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. 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. Amazing Adventure A Thrilling Naval Biography Author: E Keble Chatterton Publisher: Hurst & Blackett Date: 1936 A Thrilling Naval Biography Author: E Keble Chatterton Publisher: Hurst & Blackett Date: 1936Label on spine cover with typed text PAT 940.45 CHA Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Servicewarrnambool, 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, amazing adventure, e keble chatterton

maps, b&w illustrationsgeorge bass, western port

p.188.non-fictionBehind the Japanese lines in Burma - An account of the most amazing military experiment in World War Twoorde wingate 1903-1944, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - burma

Ill, p.286non-fictionIn April 1951, at the height of the Korean War, Chinese troops advanced south of the 38th parallel towards a strategic crossing-point of the Imjin River on the invasion route to the South Korean capital of Seoul. The stand of the 1st Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment, against the overwhelming numbers of invading troops has since passed into British military history. In The Edge of the Sword General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, then Adjutant of the Glosters, has painted a vivid and accurate picture of the battle as seen by the officers and soldiers caught up in the middle of it. The book does not, however, end there. Like the majority of those who survived, the author became a prisoner-of-war, and the book continues with a remarkable account of his experiences in and out of Chinese prison camps. This book is not an attempt at a personal hero-story, and it is certainly not a piece of political propaganda. It is, above all, an amazing story of human fortitude and high adventure. korean war 1950-1953 - history, korean war - campaigns - gloucestershire regiment

Hard bound brown covered book with black lettering -damaged paper cover with jungle picture - 188 pages / Book - Wingate Adventure by W.G. Burchett - 'behind the Japanese lines in Burma - an account of the most amazing military experiment in World War 11 '/ price twelve shillings and six pence / inside cover shows a description of the author / small sticker shows 'Frank Every's Book Shop Bendigo ' / F.W.Cheshire P/L Melbourne 1944 / printed by Ramsay Ware Publishing 1944 / 13.1.1946 newspaper clipping.W.G. Burchettbooks, military, world war 2, lydia chancellor collection, collection, war, adventure, japan, burma, mililtary

non-fictionFrom the comfort and culture of rural England with its ordered estates and "green lanes and fields", to the dusty heat of a rough, unfloored cabin in outback Queensland — that is just part of the journey Rachel Henning made and reports on in her letters. Yet these reveal no sorry tale of struggle in adversity — amazingly they form a lively adventure story and a vivid family saga. Expertly edited by David Adams, a former editor of the Sydney Bulletin magazine, the collection reads like a novel — partly of courtships and romances, partly of the progress of a pioneering family, and partly of Rachel Henning's own progress towards acceptance of her new way of life. The letters were first published in the Bulletin in 1951 and were so well received that they were quickly presented in book form. Thereafter they have scarcely been out of print and the grace, liveliness and gossipy intimacy of Rachel's prose have earned them a unique place in Australian literature. This edition is illuminated with illustrations of the period - some believed to be by Rachel herself, others by members of her family and others by artists and sketchers who would have been Rachel's contemporaries. Wherever possible, the work of women has been included. Taken from sketchbooks and note pads, their often unfinished images give as intimate a view of life in Australia from the 1850s to the 1880s as do Rachel's letters. (Inside Cover)colonial life, rachel henning, letters

Hard cover book. Jimmy of Murrumbar Author: E D Oakley (Edward Daniel Oakley) Publisher: Osboldstone & Co, Pty Ltd Date: 1938 Further Information: Pictorial paper-covered boards or wrappers over a stiff paper binding Illustrated title/contents material and a frontispiece or inserted plate. The spine has a Library label with an inscription.fictionThe story is a children's adventure story in which Jimmy works as a police tracker, following criminals through the Victorian bush and mountain ranges. The emphasis is on his "amazing ability" and "fidelity" that is, his loyalty, reliability and skill in serving the police. The plot appears to belong to the tradition of Australian juvenile bush fiction with a pursuit over difficult terrain, danger, endurance and the demonstration of specialised bush knowledge. It should not automatically be treated as a documentary account of a particular historical tracker. Unless the text contains an author's note or identifiable historical references, Jimmy is best regarded as a fictional or fictionalised character. The book is therefore both an adventure narrative and a period document revealing how Aboriginal ability was represented through a predominantly settler-colonial publishing culture.shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, warrnambool, 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, jimmy of murrumbar, e d oakley, edward daniel oakley, novel, young adult novel, juvenile fiction, australian black tracker, law enforcement - police trackers, tracking and trailing in australia, australian bush, grampian ranges in victoria, warrnambool history, fletcher jones, oakbank, thomas and eliza oakley, indigenous literature, indigenous australians

Hard cover book,Queen of The Dawn Author: H Rider Haggard Publisher: Hutchinson & Co. London. W1. Date: 1925 Green Cloth hard covered book with a reinforced spine with a handwritten title, front cover has black text and Egyptian motif. Inscriptions include stickers and a stamp. fictionQueen of the Dawn is a story of old Egypt, a historical fantasy/romance novel by H. Rider Haggard, set in Ancient Egypt during a period of war and political turmoil, as the invading Shepherd Kings challenge the Egyptian Pharaohs. The protagonist in the story is Nefra, Princess of Egypt, born amid this chaos with her fate tied to her royal lineage. Prophecies and blessings from Egyptian goddesses mark her birth, foreshadowing her significant role in events to come. After the death of King Kheperra, Queen Rima (Nefra's mother) must navigate a dangerous political landscape to protect herself and her child, aided by loyal allies like her nurse Kemmah. The story opens at a breakneck pace, with Pharaoh deposed and killed and his family in hiding, while a secret religious order raises the princess, who falls in love with the disguised son of the usurper. The climax delivers traditional adventure-fiction excitement with battles and torture. The novel leans heavily on themes of prophecy, destiny, and romance.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, pattison collection, ralph eric pattison, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, mechanics’ institute library, warrnambool library, free library, corangamite regional library service, h. rider haggard, 1925, hutchinson & co., queen of the dawn