bay. 2. Envelope. Letters, paperwork and emails, mainly from Dennis Ward re roof design for the viewing platform and order for poppy seeds. 2005 3. Newspaper article (enlarged and laminated). Stolen Red gum seats sap new project’s momentum. (Local paper), April 3, 2007 4. Convenor’s Notes – Opening of the Viewing Platform at Kangaroo Ground, Shire of Nillumbik 5. Folder. Nillumbik Reconciliation Charter. Opening of the Moor-rul viewing platform 17.4.2008. Compiled by Harry Gilham. Includes newspaper clipping, speech, photocopy of photos with captions. 6. Newspaper article. View from the hill is a thrill. Heidelberg and Diamond Valley Weekly, April 22, 2008 7. Newspaper article. A platform towards reconciliation. Diamond Valley Leader, 23 April 2008. 8. Newspaper article: 6 reasons to visit Hurstbridge, The Age, Jun 6 2012 9. Article: Aboriginal cultural values and heritage management issues 10. Folder: Material relating to design and construction of viewing platform Folder 12 - Shire of Nillumbik Advisory Committee 1. 2011 Diary, Harry Gilham, Kangaroo Ground Advisory Committee 2. Photocopy. Newspaper clipping. Nillumbik Council seeking nominations for new Kangaroo Ground Memorial Tower and grounds advisory committee. DVN 17 Sept 1997 3. Letter. From NSC to Dean Stewart re heritage listing status. 12 July 1998. 4. Business paper for NSC Council meeting: KG Memorial Tower and Grounds advisory committee, 12 March 2002. Includes Terms of Reference Folder 13 - Friends of Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Park Inc. 1. KG Tower and land occupational health & Safety (guidelines) for volunteers 2. Supplementary notes (not related to fire spotting) from Friends group or advisory group of Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Park including design of seating, proposed budget for works, hand written notes from meeting by H.G. about 1999. Folder 14 - Soldiers. 1. Folder of material pertaining to men from the Shire of Eltham who enlisted in WW1 and for whom the Shire of Eltham War Memorial was dedicated. 2. Folder on residents from Shire of Eltham who died in WW2 1939-1945 with listings of each from Commonwealth War Graves Commission, WW2 Nominal Roll for Eltham 3. Newspaper article: Mates join to recall past, Diamond Valley News, November 16, 1994 4. Newspaper article: Board replaced, Diamond Valley News, September 2, 1998 about Hurstbridge RSL Honour Roll Board 5. Newspaper article: Keeping the memories alive; VP Day honoured, Valley Weekly, August 17, 2005 6. Newspaper article: In our hearts; Tributes for war heroes, Diamond Valley Leader, November 9, 2005, p1 7. Newspaper article: Service honoured, Diamond Valley News, Leader, April 23, 2008 8. Newspaper article: Salute to last men standing, Diamond Valley Leader, April 20, 2011, p1 and Last of the world warriors, pp8-9 9. Newspaper article: We will remember, Diamond Valley Leader, April 25, 2012, p3 10. Newspaper article: Family legacy builds whole town, Diamond Valley Leader, Oct, 2013, p15 11. Photos and details of Honour Boards in the shire 12. Miscellaneous notes by Harry Gilham Folder 15 – Welcome Home Committee Meeting Minutes. 1. Extracts from Welcome Home Committee Meeting Minutes 18 August 1917 to 14 August 1919. Folder 16 – World War One Local Enlistments. 1. Lever arch binder containing records of local enlistments by name from the Diamond Valley including extracts from Commonwealth War Graves Commission records. Includes Newspaper article clipping "Digger's marker of respect: Temporary cross a poignant find after eight decades in dusty garage"; Sunday Herald Sun, November 10, 2024, p33 concerning Private Harry Conway who died April 1918 and whose tempory grave marker cros now housed at Montmorency-Eltham RSL. Archive Box with documentsharry gilham collection, fire spotting, kangaroo ground, shire of eltham war memorial, masefield h. j., cfa, kangaroo ground war memorial park, shire of eltham soldiers' memorial, eltham shire war memorial tower, harry conway, montmorency-eltham rsl sub-branch

This photo was taking during construction of the tailrace tunnel between West Kiewa Power Station and Mt. Beauty. Much of the area was unstable and timber supports were erected prior to concreting. The tunnel was commenced in 1941 and completed in 1952. It brings water from the power station into the open tailrace at Mt. Beauty and then into the regulating pondage before discharge into the Kiewa River.Shows method of construction for supporting walls and ceiling of tunnel with timber, size of tunnel (note worker on upper level), and conditions in the work place during construction in the 1940's/50's - note the timber ladder to gain access to the upper level.Black and white photographHand written on back of photograph "Tunnel face at Tailrace showing Arch Drive".tailrace, power station, water, construction

Purchased through the Horsham Art Gallery Trust Fund, 2018

Betty McPhee Sewing collectionTwo fine cachet hooks used for mending stockings. It consist of a steel wire with a hook at one end and a hook and latch at the other mounted on a card.A Boon to Ladiesdomestic items, sewing

This set of 8 photographs was produced by the Rose Stenograph Co. c1913 to be included in photograph albums. The show tourist scenes of Sassafras and surrounds. The photographs were donated by a family in Western Australia whose parents lived in Sassafras c1918.Small b & w photograph from a series of 8 showing scenes from Sassafras produced by the Rose Stenograph Co. c1913.On reverse - Panorama of Sassafrassassafras, jacob's ladder, sherbrooke