Gold Escort by L J Blake. Publisher The Hawthorn Press, Melbourne. Date 1971. ISBN: 7256 0043 8. Pages 228. Photographs, illustrations & Map. Signed by: L J Blake. Hard cover, green gold embossed print on spine, glossy dust jacket.L J Blakebook, bendigo, gold escort, gold escort, gold rush, history, victoria, south australia

''McIvor Gold Escort Robbery'' - Joyce Coles (Australian History tutorial paper); no date. 14 pages handwritten paper to the July 1853 robbery - ''the first mass raid against armed gold escorts in Victoria''. Detailed account of the robbery and subsequent search for perpetrators and trial. Reference to possibility of gold still being buried in the area of the robbery. Bibliography, newspaper references and illustrations from a variety of specified sources.Joyce Colesbendigo, mining, early history., mcivor gold escort robbery, victoria, mt alexander, kyneton road

colour page from magazine ? - image shows Cobb and Co., coach, police escort, coach in full flight. Man up front holding rifle, lights on front of coach. Man inside holding rifle. On bottom The name of the painting - 'The gold escort' . Signature on bottom of print ' Northfield' -Artist James Northfield (1887-1973),print by James Northfield -business, transport, cobb & co., gold escort, cobb & co.

Cut out article with B/W Photos & 2 Colour Photos of the re-enactment of a gold escort

Digital copy of one of 7 slides depicting photographs of police from 1858 to 1930s. This image is of a gold escort in Walhalla circa 1860.Digital copy of black and white slide.victoria police, walhalla victoria, gold discoveries victoria

Engraving reproduction ('Attack on Gold Escort between McIvor and Melbourne') by W Hathirell, 1887. Apparently taken from a series of illustrations (book??) with this being #6.topic, mining, mcivor

Statistics re Gold Escorts (SA & Victoria re 1851-1856); author L J Blake, RHSV, no date. Statistics re South Australia (Mt Alexander to Adelaide 1852/53); Victoria (Ballarat to Melbourne, Geelong 1852; Victoria (Mt Alexander to Melbourne 1852? Escort Loadings Sample, Castlemaine 1853; Escort Loadings, all areas 1860; Total Escort Loadings, Victoria 1851 -1862.document, gold, gold escort statistics, gold escorts. south australia. victoria.

Blue hard covered book of 494 pages. Images, and a large plan of prominent burials in the Melbourne Old Cemetery, and a Map of Melbourne. melbourne, melbourne cemetery, melbourne old cemetery, john batman, edmund hobson, batman's map, st francis' church, james balfour, mrs hornbrook, paddy's market, wilson hall, working men's college, henry kendall, le souef's cottage, world war one, westernport, melbourne cup, hoddle, collingwood, south melbourne, prahran, richmond, kew, brunswick, coburg, preston, hawthorn, camberwell, nunawading, doncaster, st kilda, brighton, sandringham, cheltenham, caulfield, oalkleigh, footscray, sunshine, north melbourne, carlton, ballarat school of art library, ballarat technical art school, book plate, library plate, hume and hovell's overland journey 1824-5, major mtichell's overland journey, australia felix, booplate, aborigine, aboriginal, captain cook, arthur phillip, isaac smith, george bass, matthew flinders, john murray, catain baudain, captain collins, edward henty, portalnd, map od melbourne in 1938, john pascoe fawkner, the "enterprise: and fawkner's first home, old colonists' homes, rushall crescent north fitszroy, richard bourke, the old melbourne post offfice, old governmnt house, toorak, latrobe's house at jolimont, first melbourne land sale, melbourne water supply, peter henry smith, victorian legislative council opening, map of melbourne and collingwood, prince's bridge, crossing the rivers by punt, f.a> rucker, canvas city emerald hill, arrival of the gold escort in melbourne, the yarra, queen's wharf, tall ships, old st james, mary e. budd, st francis church, michael carr, meolbourne city mission, state library of victoria, melbourne public library, bourke street, angus mcmilan, methodist ladies college, ormond college, armistance celebrations, robert russell, mia mia, theatre royal bouke st, melbourne from flaggstaff hill, federal coffee palace collins st, lord melbourne, melbourne mint, old melbourne town hall, robert russell's melbourne and yarra falls, mandevalle hall, point lansdale lighthouse, wilson's promontory, margaret m. ward cole, williamstown, flinders st melbourne, queenscliff battery, broadmeadows soldiers' camp, embarkation of first troops on the 'ceramic', general monsash, ian hamilton, general bridges, victorian war memorial, national war memorial, st kilda pier, first melbourne cup, hoddle's grid, albert park, melbourne mechanic's institute, st kilda toll gate, munted policeman, springthorpe memorial, james bonwick, mornane's paddock, victorian railways melbourne and surburban lines, carlton gardens, thomas napier, wiliam westgarth, george augustus robinson, william lonsdale, elizabeth mary batman, peomena frances darling batman, dig tree, exhibition of 1854, exhibition of 1866, exhibition buildings, geelong harbour, jubilee lake, port campbell, warrnambool, queenscliff lightboat, batman's first house

Seventeen page Heritage Place Report on the Former California Gully Police Station at 15 Thorpe Street, California Gully. It is the former police station and quarters, former timber stables and timber cottage residence demolished and horse paddock on separate title. Report includes a Statement of Significance, Place History (History of the Area), Policing California Gully Goldfields, History of the Buildings, Chronology of Ownership, Rate Books 1858, - 1867 - 1868, 1895 Borough of Eaglehawk Rates, 1922 Voters Roll, 1952 & 1962 Sands & McDougall Directory Thorpe St California Gully, Comparable Examples, Secondary Sources, Description Conservation Policy Guidelines (Specific), Physical Conditions, Physical Description 1, Map of Early Photo Location, Bendigo Parish Plan circa 1870, Certificate of Title 1950 & 1960. Pge 14 has plans, maps and an aerial photo of 15 Thorpe Street. Page 15 has an aerial photo of 15 Thorpe Street, California Gully with Allotment Size. Page 16 & 17 has photos.heritage, heritage report - former police station and quarters - california gully, city of greater bendigo, wilson & ass, butler, amanda jean, johnson reef shafts no 1 & 2, rose of denmark, princess dagmar, bendigo amalgamated goldfields company, captain frederick standish, royal irish constabulary, e thorpe, campbell, taylor, watson, brown, hosken, mckowne, mcqualter, parker, hicks, eaglehawk municipal council, victorian police force, d bannear, historic mining sites in the sandhurst eaglehawk and raywood mining divisions, department of conservation and natural resources, joshua thorpe, thorpe & co, johnson & co, william thorn, michael thomas, james murdock, edward c brown, francis youlden, gold escort, water police, mounted police, city police (melbourne), geelong police, gold fields police, rural bench constabulary, the people's force, robert haldane, n wild, streets of the borough of eaglehawk, police registration act, william henry mitchell, camp hotel, j o c nieman, j m catarach, g w hosken, margaret hosken nee mckown, majorie alice mcqualter, kellie anne mcqualter, adam joseph doolan, mr hicks, sands & mcdougall, hill george, meeking howard, mcewan frank a, jinks stanley, mccaig mrs eleanor, gordon john l, mcqualter mrs adeline, maher william l, raynor robert, flack john p, whitehead miss a, sang george t, linddsay john p, dyer henry, jackman george a, tibbetts mrs s a, hosken mrs margaret winifred nee mckowne, chaplin frank w, wilson c e, wright george, miller g a, sheyhill basil hugh, marshall r, miles j h, parker w b, barkla w g, nicholls les, cartledge clifford william, cole charles basil, farmers citizens trustees co, bev hanson

sierra leone, freetown, free-town, ww1, world war 1, steamer, harbour, gold escort

Gold Escort 1852 Commemoration, Medallion. Castlemaine to Adelaide via Glenorchystawell

Gold Escorts in Australia. Publisher: Rigby Ltd, Melbourne. ISBN: 0 7270 0496 4. 64 pages. Photographs, illustrations.L J Blakebook, gold transport, l j blake

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. As well as government escorts, there were a few private gold escort companies operating in the early 1850s. One of them carried gold from the Ovens diggings to Sydney. In 1852, the South Australian government established a gold escort service between Mount Alexander and Adelaide. Why? Markings: 25 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Digital copy of one of 7 slides depicting photographs of police from 1858 to 1930s. This image is of a gold escort.Digital copy of sepia slides police, gold discoveries victoria, gold escorts

Set of 7 slides depicting photographs of police from 1858 to 1930s. Includes gold escorts, traffic police in Melbourne, black trackers.7 photographic slides in Kodak box, plastic with yellow lid. Digital images entered seperately Each slide is marked with its subjectvictoria police, police

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Escort Leaving Ballarat, 1852. From the Escort Office in the Government Camp, the gold escort regularly set out for Melbourne. Markings: 21 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

The Aitken Gap Gaol was originally constructed at the Gap Settlement on the Calder Highway in 1857 for the gold escorts. It was relocated to its present site outside the Sunbury Police Station in Macedon Street between 1989 and 1991.A coloured photograph of the relocated Aitken Gap Gaol. It has bluestone walls and a moss covered slate roof. with 2 solid stained wooden doors and blue painted wooden trims. A small cell window is on the side of the building and a paved brick area surrounds the gaol.aitken gap gaol, gap village, sunbury police station, george evans collection

ROSEVIEW 407 High Street, Golden Square Bendigo "Roseview" was designed by Godfrey Eathorne and constructed in 1939. It is one of the few Streamline Moderne houses in the Central Goldfields region, and was one of the earliest constructed in the Bendigo region. It is an outstanding example of this style of housing. It resembles an ocean liner, and reflects the emphasis on the streamlining of methods of transportation. It utilizes both flat and curved surfaces and has little external ornamentation. The use of materials such as rounded glass windows and metal window and door frames reflects an innovative approach to construction consistent with the style. "Roseview" was constructed on a large scale, with large and spacious rooms. It reflects the prominent social status and wealth of the original owner, together with the desire for a building in 'the latest' style which was sure to attract attention and prominence in the region. It has been maintained largely in original condition. CARALULUP HOTEL 'The Sun' dated January 17, 1941 on the back. It states that 'The licence of Caralulup Hotel, near Talbot, has been surrendered, thus severing an 80 year association with the district' State Library of Victoria TOLMER GOLD ESCORT ROUTE The gold rush in New South Wales and Victoria left few able miners in South Australia. Bad economic conditions saw more than 15,000 men leave the Kapunda and Burra mines by the end of 1851. Alexander Tolmer, Commissioner of Police in 1852 proposed that the gold won by South Australians should be brought back to South Australia under an escort consisting of only a few men. In March a Gold Escort was on its way back to Adelaide with almost 6,000 ounces of gold for the vaults of the Treasury Building. After this successful trip Tolmer led two other escorts before handing over his duties. A total of eighteen gold escorts were made, the last one during November and December 1853 when Inspector Wyndham was in charge. You’ll find Gold Escort Route Monuments between Meningie, Coonalpyn and Tintinara.Many images from by Arthur Pulfer copied to slides. Twenty Slides of Bendigo: Bullen's Circus Bendigo February 1966 "Roseview", Pethard's Home at 407 High Street, Golden Square, Bendigo. 25th March 1957. House is possibly on the Midland Highway Epsom, Bendigo - 8 April 1955 Kangaroo Flat Bus Lines mini bus The Big Tree Sedgwick Road March 1972 The old Golden Gully Hotel Diamond Hill Road, Bendigo The old Lockup Eaglehawk Bendigo September 1967 Market Gardens - possibly North Bendigo North Deborah Mine photo taken from Breen Street 1958 Laying the track to get the engine into the park, looking down Mitchell Street Bendigo Engine R766 in the Victorian Railways Institute Park Railway Place Bendigo On the Methodist Church Steps Arnold street Bendigo Miner's Hut at Moliagul Basket Lunch - White Hills Botanical Gardens - St johns 100 year celebrations White Hills Swimming Pool February 1970 White Hills Botanical Gardens Bendigo Bendigo Show Parade 1958 The Arrival of the Cobb and Co Coach in Bendigo September 1963 history, bendigo, james lerk collection, golden square high school, dragon loong, white hill botanical gardens, 407 high street bendigo, r766 engine, bullens circus, caralulup, moligual, bendigo show, tolmer's gold route, kangaroo flat bus lines, eaglehawk lockup, arnold street methodist church, elephants

Diggers & Mining. Diggers and Miners. Here is a gold escort leaving the Bank of Victoria for Melbourne. Next to the Mechanics' Institute and Free Library. Picture shows 2 mounted escorts alongside a small wagon being hauled by 4 horses. There are approximately 30 members of the public watching on. The Mechanics Institute is weatherboard and the Bank of Victoria appears to be stone. Markings: 55 994.5 WAL. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

A collection of nine prints of watercolours by S.T. Gill, depicting life on the goldfields in 1852 - 53. (a) Tin dish washing, (b) Mt. Alexander Gold escort on road to Melbourne, (c) Road from Forest Creek to Bendigo, (d) Diggers Licensing, Castlemaine Camp, (e) Eaglehawk Gully, Bendigo, (f) Cradling, (g) The license inspected, (h) Puddling, (i) Fryers Creek Nr. CastlemaineS. T. Gillpainting, watercolour, gold diggers, s.t. gill, life on the goldfields, diggers, mining

Article about Mr L.J. Blake (1971) who is a Nunawading author who has written a book titled 'Gold Escort' which tells the story of a group of troopers who conveyed millions of dollars worth of gold from Forest Creek diggings to Adelaide. He did 6 years of research on the book. He was a teacher and past president of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and honorary historian for the Shire of Wimmera.Article about Mr L.J. Blake (1971) who is a Nunawading author who has written a book titled 'Gold Escort' . gold rush, blake, j. l., forest creek diggings, adelaide, shire of wimmera, gold escorts

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Slide: Attached to a Commissioner's headquarters was a detachment to the special goldfields police. Besides the prevention of crime and the arrest of wrongdoers, it was their duty to move about the diggings, seeing that every digger was in possession of a current gold licence. A commissioner's staff also included several clerks, who kept the licence and gold escort registers. Markings: 13 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

Legacy raised funds from the sale of Christmas cards for many years. In 1962 the cards were: The arrival of the First Gold Escort, 1852 The candle The Shepherd Boy The Christmas Tree Captain Sturt's voyage down the Murray, 1829, by William Rowell The return from Egypt Happy Landing Christmas Bells The subject of some of the cards might seem dated, especially those featuring the colonisation of Australia by the British. The order form and cards were part of a scrapbook of Legacy material, mostly promotional material, from the 1960s to 1990s.An example of fundraising material issued by Legacy in 1962.Order form for Legacy Christmas Cards in 1962 and a sample copy of cards.fundraising, christmas cards

Legacy raised funds from the sale of Christmas cards for many years. In 1963 the cards were: Three wise men The child Captain Sturt's voyage down the Murray, 1829, by William Rowell The arrival of the first gold escort 1852 The Christmas Tree The candle The shepherd boy Christmas Bells Happy Landings Return from Egypt The subject of some of the cards might seem dated, especially those featuring the colonisation of Australia by the British. The order form and cards were part of a scrapbook of Legacy material, mostly promotional material, from the 1960s to 1990s.An example of fundraising material issued by Legacy in 1963.Order form for Legacy Christmas Cards in 1963 and a sample copy of cards.fundraising, christmas cards

The Club known today as the Bendigo Bowls Club originated from the Sandhurst Bowling Club in 1870/71 changing its name to Bendigo in 1872. It is located in central Bendigo just a short walk through the picturesque Rosalind Park from Bendigo’s central business district. https://bendigobowlsclub.com.au/history/ William Henry Sunderland was a Bendigo investor, member of the Bendigo Stock Exchange and director of many mining companies. His father, George, had been a mounted trooper assigned as a gold escort between Melbourne and Bendigo. William became the President of the Bendigo Bowling Club in 1916.Leather satchel with gold embossed text. Text reads B.B.C Holmes Trophy. Won by W. H. Sunderland. 1906-7. Inside the satchel are eight items pertaining to a men's toiletry set. These include; a comb, a mirror, a clothing brush, a glass cylinder with metal lid, a small metal tin, a razor strop, a shoe hook and a soap case. Four items appear to be missing from the set. The satchel has a leather carry handle.B.B.C Holmes Trophy Won by W.H.Sunderland 1906-7bendigo bowling club, men's toiletry set

Diggers & Mining. The gold licence. The Government Camp. Diggers handed in their gold at the escort office, and received a receipt for the number of ounces deposited. Diggers on way to Camp to deposit gold. Markings: 20 994.LIF. 4. Used as a teaching aid.hanimounteducation, tertiary, goldfields

HMS Susan sailed from the Port of London on the 23rd September 1835. She carried 394 male convicts and a guard of officers and 30 rank and file of the 28th (North Gloucestershire) regiment, arriving in Sydney on 8th February 1836. Samuel Windridge, who was born in Warwickshire in 1817, was a Private in the Regiment on board the ‘Susan’. He served in various places: Sydney, Moreton Bay (Brisbane) and Port Phillip (Melbourne). He was discharged from the Regiment in 1842 with the rank of Sergeant. After his marriage he settled in Victoria and by 1852 he was often in charge of the gold escort from Bendigo. In 1854 he retired from the Gold Commission and settled in Kyneton. In 1860 the Kyneton Mounted Rifle Corps was formed with Samuel Windridge as one of its earliest members. In 1862 the ladies of Kyneton presented a standard to the Rifle Corps. In 1976 the Shire of Kyneton presented the Kyneton Colours to the 4th/19th Prince of Wales’s Light Horse Regiment Museum. In 1862 the whole of the Victorian Horse was amalgamated into one Regiment: The Prince of Wales Light Horse. Samuel Windridge rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Kyneton Troop of the regiment. He died in 1896, aged 79 years, This painting is a gift from his Great Grand-daughters Mrs Mary Hopper and Miss Jean Baldwin. Framed reproduction of painting of HMS Susan. Wood frame, glass frontA V Gregory on proper left bottom corner of print On bottom right of print: H.M.S Susan 'Southward of the Cape' Arrived in Sydney Feby 1836paintings, kyneton, prints, hms susan, samuel windridge, a v gregory

This item is from the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art, and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the lack of financial support led the WMI in 1911 to ask the City Council to take it over. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library as it was then called. When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. About A. B. ‘Banjo’ Paterson Andrew Barton Paterson was born at Narrambla Station in New South Wales, Australia, on 17th February 1864 and died 5th February 1941. His first seven years were spent on his father’s station, where like so many Australian children he enjoyed a bush boyhood. This property was at Obley in the Orange district of New South Wales. The family moved to the Yass district and lived near the main route from Sydney to Melbourne where he saw a great many bullock teams, drovers with herds of stock, gold escorts and Cob & Co coaches. His lifelong love of horses and horsemen was forged from the riders and their horses he saw at the picnic races and polo matches the family attended. These horses and riders where from the Murrumbidgee River and Snowy Mountain areas of New South Wales. Patterson lived most of his life in Sydney. He became a journalist, army officer, novelist, poet, solicitor and a war correspondent. He enjoyed many different sports such as tennis, rowing and, most of all, he delighted in his horsemanship. His first poem ‘El Mahdi to the Australian Troop’ was published in the Bulletin in 1885 under the pen name of “The Banjo”, which was the name of his favourite horse. In 1895 his first book was published and was sold out in the week of publication; he sold 7000 copies in a few months. This book was “The Man From Snowy River, and other Verses” and it contained such ballads as ‘Clancy of the Overflow’, ‘The Geebung Polo Club’, ‘The Man from Ironbark’, and ‘Saltbush Bill’. The tittle poem was first published in 1890. In 1895 Patterson visited his fiancé (at that time), Sarah Riley, who was staying with her friends the Macphersons at Dagworth Station in Queensland. Sarah’s old school friend Christina McPherson. Christina replayed to them an old Scottish tune called “The Craigielee March” that she had heard played by the Garrison Artillery band at the Warrnambool picnic races in Victoria, 1894. Patterson wrote words to fit the tune and it became the now famous ‘Waltzing Matilda’. He was commissioned by the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age as they correspondent to report on the South African War. After being a roving reporter in China he went to England and spent time with Rudyard Kipling. In April 1903 Paterson married Alice Walker in Tenterfield, New South Wales, and they had two children, Grace and Hugh. At the outbreak of World War 1 Paterson sailed for England in the hope of covering the fighting in Flanders as a correspondent but finished up driving an ambulance for the Australian Voluntary Hospital, Wimereux, France. In 1915 as an honorary vet he made three voyages taking horse to Africa, China and Egypt. On 18th October 1915 he was commissioned in the 2nd Remount Unit in the Australian Imperial Force and was promoted to Captain serving in the Middle East. He was wounded in April 1916, when he re-joined his unit he was promoted to major and commanded the Australian Remount Squadron from October 1916 to his return to Australia in 1919. Once the War was over he resumed his work as a journalist until he retired in 1930 so that he could devote time to creative writing. He became a successful radio broadcaster with the Australian Broadcasting Commission using his travel experiences. He wrote the children’s book “The Animals Noah Forgot” in 1933 and then in 1934 “Happy Dispatches” in which he told of his meetings with people like Winston Churchill and Kipling. “The Shearer’s Colt was published in 1936 and in 1939 he wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald. After a short illness he passed away in Sydney on 5th February 1941. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. Happy Dispatches Author: A B ("Banjo") Paterson Publisher: Angus & Robertson Ltd Date: 1935Label on spine cover with typed text PAT 920 PAT Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Public Library covered by a sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Service Front loose endpaper has a stamp from Corangamite Regional Library Service warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, great ocean road, happy dispatches, a b paterson, banjo paterson