"The History of Australasia" by David Blair was one of three important publications of the author. Written in 1879, the book relates the history of both Australia and New Zealand from their discovery through to the establishment of self-government in both colonies. Blair was born in Ireland and after studying for the ministry in Ireland came to Australia in 1850. Instead of a missionary career he took up journalism, became a member of the Legislative Assembly in Victoria and published his books on Australasia.A large thick hard leather covered book -History of Australasia by David Blair and published in 1879. The covers are black with a gold pattern border. The front cover shows an embossed Australian crest in gilt with kangaroo and emu and ' Advance Australia'. It is an illustrated edition with beautifully coloured maps for each Australian colony and New Zealand.book blair-david history-australasia

This photograph of the plaque on the side of the P.S Adelaide while she was a stationary exhibit in the Hopwood Gardens from 1963 until 1984 tells the story of her manufacture and her work life up until 1963. The P.S Adelaide was launched on 21st July 1866. It was owned by J.G.Grassie from Poon Boon Station and the Officer Family of Murray Downs Station Swan Hill. The Adelaide was named after the niece of the Officer Bros, Adelaide Blackwood. The shipwrights who built her was George Linklater. The Adelaide brought wool and passengers from the wool stations on the Murray and Darling Rivers down to the Echuca Wharf. In 1872 she was sold to David Blair & Sons. She was used to bring timber from the Barmah Forest to the Echuca Wharf. She did this work for the next 80 years. In 1953 she was tied up near the Mill and left In 1958 she went to Paringa South Australia to work in the sawmill industry again. In 1960 the Echuca Apex Club and The Echuca Historical Society raised enough funds to buy the P.S. Adelaide and return her to Echuca. In November 1963 she was lifted out of the water and placed in Hopwood Gardens as this was thought to be a way of preserving her. In 1984 it was decided to return her to the water to resume work as a passenger vessel. In that time the Port of Echuca and the Echuca Wharf had been restored as a Tourist Precinct. The P.S Adelaide is extremely significant as it it the oldest known wooden hulled paddle steamers in the world. She was built in Echuca in 1866 and still operates on the Murray River today. She has worked in the Wool Industry, the Timber Industry and the Tourist Industry.Coloured photograph showing the information sign which was attached to the side of the P.S Adelaide whilst she was a stationary exhibit in the Hopwood Gardens from 1963 until 1984.On the sign is written; " P.S Adelaide/built on the Murray at Echuca for Officer Grassie &Co. Of Poon Boon and Murray Downs stations. Launched 20th July 1866. The vessel is typical of the steamers trading in the era of the Riverina and Darling River trade of 1853 to the early 1900's and which had by 1872 established aEchuca as the second busiest port in Victoria. Worked in the Red Gum logging trade until 1958 under the ownership of the Murray River Sawmills Co. She was purchased by that company from David Blair Saw Miller of Echuca in 1861. 75ft. 4 inches X 12 ft.5 inches X 3 ft. 6 inches built of 3 inch red gum planking on an angle. Iron frames 2? X 2?5/6. 30 H.P. Nominal arc original and made by Fulton & Shaw of Melbourne. Twin cylinders. 14 bore. 16 stroke Stephenson's reversing gear controlled by Captain from the wheelhouse. Locomotive type red gum wood. Master, Mate, Engineer, Fireman, Cook, and Deckhand. p.s. adelaide, port of echuca, grassie, j.g, linklater, george, poon boon station, blair, david, murray river, darling river, logging industry, officer brothers., barmah forest, fulton & shaw, hutchinson, kevin, adelaide blackwood, murray downs station

The P.S Adelaide was launched on 21st July 1866. It was owned by J.G.Grassie from Poon Boon Station and the Officer Family of Murray Downs Station Swan Hill. The Adelaide was named after the niece of the Officer Bros, Adelaide Blackwood. The shipwright who built her was George Linklater. The Adelaide brought wool and passengers from the wool stations on the Murray and Darling Rivers down to the Echuca Wharf. In 1872 she was sold to David Blair & Sons. She was used to bring timber from the Barmah Forest to the Echuca Wharf. She did this work for the next 80 years. In 1953 she was tied up near the Mill and left. In 1958 she went to Paringa South Australia to work in the sawmill industry again. In 1960 the Echuca Apex Club and The Echuca Historical Society raised enough funds to buy the P.S. Adelaide and return her to Echuca. In November 1963 she was lifted out of the water and placed in Hopwood Gardens as this was thought to be a way of preserving her. In 1984 it was decided to return her to the water to resume work as a passenger vessel. In that time the Port of Echuca and the Echuca Wharf had been restored as a Tourist Precinct. This photograph shows the beginning of the task to return her to the river. It took several weeks in March 1984.The P.S Adelaide is extremely significant as it it the oldest known wooden hulled paddle steamers in the world. She was built in Echuca in 1866 and still operates on the Murray River today. She has worked in the Wool Industry, the Timber Industry and the Tourist Industry.This is a coloured square photograph of an orange front end loader clearing a track from Hopwood Gardens down to the river. The track was used to bring the P.S Adelaide from the gardens back into the river. The P.S Adelaide is in the background. The paddle steamer appears to be up on a trailer of some sort and is surrounded but plastic orange temporary fencing. There are small mounds of soil in the foreground.On the orange front end loader are the numbers "5900" and the word "case." p.s. adelaide, grassie, j.g, port of echuca, linklater, george, poon boon station, blair, david, murray river, darling river, logging industry, officer brothers., barmah forest, fulton & shaw, hutchinson, kevin, murray downs station, blackwood, adelaide

The P.S Adelaide was launched on 21st July 1866. It was owned by J.G.Grassie from Poon Boon Station and the Officer Family of Murray Downs Station Swan Hill. The Adelaide was named after the niece of the Officer Bros, Adelaide Blackwood. The shipwright who built her was George Linklater. The Adelaide brought wool and passengers from the wool stations on the Murray and Darling Rivers down to the Echuca Wharf. In 1872 she was sold to David Blair & Sons. She was used to bring timber from the Barmah Forest to the Echuca Wharf. She did this work for the next 80 years. In 1953 she was tied up near the Mill and left. In 1958 she went to Paringa South Australia to work in the sawmill industry again. In 1960 the Echuca Apex Club and The Echuca Historical Society raised enough funds to buy the P.S. Adelaide and return her to Echuca. In November 1963 she was lifted out of the water and placed in Hopwood Gardens as this was thought to be a way of preserving her. In 1984 it was decided to return her to the water to resume work as a passenger vessel. In that time the Port of Echuca and the Echuca Wharf had been restored as a Tourist Precinct. This photograph shows the beginning of the task to return her to the river. It took several weeks in March and April 1984.The P.S Adelaide is extremely significant as it it the oldest known wooden hulled paddle steamers in the world. She was built in Echuca in 1866 and still operates on the Murray River today. She has worked in the Wool Industry, the Timber Industry and the Tourist Industry.Colour photograph of the P.S Adelaide, having been hauled out and dry-docked. The P.S Adelaide is resting on a log platform with a winch attached to the front.p.s. adelaide, grassie, j.g, port of echuca, linklater, george, poon boon station, blair, david, murray river, darling river, logging industry, officer brothers., barmah forest, fulton & shaw, hutchinson, kevin, murray downs station, blackwood, adelaide, 1866, 1984

The book has black leather covers which are heavily embossed with an Australian Coat of Arms and featuring gold printing, scroll work and patterns. The title of the book is on the spine which also has gold patterns. The cover is torn at the top left hand corner. The inside cover is water damaged. The gilt edged pages contain printed text, black and white and tinted illustrations and coloured maps. There is a narrow ribbon book mark , a pressed leaf and a cut out card flower inserted in the pages.non-fictionA history of Australasia written in late 18oo'saustralasian history, alice gamble, a history of australasia 1870, warrnambool

Brown cardboard covered, spiral bound A4 size book.Collected summary papersballarat college of advanced education, summary papers, peter coman, ian moore, john burrell, norm barling, roger slee, helen hayes, ross whitefield, denise walsh, geoff mcrae, wendy crebbin, frank williams, iteraera abera, valo valo, rob baker, george baume, chris bigum, nerida blair, bob boyd, david symington, geoffrey burkhardt, majorie carss, dawn muir, jim christensen, margaret clyde, desmond connelly, jack darmody, barrie dickie, gwenda chapman, pat duffy, anne piggott, laurie andrew, john budby, stephen duggan, maryann ehle, alison elliott, terry evans, daryl nation, barry fields, sue gillard, max gillet, mon khamis, noel gough, richard gunstone, jeff northfield, maurice hale, brian hansford, bill harrison, janice wilson, win haseloff, trevor hutchins, brian jacka, james lukabyo, hugo mccann, r. kerrison, peter mcnally, ian macpherson, dianna mannigel, genne marks, margaret marks, alan peacock, susan moore, judy mousley, helen watson, john henry, robin mctaggart, charles myers, john nicholson, lynne noone, peter olsen, marion curry, david bull, geoff orr, phil meade, john pearson, ray preston, ross price, robert peake, les regan, ian robottom, richard tinning, g. di chiro, maurice robson, carol scott, bob semmens, tony simpson, janette stapleton-hill, arthur smith, peter smith, frank sofo, rosemary stack, david townsend, tony townsend, geoff treblico, ted wadsworth, kathleen warren, don williams, john williamson, john lake, joseph zajda

Built in 1866 in Echuca, the PS Adelaide is the oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer still operating as a passenger vessel in the world. Engines made in Melbourne by Fulton and Shaw. JG Grassie was the original owner who was looking for a wool carrying boat as a commercial venture with the arrival of the rail at the Port of Echuca making the future look bright. Seutonius and Charles Officer of Murray Downs Station joined Grassie in financing the venture and they used the boat for 6 years before David Blair and partners (Echuca sawmillers) bought the Adelaide in July of 1872 and she began her long working life as a logging boat providing a shuttle service between the forests around Barmah and the mill, usually towing up to 3 or 4 barges. The paddle boxes were rebuilt from round to a square configuration in approximately 1924 by Charles Felshaw, local Echuca shipwright. The Adelaide had unusual strength for her size. Her career ended in the mid 1950s where she lay idle tied up near the mill at Echuca wharf. For a short time she was sold to Mildura but fortunately the Apex Club raised funds to buy her back to be a reminder of the riverboat days at the Port. She was lifted out for safekeeping into Hopwood Gardens where she remained on show for nearly 25 years. After restoration by Port shipwright Keven Hutchinson OAM, she returned to the waters of the Murray River on Sunday March 4th 1984 at 5.20pm. After further restoration, in 1985 the Prince and Princess of Wales re-commissioned PS ADELAIDE in a ceremony on their tour of the region. The world's oldest wooden hulled paddle steamer still operating as a passenger vessel today built in Echuca in 1866. It is often considered the flagship of the operational fleet of the Port of Echuca given its age and known provenance to Echuca. The Adelaide is an iconic symbol of the riverboat timber and cargo trade that worked on the Murray River from the mid 1800s. Remarkably, PS ADELAIDE still operates with its original Fulton and Shaw engines.Composite hull, side wheeler with two single cylinder steam engines, producing a total of 36hp. Currently cream and burgundy moored at the Echuca Wharf. 49 passenger capacity.P.S. Adelaide signage on wheelhouse and port and starboard bow.p.s. adelaide, paddle steamers, echuca boat builders, charles felshaw

Cassette tapes and CDs with Student interviews of: Cassette: Doug James & Harry Kilminster, Una (Hoysted) Richards (1920-1926), Mrs B. Law, Mrs Audrey Hill, David Evans, Mr Herry, Andrew Blair (1969-76), Mr H. Dike, John Evans & Myra Baxter, Mrs Avis Stevens (McDonald, 1942), Mr Adrian Twitt (1960s-1990s), Dianne Copper (1957-?), Mr Vin Blatch (1938-1940), Mr W. Coleman (1928-?), Mr A. Bell (1944-?), Mrs A. Stenart (1920-1930), Tiny Kahn (Peterson, 1932-?), Mary Gregry (Spencer, 1932-1944), Mrs S. McDonald, N.G. McGuffe (1940), N. Green, Lorna Hogan (1947-1950), Mary Gregory (Spencer, 1932-1944), Mrs Stone (Robertson, 1957-1968), Leon Kildea, Frank Cunningham & Harvey Dike, M. Pullen (Nee Grossman), Mrs M. Sartome (Hemphill, 1961-1965), Barbara Laycock, Adrian Twitt, Jenine (Moore) Farett, Jack Cullen & Mae Osmotherly, Ted Brieriy & Meussa Andrew, Pual Schaes & Helen Hill, Judy Rose & Bill O'Callaghan, Lyn Barr & Murray Edgar, Robert Keene & Doug McGregor, Pam Mabin & Trent McGregor, Elaine Mudge & Anne Bell, Jack Cullen, Mr J. W. O'Calloghan, M. Paterson (Fry) 1943-1944, Mrs Elaine Graham, Rhonda Diffey & Terry Magree, Brian O'Flynn, Peggy Richie & Jenny McDonald, Mr Frank Spink (1909-1920), Mrs W. Ellis (1915-?), Brian Scamell (1961-1968), Diana Pikula (1971-1975), Brenda Barr, Joyce Lavis Sargent, Bronwnyn Strune (James), Karen & Julie Rees, Alice Wilson (Waldole), Bruce Revell, Jenny Martin & Sandra Dinsdale, Mrs Tibbals CD: Una (Hoysted) Richards (1920-1926), Mrs A Stewart (1928-1932), Mrs W Ellis (1915), Mr Frank Spink (1909-1920), Mrs Avis Stevens (McDonald, 1942), N.G. McGuffe (1940), Andrew Blair (1969-76), Mr W. Coleman (1928), Mr Vin Blatch (1938-1940) Also has a blue folder filled with conditions of use forms given to the interviewees

Donated by the artist, 1997Silver bromide photographic printgippsland, artwork, permanent collection

Donated by the artist, 2004Silver bromide photographic printgippsland, artwork, permanent collection

Agnes (b 1894, Linton; died 1977, Box Hill) had been a masseur before entering medical school at Melbourne University. She transferred to Edinburgh and graduated from there. She joined her sister Amelia Roberta, known as Roberta, at ‘Luxmee’, 4 Windsor Crescent. She was born in 1891 and died at Surrey Hills on 1 May 1972. She had a long illness before her death. Agnes is seated left foreground; Roberta is standing at the right. Their father James Blair Donaldson had been a doctor at Linton, near Skipton and a brother, James Blair Donaldson Jnr (1888-1971) was a doctor in Skipton. A second brother Alexander Somerville Donaldson (1887-1963) also lived in Surrey Hills. He had a number of addresses and occupations including: 1927 - 44 Albany Crescent (Chauffeur); 1949 - 5 Beatrice Avenue (mechanic) and 1963 - 28 Albert Crescent (gardener). Their mother was Amelia Jane Emerson. Transcription of grave in Section C, Baptist in Melbourne General Cemetery gives further family details: “In affectionate remembrance of Jane Duff the beloved wife of Robt. DONALDSON who died at Carlton, Victoria, 8 Aug 1889, age 56 years and of their children David Russell and Mary McIntosh who died in infancy. Until the Easter glory lights the skies; until the dead in Jesus shall arise and He shall come, but not in lowly guise Good night. East also Agnes SHEPHERD mother of Jane D. DONALDSON born at Dundee Scotland 30 Apr 1800, died at Carlton 8 Apr 1891. West also Robt. DONALDSTON teacher died 13 Jul 1910, age 80 years Emily Mary DONALDSON died 24 Jan 1923, age 64 years Alexander Somerville DONALDSON beloved husband of Mary died 26 Oct 1963 Dr. James Blair DONALDSON of Linton, Scotland born 11 Mar 1859, died 7 Sep 1944 also Amelia Jane beloved wife of the above born 11 Nov 1859, died 13 Jul 1946 beloved parents of Somerville, Blair, Roberta and Agnes.” A black and white photograph of seven ladies on the porch of a building.miss agnes donaldson, miss roberta donaldson, dr roberta donaldson, dr agnes donaldson, miss amelia roberta donaldson, dr amelia roberta donaldson

Sister Elizabeth Lindsey worked at the RVIB Nursery since it's inception in 1933. During her time there, she took photographs of the children, whom she had care of, documenting their life at RVIB as well as the wartime displacement to Olinda when the army took over the St Kilda Road building. Adopting one of her orphan charges, Sister Lindsay left RVIB in 1945. See the notes section for individual descriptions.1 x black photograph album with coloured embossed cover containing photographs, a newspaper clipping and card.barry farnsworth, brian sitlington, douglas clarkson, bobby bolter, ben hewitt, bill henderson, norm white, jessie rita, mae rita, thelma stewart, peggy penhall, helen boyd, heather stewart, margaret russell, lois allen, ian cooper, monty james, angelo harris, pamela wegg, nurse babs, nurse pierce, jimmy schultz, bertie glenister, margaret seary, alan nuske, harry parsons, shirley devine, joan morice, david ditchfield, don smith, nurse blair, alan woods, alan crotty, elaine dean (later leahy), hilda gammon, elaine mckenna, cyril minns, ernest wilson, gladys moncrieff, marjory pyvis, rvib nursery, sister elizabeth lindsey

Program showing songs and performers of the 1981 Carols by Candlelight, televised by Channel 9. 1 volume with colour illustrationsroyal victorian institute for the blind, carols by candlelight, julie anthony, stella axarlis, simon gallaher, bram manusama, dianne manusama, joan mcinnes, brian naylor, daryl somers, denis walter, jim watsford, colin woods, graeme lyall, david johnston, janet perkins, tony borg, blair edgar

Program showing songs and performers of the 1982 Carols by Candlelight, televised by Channel 9.1 volume with colour illustrationsroyal victorian institute for the blind, carols by candlelight, normie rowe, colette mann, gaye macfarlane, little river band, simon gallaher, john diedrich, robert colman, richard casey, joan carden, jim watsford, colin woods, graeme lyall, david johnston, janet perkins, tony borg, blair edgar

Program showing songs and performers of the 1980 Carols by Candlelight, televised by GTV 9. 1 volume with colour illustrationsroyal victorian institute for the blind, carols by candlelight, brian naylor, jim watsford, colin woods, david johnston, janet perkins, blair edgar, jill perryman, neil warren smith, keren minshull, jennifer murphy, normie rowe, james pegler, steven tandy, harold badger