This cash book comes from the National Bank of Warrnambool and the entries date from 1909 to 1911.The Warrnambool National Bank opened in 1867. The bank opened in temporary premises in Timor Street and in 1869 it moved to a new stone building on the corner of Timor and Kepler Streets which it occupied until 1975. The National Australia Bank still operates today in Koroit Street.This cash book is of considerable interest mostly because of the listing of local names in the early 20th Century.This is a ledger used as a cash book. It has printed red lines and hand written entries in black and red ink. It also has the National Bank stamp. The hard board cover has a mottled pattern on the back and the front and is completely detached from the pages.warrnambool banks, warrnambool national bank, bank ledger 1910

South Korea flag represents contract to supply uniforms and equipment, military personnel bank rolled by the USA as part of the "more Flags" aid program. White flag with red and blue Yin and Yang black striped corner panelsflag, south korea

This writing desk was used by the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia personnel and the date associated with it (through unproven Historical Society records) is 1859. The Bank of Australasia was established in Sydney in 1835. The Warrnambool branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in 1854 in a stone cottage in Merri Street leased for two years. The bank was next located in a leased building in Timor Street with new purpose-built premises at the corner of Timor and Kepler Streets opening in 1860. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia merged with the Union Bank to form the A.N.Z. Bank Limited. In 1970 the E. S. & A. Bank and the London Bank of Australia merged with the A.N.Z. Bank forming the A.N.Z. Banking Group Limited with the business transferring to Liebig Street. The old Bank of Australasia building was purchased by the Warrnambool City Council and later sold to a private buyer. It is now a nightclub. The writing desk may have been used in both the Timor Street leased building and the bank building at the corner of Kepler and Timor Streets. William Palmer was the Bank Manager when the desk would have been first used. This is a most significant item as it comes from the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, the first bank to be established in Warrnambool and a major banking business in Warrnambool for nearly 100 years. The desk was handed over to the Warrnambool and District Historical Society by Clarrie Kempton, the A.N.Z. Bank Manager in Warrnambool from 1964 to 1971.This is a wooden writing desk, possibly made of walnut wood. The base is rectangular with a drawer with a brass handle at the base. From the base the desk slopes up to a triangular shape with a slightly curved top. The middle of the desk has a front opening with two doors with four brass hinges with a brass lock. There are six bolts, one with a slot missing. Inside the doors are inset 10 wooden slots of different sizes to hold papers, letters, ink, dockets etc. Also inside the doors, behind a transparent material, are spaces for the day, date and month. These numbers and letters were once able to be changed according to the date. The writing desk is in good condition but a little stained. ‘Tuesday’ ‘8’ ‘November’ bank of australasia, history of warrnambool, history of warrnambool

It is a cream coloured bank note with with brown and blue writing and emblems printed on itOn the front side is a picture of the Great Seal of the United States in blue on a cream background, Series 472 for 10 cents also the number C07094035C and it is called a Military Payment Certificate, for use only in United States Military establishmenrts by United States Authorized personnel. On the reverse side in brown writing it says Military Payment Certificate then a picture of the Great Seal of the United States in brown on a cream background, then for use only in United States Military Establishments by United States Authorized Military Personnel in accordance with applicable rules and regulations

This is a set of 26 photographs of Royal Australian Survey Corps (RA Svy) personnel from Central Comd Fd Svy Unit (Adelaide) on Aerodist survey operation - Project C4 in Eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory in 1967 (photos .4P to .26P) and in Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory in 1968 (photos .1P to .3P). Photos of personnel were taken either at the operations base at Numbulwar or the main base at Gove (Nhulunbuy). RA Svy conducted nineteen Aerodist operations for 12 years from 1964 to 1975. Aerodist MRC2 was a tellurometer-based system adapted for aircraft to accurately measure distances between non-intervisible ground survey stations, using the aircraft as an intermediate station. Lower order geodetic results could be achieved by survey network trilateration. The measured distances between stations formed survey networks from which each station’s latitude and longitude was computed. Aerodist MRC2 was RA Svy’s major horizontal control survey tool for mainly medium scale topographic mapping (scale 1:100,000 Class A being spatially accurate to within 50 metres) in PNG, northern NT, north-west WA, Kalimantan Barat (West) Indonesia, Sumatra Indonesia, Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York, QLD. In 1967, the Aerodist MRC2 Master equipment was installed in the aircraft featured in this set of photos, Executive Air Services’ (Essendon VIC) Grand Aero Commander VH-EXX. It was the same aircraft type and company contracted to Division of National Mapping for Aerodist MRC2 surveys. From July to October 1967 the aircraft was attached to Central Comd Fd Svy Unit (Adelaide - Major Don Ridge) on Project C4 eastern-Arnhem Land NT, where 317 Aerodist lines measuring 17,300 line miles were successfully completed. This was the most productive Aerodist project thus far. The most common helicopter used by RA Svy up to 1972 was the civilian Bell 47G-2 and the Sioux Light Observation Helicopters (LOH), the Australian Army’s equivalent featured in this photo set. These light observation helicopters had a limiting load carrying capacity of up to about 500 pounds. By comparison, one Aerodist team including two people weighed up to 1,500 pounds. In 1968, after completion of the Kimberley Aerodist Operation project, the Aerodist system in VH-EXX was immediately deployed to western-Arnhem Land NT for Central Comd Fd Svy Unit (Adelaide - Major Don Ridge) to complete the mapping control across northern NT from mid-July to October. The Aerodist MRC2 Remote antenna seen in Photos .24P to .26P is mounted on a 20 foot pole tower. The antenna direction was controlled by wires/ropes to the two arms under the dish at right angles. The antenna elevation could be changed to the vertical for aircraft height checks as seen in photo .25P. Source: Royal Australian Survey Corps – Aerodist Years 1964-1975 by Peter Jensen. Refer to Item 6449.30P for more photos taken during these Aerodist survey operations.This is a set of 26 photographs of Royal Australian Survey Corps (RA Svy) personnel on Aerodist survey operations in Eastern Arnhem Land, Northern Territory in 1967 and Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory in 1968. The photographs are on 35mm negative film and scanned at 96 dpi. They are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. .1) to .2) – Photo, black & white, 1968, unidentified soldier with an opened can of food, possibly bully beef. .3) – Photo, black & white, 15 Aug 1968, aerial view of terrain taken from a helicopter in vicinity of MILINGIMBI SIERRA. .4) – Photo, black & white, 1967, aerial view of an island taken from a helicopter. .5) & .6) – Photo, black & white, 1967, unidentified soldier driving a Haflinger 4x4 Light utility vehicle with trailer. .7) – Photo, black & white, 1967, unidentified surveyors taking vertical measurements with a leveling instrument and staff. .8) – Photo, black & white, 1967, Australian Army Sioux Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) with float removed. .9) to .11) – Photo, black & white, 1967, Australian Army Sioux Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) with floats. .12) – Photo, black & white, 1967, civilian Bell 47G-2 helicopter (Australian Army Sioux LOH equivalent) refuelled. .13) – Photo, black & white, 1967, survey station on coastline surrounded by white plastic aerial photographic identification panels lined with rocks. .14) & .15) – Photo, black & white, 1967, soldier (possibly a signaller from RA Sigs) operating a radio. .16) – Photo, black & white, 1967, Central Comd Fd Svy Unit Operations Section tent, Main Base Gove (Nhulunbuy) L to R: SPR Harry Dunn, WO1 Pat Wood BEM. .17) – Photo, black & white, 1967, Central Comd Fd Svy Unit Operations Section tent, Main Base Gove (Nhulunbuy) L to R: unidentified, WO1 Pat Wood BEM. .18) – Photo, black & white, 1967, Central Comd Fd Svy Unit Operations Section, Main Base Gove (Nhulunbuy), unidentified Australian Army Catering Corps cook preparing meals. .19) – Photo, black & white, 1967, Central Comd Fd Svy Unit Operations Section, Main Base Gove (Nhulunbuy) mess tent in readiness for meals. .20) – Photo, black & white, 1967, Bank of batteries in transit boxes undergoing recharging using generators. .21) – Photo, black & white, 1967, A topographic survey identification plaque set in a concrete block being weighed using a set of scales hanging from slaughtering gallows. .22) – Photo, black & white, 1967, CPL (Geoff or Gary) Larkin operating the remote Aerodist MRC2 ground instrument at Veronica Island, located north of Nhulunbuy. .23) – Photo, black & white, 1967, L to R: CPL (Geoff or Gary) Larkin with unidentified surveyor operate the remote Aerodist MRC2 ground instrument at Venica Island, located north of Nhulunbuy. .24) & .25 – Photo, black & white, 1967, The Aerodist MRC2 Remote antenna. .26) – Photo, black & white, 1967, The Aerodist MRC2 Remote antenna.The following photos are annotated in black ink on edge of film negative: .3P – ’15 Aug ’68, 2000’, 1-C18 ’68 MILINGIMBI SIERRA’ .4P – ’U462’ .8P – ‘1-C3/67 Float Removed’ .13P – ‘U477 10-C3/67 .20P - ‘2-C3/67 Bank of Chargers’ .21P - ‘3-C3/67 Gallows & Scales’ .22P - ‘0462 VERONICA ISLAND NT, CPL Larkin’ .23P - ‘0462 VERONICA ISLAND NT’ .24P - ‘4-C3/67 20’ Aerodist Tower’ .25P - ‘5-C3/67 20’ Aerodist Tower’ .26P - ‘6-C3/67 20’ Aerodist Tower’royal australian survey corps, rasvy, army survey regiment, army svy regt, fortuna, asr, aerodist, surveying, central comd fd svy unit

These eight photographs of Army Survey Regiment personnel with the Inter-Service Sailing Trophy were taken on the bank of Fortuna’s Lake at Bendigo circa 1980. Army Survey Regiment’s personnel were encouraged to participate in Inter-Area, Inter-Service and Combined-Service sporting competitions held annually. The unit’s highly skilled sailors formed the core of Army’s Inter-Service Sailing Team in Victoria for many years.These eight photographs of Army Survey Regiment personnel with the Inter-Service Sailing Trophy were taken at Fortuna, Bendigo c1980. The proof photographs were printed on paper and are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. The photographic proofs were scanned at 600 dpi. .1) & .2)- Photo, black & white, 1980, Personnel with the Inter-Service Sailing Trophy, L to R: WO2 Noel ‘Nesty’ Coulthard, SGT Doug Carswell, MAJ Sam Schwartz - US Exchange, SGT Rowan Gillies. .3) - Photo, black & white, 1980, Personnel with the Inter-Service Sailing Trophy, L to R: WO2 Noel ‘Nesty’ Coulthard, SGT Doug Carswell, SGT Rowan Gillies. .4) - Photo, black & white, 1980, Personnel with the Inter-Service Sailing Trophy, L to R: SGT Doug Carswell, WO2 Noel ‘Nesty’ Coulthard, SGT Rowan Gillies. .5) - Photo, black & white, 1980, Personnel with the Inter-Service Sailing Trophy, L to R: WO2 Noel ‘Nesty’ Coulthard, SGT Rowan Gillies. .6) - Photo, black & white, 1980, Inter-Service Sailing Trophy, SGT Rowan Gillies. .7) - Photo, black & white, 1980, Inter-Service Sailing Trophy, SGT Doug Carswell. .8) - Photo, black & white, 1980, Inter-Service Sailing Trophy, WO2 Noel ‘Nesty’ Coulthard. .1P to .8P – No personnel are identified.royal australian survey corps, rasvy, army survey regiment, army svy regt, fortuna, asr

This collection of 15 photos of personnel and equipment was taken at the Army Survey Regiment, Fortuna, Bendigo, in 1992. The photos feature the inside Lithographic Squadron, external buildings, the transport compound, and the gardener’s end of the duty hut. Although these photos are not annotated most personnel are positively identified. Photos .14) to.15) feature Neil Morgan, who was a permanent ground maintenance employee.This is a set of 15 photographs of personnel and equipment at the Army Survey Regiment, Fortuna, Bendigo, 1992. The photographs are on 35mm negative film and were scanned at 96 dpi. They are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. .1) - Photo, black & white, 1992, outside Litho’s BARCRO work area (old entrance to Roman Bath) .2) - Photo, black & white, 1992, SPR Scott Cameron outside the Old OR’s Barracks. .3) - Photo, black & white, 1992, bank of the lake with Old & New OR’s Barracks. .4) - Photo, black & white, 1992, unidentified outside Q-Store buildings. .5)- Photo, black & white, 1992, records building under construction. .6) - Photo, black & white, 1992, ITEC type setter. .7) and .8) - Photo, black & white, 1992, ITEC type setter and IGX printer. .9) - Photo, black & white, 1992, IGX printer. .10) - Photo, black & white, 1992, Pakotone photographic processor. .11) - Photo, black & white, 1992, densitometer. .12) and .13) - Photo, black & white, 1992, unidentified RACT personnel in transport compound. .14) to.15) - Photo, black & white, 1992, Neil Morgan readying the ride-on lawn mower at rear end of Duty Hut. No personnel are identified.royal australian survey corps, rasvy, army survey regiment, army svy regt, fortuna, asr, litho

Photograph of a group of Ballarat Crew or trammies photographed while waiting for their next trams by Travis Jeffery at the City terminus. Has tram No. 25 in the background. Note the padlock tin between the two Connies.Photograph of four Ballarat trammies, crews, on a seat on the north side of Sturt St waiting to go for next trip. From left to right, Norman Lorensini, Ray Curnow, Maurice Shillington, and Ted Edmonds. Has cash tin on seat. In background is tram 25, Commonwealth bank, (old) and the Newsagent kiosk. Taken during 1959. Additional prints made by John Phillips April 1999. 1x 203H x 254W to Marlene Lorensini 4 Duke St. Ballarat, home 53 317 592 for Norms 80th Birthday. Also 1 x 203H x 254W and 89H x 140 Prints for archives. Negative from Travis Jeffrey donated to Museum at same time. 406 large print - 02-02-04 - small print - 1999 - 01-01-57 large print - 01-01-71 - added 20-07-2006 - 278H x 355W Image revised 9/5/2020 from the negative of the photo held.trams, tramways, ballarat, crews, personnel, 25, tram 25

The State Savings Bank Purchasers Pass Book cover|The State Savings Bank Purchasers Pass Book Amount advance 576 pound|The State Savings Bank Purchasers Pass Book Monthly Instalments 1941|The State Savings Bank Purchasers Pass Book Monthly Instalments 1942|The State Savings Bank Purchasers Pass Book Monthly Instalments 1942|The State Savings Bank Purchasers Pass Book Monthly Instalments 1942|The State Savings Bank Purchasers Pass Book Monthly Instalments 1942|Melbourne and Metropolitan board of Works|The State Savings Bank of Victoria Insurance letter dated 15 September 1932|Perpetual Trustees Buildings letter dated 6 February 1946|Housing and Reclamation Act Letter|The State Savings Bank of Victoria|Contract of Sale Francis Henry OReilly of Hampshire Road Sunshine Fitter|Special tobacco Ration for Ex Service Personnel and authorized Monthly Quota sunshine, o'reilly, hampshire crescent

O.F.M. was the ORDNANCE FACTORY MARIBYRNONG. Up to the end of June 1943 and at a time when the wages were about £5 ($10) to £6 ($12) per week Australia had spent £1,106,000,000 (£156 per head) on the war effort. A lot of the money was spent at home in making war necessities such as armaments, munitions, boots, clothing, and in providing special training. Significant increases in numbers occurred in the personnel employed in the fighting services, and also in the work force involved in the war effort. During the financial year 1942-1943 the war cost Australia £561,743,000 (over a billion dollars), while the Income Tax raised from individuals totalled only 16.5% of this amount. To finance the war the Australian government had previously borrowed money from the public, and from institutions such as the savings banks, friendly societies, and life assurance societies, by running three successfully subscribed Liberty Loans. The institutions had contributed considerably more money to these Liberty Loans than the public, however it can be argued that the public members of these institutions had also contributed some money indirectly. The 4th Liberty Loan which opened on 5 October 1943 and closed on 9 November 1943 was intended to raise £125,000,000, with the government aiming for 750,000 subscribers. Bonds costing £10 each could be bought on a time payment scheme. A total of £126,408,000 was raised at two different interest rates and maturity dates, however the number of subscribers had only reached 567,533. Some newspaper reports of the time indicate that the low number of subscribers was a partial failure of the loan, because spare money in the community could lead to inflation at a time when goods were in short supply. The government set target quotas on how much money should ideally be raised in a particular district, and how many subscribers should ideally take part. Often these quotas proved to be excessive. The Special Red Pennant Award as given to the No 1 FORGE O.F.M. was normally for achieving the highest per capita contribution within each particular group. What is unknown at this stage is what other entities were in the same group, or how large the group was. There were other variations of the awards such as those given to country districts, where a star was placed on the left hand corner of the pennant if the money quota was reached, while two or three stars indicated that the quota was doubled or tripled. A bar was also included on the pennant if the quota of subscribers was achieved, while two bars indicated double the quota of subscribers. The above information was sourced from Trove newspaper articles at: (1) http://nla.gov.au.nla.news-article70439716, (2) http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141292541, (3) http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11797265, (4) http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11788072, and from (5) http://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070158--1-.PDF (see page 580).This framed award has significance in that it serves as a historic reminder that the No 1 Forge O.F.M. and the Ordnance Factory Maribyrnong once existed within the Shire of Braybrook, and later the City of Sunshine, and that it was involved in the manufacture of ordnance for World War 2. It also serves as a historic reminder that it costs a huge amount of money for a country to be involved in a major war, and that a big contribution is required from the public to raise money and to produce goods for the war effort.Permanently sealed brown stained wood frame with a glass face. Enclosed behind the glossy glass is a triangular shaped pennant made of red felt material. The red colour appears to be somewhat faded. The inscriptions and markings on the pennant are in blue, gold, and white coloured inks.The AUSTRALIAN COAT OF ARMS diagram plus the following writing: SPECIAL AWARD / 4th LIBERTY LOAN / Oct.-Nov. 1943 / No 1 FORGE O.F.M.4th liberty loan, special award, ordnance factory maribyrnong, no 1 forge o.f.m., oct - nov 1943, red pennant

In 1988, as part of a Defence of Mainland Australian policy, defence of facilities of strategic importance in northern Australia were allocated to Army Reserve units. ‘A’ Squadron was allocated the defence of Tindal Air Force base located 15 KM outside Katherine in Northern Territory. Consequently the Squadron deployed on Exercise ‘Northern Explorer’ to gain first-hand knowledge of operating conditions for mounted and dismounted patrolling in the area.Colour photograph of vehicle patrol of ' A " Squadron 8/13 VMR accessing the viability of a crossing point of Ferguson River during Exercise ' Northern Explorer. The patrol decided the Armoured Personnel carrier could descend the shale bank but not climb out again.

The photograph in the Kew collection is undated and only three of the personnel identified. Based on information provided by Geoffrey Stephens, it is now possible to identify those present. His photograph belonged to his father who is pictured. The annotations include: Back Row L to R - E GOODYEAR (Farm), MATTHEW LYNCH (Junior Fireman), K DAVIS (Farm), C RICHARDS (Carpenter). Middle Row L to R - H HAMPSON (Store), S PATTERSON (***), D BANKS (Head Porter), F TAYLOR (***), J CARROLL (Engineer Machinery), A MEYER (Bootmaker), G HUME (Farm Manager), S STEPHENS (Soap), MATTHEW LYNCH (Senior Gardener), B GRAY (Tailor), F GALE (Carpenter), R **** (Painter), H JEWELL (Tinsmith), * JERRAM (Painter), T TAYLOR (Tailor), L MORAN (Farm), I SEVIN (Carpenter), E GOODWIN (Fireman), F WHEELER (Blacksmith). Front Row L to R - __ (Housekeeper MB), PUDDSPORT (Matron FB), J THOMPSON (Dispensary), Dr JOHNSON, Dr RYAN, Dr HOLLOW (Superintendent), G STUART (Secretary), W CHRISTIE (Chief Clerk), K PALMER (Clerk), K PALMER (Clerk), J BATHISCOMBE (Clerk), T FARRELL (Head Attendant MB), ? ELLIS (Head Attendant Children's Cottages), MOLLOY (Matron Children's Cottages), G AKERS (Upholsterer), G STEWART (Painter). It should be noted that it is sometimes difficult to read the handwriting. The names above have been verified through magnification but should be validated through research.A rare and historically significant photograph of the staff of the Kew Asylum in front of the main administration building. The photograph is one of a pair donated to the Kew Historical Society by Frances Dorothea Van Brummelen (1931-2011) in 1994. Following her graduation as a social worker, Fran Van Brummelen joined the staff of Kew Cottages in 1969, and became senior social worker there in 1971. She remained at the cottages until she retired in 1994. Earlier, In 1987, with psychiatrist Cliff Judge, she founded the Kew Cottages Historical Society becoming its president. In 2002, the pair collaborated on the book Kew Cottages: The World of Dolly Stainer, which was later commended in the Victorian Community History Awards. This photograph appears in the book.One of a pair of panoramic photographs donated by Fran Van Brummelen in 1994, and dating from c.1924. The photo is mounted on brown card and shows senior staff of the Kew Hospital for the Insane, posed in front of the main administration building. kew mental hospital, kew lunatic asylum, kew hospital for the insane, willsmere

A copy of a magazine created and distributed amongst those serving aboard the hospital ship Wanganella in 1942. The magazine/journal is put together by a group of personnel and includes news and entertainment, birthday and anniversary news, editorials and comical pieces, as well as letters to the editor.Single-fold paper booklet. Typed in black ink. Front cover shows a hand drawn image inside a black line border of a bank building on a street corner. On the wall is written 'money lent on anything' and 'AID for AIF' and 'dough lent'. The title is written in capitals in an arch across the top of the page.'M63' [handwritten in red marker on front cover] 'B Lawson for RNC / Archives' [handwritten in black ink on the front cover]ww2, wwii, world war two, wanganella, hospital ship - wanganella, news and entertainment on hospital ships

Photographer notations on slide: "Unloading Timber at Wharves 1933 Age B5" Published: Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854- ), Tuesday 15 August 1933 MAHOGANY FROM MANILA. (1933, August 15). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 16, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204377024 Published title: MAHOGANY FROM MANILA Published Caption: Age Tue 15 Aug 1933 Caption: Unloading Mahogany Logs brought from Manila, Philippine Islands, by the steamer Taiping, which berthed yesterday at Victoria Dock. The vessel discharged twenty logs, each weighing three tons, the first shipment of this type of timber landed in Melbourne. Research by Project Volunteer, Louise McKenzie: This photograph in many ways epitomises Melbourne in the 1930s. It is a time of enormous growth, development and change. But before delving into that, the photo itself is very powerful. The huge mahogany logs being unloaded appear to be so heavy that the ship itself seems to list to port as they are craned over the side. They are being levered into a cart to which two large and sturdy Clydesdale horses are hitched. In contrast to the traditional horses, the wharf is crisscrossed with modern railway tracks. Unloading is both mechanical and manual, and the scene is one of intense interest to a young boy bystander. The ship appears to be squat and solid, but the whole image also gives a feeling of movement and intensity. The mahogany being delivered to Melbourne would be intended for high quality furniture. In the 1930s Australia actually had a growing timber industry, but much of the eucalyptus wood was being utilised for mass produced furniture, and much of this furniture would then have had a veneer applied to it. The fact that it was economic to import this timber from the “Philippine Islands” – not a traditional trading market for Australia – reflects a Victorian economy that was strong enough to support a growing demand for good quality furniture Mahogany was described as a classic, strong hardwood, often used for dark opulent furniture. In the 1930s the importation of timber from Manila (Philippines) to Australia was a notable trade, particularly in Philippine Lauan (often referred to as Philippine Mahogany), which was used as a cheaper alternative to other hardwoods. 1930s furniture, dominated by the art deco style, used a mix of luxurious exotic woods like mahogany, macassar and ebony for high-end pieces, often veneered over less expensive woods such as walnut, birch and poplar, and with plywood, chrome and lacquer also popular for more practical, streamlined designs during the Depression era. By the mid 1930s timber mills were being relocated away from the immediate dock area, but the fact that these logs were being transported by horse-drawn cart implies that the load would not have had to be taken too far for milling. 1885 the Melbourne Harbour Trust Commissioners had decided that land in or near the city was far too valuable to be used as timber yards. Furthermore, large stacks of timber posed a fire risk. The Trust asked the Victorian Government to reserve a site on the east side of the Yarra River opposite Yarraville and Spotswood. Here, in 1889, the Trust began building six jetties and a wharf specifically for the landing of timber. Clydesdale horses were initially brought to Victoria from Tasmania in the 1830s, and with the 1850s gold rush they were imported direct from Scotland. Melbourne was from its earliest years an important centre of horse-breeding from both imported and colonial-bred stock, providing the well-built draught horse for pulling heavily loaded wagons, the harness horse for delivery work and drawing coaches, and the saddle-horse used for riding. Stud breeding facilities were advertised from the early 1840s. By the 1870s the horse export trade was thriving, and the Port of Melbourne was the country's busiest exporter of horses to Indian, Asian and New Zealand markets. Kirk's Melbourne Horse and Carriage Bazaar in Bourke Street first advertised for business in 1840, and by the 1850s Bourke Street West was famed for its horse bazaars and saleyards. The Victorian Clydesdale Horse Society reports that Clydesdale working horses were a vital part of Melbourne's infrastructure and agricultural industry in the 1930s, when they reached the peak of their popularity despite the increasing competition from mechanization. Their main roles and usage at this time were: • City Delivery: Clydesdales were a common sight for metropolitan deliveries, particularly for breweries (such as Carlton & United Breweries), milk runs, and bread deliveries. • Industrial Work: They were heavily used for hauling cargo at the docks, in construction, and at specialized sites like the Truganina Explosives Reserve, where they pulled wagons. • Agriculture: In surrounding rural areas, they were the primary power source for ploughing and agricultural machinery. • Specialization: By the 1930s, the Clydesdale was smaller and more compact than the Shire or Percheron breeds, making them ideal for navigation in urban environments. After the 1930s their numbers decreased due to the onset of WWI and mechanisation. Wartime petrol rationing led to a brief revival for the working horse, as suburban tradesmen, now used to motor delivery, took their old jinkers out of mothballs. By 1947, however, only 1.5% of city traffic was horse-drawn. In 1952 the large horse cartage company A. Kellet Pty Ltd sold its 250 horses and converted its Richmond stables to storage. In the 1950s at Station and Princes piers, wharf labourers refused to work with the six draught horses still being used to haul trolleys and which were soon superseded by the fork lift, semi-trailer and mobile crane. Where carefully trained horses had once shunted trains in city goods yards, a few hundred a week were now being killed at the abattoirs for pet and human consumption. The last MCC dray horse was withdrawn from service in 1958, but some of the few remaining working animals are used by the mounted police for crowd control at demonstrations and football games. The death knell had also sounded for the associated trades of farrier, saddler and blacksmith. Our photo, therefore, showing the wharf with both the haulage Clydesdales and the rail lines, is a strong visual summary of the social and economic changes experienced in Victoria in the 1930s and on towards the 1950s. Our photo is located at Victoria Dock (also known as Victoria Harbour) which is still an active component of Melbourne’s port system. In 1892 the West Melbourne Dock (later Victoria Dock) was opened, downstream and immediately west of the Spencer Street railway shunting yards. It contained a swing basin for ships, replacing the one which had been provided on the south side of the river, later to be the Duke and Orr dry dock, west of the Charles Grimes Bridge. Further west was the South Wharf along the river bank. The history of Victoria Dock is extremely well described by Ashley Smith in his 2 March 2022 article in Docklands News, and its accompanying aerial photo of the Dock taken in 1934. He writes: "In the early 1930s Victoria Dock was one of the biggest sites for trade and export in Melbourne. A constant queue of ships sailed in, unloaded their cargo, recharged and reloaded, then left for the next port. Around the time this photo was taken (found in a 1934 photo book), the trapezium-shaped basin had been through some changes since its construction in the 1890s. The 497-metre-long Central Pier, finished in 1919, now featured six sheds to house the ever-increasing volume of cargo. The entrance had also been widened in the 1920s to allow better access. Some of the berths featured three-ton jib electric cranes to help with loading cargo and a rail network connected to the State Railway service. By the time construction was completed, the dock was 39 hectares and hailed as the second-largest dock in the world (behind Cavendish Dock, Barrow-in-Furness). To further save costs, excavations were dug to a more reasonable seven metres below low water, instead of British engineer Sir John Coode’s recommended 8.3 metres. Even then, the costs were still around £900,000. It was envisaged, with the extra wharfage, that around thirty 90-metre ships could berth inside. On March 22, 1892, Victoria Dock was opened by Victoria’s Governor, the Earl of Hopetoun (later Australia’s first Governor-General) who opened the sluice to let the Yarra in. It took six days to fill the basin with The Leader newspaper estimating that it would take another six months to completely fill (March 26, 1892). In the end, it took nearly a year before the first ship was allowed to enter on February 20, 1893, when the steamer Hubbuck sailed in to unload 1200 tonnes of cargo in 15 hours. The Argus (February 23, 1893) reported that the ship’s captain, J. R. Brodie, called the Yarra “better than the Thames”, and compared Victoria Dock favourably to the Albert Dock (Liverpool)." This would be a good time to move our focus on to the Taiping, which is the transporter of these giant mahogany logs. The Taiping was a steel-hulled, single-screw passenger-cargo Chinese steamer, which today has the dubious legacy of being involved in a collision headlined as “The Chinese Titanic”. It was constructed by the Hong Kong and Shampoa Dock Company at its facility in Hong Kong, with completion in 1926 for service under the Australia Oriental Line. Her gross register tonnage measured 4,324 tons, reflecting her design for inter-island and coastal trade routes, accommodating both passengers and freight. She operated routes connecting Australian ports with East Asian destinations. As World War II approached, Taiping continued predominantly working the trade routes between China and Australia, until December 1941, when she evacuated women and children from Hong Kong to Manila just before Japanese forces overran the region. She then safely reached Australia despite enemy air raids. Taiping was then requisitioned by the Royal Navy and repurposed as a victualling stores issuing ship for the Eastern Fleet, supporting logistical needs in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Returned to the Australian Oriental Line in 1947, she underwent refitting and by mid-1948 was chartered to the Shanghai Shipping Company, and modified for greater passenger accommodation – approximately 500 passengers. In 1948/49 the Chinese Civil War took place. The Taiping departed Shanghai on 26 January 1949 as one of the final vessels evacuating civilians from to Keelung Harbour in Taiwan. Reports indicate that the Taiping carried double the rated capacity of passengers i.e. 1000. The ship carried families, military personnel, civilians, carrying personal belongings, gold and valuables in hope of resettlement in Nationalist Taiwan. It also held heavy cargo in the form of silver and gold bullion loaded by the Central Bank of China. Because of the risk of patrols, and to conserve fuel, the Captain took the ship away from the usual open-sea passage, and instead navigated along the coast. He also extinguished navigation lights to avoid detection. Shortly after midnight on 27 January 1949 the Taiping collided with the smaller cargo steamer Chien Yuan in the East China Sea near the Zhoushan Archipelago. The Chien Yuan was also operating in darkness. The subsequent collision was catastrophic. The Chien Yuan sank with in 5 minutes, with the loss of 72 of its 74 crew. The Taiping sustained severe structural compromise from the broadside strike and initially remained afloat, then made a swift descent into the freezing water, with no attempt at an organised evacuation. No formal recovery process was instigated, however a distress signal went out. 32 survivors were picked up by the Australian destroyer HMAS Warramunga (on patrol nearby), a passing US vessel found 2 more, and local Zhoushan fishermen retrieved others. In the end, only 37 people survived. The event is remembered as a poignant moment in the mass migration to Taiwan, with families tragically separated. A memorial to the disaster exists at the Keelung Harbour naval base on Taiwan. With its total of over 1,500 deaths, it constituted one of the worst peacetime maritime losses. It is sometimes referred to as the “Oriental Titanic” because of the similarly large loss of life and speed of demise with the RMS Titanic in 1912. A fictional depiction of this event appears in the John Woo movies “The Crossing (Part 1) (2014), and The Crossing II (2015), known in Chinese as “Taiping Wheel”. The narrative weaves a story around pre-disaster romances and wartime turmoil among passengers, culminating in the ship’s rapid sinking. “The production, a high-budget Sino-Taiwanese-Hong Kong co-effort, portrays the event as a microcosm of the 1940s Sino-Japanese and civil war legacies, though critics noted the melodramatic style prioritizing spectacle over historical precision.” In conclusion, it is nice to return to our photo, and observe the people involved in this moment. The dockworkers are, so typical of the 1930s, dressed in what looks to us like formal clothing – dark suits or coats, white shirts, and black hats. I am particularly drawn to the young boy, bare-headed, arms crossed, and so intent on the unloading process. He too is wearing a white shirt, black trousers and jacket, and black shoes. This is 1933 Melbourne – but the haircut he is sporting is now very “hipster” and modern in 2026 Melbourne. References: MAHOGANY FROM MANILA. (1933, August 15). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved January 30, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204377024 Wikipedia, Taiping steamer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_(steamer) Wikipedia, Victoria Dock, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Dock_(Melbourne) Docklands News, Ashley Smith, 2 Mar 2022, https://www.docklandsnews.com.au/victoria-dock/ Living Histories: Heritage Council of Victoria, Jill Barnard, 2008, Jetties and Piers, https://livinghistories.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Jetties-ONL-intro_Part-1.pdf eMelbourne, Wharves and Docks, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM01612b.htm Australian Academy of Technological Sciences – Harvesting Wood, https://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/225.html Old Treasury Building, On the Water – The Docks, https://tinyurl.com/3wkbk66m Old Treasury Building, On The Road, https://tinyurl.com/dw44yr3t Port of Melbourne, Victorian Places, https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/port-of-melbourne Docklands Heritage Study - Environmental History, https://mvga-prod-files.s3.ap-southeast-4.amazonaws.com/public/2024-05/docklands-heritage-review-thematic-environmental-history-1991.pdf eMelbourne, Horses, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00723b.htm Victorian Clydesdale Horse Society, https://www.clydesdalesvic.org.au/history The Crossing, https://letterboxd.com/film/the-crossing-i/Photographer notations on slide: "Unloading Timber at Wharves 1933 Age B5"ships, shipping, timber industry, shipwrecks, horses, docks, wharves, 1930-1939, wars, docklands