White cardboard box with white manufacturer's label with black and red printed text. Inside the box is a white plastic tray holding twelve (12) needles wrapped in white tissue paper.Stamped in black ink on underside of cardboard box: 85320Whypodermic, needle, syringe, dozen top, luer lock, top surgical, tokyo, japan

This sewing machine was bought by Alex Craig's dad in 1942 for his wife whom he married in 1943. Alex's grandmother used it in 1942. It still works (2013).Historical: Type of sewing machine used by S.E.C.V. wives living in Mt Beauty during the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Ladies made the family's clothes and sewed for the Annual Church and School fetes. eg. children's clothes and dolls' clothes. They bought dozens of dolls and made 'fairy' dresses for them using coloured netting.Singer sewing machine - brown wood lid & base. Handle on top of inside of lid as is the wooden bench that clips on to the side of the machine and also the steel knee lever that fits into the front of the machine. Black steel machine with silver fittings. Brown and white electric cord plugged in. "Singer" on front centre of lid. On machine - "Singer" above light. "The Singer manufacturing Co. / Manufactured in Great Britain" top of machine. "Singer" on front side of machine. Front - Gold plate - "The Singer Manfg. Co. / Trade Mark." Decoration on machine base and silver end.singer manufacturing co.. sewing. fetes. clothes. domestic.

This sewing machine was bought by Alex Craig's dad in 1942 for his wife whom he married in 1943. Alex's grandmother used it in 1942 to make button holes.Historical: Type of machine used by S.E.C.V. wives living in Mt Beauty in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Ladies made the family's clothes and sewed for the Annual Church and chook fetes e.g.. children's clothes and dolls clothes. They bought dozens of dolls and made 'fairy' dresses for them using coloured netting.Green & white box containing black & silver metal with 4 parts for attaching to Singer sewing machine for sewing button holes."Singer Buttonhole Attachment" on green 'cloud' top of box. "The Singer manufacturing Company" on green 'cloud' on side of box. "For Light Manufacturing and Home Use" on green 'cloud' on side of box. "Made in Great Britain" on white top half of end of box & teen 'cloud' below end of box is "Singer / Buttonhole Attachment / No. 86662 / For Singer Lock Stitch/ Family Sewing Machines.singer manufacturing co.. clothes. fetes. domestic. sewing.

This sewing machine and its accessories was bought by Alex Craig's dad in 1942 for his wife whom he married in 1943. Alex's mother used it and the accessories in 1942. Historical: Type of machine used by S.E.C.V. wives living in Mt Beauty in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's. Ladies made the family's clothes and sewed for the Annual Church and School fetes. eg. children's clothes and dolls' clothes. They bought dozens of dolls and made 'fairy' dresses for them using coloured netting.Dark green box with red & white inscription on top. Inside are 7 metal (silver coloured) attachments for Singer Sewing Machine including one for sewing zips, ruffling foot, rolled hemming foot .singer manufacturing co.. clothes. fetes. domestic. sewing.

This hat was sent home to Laanecoorie, from Malaya, in 1941 by Driver Cyril John Johnson VX36298, 1 Coy A.A.S.C whilst a POW. Cyril enlisted in the 2nd AIF on 17.6.1940 age 22 years 2 months. Posted to 8th Div Petrol Coy Seymour 25.7.1940, hospital 12.8.1940 with Mumps, rejoin unit 31.8.1940, embark for overseas 2.2.1941, disembark Singapore 19.2.1941. He is listed as missing on 16.2.1942 and later listed as POW in a Thai Camp no date. (He was on the Burma Railway) Last entry on his records states Presumed to be dead 12.9.1944 SWPA. (South West Pacific Area) He with hundreds of others were on the Japanese prison ship Rakuyo Maru to Japan when it was sunk by an American submarine. The hand written signatures on the hat include high ranking AIF Officers, major local Officials and dozens of 8th Division AIF soldiers. British pattern Pith Helmet, khaki coloured cotton cloth with brown leather strap over the top. Large quantity of hand written names on top. Inside rim has green felt lining. Dome section is plaited red silk with manufacturer's label at crest. Hat band is brown leather.On top written in pen & ink: Many army numbers & names of soldiers and some dignitaries.. On top written in ink: To Dad etc from Cyril.military equipment - army, costume - male headwear

The egg preservation material offered in this tin was during a period in Australia's history (especially in the rural areas) when the "freshness" of produce was not able to be maintained by refrigeration means. Rural towns did rely on the "Ice Works" providing block ice for prolonging "produce shelf life" however semi remote and smaller communities did not have that facility. It was products such as this egg preserving ability that enabled these smaller rural communities to maintain a constant source of healthy "short life" organic produce.This tin which contained egg preservative powder is very significant to a rural region (Kiewa Valley) in the late 1800's to early 1900's. It details the type of food preservative methods that were available to rural areas which lacked proper refrigeration means at their disposal. Basic foodstuff which required "special" preservation means to extend their "shelf" life were sometimes regarded as luxuries by semi remote communities. Kiewa Valley and its regions were typical of these remote communities in the time frame of this egg preservation product. The ability to keep products that deteriorate due to "normal" outdoor temperature (bacterior prone produce) was a factor of rural living.This round "tubular" tin has a indented lid which fits snugly into the top opening. The lid has a rolled out lip which ensures a degree of "air" tightness. The tin is pressed and folded together and has no synthetic inner cover to protect the egg preservative powder from the raw tin surface. This "raw" method was the typical application for all tins containing dry food stuffs in this period(mid 1900's) of goods manufacture. The outer tin surface has a tightly pressed laminated paper label with product and manufacturer's information (promotional, preservation "tips" and usage details - will preserve sixteen dozen eggs). On the "front" side "EGG PRESERVATIVE" underneath "OVO" ,underneath "REGISTERED" and in a double lined enclosed square "AWARDED TWO GOLD MEDALS" underneath is a sketch of a mixing dish containing fourteen visible eggs. The bottom label has within an oval boundary (white print on a blue background) "FOR HOUSEHOLD USE" underneath "OVO" and underneath "PRESERVES EGGS PERFECTLY WITHOUT MESS OR TROUBLE" On the opposite side of the tin is printed "VICKERY'S FIRST & ONLY ORIGINAL EGG PRESERVATIVE - in red print. Underneath this is a "round stamp" with the figurehead(royalty) and these encircling words" TASMANIAN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION" with a scrolled "GOLD MEDAL HOBART 1895" with another medal like "medallion" showing another female face with a "warrior" headdress and these encircling words "HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE". Below this within a scrollis printed "GOLD MEDAL BALLARAT 1896" underneath this is printed "MANUFACTURED BY OVO PROPRIETARY LIMITED BALLARAT"egg preservation, rural food storage, kitchen preservation facilities

Buff coloured invoice issued to Mrs. J. Guiney, 126 Sternberg Street by John V. Schenck, seedsman and art florist, 315 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo, dated 9th June 1947. On top of invoice 'For Everything Horticultural' Invoice for 1and a half dozen carnations 2/6d. Written in pencil on invoice 'Card:- To dear Mrs Thomas from Gretta Guiney. Del today to Mrs. John Thomas c/- Kurmala.bendigo, business, john v. schenck, florist

This box is of key importance as an item that held Kraft Walker Cheese Company cheese. This company and its factory in Allansford was a key business in the dairying industry in the Warrnambool area for nearly 60 years. The box may have been used locally in the Allansford factory.This is a wooden oblong box with no lid. It has been nailed together with 12 nail heads visible and four nails protruding from the top edges. It has been used to package 1 dozen 8 oz Kraft Cheese. ‘The World Renowned Kraft Cheese (K), Blended Pasteurised Packed, Patented July 26 1916, 1 Doz. 8oz Cartons , Kraft Walker Cheese Co. Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia' 'Kraft (K) Cheese 1 Dozen 8 oz Cartons'kraft walker cheese company (allansford), fred walker, warrnambool cheese and butter factory, kraft cheese

Candles were the main source of lighting during the Colonial era. The candles were made at home from tallow, or animal fat, which was readily available and inexpensive. The tallow was soft, often had an unpleasant smell, band burned with a low, quickly fading light. Beeswax candles could be bought ready-made and lasted longer when lit. Bayberry wax could also be made into candles but was the process was labour intensive and time consuming. Spermaceti was from whale oil, a growing industry in the late 1800's, made firmer candles. Around this time wooden candle moulds were invented and uniform size and shape candles could be produced using the spermaceti wax. The candle mould is significant in the evolution of household lighting. It was an asset to the 19th century homemakers, allowing the production of their own candles in a uniform size. Candlelight allowed for the extension of time available for duties.Candle mould of tinplate for one dozen (12) candles. The tubular moulds stand upright, three rows of four, in a fitted tray. Another concave tray fits over the top ends of the moulds and has a hole above each of the candles, which is used for filling the moulds with melted wax. Ends have wire-reinforced edges.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, candle mould, candle making, lighting, candles, tallow, beeswax, bayberry wax, spermaceti was, whale oil, candlelight

TROVE : Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), Saturday 7 September 1901, page 2 BONNINGTON'S IRISH MOSS. Bonnington's Carrageen Irish Moss was first introduced into New Zealand 35 years ago, and it spread gradually until the sales now extend through the whole colony, and has been in constant demand ever since. Through the genuine merits of the widely known and popular remedy for coughs, colds, etc., and encouraged by this success in New Zealand, the proprietor (Mr. Geo. Bonnington) chemist of that colony, was induced to place his celebrated preparation on the Australian market. With that object in view, some eight or ten years ago, a factory for manufacturing purposes was established (under the style of Bonnington and Co.) at 179 Harris-street, Sydney. Since then, its sales have spread far and wide, and the proprietors are pleased to notify the public generally that Bonnington's Carrageen Irish Moss can now be obtained in all the states of Australia. Every year it is becoming more known, and when once tried is always appreciated by the people. Hundreds of testimonials have been received by the proprietors from all parts, testifying to the wonderful curative properties in allaying irritating coughs, bronchitis, colds, and affections of the vocal organs. For the cure of croup, whooping cough, etc., it has proved marvellously successful and is especially prized by mothers for their children, as it never fails to give relief and effect a speedy cure. Containing nothing injurious, there is not the least danger in giving it to children. If they are troubled at night with a hacking cough or any chest affection, one dose will relieve and ensure a good night's rest. The unparalleled which has attended the sale of Bonnington's Carrageen Irish Moss has led to many worthless imitations, and the public when purchasing are cautioned to be sure and ask for Bonnington's. TROVE : Gippsland Times (Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Thursday 1 October 1908, page 3 BONNINGTON'S IRISH MOSS Can be had from any chemist or store. It is the universal remedy for Influenza, Coughs and Colds. A safe and pleasant medicine for children as well as adults. Brown cardboard box with dark blue printed text on side and pink label with black text on top. Contains seven (7) unopened and one (1) opened tall grey boxes with printed white red and black labels. Each grey box containing a cork stoppered rectangular amber glass bottle, with a red, black and white printed label. Each bottle filled with a dark liquid.Outer square cardboard box in dark blue printed text within a decorative border : ' ONE DOZEN BONNINGTON'S Irish Moss for CUGHS, COLDS, INFLUENZA etc'. Pink label sealing paper on top of outer brown cardboard box with black printed text : 'BONNINGTON'S IRISH MOSS PRICES:- No.1 size 36/6 doz. No. 2 size 56/- doz. Retail Price :- Small size 3/6 Large size 6/3. IN QUANTITY Individual packaging boxes containing bottles : Paper labels on each bottle : Embossed on side of bottles in recessed cartouche ' BONNINGTON'S IRISH MOSS COUGHS & COLDS'. Embossed on base of bottles AGM logo and 'IS 804' (4 inverted) over '6'. croup, carrageen, coughs, influenza

This photograph shows the interior of a library filled with books.Black and white photograph showing two small bookshelves with picture books on them next to half a desk and chair. Above the bookshelves are several rolled up items. Stacked on top of the wall are dozens of books with spines facing inwardslibrary, libraries

Willgodt T. Odhner invented his very successful “pinwheel” four-function calculator mechanism in Russia in 1874, and his invention was cloned by numerous companies, resulting in dozens of similar models that remained in wide use for almost a century. Numbers are dialed into the sliding levers on the top part of the machine, and are added to the register visible in the carriage at the bottom when the large crank is turned. Shifting the carriage sideways allows multiplication through a sequence of addition operations; the two small cranks zero the registers. The design includes ingenious error-preventing interlocks between all the controls: should the operator fail to return a crank to its resting position, the other controls are frozen until this is corrected. A bell indicates calculations in the negative. Used in Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education (B.I.A.E) Physics department.Black, mechanical calculating machine. Metal. Hand-operated, with three hand-cranks. 10x10 rotor with 13 digit result. Ser. No. 29-286781.5 Black symotape on base front: "PHYSICS". Maker's identification on top surface. Supplier's label (metal, silver & blue) on back: "STOTT & HOARE Pty. Ltd. 171 William St. Melbourne C1 M1991". Stamped on rear panel: "MADE IN SWEDEN". Cast lettering on underside: "M-602 07".calculating machine, pinwheel, calculator, scientific instruments, stott & hoare pty ltd, physics, odhner, ballarat institute of advanced education

Newspaper article about the heroism of Australian soldier, Corporal Leslie "Bull" Allen.Mr Allen has been inducted into the Oregon National Guard's Hall of Honor and earned the US Silver Star for carrying a dozen US soldiers down Mount Tambu in New Guinea under heavy Japanese fire in 1943. He also earned Australia's highest honor for enlisted men, the Military Medal, for his rescue of Australian soldiers. Leslie Allen's widow, Jean Allen, attended the induction ceremony in Oregon, United States, to commemorate American-Australian Armed Forces Day. She wore the six medals she had earned as a war-time nurse.Half a newspaper page with two articles, the date and paper are printed across the top right, with 'World News' on the line below. The main article takes up most of the page with one column of text and a large photograph of Major Beverly Jorgenson escorting Jean Allen.'NC9' [Handwritten on blue ink at the top centre of the page.army nurses, leslie allen, jean allen, war heroes, wwii, world war 1939-1945, war medals

Published: (1934, June 26). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Published title: VICE-ROYALTY GREETS THE KING OF THE BEASTS AT THE ZOO. Published caption: Lord Huntingfield experienced a pleasant “induction ceremony” as Patron of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society yesterday, when he made a tour of the Zoological Gardens. The picture shows the Governor, accompanied by Lady Huntingfield, inspecting the King of Beasts, who is submitting to a little playful treatment from the Director of the Gardens, Mr. Wilkie, while the Director whispers in his ear that a distinguished visitor has come to see him. (Inset), is a picture of Lord Huntingfield greeting one of the Koalas. Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204818472 Description: A man wearing a hat, scarf and overcoat reaches up to pat a koala in a tree watched by a man in a hat and suit. Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer: In 1932, the Zoo built an Australian native animal enclosure which visitors could enter and closely view koalas, wallabies, kookaburras and magpies all placed together. The branches of the trees in the enclosure were cut so that visitors could easily see and feed the koalas sitting in them. The cost to feed each koala fresh gum leaves was fifteen shillings per week. By 1924, Queensland was the last stronghold in Australia for the koala. They were functionally extinct in South Australia, only a few hundred in NSW, and an estimated population of 1000 animals remained in Victoria. There had been a six-month open season on koalas in Queensland in 1919 where over a million had been slaughtered, however with its vast, dense forests it was impossible to accurately know their numbers. Koala fur is tough, warm and waterproof and was in high demand from consumers in Canada, Britain and the US to make hats and gloves and for lining greatcoats. In 1927, with Queensland suffering a crippling drought and high unemployment, the cash-strapped McCormack Labor Government declared an “Open Season” on koalas and “opossums” for their skins, for the month of August. (Possums were often called “opossums” at this time but they are actually possums). There were widespread protests from many groups including the Nature Lovers League, Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia, Queensland Museum, C.W.A. Royal Australian Ornithologist Union, Boy Scouts, religious and women’s groups. There were letters to newspapers from ordinary people, editorials and pleas to women to refuse to wear or purchase koala fur. People questioned the masculinity of koala hunters as it was felt that no proper bushman or sportsman would kill such a defenceless creature. The Brisbane Courier newspaper led the campaign, devoting six columns a day to “Spare the Bear”. Author Vance Palmer sent an impassioned letter to the editor of the The Brisbane Courier, 19 July 1927: “Sir- It is be hoped that the disgust which all humane people have felt at the declaration of an open season for native bears in August will not be allowed to fade away until some protest... so overwhelming and effective that the question will never be raised again. For the shooting of our harmless and loveable native bear is nothing less than barbarous. His case is entirely different from that of other furred animals. No one has ever accused him of spoiling the farmers’ wheat, eating the squatters’ grass or even spreading the prickly pear. There is not a social vice that can be put down to his account. In addition, he is comparatively defenceless. He affords no sport to the gunman, and can be trusted to present a sitting target to the creature mean enough to aim at him. For this reason he has been almost blotted out already from some areas, in days when our fauna and flora were held in such little regard that the settlers’ first instinct was to shoot every strange animal and to sink his axe into every unfamiliar tree.” The Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane, Gerald Sharp, had his letter published in The Brisbane Courier on 16 July 1927: “Sir... The extermination of fauna so distinctive of our country, especially of such harmless and pretty creatures as our native bears, seems to me a shameful thing, and this is likely to mean their extermination.” But it was all to no avail. Known as “Black August”, the government was unmoved by the public’s outrage. 10,000 licences were issued to hunters and “the slaughter of the innocents” went ahead. The newspapers were full of stories of dreadful cruelty against the helpless, benign creatures by the heartless hunters who not only used guns and spotlights but wire snares and cyanide baits so that pelts wouldn’t be damaged. Infant koalas were left orphaned and unlikely to survive without their mothers. Top quality pelts were sold at an average price of 56 shillings and 9 pence per dozen, poor quality skins for as little as 2 1/2 pence each. In December 1927, the Minister for Agriculture and Stock, Mr W. Forgan Smith told the Parliament that during the August open season 597,985 koala pelts worth £139,595 had netted the state’s coffers £6000. 952,194 “opossum” pelts were sold and £9000 made for the State. The backlash that followed helped topple the Queensland Labor Government in 1929. The Wild Life Preservation Society of Australia lobbied the Prime Minister Mr Stanley Bruce to refuse to issue exportation permits for koala pelts and from 10 November 1927 the Commonwealth Government suspended the issuing of permits. In 1930, the Society made a direct appeal to USA President Herbert Hoover and he signed an order prohibiting the importation of koala and wombat fur to USA, eliminating a major market. Koala pelts were often deliberately mislabelled “wombat” to get around restrictions. The ban most likely saved the koala from probable extinction. Three years later the Australian Federal Government banned the export of koala products. This movement against koala killing was really the first conservation campaign in Australia. It raised awareness of the vulnerability of a beloved animal and eventually brought about national parks and national laws for their protection. By 1936, community opposition to possum open seasons was beginning. The koala was made a Protected Species in all states in 1937, meaning no one is allowed to harm a koala, however the laws protecting the gum trees they rely on for food and shelter are weak. The Australian Government estimates the wild koala population in Australia is between 225,000 and 500,000 in 2024. The Australian Koala Foundation estimates the national population at less than 60,000 in 2021 with a 30% decline in three years. Habitat loss from land clearing, dog attacks, road deaths, chlamydia, bushfires and drought exacerbated by climate change, continues to cause their decline. Over eight million koalas were killed for their pelts between 1888 and 1927. Any one of the annual harvests killed more koalas than are alive now. At this time, children were also being taught to appreciate Australian native animals. In 1933, “Blinky Bill: The Quaint Little Australian” book for children was published by Angus and Robertson. It was written and illustrated by New Zealand-born author Dorothy Wall and “Dedicated to my son Peter and all other Peters and Johns and Bobs and Toms and Marys and Bettys and Joans and Pats and all kind children.” The book tells the story of Blinky Bill - a mischievous, patched knickerbocker-wearing koala and his mother and father. The story has messages of conservation and instances of human unkindness and cruelty. Mr. and Mrs. Koala and young Blinky lead a mostly idyllic family life amongst a variety of other animals in the forest. However it all changes in chapter two, when Blinky Bill’s father is distressingly shot by a hunter. There is a harrowing description of Mr. Koala’s shooting and eventual death. “The Koala family lived so happily; never thinking of harm, or that anything could happen to disturb their little home, as all they asked for were plenty of fresh gum-leaves and the warm sun. They had no idea such things as guns were in the world or that a human being had a heart so cruel that he would take a pleasure in seeing a poor little body riddled with bullets hanging helplessly from the tree-top... That same being might just as well take his gun and shoot baby kookaburras, so helpless were they all and so trusting.” “Poor Mr. Koala one day was curled up asleep in his favourite corner, when the terrible thing happened. Bang! He opened his eyes in wonder. What was that? Did the limb of the tree snap where that young cub of his was skylarking? ... bang! again. This time he felt a stinging pain in his leg... Peering over the bough of the tree he saw a man on the ground with something long and black in his arms... Another bang and his ear began to hurt. Bang! again and now his little body was stinging all over. He grunted loudly and slowly climbed up the tree, calling Mrs. Koala and Blinky as he went. He managed to reach the topmost branch... Tears were pouring down his poor little face. He brushed them away with his front paws and cried just like a baby. Fortunately Mrs. Koala and Blinky Bill were hiding in the leaves quite motionless, and the shadows of the tree made them appear as part of it. The man with the gun stood and waited a long time, then walked away, whistling as he went - the only sound to be heard in the bush except the cries of the little bear far up in the tree.” Blinky and his mother quietly and fearfully wait for Mr. Koala to wake. In the morning, grunting and crying, they feel his lifeless body with their paws. Eventually Mrs. Koala realises that her husband is dead and that they need to move to a safe place. After travelling deeper into the forest, Mrs. Koala and Blinky meet koalas Mrs. Grunty and her son Snubby and she describes how she was captured as a baby by koala fur trappers to be a pet for a little girl. The trapper forgot to bring gum leaves for the koala so they try to feed her cake, milk and bananas, making her sick. The little girl’s father relays something he read in the paper: “During the year 1920 to 1921, two hundred and five thousand six hundred and seventy-nine koalas were killed and their skins sold to the fur market, under the name of wombat.” They place the koala in a box with a teddy bear for company. The baby koala’s health deteriorates and the alarmed trapper returns her to the bush. Mrs. Grunty tells Mrs. Koala that she and Blinky are the only bears that she has seen for ten years: “I remember well the little girl’s father telling her... that not so many years ago the bush was alive with us bears, from Queensland to the south of Victoria. Now, we are so rare that we have become a curiosity, something to put in zoos, for children to see; and actually in museums. I believe our grandparents sit there in glass cases, stuffed with something inside to make them appear alive, and, oh dear, glass eyes. In New South Wales, I think we could wander for miles from one corner to another and never meet a bear. I don’t know why we were all killed. As you know, we don’t eat the farmers’ crop or ruin their orchards. All we asked for were our own gum-trees.” At the end of the book, Dorothy tells her readers - “The kindest action of all would be to leave the koala baby in his own bushland, among his own playmates, with the sun, the sky, the birds, and the gum-trees, where he will grow to manhood and live for many years - happy as he should be.” In 1934, a “Wild Zoo”, the Sir Colin Mackenzie Sanctuary, opened on 32 hectares of land, formerly part of Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve in the Yarra Valley, exclusively displaying Australian native animals, birds and reptiles. It was later renamed Healesville Sanctuary and is now managed by Melbourne Zoo and home to over 200 species of Australian native fauna. The Sanctuary is committed to rescuing, breeding, researching and raising awareness of the vulnerability of Australian animals. Andrew Arthur Wellesley Wilkie, 1853-1948, was Director of the Melbourne Zoo from 1923 to 1936 and was associated with the zoo for 70 years. He first worked as a horticultural assistant to Government botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller at the Botanical Gardens at the age of 13, along with his older brother David. One of Andrew’s jobs was to capture moths for the National Herbarium. In 1857, a group of prominent Melburnians assembled at St. Patrick’s Hall to form the Zoological Society of Victoria, with the aim of introducing animals and plants from overseas. It was conceived, “For the purposes of science and for that of affording the public the advantages of studying the habits of the animal creation in properly arranged zoological gardens.” The Victorian Government granted 32 acres (13 hectares) of land to the Zoological Society at the southern end of Richmond Paddock on the opposite bank to the Botanical Gardens. (This is where AAMI Stadium and Collingwood Football Club now stand.) In 1861, the Zoological Society of Victoria was renamed The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. Unfortunately the Yarra River frontage was damp, swampy and subject to flooding, so the animals were briefly housed at the Botanical Gardens until in 1862, the City of Melbourne donated 55 acres (22 hectares) of land at Royal Park for the fledgling zoo. Baron von Mueller secured employment at Royal Park for Andrew and David and they helped to lay out the gardens, plant trees and take care of a collection of deer, pheasants, hares and partridges. Initially the zoo was used for the acclimatisation of animals recovering from the long voyage to Australia and for breeding them for sport. In 1872, the zoo bought two lions, a leopard and a cheetah that had been seized from circus showmen Keith and Phillips when they were unable to pay the bill of butcher Mr T K Bennet of Bourke Street. The first zoo director, Mr. Albert Le Souef, negotiated with captains of ships to buy animals at overseas ports they visited and soon a multitude of exotic species arrived, including a ten-year-old Indian elephant in 1878. In 1923, after being head keeper for some years, Andrew was appointed director of the zoo. By 1933, the zoo had 110 different species of animals, 200 species of birds and 72 species of reptiles under Andrew’s care. He had personally planted all but six trees and laid out the garden beds. As director he lobbied authorities for funds to build more humane enclosures for the animals. In June 1928, Table Talk magazine wrote of Andrew Wilkie: “Up at the Zoo there is a humble gentleman who is a lion among the lions, who knows the proper specific to employ when the boa constrictor has chilblains, and who is a friend and confidant of Queenie the elephant. His fount of zoological lore has never been plumbed. It is bottomless, like his good fellowship and geniality. Every day he may be seen somewhere in the grounds of that growing sanctuary for the strange and arresting fauna and creeping things of the world, and I assure you as one who is privy to his passion that that area and its inhabitants are rarely out of his thoughts.” Andrew retired from the zoo in 1936 at the age of 83 and in 1948 died at his home in Brunswick aged 94. He and his wife Josephine had six children. The Victorian Acclimatisation Society was founded in 1861 by Edward Wilson, 1813-1878, then owner and editor of The Argus newspaper. He said that Australian indigenous animals were practically useless, providing only “a little sport and an occasional meal”. The Society believed that Australia’s plants and animals were vastly inferior to those in Europe. They wanted to introduce and acclimatise to Victoria “all innoxious animals, birds, fishes, insects and vegetables, whether useful or ornamental” for sport and for the table, and to spread indigenous animals and plants from the colony around the world. Their motto was “if it lives, we want it”. The Society was primarily responsible for introducing sparrows, starlings, sambar and hog deer, ostriches, brown trout, blackberries, and carp to the Murray River. They released the European songbirds, thrush and blackbird to quell the homesickness of British settlers. The Society also sent Australian animals like platypus, echidnas, kangaroos and koalas to Europe for scientific and novelty purposes. Thomas Austin, a wealthy sheep farmer of Barwon Park, Winchelsea (property now owned by the National Trust) was a member and in 1859 he introduced hares, blackbirds, thrushes and partridges onto his property. He is probably best known for introducing 24 breeding rabbits onto his estate as game for shooting parties. Thomas quipped, “The introduction of a few rabbits could do little harm and might provide a touch of home, in addition to a spot of hunting." In 2022, genomic data confirmed that Australia’s feral rabbit population is entirely descended from these rabbits. Biological control has brought the rabbit population down from an estimated high of 10 billion rabbits in the 1920s to approximately 200 million today, inhabiting 70% of Australian landmass (5.3 million square kilometres). In 1872, the Acclimatisation Society was renamed The Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and they focused on importing exotic animals for display purposes to the zoo. In 1937, the Royal Acclimatisation Society of Victoria was recreated as the Zoological Board of Victoria with a focus on research of native animals threatened with extinction. In an editorial for The Argus newspaper, 16 March 1856, Edward Wilson lamented: "...this country has been shamelessly stolen from the blacks. Had they been like the New Zealanders or the North American Indians, we should have bought their land, and supplied them with the means of living when we took it... In less than twenty years we have nearly swept them off the face of the earth. We have shot them down like dogs. In the guise of friendship we have issued corrosion sublimate in their damper, and consigned whole tribes to the agonies of an excruciating death. We have made them drunkards, and infected them with disease which has rotted the bones of their adults, and made such few children as are born amongst them a sorrow and a torture from the very instant of their birth. We have made them outcasts on their own land, and are rapidly consigning them to entire annihilation. There are but a few of them left, comparatively. This is what we would do for that few. We would feed and clothe every one of them.” [Note: this last sentence is italicized in the original newspaper article text]. Lord Huntingfield, (William Charles Arcedeckne Vanneck) 1883-1969, Governor of Victoria 1934-1939, was a British Conservative Party politician and the first ever Australian-born Governor of an Australian state (although he was always considered British). He was patron of the Royal Zoological and Acclimatisation Society of Victoria and was acting Governor-General for six months during the absence of Lord Gowie in 1938. Lady Huntingfield (née Margaret Eleanor Crosby) 1884-1943, his American-born wife showed great interest in social welfare and the advancement of women and children. She was president of the City Newsboys Society and Patroness of the Girls Friendly Society. In 1937, rose breeder Alister Clark named a yellow hybrid tea rose for her. In 1940, the City of Melbourne opened the Lady Huntingfield Free Kindergarten in North Melbourne, now the Lady Huntingfield Early Learning and Family Services Centre. Lady Huntingfield died in London in 1943 after her house was bombed during a German airstrike. The Lady Huntingfield Memorial Scholarship was established after the City of Melbourne raised £1000 in a public appeal conducted in her memory for students undertaking a Social Work degree at the University of Melbourne. It is awarded annually to this day. The Queen Victoria Hospital named a bed in her honour. References: VICE-ROYALTY GREETS THE KING OF BEASTS AT THE ZOO. (1934, June 26). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved August 23, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204818472 Prominent Personalities ANDREW WILKIE (1928, June 7). Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885 - 1939), p. 15. Retrieved August 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146562949 'Edward Wilson (journalist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Wilson_(journalist) 'Thomas Austin (pastoralist)', Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Austin_(pastoralist) 'The Acclimatisation Society was driven by misguided ideals about 'fixing nature' in Australia', ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-04/acclimatisation-society-introduced-species-history-listen/101588262?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web Blinky Bill: the quaint little Australian (eBook); by Dorothy Wall, 1933, 2023, Project Gutenberg Australia, https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks04/0400571h.html "Black August": Queensland's Open Season on koalas in 1927 (thesis); Glenn Fowler, 1993, Australian National University, https://www.savethekoala.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Black-August.pdf Unfair game: Queensland's Open Season on koalas in 1927; Jacqui Donegan, 2000, University of Queensland, https://mesto-ku.narod.ru/koalas.pdf OPEN SEASON CONDEMNED. (1927, July 19). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 15. Retrieved September 5, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21863465 COUNTRY WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION. (1927, July 30). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 25. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21866965 AUSTRALIA: Barnardo's children at Melbourne Park Zoo (1929), British Pathé, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wcrbo_cHpI 'Kodak Cinegraph Compilation No 8', ACMI Collection, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCrBng5RwFI KOALA SKINS. EXPORT BAN SOUGHT. (1927, August 4). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 10. Retrieved September 15, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21868746 THE ABORIGINES. (1856, March 16). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 5. Retrieved September 28, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4833244 Koala Bears (1937), British Pathé, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqgMtyuzwE Australian Koala Bear (Earliest Archive Footage: 1929), Pond5, https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/152767491-australian-koala-bear-earliest-archive-footage-1929Photographer notations on slide: "Vice Regal visit to zoo B42".1930-1939, zoos, governors, koalas, conservation, possums, botanic gardens