The ship Carnarvon Bay bound from Liverpool to Sydney with a general cargo struck rocks off Stokes Point on the coast of King Island on Thursday 15 September 1910. On the day the crew used two lifeboats but were separated. One of them with Captain W. Griffith and 17 men was rescued by the SS Taracoola and brought back to Melbourne. Apprentice, R.J.N Filkin was amongst them (his name is listed on the Argus article relating the event (Monday 19 September 1910). In the article called "Welcome Shelter" it seems it was the first sea voyage for the young Filkin. The other boat with 15 men was lost for several hours. There was no casualties but the 3000 ton cargo was lost. The seamen were received at the Sailors Home then welcomed at the Mission by Reverend Haire as shown on a photograph publish in the Punch (22 September 1910). Reverend Gurney Goldsmith was in England at the time. The crew was invited to an evening of entertainment organised by artist Violet Teague at the Masonic Hall on the 19th of September. According to the article "Welcome Shelter" she was painting the "tableaux" at the Mission when the seamen were present, interviewed by the journalist. This evening organised by the Ladies Harbour Lights Guild was planned to raise funds for the Mission.Sepia photograph depicting the ship Carnarvon Bay at sea with a written inscription in black ink.Ship Carnarvon Bay wrecked King Island 15 September 1910 - R.J.N Filkin apprenticeshipwreck, apprentice, king island, carnarvon bay, captain griffith, violet teague, masonic hall, ss taracoola, crews and ships

On the 19th and 20th September 1910, the Mission organised a fundraising evening at the Masonic Hall on Collins Street. The "Tableaux vivants", called "Tennison's Dream of Fair Women" were arranged by artist Violet Teague. She arranged and painted the decors for the "tableaux vivants" in the Siddeley Mission. It's likely she also created the cover of this programme. "Mother and Lover of Men the Sea" is a verse form the poem: The Triumph of Time by Algernon Charles Swinburne While she was working, seamen from the Carnarvon Bay shipwreck were welcomed to the institute and subsequently invited to the evening. "They went through a large room, where a lady was standing on a scaffolding pointing a scene for the enter" tainment which is to take place this evening in the Masonic-hall. The lady was Miss Violet Teague, but she took her mind and her brush off the effects in marine blue sufficiently long to learn the main outlines of the story. " (Argus 19 September 1910). "During the evening the Rev W F Haire, acting chaplain to the mission announced that among those present were the shipwrecked survivors of the Carnarvon Bay, which was wrecked at King Island on Thursday last The men, who bore no traces of the hardships they endured took their places on the platform, whilst the large audience cheered itself hoarse and sang "For They Are Jolly Good relics". (Argus 20 September 1910) In 1935, Violet Teague was on the passengers on the C.B. Pedersen, one of the last windjammers. She Drew and painted during her voyage and exhibited the artworks in 1938.This rare programme is the last remaining testimony of the relationship between the Mission and famous artists of the time who provided illustrations for quotation calendars (Daryl Lyndsay, John Shirlow).12 pages programme. The cover is light blue paper with the design of the Greek ship printed in black ink.violet teague, tableaux vivants, 1910, fundraising, theatre, play, algernon charles swinburne, sponsors, advertising, carnarvon bay, shipwreck, una le souef, masonic hall, lady gibson-carmichael, willsmere certified milk and co, fry's cocoa, remington typewriter, hypol, lhlg, ladies harbour lights guild

The Speke was an all steel ship of 310 feet, beam of 35 feet and weight of 2,712 tons and triple masted. She was built in 1891 at Carnarvon in Wales for a cost of 22,000 pounds. The wreck of the Speke was purchased for a mere 12 pounds after it went aground in 1906. The Speke had come from Peru to Sydney. She was then on her way to load wheat in Geelong when she ran aground on the 22 February 1906. Captain Tiltson confused a bushfire, near Cowes, for navigation lights. The ship drifted close to shore in Kitty Miller Bay and was eventually holed at 3 pm on the rocks. Life boats were immediately lowered and the ship’s crew all made it to shore except Seaman Frank Henderson, who lost his life.Black & White photograph of The Speke running aground on the south coast of Phillip Island.wreck of the speke, the speke, jack loney