Black and white photographs of the Farewell to Alex Cowmeadow on 10 October 1961. On the reverse of two photos is written '10/10/61 A. Cowmeadow Farewell'. Another photo has on reverse a handwritten note 'Dear Alex / In / memory of happy / days at Collingwood. / Seasons greetings / to Mrs Cowmeadow. / 'Dick'.' Alex Cowmeadow started at Collingwood as a teacher of carpentry and cabinet making in 1927 and stayed there for 34 years until his retirement in 1961 when he was head of the Cabinetmaking and Chair and Couch Making Departments. Besides his trade teaching activity, Alex was involved in the sporting activities of the school and also organised interchange visits between students of Collingwood and Goodwood Technical School in South Australia. After his death in 1970 it was discovered that he had left his property for the benefit of Collingwood Technical School. This generous gesture enabled the development of a much better school camp at Camp Westlake in Buxton, where two wings of the camp were named after Alex and his wife Doris Cowmeadow – reminders to the students of the generosity of their former teacher. (George Eraclides, 2013). collingwood technical school, camp westlake, alex cowmeadow, nmit

A spokeshave is a tool used to shape and smooth wooden rods and shafts - often for use as wheel spokes, chair legs . Spokeshaves can be made from flat-bottom, concave, or convex soles, depending on the type of job to be performed. Spokeshaves can include one or more sharpened notches along which the wooden shaft is pulled in order to shave it down to the proper diameter. Historically, spokeshave blades were made of metal, whilst the body and handles were wood. An early design consisted of a metal blade with a pair of tangs to which the wooden handles were attached. Like a plane, spokeshaves typically have a sole plate that fixes the angle of the blade relative to the surface being worked. By the twentieth century metal handles and detachable blades had become the most common. Preston Tools was an English tool making company also known as E.P. Tools and Edward Preston Tools. Edward Preston Sr. (1805-1883) was first listed as a plane maker at 77 Lichfield Street in the 1833 Birmingham Directory but it is believed he may have started business there as early as 1825. Around 1850 his son, Edward Preston Jr. (1835-1908) left school to join his father's business and he later started up his own "wood and brass spirit level manufactory" at 97-1/2 Lichfield Street by 1864. By 1866 Edward Jr. had added planes, routers, joiners, coach, gun, cabinet and carpenters tools to his line, and the following year he moved his shop from his father's address and relocated to 26 Newton Street, before moving again to a much larger premises at 22-24 Whittall Street. This later became the office and factory of Edward Preston and Sons, who were forced to liquidate in 1934, due mainly to the Great Depression and mismanagement of the company. The plane making concern was sold to the Sheffield firm of C. & J. Hampton, who had subsequently merged in 1932 with Record Ridgeway Ltd.An ornate steel spokeshave wood plane with an adjustable screw.PRESTONS PATENTwoodwork, tools, spokeshave, moorabbin, cheltenham, bentleigh, early settlers, pioneers, market gardeners, woodplanes, craftwork, bicycle wheels, furniture, cabinetmaking, cartwheels, wagons, drays, preston edward, preston tools ltd