This item is from the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art, and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the lack of financial support led the WMI in 1911 to ask the City Council to take it over. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library as it was then called. When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1942 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. Homer The Iliad Ancient Classics for English Readers Edited by the Rev Lucas Collins Publisher: William Blackwood & Sons Date: 1871Label on spine has typed text PAT 881 HOM Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library Front loose endpaper has a sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Servicewarrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, pattison collection, warrnambool library, ralph eric pattison, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, homer the iliad, rev lucas collins

This copy of Alexander Pope’s early 18th century translation of Homer’s Iliad dates from 1818. It has two signatures – Thomas Smith and Mary Riley. Nothing is known of the latter person. There were two people named Thomas Smith who were prominent in the Warrnambool district in the 19th century. One was Thomas Smith the printer and the other was Thomas Smith, a farmer from Wangoom who had a daughter named Mary. It is not clear which of these may have owned the book but the signature suggests an educated person and we know that the son of Thomas Smith the farmer was illiterate so it is unlikely that the father owned a copy of Homer’s Iliad. This book is of interest because of its age (1818) and because of the inscriptions. There may be no connection between Thomas Smith and Mary Riley – merely two owners of the book. The book will have greater interest when its exact provenance can be established. This is a brown leather-bound book of 536 pages. The front cover and spine have gold ornamentation with gold lettering. The spine covering is partly torn away and the binding is coming apart. The pages show some staining. The two inscriptions are handwritten in black ink. The front pages have two black and white illustrations separated with tissue paper. ‘Tho. Smith’ ‘Mary G. Riley, Tillside, 20 George Street, East Melbourne, 24/5/1900’ homer’s iliad, history of warrnambool, thomas smith, mary riley

Hardcover w/ Dust Jacket"Penleigh Boyd" inside front cover. Awarded as a prize from Melbourne Grammar School in 1961 for "Project and Neatness"walsh st library

A black and white photograph of the Wallace Family home in Marysville in Victoria.A black and white photograph of the Wallace Family home in Marysville in Victoria. Jim Wallace was born in Dumfries in Scotland and emigrated to Australia with his family at age 6. He arrived and settled in Marysville in 1922 and ended up working for the Barton Brothers looking after their touring cars and their garage. He met Marj in 1928 and they married in 1930. Jim and another well-known local, Clarrie Smith, had spoken about showing the 'talkies' in the local hall and then subsequently had local builder, Harold Cuzens, build the Marysville Theatre in 1932. The Marysville Theatre was located on Murchison Street. The solid concrete building was used as a Theatre from 1932 to 1970. The building was then purchased by The Darmody Family and was used as an Arts and Crafts Centre for two years from 1975. The building was then purchased by Norman and Rosemary Fiske in 1977 and converted into a restaurant called The Pumpernickel. This building, along with most of the town, was destroyed in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires. The Wallaces departed Marysville in 1980 for a new life in Ringwood, Victoria.Wallace Homemarysville theatre, marysville, victoria, harold cuzens, jim wallace, darmody family, norman fiske, rosemary fiske, the pumpernickel, 2009 black saturday bushfires, marj wallace, marie wallace, jill wallace, barton brothers, clarrie smith

THE CARTER FAMILY HOME WAS ON THE CORNER OF BAILEY & UPPER FRASER STREETS, CLUNES.SEPIA PHOTOGRAPH OF CARTER FAMILY HOME IN BAILEY STREET, CLUNES.CARTER HOME CORNER OF BAILEY & SERVICE ST.local history, photography, photographs, buildings

Postcard from collection of McNamara family.Sepia coloured postcard with photograph of a dog on a barrel. 510 Home Sweet Home Judges LtdPostcard Picture/Home Sweet Homepostcard, dog

PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AT THE HACKETT HOME IN TOORAK, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA. FEATURES SIDE VERANDAH, STEPS AND GARDEN.SEPIA COPY PHOTOGRAPH OF ANN AND LACHLAN McLENNAN AND MINNIE HACKETT TAKEN AT THE HACKETT HOME IN TOORAK .HACKETT HOME TOORAK. ANN AND LACHLAN MC LENNAN AND MINNIE HACKETT.local history, photography, photographs, crick, shrigley, mc lennan, lazarus

Example of a Braille magazine imported from the United States for readers in Australia. Better Homes and Gardens was produced by the National Library Service in Braille and exported to Braille libraries around the world. Magazines were costly to produce in-house, as they often held timely information that were not as relevant to the reader by the time that the transcription and embossing process was finished, and each issues required the process to be restarted each time a print issue was created. Working from the magazine itself, rather than an electronic file, and with no automated process yet developed, this issue in 1974 would have been scribed by hand and manually checked before being sent to the large embossing and binding machines for distribution. 1 Braille volume of Better Homes and Gardens magazineBetter Homes and Gardens February 1974 Part IIIbraille library of victoria, braille books

Postcards from France with silk embroidery pictures sent home from the front in Europe during WW1.White Postcards with silk embroidery made in France, 1. Picture of a cottage surrounded by flowers with "Home Sweet Home" at bottom and ornate border. 2. Picture of flowers on front in silk embroidery and "Far from you but thinking of you". 3. Picture in silk of various Allied flags and flowers and words "1914 Right and Liberty 1917".1. Embroidered "Home Sweet Home" On front and letter to "Linda" on back. 2. Embroidered "Far from Home but Thinking of You" on front and letter dated 3/9/17 - To Linda on back. 3. Embroidered "1914 Right & Liberty 1917"and letter to Linda on back.passchendaele barracks trust, postcards, ww1

Cotton Banner made for welcome home ceremony after first world war 1919Welcome Homefirst world war

Fowler's Vacola preserving jars have a rich history, beginning in 1915 with Joseph Fowler in Melbourne, Australia. Inspired by his uncle's fruit-preserving business in England, Fowler developed a method for home bottling and preserving food, which became particularly popular during the Depression era. The system relies on heating contents to a specific temperature (92°C) for a set time (one hour) to achieve a sterile and sealed product. Fowler's Vacola is still a popular method for preserving food today, and the company continues to manufacture preserving kits and accessories. Five mixed Fowler's clear glass preserving or storage jars with no lids. They have embossed Fowler's branding on them. 1 tall 'No 40' jar with a long neck. 2 'No 28' jars. 1 'Fowler's Patent Vacola No 45 Home Preserving Jar'. 1 'Fowler's Patent Vacola No 15 Home Preserving Jar'.'No 40' 'No 28' 'Fowler's Patent Vacola No 45 Home Preserving Jar' 'Fowler's Patent Vacola No 15 Home Preserving Jar'.food preserving jars, food storage containers, containers

The photo shows the Harrison family out the front of their home in Waubra, Victoria, called "Willow Vale".Photo of "Willow Vale" farm at Waubra, Victoria"Willow Vale", home of Christopher & Selina (nee Smith) Harrison family from Waubra, Victoria. This is a sepia photo with cardboard backing showing the Harrison family in front of the house. 21 & 1/2 cms wide x 16 & 1/2 cms high."Willow Vale" Waubra. Home of Christopher & Selina Harrison.

Robin Boyd developed a close friendship with the founder of the Bauhaus in Weimar Germany, Walter Gropius, who had moved to the USA in the 1930s. Through this connection, Boyd was invited to be the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Bemis Professor at the School in the North American academic year 1956-7. Robin and Patricia Boyd, with their youngest daughter Suzy, were based in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the year. Boyd gave some lectures at MIT and he was also invited to give lectures at many other universities, allowing him to travel widely within the USA, especially on the East Coast. This gave him the opportunity to meet architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Eero Saarinen, Paul Rudolph and many others, and visit the offices of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and places like Taliesin and the General Motors Technical Center Detroit. On the way home, the Boyds visited London, Berlin, Paris and Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp Chapel in France.Colour slide in a mount. Southern USA home, USADate: Southern US home (Handwritten) / Subject: / Encircled 97F (Handwritten) / Encircled 1 (Handwritten)mit bemis professorship, mit, robin boyd, slide

The local people gathered together to welcome home the soldiers who were returning home after World War 1.Mounted sepia photograph of a group of people outside the Sunbury News Office to "welcome home" the First World War soldiers from Townsfolk.Handwritten on front: Welcome Home to soldiers of 1st World War Handwritten on back: Margaret Gilchrist Evans St Sunbury / 'Gilchrist Harker St Sunburyworld war 1, soldiers, armed forces, gilchrist, margaret, evans street, sunbury, harker street, sunbury news, george evans collection

Booklet contains information on the use of fibrolite material.Booklet ' The way to Better Homes - Build with Hardie's Genuine Fibrolite'. Booklet contains photos and description of use of fibrolite.The Way for Better Homesbuilding material

Otira was designed and built in 1887 by architect Mr Crouch, first Secretary of the Institute of Architects for Mr Henry Berry, founder of a successful wholesale grocery business. The house was acquired by the Methodist Church in 1923 for use as a home missionary training college. The house is of faced stone on a bluestone foundation. The large front door is surrounded by lead light windows surmounted by a fan light. The land on which the house stands has now been subdivided.B & W gloss photograph mounted on card of the rear of Otira, the Home Missionary Training College located at 73 Walpole Street Kew. Otira 73 Walpole Street Kew. Home MIssionaries Training College. otira, methodist home missionary training school walpole street kew, henry berr crouch

One of 11 photographs left in the museum for the Society by an anonymous donor.Black & White photograph of inside the Chapel at the Newhaven Boys HomeOn Back: Altar inside Boys Home 1947newhaven boys home, newhaven boys home chapel, phillip island boys home

A box covered with decorative paper containing articles taken from 'Home Beautiful' 1932 - 1952.Home Beautiful 1932 onwardshouse, private, renovation, lydia chancellor, collection, gardens, gates, building, building extensions, craft, handicraft, furniture, home renovations, antiques, architecture, house plans, england, australian homes, english homes, fireplaces

Program for a 'Welcome Home' held by the RSS Mill on Friday, 21 June, 1946, to welcome back their ex-employees who had enlisted in the Second World War. The program includes a list of employees who served, where they fought and a list of those who were killed.Program to welcome home the RSS Mill employees who enlisted in World War II. First page of a program to welcome home the RSS Mill employees who enlisted in World War II. Second page of a program to welcome home the RSS Mill employees who enlisted in World War II. Third page of a program to welcome home the RSS Mill employees who enlisted in World War II. Last page of a program to welcome home the RSS Mill employees who enlisted in World War II (lists those who were killed).RETSOL / WELCOME / HOME / Friday, 21st June, 1946 / With the Compliments of the Directorate of the / Returned Sailors' & Soldiers' Woollen & Worsted / Co-operative Manufacturing Coy. Ltd. - - Geelongworld war ii, textile mills, textile mills staff, returned soldiers and sailors mill, textile mills - staff

A commemorative photo from the voyage back to Australia aboard the ship The Ceramic in 1920. It departed Tillbury, UK 12th March and docked in Freemantle on 27th April 1920 and then went onto Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Ceramic was a transport vessel built in Belfast in 1913 for the White Star Line to transport frozen produce and apples from Australia to UK. It was taken over by the Australian Government for troop transport in October 1914 and could carry over 3,000 troops. This trip in 1920 there were 1467 on board, there were women and children as well as 439 soldiers returning home, one of whom was John 'Basil' McLean. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving Portsea in 1920.A record of a soldier's journey home after World War 1.Black and white photo of a ship that brought troops home from World War 1.Handwritten on the back 'Ship - Basil came home from 1st World War'world war one, souvenir, ship, rms ceramic