A copy of both the ‘Dennys Lascelles Limited 1857-1957: Annual Wool Report & Centenary Review’ & ‘Staff Reunion Souvenir Programme, 1988’ was donated to the museum in 2021. These were duplicate items so only their story was retained in addition to the image of Rita located in Multimedia. “Enclose two items which may be of interest to add to your collection. They belonged to my mother, Rita Sedgwick (nee Glenn), who died earlier this year in April. She worked for Dennys Lascelles in two separate periods. First as a young girl, who had finished her schooling, at Morongo Presbyterian ladies College, having been sent as boarder there by her parents from their farm at Mathoura (just north of Echuca). This period was from 1942 — 1947. It was her second job out of school having worked first at the then Geelong Telephone Exchange. She would commute daily to work on a bicycle from where she was then living in Drumcondra. She had the front office role of receptionist and telephonist driving an old manual switchboard. The old front desk was her domain. She departed in 1947, shortly after she was married in late 1946. She spoke fondly of her times at the company as a young girl in her late teens and early twenties. Her second stint was much later, but again as the front-desk telephonist and receptionist commencing in 1972, ending 11 years later in 1983. This was a period when Sir Henry Bolte was on the Board, Don Urqhuart was MD, Ray Hobson was General Manger, Cliff Bone the company Secretary, Peter Keys the CFO and Jim Hay was also on the Executive team. While there were some 25 years between her periods of service, she welcomed the chance to re-join the company. Again, it was a time of hard work, and good friends. The busy times were the wool auctions, when the Firm would be visited by representatives of the big Japanese trading houses such as Mitsui, and Kanematsu. The Chief Auctioneer, Mr. Reeves (I can't recall his first name), would hold court at the now demolished Geelong Wool Exchange — I saw him in action once — what a sight. The huge show floors in the Denny's building would be full of open bales and samples for the buyers to inspect, and for mum days would start at 0800, and finish at 1800 or later. In quieter times over summer, it was reported that the empty show floor would provide an excellent arena for the more enthusiastic cricketers to get in a bit of practise with a tennis ball at lunch and after closing time! Dennys was a full-service firm for wool growers, with branches all over the Western Districts as far afield as Mt Gambier, but through Timboon, Warrnambool, and the like, as I am sure you are aware. She also saw the merger of Dennys and Strachan to create DSM, and later the amalgamation with AML&F to create Dennys AML (I think). She saw the change from the old manual switch board to the then latest of PABX technologies and was part of the team the relocated from the original offices to the new address on the south side of Brougham Street. Along with the shift from the large show floor-based sales of the past. She retired from fulltime work in mid-1983, again with fond memories and friendships that lasted a lifetime. I found these two items among her things recently, and felt that given her connection to the industry, and the place in which the Museum now resides you may like to add them to the collection. I hope you can find a home for them, and that they might add a little to the story that the wool museum now houses and curates.” Program 12pp: soft pale grey cover, contians brief history of the company , the buildings and at the last page is a list of acceptances for the reunion, 2nd October, 1988Judith Lagingdennys, lascelles limited

Green plastic round container in two equal parts - on fitting into the other. Used to hold a ball of wool. A hole in the top allowed the wool to thread through whilst knitting. Original it would have had ribbon through the top so that could be hung from the knitter's arm.handcrafts, knitting

"Dennys, Lascelles Limited 1857-1957 Annual Wool Report and Centenary Review". Apart from the annual report, this booklet also contains a brief history of Dennys, Lascelles Limited from its founding in 1857 up to 1957. A copy of both the ‘Dennys Lascelles Limited 1857-1957: Annual Wool Report & Centenary Review’ & ‘Staff Reunion Souvenir Programme, 1988’ was donated to the museum in 2021. These were duplicate items so only their story was retained in addition to the image of Rita located in Multimedia. “Enclose two items which may be of interest to add to your collection. They belonged to my mother, Rita Sedgwick (nee Glenn), who died earlier this year in April. She worked for Dennys Lascelles in two separate periods. First as a young girl, who had finished her schooling, at Morongo Presbyterian ladies College, having been sent as boarder there by her parents from their farm at Mathoura (just north of Echuca). This period was from 1942 — 1947. It was her second job out of school having worked first at the then Geelong Telephone Exchange. She would commute daily to work on a bicycle from where she was then living in Drumcondra. She had the front office role of receptionist and telephonist driving an old manual switchboard. The old front desk was her domain. She departed in 1947, shortly after she was married in late 1946. She spoke fondly of her times at the company as a young girl in her late teens and early twenties. Her second stint was much later, but again as the front-desk telephonist and receptionist commencing in 1972, ending 11 years later in 1983. This was a period when Sir Henry Bolte was on the Board, Don Urqhuart was MD, Ray Hobson was General Manger, Cliff Bone the company Secretary, Peter Keys the CFO and Jim Hay was also on the Executive team. While there were some 25 years between her periods of service, she welcomed the chance to re-join the company. Again, it was a time of hard work, and good friends. The busy times were the wool auctions, when the Firm would be visited by representatives of the big Japanese trading houses such as Mitsui, and Kanematsu. The Chief Auctioneer, Mr. Reeves (I can't recall his first name), would hold court at the now demolished Geelong Wool Exchange — I saw him in action once — what a sight. The huge show floors in the Denny's building would be full of open bales and samples for the buyers to inspect, and for mum days would start at 0800, and finish at 1800 or later. In quieter times over summer, it was reported that the empty show floor would provide an excellent arena for the more enthusiastic cricketers to get in a bit of practise with a tennis ball at lunch and after closing time! Dennys was a full-service firm for wool growers, with branches all over the Western Districts as far afield as Mt Gambier, but through Timboon, Warrnambool, and the like, as I am sure you are aware. She also saw the merger of Dennys and Strachan to create DSM, and later the amalgamation with AML&F to create Dennys AML (I think). She saw the change from the old manual switch board to the then latest of PABX technologies and was part of the team the relocated from the original offices to the new address on the south side of Brougham Street. Along with the shift from the large show floor-based sales of the past. She retired from fulltime work in mid-1983, again with fond memories and friendships that lasted a lifetime. I found these two items among her things recently, and felt that given her connection to the industry, and the place in which the Museum now resides you may like to add them to the collection. I hope you can find a home for them, and that they might add a little to the story that the wool museum now houses and curates.” "Dennys, Lascelles Limited Annual Wool Report and Centenary Review, August 1957". Apart from the annual report, this booklet also contains a brief history of Dennys, Lascelles Limited from its founding in 1857 up to 1957.Dennys, Lascelles Limited Annual Wool Report and Centenary Review, August 1957wool brokering, wool growing, dennys, lascelles limited

This silver wool-holder was sold as a souvenir at the British Empire Exhibition of 1924-5. This exhibition was staged to strengthen the bonds of the British Empire and 56 of the 58 nations or territories within the Empire participated. Wembley Stadium was built for the Exhibition and called then Empire Stadium. 27,000,000 visited the exhibition in the two years of is existence. Wembley Stadium survived until 2003 when it was rebuilt. This wool-holder is of interest as an example of the type of household item that would have been in a more affluent home in the 1920s. It is also of interest as an example of the type of souvenir sold at the British Empire Exhibition in 1924-5. It is a useful and attractive display item.This is a silver circular-shaped wool holder which was a souvenir of the British Empire Exhibition held at Wembley in 1924-5. It has four silver segments held together at each end with silver pins. The segments have an open fretwork pattern and can retract and open to allow material to be stored and to be easily accessible to the knitter or needleworker. The Wembley emblem with the image of an Art Deco lion is welded onto one of the segments. This silver ball could also be used as a pomander to hold perfumed material and to be placed in a wardrobe or cupboard.‘Wembley’ british empire exhibition, wembley 1924-5, pomander, wool holder