In 1996, the Grandparent of the Year (GPOTY) program became involved with the Royal Agricultural Society. GPOTY entrants and supporters handed out program maps on Super Seniors Day at the Royal Melbourne Show. A highlight of the day was the Tiny Tots Photo Competition. Twenty four winners from almost 3000 entries won prizes on the day. A slightly cropped version of this photo appears on page 7 of the Vol 9 No 4, Summer 1996 issue of the Arthritis Foundation's quarterly magazine, Arthritis Update. It is captioned: "Mr Peter Williams, General Manager National Mutual Trustees, major sponsors of Grandparent of the Year and Tiny Tots photo competition, presents 3 year old Sorge Orphanos with his prizes."COL photo of a man handing a woman a stack of prizes, some of which have been gift-wrapped. She is holding a toddler in one arm while she accepts the prizes with the other hand. Two people are standing behind, to one side. One of them is wearing a Grandparent of the Year sash across her torso. On the wall behind them, there is a large Streets Ice Cream banner featuring an image of the Paddle Pop Lion and the (partially obscured) text, "POP ...ayground".arthritis victoria, afv, osteoporosis victoria, ov, royal agricultural society, grandparent of the year, gpoty, royal melbourne show, super seniors day, tiny tots photo competition, peter williams, general manager, national mutual trustees, prizes, prize winner, arthritis update, 1996

Three unidentified people pose for a photo with the Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks, at an Arthritis Foundation of Victoria (AFV), incorporating Osteoporosis Victoria (OV) Grand Parent Of The Year award ceremony. One of them is wearing his 2001 Grand Parent Of The Year award sash. Steve Bracks was the 44th Premier of Victoria, from 1999 to 2007.COL photo of four people posing for a photo outdoors. One of them is wearing a blue sash with gold text, "2001 Grandparent of the Year". In the background, there is a large crowd of people gathered behind them.arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, osteoporosis victoria, ov, fundraising, grandparent of the year, gpoty, award recipients, blue sash, steve bracks, premier of victoria, c2000s

Around 1992 to 1993, Australian Guarantee Corporation (sponsor the Grandparent Of The Year (GPOTY) program), presented the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria (AFV) with a donation. This photo, commemorating the moment, was taken at AFV's headquarters at Action House. It appears on page 10 of the 1993 Annual Report with the caption: "President Dr Les Koadlow accepts a cheque from Australian Guarantee Corporation representative Mr Robin MacGibbon. AGC are major sponsor of "Grandparent of the Year"."Colour photo of two men standing in front of a window with a bold patterned holland blind. One of the men is holding up a cheque, with an envelope in his other hand, while the other man looks on. Behind them, there are two rectangular tables beneath the window, with various items on both the tables and the window sill.arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, action house, royal talbot rehabilitation centre, robin macgibbon, australian guarantee corporation, agc, sponsor, grandparent of the year, gpoty, donation, c1992, c1993

During a visit to Violet Town in 1993, Dr Elsie Koadlow (1922-2010) and Dr Leslie Koadlow AO (1920-2006), pose for a photo with Grandparent of the Year entrant, Pat McGuigan. This photo, attributed to the Euroa Gazette, appears on the back cover (page 16) of the Vol 6 No 2 issue of the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria's quarterly magazine, Arthritis Update. The photo is captioned: "Bottom Left: Pat McGuigan, right, an entrant in the Grandparent of the Year, is pictured with Dr Les (AFV President) and Dr Elsie Koadlow when they visited a function at Violet Town. Picture courtesy of Euroa Gazette."B&W photo of three people standing in front of a framed painting on a stand or easel. One woman is wearing a badge or sticker on her top with the text "ARTHRITIS WEEK". Another framed painting, on the floor and leaning against something, is evident to the left of the frame. The reflection of a chandelier light fitting is evident in the windows behind them.[Stamped in the top right corner, in purple ink] Euroa Gazette Photo [Handwritten in pale orange/brown ink] 16D [Handwritten in red pencil or ink] 78%arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, outreach, arthritis week, outreach, dr leslie koadlow, president, dr elsie koadlow, pat mcguigan, grandparent of the year, gpoty, entrant, paintings, violet town, euroa gazette, arthritis update, 1993

On the 8th of March 2002, fifteen Arthritis Victoria members and volunteers, staff, and special guests attended Seniors Week at Government House. In this photo, two attendees from Arthritis Victoria pose for a photo outside Government House with the Minister for Senior Victorians and Consumer Affairs, Christine Campbell MP. A cropped version of the photo appears on page 3 of the Vol 15 Issue 02, Winter 2002 edition of the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria's quarterly magazine, Update. It is captioned: L to R: Michael Macdonald, Grandparent of the Year Barbara Hope and Christine Campbell MP, Minister for Senior Victorians and Consumer Affairs".COL photo of three people posing for a photo outside a large building. A few other people are standing in the background.[Handwritten in black ink, in the top right corner] 1 [circled] [On a yellow sticky note, handwritten in black ink] UPDATE WINTER 2002 (p3) L-R: Michael MacDonald, GPOTY Barbara Hope & Christine Campbell MP Minister for Senior Victorians & Consumer Affairsarthritis victoria, av, seniors week, government house victoria, michael macdonald, barbara hope, grandparent of the year, christine campbell mp, minister for senior victorians and consumer affairs, update, 2002

On the 26th of November 2000, the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria held its "Primelife Grandparent of the Year" grand finale award celebration. The event was held at the Melbourne Town Hall. In this photo, Victorian Junior Latin Dance Champions, Shaun Kingston and Kelly Yates, perform one of their ballroom dance routines during the event. The photo appears on page 16 of the Vol 14 Issue 01, Autumn 2001 edition of the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria's quarterly magazine, Update. It accompanies an article titled, "business promotions unit", which reports on the award night event. The photo is captioned: "Kelly Yates, left, and Shaun Kingston display their award winning dance style."COL photo of two people, both facing the camera. They are clasping eath other's hand during a dance performance. Both are dressed in ballroom dancing costumes - the young man is wearing a black shirt and black trousers and the young woman is wearing an orange sleeveless mini dress. In the background, people are seated at large round tables covered in white tablecloths.[Handwritten in red ink in the top right corner] 5. [On a white label, handwritten in black ink] Shaun Kingston and Kelly Yates, display their award winning dance style. 16 [circled]arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, osteoporosis victoria, ov, fundraising, primelife, grandparent of the year, gpoty, ballroom dancing, latin dance, champions, dance competitions, junior dance, shaun kingston, kelly yates, dance costumes, melbourne town hall, 2000

Grand Parent Of The Year award recipients, Ann Cox (1994) and Jan Williams (1993), pose for a photo at an award ceremony.COL photo of two women posing for a photo on the veranda of a large white building. Each woman is wearing a royal blue sash (with silver lettering) across her body.arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, osteoporosis victoria, ov, fundraising, grandparent of the year, gpoty, ann cox, jan williams, award recipients, blue sash, c1990s, c2000s

In 1993, the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria (AFV) celebrated its 25th anniversary. Formerly known as the Rheumatic and Arthritis Association of Victoria (RAAV), the organisation was founded in 1968 by Dr Leslie Koadlow (1920-2006) with the assistance and support of his secretary, Alice Petty (-1995), and one of his patients, Mollie Riches (1896-1979). The anniversary celebrations were held at the historic Como House and Garden. Built in 1847 by the Armytage family, Como House is located on the corner of Williams Rd and Lechlade Ave, South Yarra, on Wurundjery Woiwurrung country. In this photo, winner of the 1993 Margaret Strang Award, June Richards, poses for a photo with her husband Allen, while holding her framed award. A cropped version of this photo appears on page 5 of the Vol 7 No 2, Winter 1994 issue of the Arthritis Foundation of Victoria's quarterly magazine, Arthritis Update. Under the heading, "Vale", the photo accompanies an obituary announcing June's death. June was an AFV volunteer public speaker, a telephone counsellor, a member of the panel for the Grandparent of the Year program, and the co-ordinator of the annual fundraising fashion parade event.B&W photo of a man and a woman holding a framed award certificate. They are standing on the grounds of a large two-storey house, which is in the background.alan sime, chairman, fundraising committee, arthritis foundation of victoria, afv, rheumatism and arthritis association of victoria, raav, certificate of appreciation, 25th anniversary, como house, como house and garden, historic home, wurundjery woiwurrung country, armytage

Ferguson’s Paddock, Hurstbridge. A plaque on a boulder commemorates Peter Brock. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p167 On a rock in Ferguson’s Paddock, Hurstbridge, a plaque commemorates Peter Brock. It includes the words: ‘Boy from Hurstbridge without special privileges, grew to become champion of racetracks around the world but he never forgot his beginnings’. Brock came from a well-established local family. Born in Hurstbridge in 1945, he lived in Anzac Avenue as a child, attended the Hurstbridge Primary and Eltham High Schools and lived in the district most of his life. His father Geoff owned the Diamond Valley Speed Shop in Greensborough. Brock’s forbears were amongst the area’s earliest settlers. From Scotland, the Brocks arrived in Tasmania in 1830, to graze sheep. Family members moved to Sunbury, then Preston, grazing sheep in the Bundoora area. John Brock owned Janefield, possibly named after his wife. In 1855 he granted around two acres (0.8ha) of his estate for a school.1 In 1866 Lewis Brock bought 264 acres (107ha) in Nutfield, the first non-Aboriginal person to own that land. They planted an orchard, then from around 1935, Brock’s uncle Sandy and his grandfather Lewis, ran a dairy on the property. In the 1980s Brock and his then partner Bev, bought most of the property, which they sold after their separation in 2006. Brock’s father was a Hurstbridge Football Club President, but Brock’s uncle Sandy, of Brocks Road, Doreen, has been particularly active in local affairs. He was President of the Mernda Football Club (then Plenty Rovers), President of the Panton Hill Football League and he founded the Arthurs Creek and District Landcare Group. He also gave more than 50 years of service to the Whittlesea Agricultural Society, the Volunteers for Australian Football and the Doreen Rural Fire Brigade. Community service was important to Brock too. Brock, with his then partner Bev, established the Peter Brock Foundation in 1997, the year he retired from full-time V8 Supercar racing. The Foundation’s grants have included $100,000 towards the upgrade of a walking track in the Hurstbridge Parklands and other projects include a holiday house for the families of child cancer victims. Brother Lewis saw Brock as a spiritual person, who had a great affinity with people. He saw Brock as a role model of someone who could achieve their dreams. ‘The family didn’t have much money, yet that didn’t stop Peter realising his dreams. He was strong and didn’t let difficult times crush him.’ Despite his later successes, Brock’s most treasured trophy was for running 100 yards (91.4m)at his primary school in 1955, and he appreciated his head master Ted Griffiths’ encouragement of his sporting endeavours. At high school Brock became captain of Everard House. In his first year he bought a 1928 Austin 7 for £5. He cut the car into a box shape with an axe and enjoyed driving it – despite it having no brakes - at his grandparents’ farm at Nutfield. The turning point in Brock’s life came at age 23, when he built an Austin A30 in an old henhouse in Wattle Glen, using a Holden engine. He was laughed at until it won the Australian Sports Sedan Championship in 1968. Brock’s career then took off and he became a professional driver. Brock won Australian motor sport’s best-known event, the Bathurst 1000, nine times. Brock endured a bitter split from Holden in 1986 over control of his Holden-backed vehicle modification business and a car performance-enhancing device he called the ‘energy polariser’– despite it having no scientific evidence to support its claims. But Brock returned to Holden in 1994. Then in 1997, aged 52, Brock retired from fulltime V8 Supercar racing. However he continued to race at motor sport events. Brock won several awards, including an Order of Australia Medal in 1980, the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, and the Centenary Medal. On September 8, 2006, Brock died; after his car hit a tree during the Targa West Rally in Western Australia.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, ferguson's paddock, hurstbridge, peter brock memorial, peter brock

Miss Elaine Howell was born in Beechworth. Her mother was born in Stanley and her father in Myrtleford. Her mother's father was born in England and her other grandparents in Australia. She is one of four daughters. Miss Howell completed school and went on to the Convent to do her leaving. She then learnt shorthand typing and got a job at the shire where she was the clerk to the Shire Secretary. This oral history recording was part of a project conducted by Jennifer Williams in the year 2000 to capture the everyday life and struggles in Beechworth during the twentieth century. This project involved recording seventy oral histories on cassette tapes of local Beechworth residents which were then published in a book titled: Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth century Beechworth. These cassette tapes were digitised in July 2021 with funds made available by the Friends of the Burke.Miss Elaine Howell provides an insight into a life of an educated Beechworth woman in around the 1950's she also provides a perspective from the town shire (the complaints and plans that occurred throughout the year). She went to two schools to further her education and learnt how to shorthand type. This skill provided her with a job at shire as clerk to the shire secretary. This is the only job she ever had. Her story also offer significant insight into Beechworth life and the dances and job prospects at the time (which was not a lot in the 60's). This oral history account is socially and historically significant as it is a part of a broader collection of interviews conducted by Jennifer Williams which were published in the book 'Listen to what they say: voices of twentieth-century Beechworth.' While the township of Beechworth is known for its history as a gold rush town, these accounts provide a unique insight into the day-to-day life of the town's residents during the 20th century, many of which will have now been lost if they had not been preserved.This is a digital copy of a recording that was originally captured on a cassette tape. The cassette tape is black with a horizontal white strip and is currently stored in a clear flat plastic rectangular container. It holds up 40 minutes of recordings on each side.Miss Elaine Howell /listen to what they say, beechworth, oral history, burke museum, elaine howell, howell, stanley, myrtleford, school, convent, leaving, shorthand, typing, shire, clerk, shire secretary

Newsletter including notices about 140 year celebration and reunion at Greensborough Primary School 2062, grandparents and Special Visitors Day11 page newsletter with Coloured and Black and white text with coloured photosgreensborough primary school, greensborough primary school 140th anniversary 2018

FELDBAUER / TEAGLE Theodore Albert ‘Curly’ Feldbauer was born 15 October 1909 at Melbourne, the son of Theodore Henry (a naturalised German) and Jessie Margarette Feldbauer. The family moved several times during his childhood but before he was 20 he was living and working in the Eltham district. He became a well-known local sportsman. He played cricket for the Montmorency Imperials in 1929 and 1930 in the Eltham Cricket Association and excelled as a footballer and football coach. There are press references at the time to minor misdemeanours and accidents: evidently he was up for a brawl or two, but he was also able to do a recitation at a social night to launch the Eltham Girls Club in 1932. He married a local girl, Violet Amelda Teagle, in 1933, the 12th of 13 Teagle offspring who lived in Frank Street. Curly and Violet’s first child, June, was born the following year. By 1935 Curly was honorary secretary of the Research Cricket Club. He continued playing cricket regularly, mainly for Research, through till the 1940 season, after the war had begun. The girls started at Research State School in 1939 and 1940, respectively. They lived near Violet’s parents in Frank Street. Curly and Violet’s daughter, Valerie Waller recalls: “We lived near my Teagle grandparents, who had a cow. Dad took over the milking. He would rest his head against the cow and sing to her. When he left to join the army, it took weeks before she would settle down to allow anyone else to milk her.” Curly’s service record is not yet accessible from the National Archives of Australia. Valerie Waller gives us some insight into that period between Curly joining and ultimately embarking for Singapore: “Before he sailed to Singapore, Mum would travel by train, to Seymour, to spend a few hours with him. He sent her postcards and called her his “dear love”. His idea was that the sooner everyone eligible joined up, the sooner the war would be over. He had a great love for Australia.” “While he was a prisoner, Mum received a few postcards from him, not in his neat handwriting, but in block letter printing, to tell her he had received no mail or parcels from her. He must have felt we’d forgotten him, because, of course, Mum had sent lots of parcels and letters, and the Japanese hadn’t handed them on.” Theo was one of over 2,000 Allied prisoners of war held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as part of B Force. The 1,494 POWs that made up B Force were transported from Changi [Singapore] on 7 July 1942 on board the tramp ship Ubi Maru, arriving in Sandakan Harbour on 18 July 1942. Sergeant Feldbauer, aged 35, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 27 March 1945 at Sandakan Number 1 Camp. The Japanese recorded his death from Malaria. He has no known grave, but it is believed to be at Sandakan Number 2 Camp. His death was not reported in Australia until some months later. Valerie noted: “I will never forget the sound my mother made when she received the telegram saying Dad had died months earlier, ostensibly from Malaria, but he died during the march. The sound still haunts me.” Violet’s husband Theo is recognised on the Eltham Roll of Honour, which was commissioned by the Eltham War Memorial Trust to be hung in the Baby Health Centre opened in 1952; the first of three buildings, the others being the Eltham Kindergarten and Children’s Library, that were established as the Eltham War Memorial a living memorial, with a specific focus for the welfare of children of the district. Violet and Theo’s son Albert, being the youngest child of the children of soldier fathers attending a school in the district, was given the honour of turning the first sod for the Eltham War Memorial Building, 15 July 1950. In Loving Memory of Violet Feldbauer Died 7. 11 .1982 aged 88 Loved wife of Theo (Curly) Died P.O.W. Borneo 1945 Re-united Alongside Violet lay her parents, John Thomas and Margaret TeagleBorn Digitaleltham cemetery, gravestones, charles louis layfield, edwina may layfield (nee teagle), john thomas teagle, margaret teagle, theodore feldbauer, violet feldbauer (nee teagle), annie lillian devine, frederick raymond devine, eltham war memorial, honour board, roll of honour

The tenant lived at the mercy of the resident landlord. Home was a one-roomed house, a chimney of wicker work plastered over with mud or just a hole in the roof. The walls might consist of mud too, or sods of grass. Any windows, were rarely glazed and would be open to the elements all year round. The Pig, if any, was kept in the house, the most valuable possession. Sold for cash at local market. The main items in the house were a potato pot and water bucket. As well as mother, father and children, there could well be grandparents all living in the same cramped conditions. The family would sleep on rushes or straw lain on the floor. Most tenants were tenants 'at will ', which meant they could be evicted at the 'will' of the landlord. Some had a lease for the life of the father and the eldest son, and this meant they were relatively safe from eviction as long as they could pay their rent. There was a tradition of passing on a portion of your land from father to each of the sons, who would build a small dwelling, and in turn pass a portion onto their own sons. This cycle of subdivision meant that many families were surviving on a tiny plot of land from which to derive a crop of potatoes for the year. Women worked hard in this environment, rearing children, cooking, cleaning, tending to any animals such a pigs or chicken and when needed, helping in the potato field. Life was dictated by the annual rent due to the landlord. Other typical expenses could be the Hearth Tax (actually charged by the number of fire places in a house) Turf, Hay (for any farm animals) and tithes. A tax known as the tithes were calculated at one tenth the value of everything saleable. Tithes were a bitter issue. They were for the support of the Church of Ireland, Protestant Bishops and Ministers, and a cess tax for the construction and maintenance of Protestant Church buildings. The problem being that the vast majority of those paying the Tax were Catholic and paying to support something that was contrary to their beliefs. Potatoes were the staple diet from September through to the end of Spring of the following year. But the summer months were months of hunger and hardship as they waited for the following harvest to come in Autumn. During these months people had to resort to eating anything they could find; turnips, cabbage, even wild grass, nettles, wild berries and dandelions. Those who lived close to the sea would collect seaweed and use it spread on their land as a form of manure. The dependency of so much of the population on the Potato as their sole source of food was to prove disastrous during the Famine years. [http://www.youririshroots.com/irishhistory/tenant.php, accessed 14 December 2013]A woman spins wools, while another cards fleece in preparation for spinning. I man smokes a pipe by an open fireplace, while a cow takes shelter in the cabin for warmth. ballarat irish, cabin, spinning, wool, cow

This dress, which was made around 1820, was passed down through five generations of a single family before its donation to Brighton Historical Society in 2007. It originally belonged to a great-grandmother of Margaret Reynolds (1881-1958) of Hertfordshire, England, who herself came into possession of the dress around the early twentieth century. Having no daughters of her own, in 1945 the 64-year-old Margaret sent the dress as a Christmas gift to her niece, Margaret Willoughby Reynolds (1907-1996). In the letter accompanying the parcel, donated to the Society with the dress, the elder Margaret writes that she loves the dress very much but has now outgrown it. She makes reference to her own mother Mary Reynolds (nee Lloyd)'s pleasure at seeing the dress worn, indicating that it may originally have belonged to one of Mary's grandparents. She had two requests of her niece: first, that the younger Margaret wear the dress on Christmas Eve as a treat for her Mary (the letter includes styling advice on how the dress should be worn and accessorised), and second, that she one day pass the dress on to her own daughter or niece. In March 1968, the younger Margaret gifted the dress to her Australian-born niece, Dorothy May England (nee Reynolds, 1924-2013), along with a letter of her own. Dorothy, a Bayside resident, donated the dress and both letters to the Society in 2007. The letters paint a picture of the significance of the dress within the Reynolds family and its journey from England to Australia.A white, mauve, purple, red, and green paisley / floral printed cotton day dress from circa 1820. The day dress features a wide scooped neckline, with a dropped shoulder line. At the head of the sleeve is has three lines of gathering creating a narrow arm hole around the shoulder, flaring out into a leg of mutton sleeve. The sleeve finishes neatly at the wrist with a cuff that secures with two brass hook and eye closures. The dress bodice is open at the centre front and secures with six hook and eye closures to the empire line waist. Over the breast on either side of the opening are six diagonal pleats, pressed and secured facing towards the neck. This pleated detail is on a facing that extends from shoulder to shoulder and finishes with a bound edge. The remainder of the front bodice is plain and secures to the skirt at the empire waistline. The skirt pleats onto a binding, wrapping around the torso and securing to the bodice with eight hook closures. At approximately knee, height the skirt has an additional gathered flounce with the dress finishing at approximately ankle length. From the back, the bodice is plain and the skirt is gathered and sewn to the bodice at Empire line. Alterations to the garment have been made with the addition of hooks and eyes. The garment is generally in good condition although the skirt at the front shows evidence of damage and subsequent repair.day dress, 1820s, migration, dorothy may england, margaret willoughby reynolds, margaret reynolds

The Ruyton Reporter (formerly known as Ruyton Reports) captures the essential Ruyton Girls' School experience for the broader school community. It has been produced since 1986.The record has strong historic significance as it pertains to one of the oldest girls' school in Victoria, Australia. Ruyton was founded in 1878 in the Bulleen Road, Kew, home of newly widowed Mrs Charlotte Anderson (now High Street South). Thus, the record can be used as a reference example for research into Victorian school history. It also gives insight into the types of activities and events undertaken at Ruyton Girls' School during the period of its production. The record's significance is further enhanced by its exceptionally well-documented provenance, having remained the property of Ruyton Girls' School since its production.Colour publication printed on paper with staple binding. 16 pages.Front Page: the reporter / Ruyton / spring 1996 / PRINT POST / PP 341999 00026 / APPROVED / 12 Selbourne Road Kew / Telephone: 9819 2422 / Facsimile: 9818 4790 / R / RECTE ET FIDE LITER / Self-Expression / Contents / Access to Success: Year 9 / Royce Hall Update / Grandparents' Day / POR Tennis Day / Visitors to School / The Grand Gala Dinner / News of Old Girls / STOP PRESS: Patrick McMahon Concert, 1st February, 1997 - Our celebration of the fabulous Neil Diamond. / Edited by: Deborah Forster /ruyton girls' school, ruyton, school, students, newsletter, ruyton reports, ruyton news, kew, victoria, melbourne, girls school

Note from collector- "For more than 100 years blankets were made all over Australia in over 100 woollen mills. My aim, is to preserve 100 examples of these wonderful pieces of history. Ten years ago I started collecting the iconic Onkaparinga travel rugs, so that on movie nights at home there would be plenty to go around. Everyone had their favourite; even the cat had his own – a small red tartan one. Keeping an eye out for those travel rugs at op-shops and markets, collectable stores and bazaars, led to noticing vintage blankets. I'd never really thought about them before or paid much attention though of course I had grown up with them at my grandmother's. When I discovered my first Laconia cream blanket with blue stripes, my eyes just went gaga. Well that was it, I was hooked and since then over 500 blankets have passed through my hands. These common, everyday items, found in all households for so many decades, were traditional engagement gifts. Pairs were prized wedding presents turning into family heirlooms. They were fashionable dressers of beds, givers of warmth, bestowers of security and reliability. The comfort found in these objects resonates with almost all of us; we grew up with them ourselves or fondly recall them in a grandparent’s home. There is no modern replacement with the integrity of these old blankets, many of them now older than most of us. They are romantic, sensible, special, familiar, nostalgic and nothing else feels so appropriate in so many situations. No offense to the great Aussie doona, but from hippie to hipster, at a music festival, picnic, campsite or couch, a vintage blanket is something coveted by all. This industry that employed tens of thousands and must have been such a huge contributor to the economy is almost completely lost now. Blanket Fever is an ode to everything that came before: the land, the sheep, the shearers, the hands, the mills, the weavers, the designers, the distributors, the department stores. To the grandparents that gave them, the people that received them, the families that kept them; thank you. I’m passionate about my collection of Australian blankets manufactured in mostly Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. The collection has blankets from each of these four decades representing the styles and fashions of their time and includes dated advertisements which help determine the eras the blankets are from." Can't you see them on your beds (blanket range)Can't you see them on your beds/Onkaparinga, the ALL WOOL Blankets with the 12 year guarantee/ Onkaparinga Woollen Company Ltd blanket, blanket fever, wool, onkaparinga, advertisement, the australian women's weekly

The rug was made at Albion Mills in Geelong. It was owned by Norman Downie, the uncle of Mary Virr (the donor) who inherited the rug after Mr Downie's death in the early 1990s. Mr Downie and his family had several connections to the wool industry in Geelong. He would send pieces of fabric out to Mrs Virr and her mother in Cobden every year. See attached history.W7215 Statement from Mary Virr on offer of donation Written family history by Mary Virr, page 1 Written family history by Mary Virr, page 2 Partial family tree of Mary Virr, including connections to the wool industry. Photocopy of marriage certificate dated 13th April 1881, marriage between James Downie and Mary Cairns, the grandparents of Mary Virr. A photocopy of a reference dated 15/09/1919 from Mr E. Plumridge from the Corio Wool Scouring Company for Miss M. DownieAlbion Mills Geelong Albion Rug All Wooltextile industry textile mills, albion woollen mills co. pty ltd, albion woollen mills, weaving, geelong, victoria, textile industry, textile mills

The bell was used for Trade Week to signify "time's up" at Optus Oval. Prior to this it was used to let Alan Espie's children on their Wandin property to come home.Why Al chimes in for Carlton Tony De Bolfo, Carlton Media Feb 20, 2014 11:05AM Alan Espie with the famous bell. (Photo: Carlton Football Club) Alan Espie with the famous bell. (Photo: Carlton Football Club) Related Etched into the rim of the bell Alan Espie has rung at every trade week gathering since 1994 is a touching quote attributed to his grandson. Dear Pa, May you always ring true blue, Love Harry Just thinking about that inscription often brings big Al to tears. The story of the Espie bell has its origins at the old family property at Wandin in the picturesque Yarra Valley, in the days when the Espies’ kids were at the neighboring creek fossicking for local platypus. “If they got too far away we’d ring an old cowbell,” Espie recalled, “and years later, my daughter Jo brought me this replacement bell from some second-hand naval place”. “Not long after Shane (O’Sullivan) asked me to officiate at trade week and that’s when the bell came into vogue.” A permanent fixture at trade week, Espie would ring the bell to signal the opening of trading when club recruiters gathered – initially within the confines of the Carlton Heroes Stand at Visy Park, more recently at Etihad Stadium. In those early days at Carlton he caused a stir as bell ringer, drawing curious responses from officiating journalists, recruiters and coaches alike. “I even remember (Kevin) Sheedy asking me if I was selling muffins,” he recalled. Then, when trade day was relocated to Etihad, Espie’s daughter thought it appropriate to get the bell inscribed. “Because the bell was leaving Carlton, Jo got it inscribed on my grandson’s behalf, because he was only four or five then. When I saw what was inscribed I was tearful,” Espie said. “The bell is very important to me, particularly at this time, because Jo is battling health problems at the moment, my grandson is autistic and she’s fought like hell to get him through.” Espie joined Carlton’s Under 19 committee on the eve of the senior Premiership season of 1979 and managed the club’s junior squads, the Bert Deacon Squad included. “I worked very closely with Geoff Southby, ‘Swan’ McKay and Trevor Keogh when they were coaching the Under 19s and I was recruiting as well,” he said. “In 1981 and ’82 I forward scouted for ‘Parko’ (David Parkin) and later on I did the same for ‘Wallsy’ (Robert Walls). After that I coordinated recruiting in central Victoria and it was nothing for me to do 25,000ks a year in my own car – and I loved every minute of it.” Espie’s passion for Carlton and empathy for its wartime players Bert Deacon, Ollie Grieve and Jack “Chooka” Howell can be sourced to his childhood years. His grandparents lived not far from the old ground on Wilson Street “and that’s how I got in for the ’45 Grand Final”. “My uncle, who had just got back from the war, grabbed a ladder from Wilson Street and set it up against the barbed wire fence at the ground. I climbed the ladder and caught my arm on the barbed wire, but I got over the top and saw the game while I straddled the fence,” Espie said. “What I saw was what you would today call ‘spotfires’ and I reckon it took football 20 years to get rid of it.” Today, Espie continues to ring in the yearly trade talk days at AFL headquarters (with the notable exception of 2012 when he was hospitalized), but he’s in no doubt as to where the bell belongs. “This bell has had nothing to do with Wandin but everything to do with Carlton - and with the 150th year of the club I think the bell stays here (at Visy Park). I still hope to ring the bell for the AFL this year, but at least I’ll know where it is,” Espie said. “I’ve told Jo about this and she tells me Harry’s rapt, because he’s a big Carlton supporter and he’s so happy his name is on the bell.”Wooden handle attached to a brass bell."Dear Pa, may you always ring true blue, Love Harry"

Joyce Rowe (afterwards Joyce Chung) was born in Portland in 1912 (#33359), the daughter of Joseph and Florence Rowe (née Nicol). Joyce seems to have been living with her Nicol grandparents in Linton when she started at Linton State School in 1917. In 1931 she married Martin (Mick) Chung (#6196)Black and white image of a young girl standing next to a chair. Image has been made as a postcard."To Ruby / with Love / Wishing you a / Merry Xmas & / a Happy New Year / Joyce age 5 / 5/10/14".joyce rowe, joyce chung

Leanne and Janette were the twin daughters of Reginald and Margaret Wilson. Reginald was a baker in Linton (the last baker to work from the former Nicol bakery in Sussex Street). The girls were born on 31st March 1965 and baptised 2nd May 1965. Baptism record Nos.: 852 & 853. School records show that the girls started school at Linton February 1970 before transferring to Macedon at the end of that year. In note from Leslie Cairns (née Hart) dated 4 November 2019: "My mum and dad spent quite some time at that bakery. Mum - Maisie Hart - used to enjoy working in the shop among the very special food, whilst Dad - Bill Hart - loved looking after the children especially the twin girls. They were very sad when the owners, Reg and Marg Wilson bought a bakery in Morowa - inland from Geraldton in West Australia. Competition from large bread companies was ruining their business. Mum and Dad were their "adopted grandparents" and on at least two occasions travelled over there to help when Marg wasn't well."Black and white image of twin girls playing on a swing. The girls are wearing identical clothing.Text, reverse: " WILSON TWINS 'leanne wilson, janette wilson, wilson twins

This skirt is part of a matching skirt and jacket suit worn by the donor, Sandra Hooker (nee White) as an 8 year old, on special occasions in the late 1960's. Sandra grew up on a sheep farm near Torquay where woollen garments were a family priority. The suit was given to Sandra as a child, and probably purchased by her grandparents. Kathryn Knitwear, founded by Robert Blake, manufactured high quality children’s knitwear in Melbourne from the 1940's – 1980's. Robert Blake’s Son, Brendan recalls that “The Kathryn brand was famous around Australia, anywhere children needed to keep warm and dress smartly. It also won a number of wool fashion awards”, including the 1969 Wool Awards, which was held by the Australian Wool Bureau and published in Women’s Weekly.Red pleated woollen skirt with elastic waistband.kathryn knitwear, brendan blake, fashion, children, clothing, melbourne, textile industry, 1960s

This jacket is part of a matching skirt and jacket suit worn by the donor, Sandra Hooker (nee White) as an 8 year old, on special occasions in the late 1960's. Sandra grew up on a sheep farm near Torquay where woollen garments were a family priority. The suit was given to Sandra as a child, and probably purchased by her grandparents. Kathryn Knitwear, founded by Robert Blake, manufactured high quality children’s knitwear in Melbourne from the 1940's – 1980's. Robert Blake’s Son, Brendan recalls that “The Kathryn brand was famous around Australia, anywhere children needed to keep warm and dress smartly. It also won a number of wool fashion awards”, including the 1969 Wool Awards, which was held by the Australian Wool Bureau and published in Women’s Weekly.Red woollen jacket with navy trim and eight brass buttons.kathryn knitwear, brendan blake, fashion, children, clothing, melbourne, textile industry, 1960s