Photo of Dr John Garner, many hours spent researching information about the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. John had a great passion for the gardens as well as researching the history and the many characters that helped create and maintain our beautiful gardens which we all enjoy so much today..john garner collection, garner, dr, research, ballarat botanical gardens, ballarat, gardens

Denis Gibbons (1937 – 2011) Trained with the Australian Army, before travelling to Vietnam in January 1966, Denis stayed with the 1st Australian Task Force in Nui Dat working as a photographer. For almost five years Gibbons toured with nine Australian infantry battalions, posting compelling war images from within many combat zones before being flown out in late November 1970 after sustaining injuries. The images held within the National Vietnam Veterans Museum make up the Gibbons Collection.A coloured Photograph of a specially constructed 'up armoured' Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) being used to explode anti personnel mines buried in the 'Barrier' minefield from the village of Dat Do to the sea, Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam. Each driver only spent and hour in the APC.photograph, apc, 3rd cavalry regiment, dat do, phuoc tuy province, gibbons collection catalogue, armoured personnel carrier, mine "anit-personnell m18a1, denis gibbons

Weeroona College Bendigo. Search for the Truth. 2003 Annual Awards Presentation. BHS present an award to a student who has contributred to and excelled in the studyof history in Year 10 at the College. This award was initiated by member Fred Smith, who spent many hours talking to and assisting students at the college and from this year, during which Fred Smith died, is now awarded as the Fred Smith Memorial History Prize.bendigo, education, weeroona college

Ski-Horizon is the official journal of the Federation of Victorian Ski Clubs which began publication in 1949. The were 26 original member clubs which included Albury Ski Club, Bogong Ski Club, Myrtleford Ski Club, Tallangatta and District Ski Club and Wangaratta Ski Club. Two pioneers of Falls Creek, Tom Mitchell, M.L.A., and Martin Romuld were Vice-Presidents of the Federation.This Journal is significant because it documents the early development of skiing in Victoria.The journal features stories and events chronicling developments in Victoria and internationally. Items related to the Falls Creek Area in this issue include:- Page 3 - On this weekend in 1886 the "Argus Australasian Sketcher" had reported that Mt, Bogong, the highest mountain in Victoria, had been successfully ascended by Dr. Ledendfield, a well known geologist and naturalist. He spent 24 hours on the summit and discovered the remains of glaciers. The SEC cottage at Falls Creek, previously the home of the St. Elmos, has been purchased by Fred Griffith for removal to Toonallook. N.E.D.S.A. had also tendered for the cottage.toni st. elmo, mt. bogong ascent, skippy st. elmo, fred griffith

The 3 items in this display - bell, crystal vase and cake server- were presented to the Wodonga Auxiliary of the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) marking 50, 60 and 70 years of service respectively. This auxiliary was formed in March 1932 with K.D. Watson as the Inaugural President. Its purpose was to raise funds to assist blind and visually impaired people across the state of Victoria. The volunteers over 70 years spent countless hours door knocking in the annual fundraiser, and selling raffle tickets at street stalls. As the City of Wodonga expanded the areas to be door-knocked increased, creating a challenge for the mainly elderly members of the Auxiliary. Eventually it closed down in 2002 when the RVIB amalgamated with Vision Australia. The longest serving member of the Auxiliary was Mrs. Jean Burbidge.These items have local and state significance as they represent the work carried out by a local group of volunteers to support an important state wide institution.3 awards received by the RVIB Wodonga Auxiliary for recognition of their service. They include a crystal vase, a gold bell and a silver cake server. 18/10 is stamped on the reverse of the cake slicer. This relates to the percentage of chrome and nickel within the steel.On the bell: 'Presented to Wodonga R.V.I.B. Auxiliary 50th Anniversary" Around the middle of the vase: 'Presented to RVIB Wodonga Auxiliary 60th Anniversary, 1992" On the cake server: "Presented to RVIB Wodonga Auxiliary for 70 years service March 1932 to March 2002" On back of cake server:" 18/10 and initials FK inside 2 circles.royal victorian institute for the blind, rvib wodonga auxiliary

Ash KEATING Among fifteen finalists this artwork won the 2012 Guirguis New Art Prize, a prestigious national acquisitive biennial art prize administered by Federation University Australia. The Guirguis New Art Prize (GNAP) is a national acquisitive $20,000 contemporary art prize which presents a selection of Australia's most exciting contemporary artists with works that explore and embrace new ways of artistic expression, utilising existing mediums and new technologies in innovative ways. Initiated and generously supported by local Ballarat surgeon Mr Mark Guirguis, this prestigious art prize is administered by the Federation University Australia (FedUni). As a local philanthropist and art collector, in developing the Prize, Mark Guirguis' aims were to celebrate the significance of the arts to communities and to Ballarat, emphasising contemporary art and 'living' culture, and to highlight FedUni's Arts Academy. Artist Ash Keating works across a conceptual, site-responsive and often collaborative art practice that incorporates painting, sculpture, installation, video, performance and public interventions, and has referenced a wide range of social and environmental issues within his art. Frequently working beyond the gallery, and often harnessing community narrative and energy, his work also draws upon myth, ritual and ceremony. 'West Park Proposition', 2012, is a three channel and screen video installation, utilising multiple camera video documentation of an endurance painting intervention undertaken on the morning of 01 September 2012 on the east facing wall of a newly built tilt-slab industrial building, situated on the direct edge of the current urban and rural boundary in Truganina, Victoria. The multi-screen work documents an endurance guerilla-style action painting intervention and ritualised painting performance in which a symbolic violence is enacted against a storehouse of commodity production and consumption. Upon winning the award artists Ash Keating said; “The work was made near Ballarat on the Deer Park bypass. It is an aesthetic comment about the way these new tilt-slab industrial buildings spring up without caring for the environment." The work, which took eight hours to create, was about reclaiming the space from “cost-effective architecture” without any aesthetics. The inaugural judge for the Prize, Jason Smith, Director, Heide Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) said, "Selecting the winner of this inaugural GNAP was exhilarating and excruciating: exhilarating because the seriousness of each artist's enterprise, and their uncompromising resolution of concepts, has created an inaugural exhibition of exceptional power. This first GNAP is a survey of some of the most poetic and provocative imaginations working in Australia today. Selecting one winner from such a show in which each of these artists has in some way transformed my thinking about the world was the excruciating part. Ash Keating's work West Park Proposition, 2012 kept drawing me back in the several hours I spent viewing the works. It simultaneously affirms the political and critical role of the artist as a key agent of change and action, and someone who reminds us of the beauty and resilience of humanity and nature in the face of unrelenting change. As a work combining performance, collaboration and hope, Keating's West Park Proposition is a work of immense and compelling poetry."artist, artwork, keating, ash keating, guirguis, guirguis new art prize, gnap, gnap13

When George Coop and wife Helen following several years teaching in Canada, they bought a passage aboard the Wilhelmsen line cargo ship, Tomar departing Oslo, Norway for Melbourne, Australia. Whilst crossing the Bass Strait near Robe, South Australia, a generator in the engine room caught fire threatening the ship's fuel oil tanks, forcing the Captain to order the 43 crew and 8 passengers to abandon ship. They spent many hours in a lifeboat before being rescued. This photo was taken when the ship was brought up to Victoria Docks (No. 26 South Wharf) where George and other passengers were allowed to retrieve their luggage. The ship was then taken to Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping. See also https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/media/tomar.450919/ http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2726028 http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2961287 https://www.flickr.com/photos/wheelhouseno/8131145299Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Plus-X Pan black and white negative transparencygeorge coop collection, tomar (ship), victoria docks, wilhelmsen line

When George Coop and wife Helen following several years teaching in Canada, they bought a passage aboard the Wilhelmsen line cargo ship, Tomar departing Oslo, Norway for Melbourne, Australia. Whilst crossing the Bass Strait near Robe, South Australia, a generator in the engine room caught fire threatening the ship's fuel oil tanks, forcing the Captain to order the 43 crew and 8 passengers to abandon ship. They spent many hours in a lifeboat before being rescued. This photo was taken when the ship was brought up to Victoria Docks (No. 26 South Wharf) where George and other passengers were allowed to retrieve their luggage. The ship was then taken to Kaohsiung, Taiwan for scrapping. See also https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/media/tomar.450919/ http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2726028 http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=2961287 https://www.flickr.com/photos/wheelhouseno/8131145299Digital TIFF file Scan of 35mm Kodak Plus-X Pan black and white negative transparencygeorge coop collection, tomar (ship), victoria docks, wilhelmsen line

Thomas Hamilton Tracey Osborne was born at Belfast 4/9/1851, the son of Thomas Hamilton Trail Osborne and his second wife Eliza nee Treacey. The young Thomas spent many hours among seamen and ships at Port Fairy. He moved to Warrnambool and commenced work as secretary to the Western Steam Navigation Company becoming manager in 1883. After the company failed he joined with Mark Saltau and they traded as Saltau and Osborne. His other main interest was writing some of which he did under the nom de plume of Sliding Gunter. These articles appeared in The Warrnambool Standard and the Belfast Gazette. He was knowlegable and maintained an interest in shipping and the sea. He died in 11th December 1902 and his body was taken on board the Julia Percy and was buried at sea out from the Breakwater. He was well liked in the district and people lined the Cannon Hill area and the foreshore to farewell him. As an avid writer he corresponded with many people and this letter is one such letter. It relates to recollections of the wreck of the Maria in 1840 out of Adelaide and the loss of life which followed. Unfortunately the letter is incomplete.This letter is of interest as it is addressed to one of Warrnambool's interesting people at the turn of the 20th century. Thomas Hamilton Tracey Osborne has left a legacy of much written work which records aspects of Warrnambool's history as well as his interest in ships and seafaring. This letter shows he drew his information from various sources.One lined page of a letter written in black pen. A wide margin on the left side of the page . The back is blank.The letter is addressed to Mr T H Osborne. Date November 30th 1901.thomas hamilton tracey osborne, western steam navigation company, saltau and osborne, 1901 letter, wreck of the maria 1840

Sliding Gunter was the nom de Plume of Thomas Hamilton Tracey Osborne. Thomas Hamilton Tracey Osborne was born at Belfast 4/9/1851, the son of Thomas Hamilton Trail Osborne and his second wife Eliza nee Treacey. The young Thomas spent many hours among seamen and ships at Port Fairy. He moved to Warrnambool and commenced work as secretary to the Western Steam Navigation Company becoming manager in 1883. After the company failed he joined with Mark Saltau and they traded as Saltau and Osborne. His writings as Sliding Gunter appeared in The Warrnambool Standard and the Belfast Gazette. He was knowlegable and maintained an interest in shipping and the sea. He died in 11th December 1902 and his body was taken on board the Julia Percy and was buried at sea out from the Breakwater. He was well liked in the district and people lined the Cannon Hill area and the foreshore to farewell him. As an avid writer he corresponded with many people and this letter is one such letter The writer J J Crawford from Koroit tells the story of some of his family and their travels to Australia and early years in South Australia. The contents of letters such as these show he drew information from various sources.These letters as they relate to one of Warrnambool's earliest writers hold historic and social significance.002192.1 Plain white paper letter handwritten in black ink on back and front of letter 002192.2 Plain white paper letter handwritten in black ink on front and section on the back written sideways. Both letters are in the same hand.002192.1 dated 27 Feb 1902, Koroit. Signed J J Crawford 002192.2 Dated 1 March 1902, Koroit.sliding gunter

An article from the Melbourne Legacy Bulletin on the death of Legatee Cyril Terence Charles Kirby, a long serving Legatee. The Bulletin published articles on Legatees when they passed away. The article includes an overview of his war service with the British as an 'Old Contemptible' in World War 1. Also with the Docks and Movement Control in Melbourne during World War 2. He met his wife Priscilla Wardle during World War 1 and moved to Ballarat to marry her. Priscilla was an Australian nurse serving with the QAIMNS and part of her diary is in this collection, and more is held with Ballarat and District Bast Hospital Nurses League also on Victorian Collections. He joined Legacy in Ballarat in 1929 and transferred to Melbourne Legacy in 1935. Even when his health caused him to reduce his commitments to the Reserve list he still found time to attend Legacy and spent many hours each month doing clerical work and fund raising. "Keeping everyone amused with his inexhaustible supply of 'little stories', and in a word, doing a thoroughly good Legacy job." The account of his life was written by Legatee Brian Armstrong (initials JHBA) and has a very affectionate tone. The article was found in the bound copies of the Weekly Bulletin and copied due to the link with Priscilla Wardle when the diary was returned to the family in May 2021.A record of the life and service of Legatee Terry Kirby The information was collected to record the lives of prominent legatees in a folder.Photocopy of a page from the Legacy Weekly Bulletin on the death of Legatee Terry Kirby.Bulletin No. 1961 14 May 1968 page 1.vale, terry kirby

Henry Watts (1828_1889) Died at Melbourne, 16th December, 1889. He was a good microscopist. His botanical studies were chiefly devoted to algae, both fresh-water and marine, and while living for many years at Warrnambool he was a contributor of algae to Harvey, who figured Wrangelia wattsii, Harv., and Crouania wattsii, Harv., in his “Phycologia Australica " He was the author of "On the Fresh-water Algae of Victoria " (Trans. Roy. Soc. Vict., 1861-4, 67) ; .also a paper "On Fossil Polyzoa" (ib.. 82); "A Trip to Mt. Macedon in Search of Fresh-water Algae" (Wing's S. S. Record, iii., 252); "On a Species of fresh-water Algae from Victoria" (Vict. Nat., i., 21); "Some Recent Additions to our Knowledge of Microscopic Natural History" (ib., iii., I33) (includes lists of fresh-water algae and Desmidieae ), First librarian (1881-2), also a vice-president of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria. He is further commemorated by Acacia wattsiana. F. v. M. www.anbg.gov.au/biography/watts-henry.html . Henry Watts worked as a bootmaker in Timor and Liebig streets Warrnambool in the 1860’s but it was as an amateur scientist that Watts gained public notice.For an exhibiton in Melbourne in 1861 Henry Watts prepared a collection of over 100 different species of seaweed from the Warrnambool district. It is recorded in the Examiner in 1863 that he had been elected as an honorary member of the Bristol Microscopical Society of England He was a member of the Warrnambool Horticultural society and in 1865 he opted to become a flower distiller.At the 1866 MelbourneExhibition, Henry Watts exhibited 44 bottles of his perfumes. He had a keen interest in microscopes and microscopic organisms.He spent many hours combing the caves and examining the guano of local bats. This letter is written to Professor Quekett advising him that he has sent a collection of packets of samples of diatomaceae asking him to examine and name the same.. Professor Quekett was a famous microscopist of the Victorian era with the Quekett microscopist club one of the oldest in the world dedicated to the use of the microscope and its discoveries. Henry Watts was one of Warrnambool’s first botanists and marine scientists. He also established a flower distilling and perfume manufacturing business in Warrnambool. In 1861 he sent a collection of over 100 species of seaweed to the Melbourne Exhibition.Framed, handwritten letter, ink on blue paper. Transcript of letter is typed black on white paper. Five small numbered pieces of paper containing specimens of diatomaceae collected from marine and fresh water areas around Warrnambool.Names Henry Watts, Professor Quekett. Handwritten along the bottom of the frame, “The above was bought at a London Auction for $12-10-00 by Miss Eddey a Melbourne Book shop Proprietress and recently presented to the W.F.N. Club.: warrnambool, henry watts, watts henry, botanist,microscope, microscopic, quekett, john thomas quekett

HMAS Melbourne (R21) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Operating from 1955 until 1982, she was the third and final conventional aircraft carrier to serve in the RAN. Melbourne was the only British Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions. The ship was laid down for the British Royal Navy as the lead ship of the Majestic class in April 1943, and was launched as HMS Majestic (R77) in February 1945. At the end of World War II, work on the ship was suspended until she was purchased by the RAN in 1947. At the time of purchase, it was decided to incorporate new aircraft carrier technologies into the design, making Melbourne the third ship to be constructed with an angled flight deck. Delays in construction and integrating the enhancements meant that the carrier was not commissioned until 1955. Melbourne never fired a shot in anger during her career, having only peripheral, non-combat roles in relation to the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation and the Vietnam War. However, she was involved in two major collisions with allied vessels. On the evening of 10 February 1964, Melbourne collided with and sank HMAS Voyager when the Daring class destroyer altered course across her bow. Eighty-two of Voyager's crew were killed, and two Royal Commissions were held to investigate the incident. The second collision occurred in the early morning of 3 June 1969, when Melbourne collided with and sank the Allen M. Sumner class destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in similar circumstances. Seventy-four United States Navy (USN) personnel died, and a joint USN–RAN Board of Inquiry was held. These incidents, along with several minor collisions, shipboard accidents, and aircraft losses, led to the reputation that Melbourne was jinxed. Melbourne was paid off from RAN service in 1982. A proposal to convert her for use as a floating casino failed, and a 1984 sale was cancelled, before she was sold in 1985 and towed to China for breaking. The scrapping was delayed so Melbourne could be studied by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as part of a secret project to develop a Chinese aircraft carrier and used to train PLAN aviators in carrier flight operations. HMAS Melbourne was decommissioned on 30 June 1982, having spent 62,036 hours underway and having steamed 868,893 nautical miles. A proposal to convert her for use as a floating casino failed, and a 1984 sale was cancelled, before she was sold for scrap in 1985 and towed to China for breaking. The scrapping was delayed so Melbourne could be studied by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as part of a secret project to develop a Chinese aircraft carrier and used to train PLAN aviators in carrier flight operations.The pictorial history of HMAS Melbourne with rare photos. Now a scarce title and highly desirable title that is now long out of print. Has provenance history of all ships movements from 1955 till decommissioned.HMAS Melbourne 25 YearsOn the front page is a picture of HMAS Melbourne with the words at top "H.M.A.S. Melbourne. At bottom are the words in orange, '25 Years'. In white, are the words 'by Ross Gillett' then 'Forward by Rear Admiral G.G.O. Gatacre C.B.E. DSO. DSC & Bar, RAN'. On the rear page is a list of all the Captains that served on the HMAS Melbourne between 1955-1980.hmas melbourne, aircraft carrier, royal australian navy, australian navy, westland whirlwind, sea venom, fairy gannet, bristol sycamore, westland wessex, douglas skyhawk, grumman tracker, westland sea king, fleet air arm, hmas albatross, nowra

This jacket was worn by Lynette Wekwerth when she worked as a volunteer in the National Wool Museum shop during the early 2000s. Lynette volunteered at the National Wool Museum for 25 years from 2001 until her passing in 2025, and was a much loved and respected member of the team. "I was born at Coonara Private Hospital at 173 Yarra Street, Geelong, on the 29th of March 1944, the third of five children. My father was in the RAAF when I was born, and on leaving the air force he became a carpenter/joiner. When I was young, we had the bread and milk delivered. There was a special tin for the bread and a big billy for the milk left of the front veranda to collect these items. My mother, elder sister, Wendy and my younger sister Zaidee, all went to “Physical Culture” held downstairs under the old Plaza Theatre building in Ryrie Street. We girls made our own sports clothes to do exercises (rods, dumbbells, and song and dance). It kept us fit, and we all won medals at some stage at the end-of-year concert. I was the only girl of my age in the street where I lived. There were boys my age, so I learned to play cricket and kick a football, all of which I did well. I attended Tate Street and then went on to Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College in 1956. Matthew Flinders was a domestic arts school, where I learnt sewing, cookery, home management, and how to be a ‘good’ housekeeper. I enjoyed all the domestic subjects. Ray and I were engaged in August 1963. We purchased our engagement ring in Melbourne and went to dinner at the Playboy Club in Melbourne to celebrate. In preparation for our wedding, I spent many hours making my own wedding dress (with assistance from my mother). We were married at 11 am on Saturday, the 10th April 1965 at St. Matthew’s, Church of England, Geelong. When Ray retired, he responded to an advertisement for volunteers at the National Wool Museum to be a volunteer. He started in 1998. The year that the ‘Pharaohs exhibition’ started. That was fine by me, as he wouldn’t be getting under my feet. At this time I was playing golf regularly and didn’t want to miss out on this activity. I joined the volunteers in the Wool Museum in March/April 2001. I was allocated to the Museum Shop and thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the shop staff. I then became shop assistant. I enjoyed talking and serving the customers. I was soon asked if I would mind repairing some of the garments that may have pulled a thread or a minor fault. I also enjoyed doing ‘stock taking’ in the shop. (Not many staff enjoyed this job, but I did.) In those early days, the Museum staff wore the red blazer and the black wool cardigan." - Lynette WekwerthRed jacket with two buttons and two pockets at the front, and two decorative buttons on each cuff. Jacket has National Wool Museum logo on the left lapel. printed [label]: SABENA / 14working life, volunteer, national wool museum, clothing, uniform, lynette wekwerth, staff, employment, wool clothing, geelong

This vest was worn by Lynette Wekwerth when she worked as a volunteer in the National Wool Museum shop during the early 2000s. Lynette volunteered at the National Wool Museum for 25 years from 2001 until her passing in 2025, and was a much loved and respected member of the team. "I was born at Coonara Private Hospital at 173 Yarra Street, Geelong, on the 29th of March 1944, the third of five children. My father was in the RAAF when I was born, and on leaving the air force he became a carpenter/joiner. When I was young, we had the bread and milk delivered. There was a special tin for the bread and a big billy for the milk left of the front veranda to collect these items. My mother, elder sister, Wendy and my younger sister Zaidee, all went to “Physical Culture” held downstairs under the old Plaza Theatre building in Ryrie Street. We girls made our own sports clothes to do exercises (rods, dumbbells, and song and dance). It kept us fit, and we all won medals at some stage at the end-of-year concert. I was the only girl of my age in the street where I lived. There were boys my age, so I learned to play cricket and kick a football, all of which I did well. I attended Tate Street and then went on to Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College in 1956. Matthew Flinders was a domestic arts school, where I learnt sewing, cookery, home management, and how to be a ‘good’ housekeeper. I enjoyed all the domestic subjects. Ray and I were engaged in August 1963. We purchased our engagement ring in Melbourne and went to dinner at the Playboy Club in Melbourne to celebrate. In preparation for our wedding, I spent many hours making my own wedding dress (with assistance from my mother). We were married at 11 am on Saturday, the 10th April 1965 at St. Matthew’s, Church of England, Geelong. When Ray retired, he responded to an advertisement for volunteers at the National Wool Museum to be a volunteer. He started in 1998. The year that the ‘Pharaohs exhibition’ started. That was fine by me, as he wouldn’t be getting under my feet. At this time I was playing golf regularly and didn’t want to miss out on this activity. I joined the volunteers in the Wool Museum in March/April 2001. I was allocated to the Museum Shop and thoroughly enjoyed being a member of the shop staff. I then became shop assistant. I enjoyed talking and serving the customers. I was soon asked if I would mind repairing some of the garments that may have pulled a thread or a minor fault. I also enjoyed doing ‘stock taking’ in the shop. (Not many staff enjoyed this job, but I did.) In those early days, the Museum staff wore the red blazer and the black wool cardigan." - Lynette WekwerthBlack woollen vest with four buttons at the front, and two pockets. Vest has National Wool Museum logo on left chest. printed [label]: BELLA / Collection / made in australia / WEKWERTH / TO FIT / SIZE / 12working life, volunteer, national wool museum, clothing, uniform, lynette wekwerth, staff, employment, wool clothing, geelong

This photograph was taken close to the time of the wreck of the "Edinburgh Castle". The “Edinburgh Castle”, three-masted iron barque, was built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1863 by J.G. Lawrie. She was 53.7 meters long and weighed 627 tons. She was owned by shipping company T Skinner and Co and registered at Liverpool, England. She sailed from 1863 to 1885 along the trade route between Scotland, China, and Singapore. In 1887 the Master, Captain J.B. Darling, sailed the “Edinburgh Castle” for its new owners Gifford & Nicholson from London to Warrnambool. Her cargo was 4,900 casks of cement for the construction of the new Warrnambool Breakwater. Over the three month journey, the ship met with rough weather and even a hurricane. On January 15th 1888 the “Edinburgh Castle” approached Lady Bay where a welcoming crowd gathered. The Port’s relief Harbour Master, Pilot Carless took over to complete the docking. As he tried to guide her, the Lighthouse Keeper signalled that the ship was too close to shore. The pilot continued on his course, causing her to ‘miss stays’ (make an incorrect tack). The crew dropped anchors and tried to lighten the load by throwing some of the casks of cement overboard but this was to no avail, and she drifted sideways in calm waters, lodging in the sand. A distress signal was sent to the coastal steamer “Julia Percy”, which spent several hours trying to pull the stranded ship away, but it would not budge. Those involved hoped to re-float the ship but efforts to save the vessel were useless. The captain and some crew stayed on board. When the weather became rough the rocket crew brought its lifesaving gear to the shore, ready to launch a line to the ship. The three men on board sent those onshore a message in a bottle to assure the on-lookers that they were quite comfortable to stay aboard. After a night of bad weather, the crew were glad to accept the rocket crew’s help and were in turn safely hauled to shore in a breeches buoy. The ship broke up quickly. Very little of the cargo could be saved. A week later all that could be seen of her was the bow and some of the stern. The beach was littered with wreckage, including cement cask fragments, for weeks. Ironically, on the morning after the ship ran aground, the very same “Edinburgh Castle” was offered for sale at an auction in Melbourne, billed as “a sound ship with all the fittings and in the best order.” The sale was completed before they heard the news that the ship was totally wrecked! Over the decades the shifting sands concealed the wreck of “Edinburgh Castle”. However, in October 1985 two local divers, Peter Ronald and Colin Goodall discovered her near the Hopkins River mouth. Peter said in his book ‘Exploring Shipwrecks of Western Victoria’, “In the midst of this sand-cloud I could clearly see row after row of neatly stacked barrels”. He remarked, “I am privileged to have had at least a glimpse of one of Warrnambool's most significant wrecks.” Some 15 – 17 ships are believed to have sunk in Lady Bay, but only two have been discovered on the seafloor; the “Edinburgh Castle” and the “La Bella”. Both wrecks are popular diving sites and are preserved as significant historical marine and marine archaeological sites. The sailing ship “Edinburgh Castle” is of local and state and national significance. It is one of the only two shipwrecks discovered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool, out of the 15-17 shipwrecks in the bay. The “Edinburgh Castle” is significant for being one of the largest vessels lost in the bay. The significance of the wreck of the “Edinburgh Castle” was recognised by being listed on the Victorian Heritage Database VHR S209. She was declared an Historic Shipwreck on 17th January 1989 under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976). The “Edinburgh Castle” wreck is also significant for the connection of its cargo with the building of the Warrnambool Breakwater, also listed on the Victorian Heritage Database VHR H2024. The “Edinburgh Castle” is included as one of the shipwrecks in Heritage Victoria’s Historic Shipwreck Trail on Victoria’s West Coast. Black and white photograph of the iron barque 'Edinburgh Castle' on breaking waves, land in the background. The ship was stranded and wrecked in Lady Bay, Warrnambool, on January 15th 1888. Figures are standing on deck. The masts are free from sails.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, great ocean road, edinburgh castle barque 1863, edinburgh castle shipwreck 1888, shipwreck 15-05-1888, glasgow ship, jg lawrie, t skinner and co, liverpool ship register, captain j.b. darling, gifford & nicholson, cement casks, cement barrels, warrnambool breakwater construction, breaches buoy, rocket crew, rocket launcher, lifesaving equipment, warrnambool harbour, lady bay warrnambool, ship pilot carless, lady bay shipwreck, peter ronald, colin goodall, lady bay diving site, marine archaeology, victorian heritage register, vhr s209

This photograph was taken close to the time of the wreck of the "Edinburgh Castle". The “Edinburgh Castle”, three-masted iron barque, was built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1863 by J.G. Lawrie. She was 53.7 meters long and weighed 627 tons. She was owned by shipping company T Skinner and Co and registered at Liverpool, England. She sailed from 1863 to 1885 along the trade route between Scotland, China, and Singapore. In 1887 the Master, Captain J.B. Darling, sailed the “Edinburgh Castle” for its new owners Gifford & Nicholson from London to Warrnambool. Her cargo was 4,900 casks of cement for the construction of the new Warrnambool Breakwater. Over the three month journey, the ship met with rough weather and even a hurricane. On January 15th 1888 the “Edinburgh Castle” approached Lady Bay where a welcoming crowd gathered. The Port’s relief Harbour Master, Pilot Carless took over to complete the docking. As he tried to guide her, the Lighthouse Keeper signalled that the ship was too close to shore. The pilot continued on his course, causing her to ‘miss stays’ (make an incorrect tack). The crew dropped anchors and tried to lighten the load by throwing some of the casks of cement overboard but this was to no avail, and she drifted sideways in calm waters, lodging in the sand. A distress signal was sent to the coastal steamer “Julia Percy”, which spent several hours trying to pull the stranded ship away, but it would not budge. Those involved hoped to re-float the ship but efforts to save the vessel were useless. The captain and some crew stayed on board. When the weather became rough the rocket crew brought its lifesaving gear to the shore, ready to launch a line to the ship. The three men on board sent those onshore a message in a bottle to assure the on-lookers that they were quite comfortable to stay aboard. After a night of bad weather, the crew were glad to accept the rocket crew’s help and were in turn safely hauled to shore in a breeches buoy. The ship broke up quickly. Very little of the cargo could be saved. A week later all that could be seen of her was the bow and some of the stern. The beach was littered with wreckage, including cement cask fragments, for weeks. Ironically, on the morning after the ship ran aground, the very same “Edinburgh Castle” was offered for sale at an auction in Melbourne, billed as “a sound ship with all the fittings and in the best order.” The sale was completed before they heard the news that the ship was totally wrecked! Over the decades the shifting sands concealed the wreck of “Edinburgh Castle”. However, in October 1985 two local divers, Peter Ronald and Colin Goodall discovered her near the Hopkins River mouth. Peter said in his book ‘Exploring Shipwrecks of Western Victoria’, “In the midst of this sand-cloud I could clearly see row after row of neatly stacked barrels”. He remarked, “I am privileged to have had at least a glimpse of one of Warrnambool's most significant wrecks.” Some 15 – 17 ships are believed to have sunk in Lady Bay, but only two have been discovered on the seafloor; the “Edinburgh Castle” and the “La Bella”. Both wrecks are popular diving sites and are preserved as significant historical marine and marine archaeological sites. The sailing ship “Edinburgh Castle” is of local and state and national significance. It is one of the only two shipwrecks discovered in Lady Bay, Warrnambool, out of the 15-17 shipwrecks in the bay. The “Edinburgh Castle” is significant for being one of the largest vessels lost in the bay. The significance of the wreck of the “Edinburgh Castle” was recognised by being listed on the Victorian Heritage Database VHR S209. She was declared an Historic Shipwreck on 17th January 1989 under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act (1976). The “Edinburgh Castle” wreck is also significant for the connection of its cargo with the building of the Warrnambool Breakwater, also listed on the Victorian Heritage Database VHR H2024. The “Edinburgh Castle” is included as one of the shipwrecks in Heritage Victoria’s Historic Shipwreck Trail on Victoria’s West Coast. Black and white photograph of the iron barque 'Edinburgh Castle' stranded and wrecked at Lady Bay, Warrnambool, on January 15th 1888. The photograph shows wreckage along the shore and two standing figures looking on.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, great ocean road, edinburgh castle barque 1863, edinburgh castle shipwreck 1888, shipwreck 15-05-1888, glasgow ship, jg lawrie, t skinner and co, liverpool ship register, captain j.b. darling, gifford & nicholson, cement casks, cement barrels, warrnambool breakwater construction, breaches buoy, rocket crew, rocket launcher, lifesaving equipment, warrnambool harbour, lady bay warrnambool, ship pilot carless, lady bay shipwreck, peter ronald, colin goodall, lady bay diving site, marine archaeology, victorian heritage register, vhr s209

Jessie May born on 30th November 1883, Jessie, known as Ma Barrie to her grandchildren, was the daughter of schoolteacher, Thomas John Lang and Mary Elizabeth Coates. In 1896 Thomas and Mary Elizabeth moved to Melton. Mr Lang’s previous school was Coliban SS No 1920. Mr Lang was the Head Teacher at Melton until 1917. In 1910 he was a Committee Member Melton Mechanics Institute and Public Library at its establishment. He was a Life Member of the Melton Mechanics Institute Jessie lived in various locations around Central Victoria, particularly Pastoria and Melton. When her father was Head Teacher at Melton State School no 430, she met her future husband, Charles Ernest Barrie. The couple were married at the Methodist Church Melton on the 23rd August in 1906. They lived in the newly built house beside the Chaff Mill on the corner of Station and Brooklyn Road Melton South. Their eldest child was Mary Ena was born on the 7th of October 1907. IN 1909, Ernest Wesley (Bonnie) was born 29th April (Ascot Vale). In 1910 the family moved to a farm in Trundle NSW. The Chaff Mill was sold to Glover Onians – HSK Ward. Later the original mill was burnt and replaced, and in 1977 a fire destroyed it again and it was not rebuilt. In 1911, the family returned to Melton buying the “Darlingsford” farm in May. The weather was too at Trundle for Jessie. Their address was Elizabeth Street Moonee Ponds. William Cecil was born on the 23rd of February 1912 and Charles Edgar was born on 1st June 1913. In 1916 they lived in Moonee Ponds where the children attend Bank Street School, Ascot Vale. The children developed diphtheria Mary and Bon were transferred to Fairfield Hospital. March 1919 the family returned to live at Melton at the time of the outbreak of the Spanish influenza. Mary, Bon, and Edgar returned to Melton School. Following the death of CEB in a car accident in 1931 she was left to bring up her children on her own; the youngest Jim, aged 9 and eldest Mary, aged 24. Jessie left ‘Darlingsford’ in 1946 when her sons had safely returned from WW II. She stayed at Yarram for a time where her married twin daughters lived when more grandchildren were born and spent the remainder of her life living with various family members. SUMMARY - Dr Ian Robinson OAM Born 26th June 1931 Parents – Keith John Robinson of “Creighton” Melton Mary nee Barrie of “Darlingsford” Melton The family lived at “Heatherdale” Toolern Vale. Their 3 children, Ian the first followed by daughters, Ena May and Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Ian and Ena attended Toolern Vale State School. No 946 The family later moved to Columban Ave Strathmore. During 1942 the children stayed their grandmother’s house at “Darlingsford” Melton. They enrolled at Melton State School No 430 on the 13/3/42 after attending State School No 483 Raleigh Street Essendon. They left Melton School on the 31/7/42 returning to Essendon. Ian attended Geelong College as a boarder after completing his schooling he entered University to study Medicine. His early General Practice was in Melbourne. In 1972 he joined the Royal Flying Doctor at Mount Isa, North West Region of Queensland. The region covered an area larger than the British Isles. He was on call 24 hours for emergencies. He spent three weeks away with calls and in the fourth week attended Aboriginal Reserves. Ian took two Queensland Governors and their wives to spend three nights at the Clinic. Sir Colin and Lady Hannah are still their friends. Area Co-ordinator Ian was awarded the Royal Humane Society Medal along with his pilot when they risked their lives landing on flooded land to save a patient. Ian remained a loyal contributor to the Royal Flying Doctor Service until 1997 He met Queen Elizabeth 2nd in Cairns, and also met Prince Phillip and Prince Andrew in Brisbane. Townsville – Locum Beenleigh – General Practice Open 7 Days 198? -2002 Aspects of his work covered the following – Police Work State Commonwealth Medical Officer TEYS COMPANY Q FEVER. Q Fever presents with flu like symptoms. The 1st Test always came back Negative BUT 2nd Test always positive. Ian lectured other Medicos re Q Fever Council Immunization in schools Covered boxing bouts Large Practice In 2002 Ian retired but continued house calls for older patients. Information from Anne to Beth received by Wendy October 2013 Wendy Elizabeth Barrie Jessie May Lang [Barrie] and Ian Keith Robinson standing in front of a carlocal identities

The Annual Meeting presenting the Annual Report was held on the 21st of September 1886 at the Melbourne Athenaeum. In the Standard (Port Melbourne, Vic. : 1884 - 1914), Saturday 25 September 1886, page 2 VICTORIAN SEAMEN'S MISSION. This institution held its annual meeting in the Melbourne Athenæum on Tuesday evening under the most favourable auspices. The hall was filled in every part, a very large pro portion of the audience being seamen. The half hour previous to the com mencement of the meeting was very pleasantly occupied bv listening to the capital playing of the band of the Naval Brigade, and precisely at eight o'clock the musicians heralded the entrance of the vice-regal party by playing ' The National Anthem.' Sir Henry and Lady Loch were received by the Mayor of Melbourne (Mr. Stewart), the Hon. F. T. Derham, Captain Pasco, Mr. H. R. Reid (hon. secretary), and Lieutenant - Colonel Templeton, and His Excellency imme diately took the chair. The venerable ex-chaplain, the Rev. Kerr Johnson, was present, but as he did not feel equal to taking part in the proceedings, the Rev. E. T. Miles opened the meeting with prayer. Nothing could have been more cal culated to give a distinctive character to the meeting than the singing of the Sailors' Hymn by the 300 odd seamen present. The rugged yet tuneful voices of the men blending with those of the ladies present, who heartily joined in, gave a most spirit-stirring effect to the beautiful words of the refrain : — Rocks and streams I'll fear no more, When on that eternal shore; Drop the anchor ! furl the sail ! I am safe within the vail. Next followed His Excellency's address as chairman. The Governor threw himself heartily into the pro ceedings, and his remarks, expressive of the utmost sympathy with the sea men of the empire, were applauded to the echo. In fact from the start all the speakers struck the right key-note. The institution was not held up as a charity on which Jack was more or less dependent. According to the gentlemen who one and all welcomed him as a friend, and a right useful friend too, the thing was all the other way. To the sailor it was, they de clared, that they owed all that the colony possessed, and more — the great ness and prosperity of the Empire, He was the sort of man who never turned his back on a fellow creature, or refused to give a hand to a comrade in distress. Therefore it was deter mined that Jack should not come to these shores and think there were none to care for the comfort of his body or the welfare of his soul, and with the object of greeting the sailor on his arrival, of grasping his hand as a friend, beguiling his hours on shore, and saving him from the scores of dangers and temptations which beset a sea-faring man's stay in port, the institution had in '57 been started. Its claims on the Victorian public, not as a charity, but as a means of show ing some recognition of the services of the brave men who man our mercan tile marine, were ably put before the meeting. The Rev. G. D. Buchanan de clared that if the Melbourne merchants contributed to the mission a tithe of the amount they spent in insurance, they would find their goods better looked after by the seamen than by the insurance companies. Captain McCallum, the treasurer, read the following report of the com mittees of the Port Melbourne and Williamstown Rests : — In no part of the Queen's dominions have there been more changes during the last thirty years than in the colony bearing her gracious name ; and it is therefore all the more pleasant to report that the Victorian Mission to seamen, which started so long ago as 1857, still pursues an active career of usefulness, holding out a helping hand to mariners of all nations, without distinction of colour, race or creed. Eight years ago, some of the supporters of the Mission, feeling the want of a Temperance Club, where the crews of the various ships might recreate themselves and enjoy the three ' C's' — Coffee — Comfort — Company, appealed to the public for assistance, resulting in sufficient funds being obtained to justify the establishment of Sailors' Rests at Sandridge and Williamstown. Both these institutions were opened by a distinguished gentleman who has always taken a practical interest in sea men, and who, but for illness, would have been present at this meeting — Sir W. F. Stawell — and the result jof several years' experience fully justifies the statement that these institutions have supplied a felt want — the attendance of visitors reaching now about 30,000 per annum ; whilst so economically are they managed, that the annual cost to the public is less than L150 The thanks of the committee are specially due to those ladies and gentlemen who so kindly made a special and successful effort to supply both of the Bests with new piano fortes, to the great enjoyment of ' Jack ashore.' The instrument which was pre sented to the Port Melbourne institution by Mr. J. M. Bruce, on behalf of the sub scribers, the funds having been collected by his daughter yet in her teens, being espec ially one of great value. Concerts free to all seamen, given by amateur singers, are held weekly on both sides of the bay, and are largely attended and much appreciated. The building at Port Melbourne, which, being of wood, is merely of a temporary character, is free from debt ; but there is a mortgage of L500 on the Williamstown institution, which cripples its usefulness. The committee have regretfully to report that during the year under review they have lost, through the weakness of increas ing years, tbe loving services of the Rev. Kerr Johnston, their venerable friend and chaplain, whose life is, indeed, the history of the Mission, for he has been connected with it from the commencement of the work. Mr. Johnston has proved himself a true disciple of his Divine Master, and the com mittee trust that in the evening of his days he may enjoy that peace and rest which he lias so well earned. The com mittee presented Mr. Johnston, on retiring, with an honorarium of L100. Mr. E. James has been appointed iu Mr. JohuBton'u room, and the committee believe that their choice lias been a fortunate one. The Mission aud Sailors' Bests have been kept afloat by the unwearied and self -deny-ing exertions of the Ladies1 Committee, who have personally collected nearly the whole of the income ; but it may fairly be asked whether, in this great seaport, where last year there entered in at Her Majesty's Customs 1711 ships, manned by 61,256 men, the mercantile community of Melbourne should net take a more active interest in the welfare of the thousands of brave men who, for a few weeks, temporary sojourners on our shores, away from friends and relatives, have a special claim on our sympathy and help. We are of the old land, ' that gem sunk in the silver sea and we can re-echo Mr. Gladstone's recent words to the crew of the yacht Sunbeam, ' The calling which you follow is a noble one, and is calculated to bring forth the highest qualities of our common nature ; ana if it is possible for any occupation to make a man, in the highest and wideBt sense of the word, it is ' the occupation to which your lives are given. How closely it is connected with the the prosperity and fame of tbi» great nation ; how closely, indeed, it is connected with advancement of civilisation, and tiie general welfare of the world, it needs no words of mine to tell yon, for in your work and life you know it well, and feel it truly.' Look ing at what we Victorians owe to the British sailor, the committee earnestly trust that, with the blessings of the Almighty God, increased success will attend the work of the Mission and Rests. Mr. James read the chaplain's re port: — Since my appointment as chaplain to tbe Seamens' Mission, I have met with greater success than I anticipated. I have visited all the ships that have come into port, also many of the vessels on the Yarra, and am pleased with the civil and courteous manner in which I have been received by captains, officers and men, and in most cases my invitations to them to attend our meetings have been most heartily responded to. . The attendance at the services in the Bethel has much improved — on some occasions scarcely sitting room is to be found. The services have proved a great blessing to many Christian seamen ; whilst several who have come into port caring for nothing of a religious nature, have left praying. God fearing men, with the request that those left behind would remember them in their supplications, that they should be kept through all the trials and temptations to which seamen are exposed. The weekly Tuesday evening concerts got up bj the ladies of the committee and others, have proved a great benefit to the Mission, and a source of great enjoyment to the seamen in port. The programmes are excellent; and are spoken of by the sailors as the best they have heard in any port. The Sailors* Rest is provided with a library, the daily papers, and illustrated literature, with games of chess, draughts, dominoes, quoits, and other amusements, which are much taken advantage of during the evenings. Seamen ' are alio provided with writing materials, free, bo that everyone may have any opportunity of writing to their friends; for many an anxious parent is counting the days and hoping for .the time to come when they shall get a line from their sons in the far distant land, and many a son is reminded of his obligation by the opportunity thus afforded. I am much pleased at this time to acknowledge the kindness of the committee, and the great help I have received from them, also from Mr. Douglas, the manager of the Best. I do not think I could have been blest with a better co-worker. I have no hesitation in recommending the seamen to go to the Best, and telling them that they will receive a most hearty welcome, to which they can all testify ; my thanks are due to the voluntary workers, who have given every assistance ft their power, especially to Miss Lloyd, who is an invaluable help, attending in all weathers, and playing the organ at every service. The Sunday School is progressing, and we aie now about to make another addition to the library, of good readable books. The work at Williamstown is also pro gressing well, the Wednesday night concerts being well attended, and the singing and reciting supplied by local talent really good; the sailors contributing largely to the programmes. Captain McCallum is the backbone of the work at Williamstown, well supported by many warm friends of the sailors. The services held every Sunday night are productive of mnch good. The work here, too, is very encouraging, having much improved of late. I am thank ful to God that He has so blessed the efforts of His people, and hope they may be long spared to carry on the work. The Rev. G. D. Buchanan in an eloquent speech proposed the first re solution : — ' That the Reports now read be adopted, and that the following ladies and gentlemen be the Committee for the ensuing year : — SEAMEN'S MISSION. Ladies Committee. — Mesdames Templeton, Campbell, Chamberlin, Elworthy, Lormer, Gourlay, Gowan, B. Johnston, Webb, Young, Plummer, Misses Elwortny, Webb, Gowan, and M. Hastie. Gentlemen's Committee. — Captains Pasco, R. N., Adams, McCallum, J.P., Dalgarno, Garside, Messrs. Courtis, A. J. Smith, Macpherson, H. R. Reid, J.P., Henry Berry, J.P., Revs. Kerr Johnston, and A. R. Edgar.' Captain Pasco seconded, and in formed the audience that Baron Von Mueller had written regretting his inability to attend, but had sent a substantial cheque. (Applause.) A collection was then taken up and liberally responded to, the band mean-time playing airs suitable to the occa sion, such as ' The Death of Nelson' and ' Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep.' The hon. F. T. Derham next pro posed the second resolution : — ' That the success which has attended the working of the Port Melbourne Sailors' Rest justifies this meeting in taking imme diate steps to raise the funds necessary to erect a Seamen's Institute worthy of the in creasing trade and commerce of Victoria.' This was seconded by the Rev. A. R. Edgar, and both were carried by ac clamation. The Mayor of Melbourne moved a vote of thanks to His Excellency, and Sir Henry in the course of his reply said his sympathies were not only with sailors because he had been much brought into contact with them, but because he had been a sailor himself and had had the honour and privilege of serving in Her Majesty's navy. At this the men sprang to their feet and gave three deafening cheers for the Governor and another for Lady Loch, who bowed her acknowledgment and appeared very pleased at the hearty reception accorded to her. During the evening Mrs. Pearce, and Messrs. Walsh, Woods, and Robinson, members of the Liedertafel, contributed songs. The lady, who has sung at the Tuesday evening concerts, sang ' When the Tide comes in' so charmingly that an encore, although against the rule of the evening, was insisted upon, which was responded to by a beautiful rendering of the old ballad ' Robin Adair,' Altogether the meeting was a com plete success, and will doubtless afford the committee fresh encouragement in their well-directed efforts. Printed programme for the 1886 annual meeting taking place in the Melbourne AthenaeumWritten in black ink at the back by WHC Darvall: annual meeting, melbourne athenaeum, 1886, baron ferdinand von mueller, sailors' rest, hugh ronald reid, captain fullarton, captain mccallum, henry loch, captain pasco, reverend kerr johnston

Louise Hearman used the Norla Dome and painted a mural which had taken her around a year to complete. The exhibition called Elephant Room was shown from May 1988. The work was vandalised in June 1989 and subsequently demolished.Louise Hearman is a Melbourne born artist and Archibald Prize winner. Hearman first came to public notice in 1987/88 when she spent a year painting the mural in the Norla Dome. The premises of the Mission also served as her studio at that timeBlack and white flyer with dual lengthways ribbings on the back side, possibly indicative of an intent to fold the flyer in three.The Elephant Room You are invited into the dome at the “Mission to Seamen” building, no. 717 Flinders St (ext), painted by Louise Hearman. Opening night Thurs May 28th 6 pm - 9 pm Visiting hours 11am -6 pm Tues to Sun from May 29th to June 11th Or by appointment ph (03) 328 1400 a.h. Sponsored by: Australian Council, Crown Hire, Art Stretchers Oliver-Davey Glass and Box Archer Emery.cultural events, exhibitions, paintings, artists, norla dome, 1988, louise hearman, elephant room, flinders street, melbourne

The T35 Austral was developed by Slingsby Aviation from the Slingsby T31 with the wing span increased and a larger rudder to improve performance. This was done in response to an order from an Australian gliding club. The Museum’s glider was built from a Slingsby kit imported from the UK in 1952 and assembled by the Waikerie Gliding Club. The glider came on the Australian register as VH-GFX in May 1956. It was later transferred to the Renmark Gliding Club. In 1968 it was acquired by the RAAF Gliding Club at Laverton, Victoria. The existing log book records for the Museum’s T35 Austral are incomplete. Nevertheless the information at hand shows that it was launched over 17000 times and spent about 2400 hours in the air. It would appear that the glider has not been used for many years, the last flight recorded by the RAAF Gliding Club for this aircraft being in September 1971. As far as is known VH-GFX is the only example of the type to be built. The Slingsby T35 is a modified Tandem Tutor two seat glider that had extensive service at a number of Australian gliding clubs over a period of approximately 15 years from the mid 1950s. The Slingsby T35 is an open cockpit, tandem, two-seater glider with high, pylon mounted two piece wing supported by double, wire braced, steel tube struts. australian gliding, glider, sailplane, slingsby, waikerie gliding club, renmark gliding club, raaf gliding club

This photograph was one of ten photographs donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village by Fred Trewartha. Frederick John Fox Trewartha (Fred) was a well-known Warrnambool businessman. He was born in Beeac near Geelong in 1920 and came to Warrnambool with his family as a very young child. He was apprenticed to his father John, as a saddler and later opened his own shop on Raglan Parade. He then moved into working with tarpaulins and canvases for the trucking industry. Fred was keenly interested in photography (and was a member of the Warrnambool Cine Club), yachting and boat building. He kept his yacht moored at Port Fairy for many years and participated in sailing events locally and interstate. He also built boats with his sons. He had the opportunity to meet many older sailors and it's thought this photo (and others in the set) may have been given to him by one of these men. Fred Trewartha died in 2016 in Warrnambool. Shipping was the cheapest and most practical means of carrying produce and goods during the period 1840-1890. Regular domestic steamer services commenced in the Warrnambool district in the late 1850’s and by 1870 the passenger trade was booming. Four coastal traders made regular stops at Warrnambool in the 1880's - S. S. Julia Percy, S. S. Dawn, S. S. Nelson and S. S. Casino. The S.S. Julia Percy (later named Leeuwin) was an iron passenger-cargo steam ship built in 1876. At one point in time the Julia Percy would sail from Warrnambool to Melbourne every Friday and return from Melbourne to Warrnambool every Tuesday. The cost of a return ticket for a Saloon Fare was £1.0.0. The Julia Percy was built in Glasgow by Thomas Wingate & Company, Whiteinch, in 1876 for the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company, which commissioned it for trade in Victoria’s western district. It was first registered in Warrnambool, Victoria in 1876. Two steamships, the Julia Percy and the Nelson, collided on 25th December 1881. The Julia Percy was at that time owned by its first owners, the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company, and she sailed under the command of Captain Chapman. It had left Melbourne the evening of 24th December, with about 150 passengers, sailing in fine weather through Port Phillip Heads around 9pm. It was headed for Warrnambool, Belfast (now named Port Fairy) and Portland. The Julia Percy was off Apollo Bay when Captain Chapman was woken by the ship’s whistle after midnight, the steamer Nelson being on a collision course with the Julia Percy. The Nelson struck Julia Percy midship. Boats were lowered from the ship (apart from a damaged lifeboat) and about 30-40 of the passengers boarded the Nelson. The engine room and the forehold were checked and found clear of water. The company manager, Mr. Evans, had been on the Nelson, so he boarded and inspected the Julia Percy and the decision was made to continue on to Warrnambool with the passengers as there appeared to be no immediate danger. However, Captain Thomas Smith said the Nelson was taking on water, so Julia Percy followed it for about an hour towards Melbourne on standby in case of need. Then Julia Percy turned around towards Warrnambool again. Shortly afterwards the Nelson turned to follow her, the ships stopped and passengers were returned to Julia Percy, and three from Julia Percy boarded the Nelson. Both ships proceeded on their way. Julia Percy passed Cape Otway light afterwards, signaling that there had been a collision. It was discovered later that one of the passengers was missing, then thought to have boarded the Nelson but later thought to have fallen into the sea and drowned while trying to jump from Julia Percy to Nelson. There had been 3 tickets purchased under the same name of that passenger “Cutler”; a father, son and friend named Wordsworth, which had caused quite some confusion. No further mishap occurred to either ship and both the Julia Percy and the Nelson reached their destinations safely. An enquiry was instigated by the Victoria Steam Navigation Board regarding the cause of the accident between the two steamships, in connection with the death of Cutler who was supposed to have lost his life by the collision. The enquiry resulted in Captain Thomas Smith having his master's certificate suspended for six months. The Julia Percy changed hands several times. Its next owner was the Western Steam Navigation Co (1887), managed by Mr. T.H. Osborne (the company’s office was on the corner of Timor and Liebig Streets - its north-western wall is now part of the current Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery.) The Melbourne Steamship Co became the next owners (1890), followed by William Howard Smith and Sons (1901) for use in Queensland coastal trades and then it was bought by George Turnbull in 1903 and used for local mail contract in Western Australia. The Julia Percy was sold to the Melbourne Steamship Company Ltd. (1906) and re-named the “Leeuwin” but continued in her Western Australian coastal run. It was converted into a coal hulk in Melbourne in 1910 as a result of damaged caused when it was driven against the jetty at Dongara during a gale. The ship was eventually dismantled and scuttled off Port Phillip Heads on 28 December 1934. The steamship "Dawn" was a 522-ton coastal trader built in 1876 and the vessel operated around the Victorian west coast from 1877 until 1898 for the Portland & Belfast Steam Navigation Co. sailing between Melbourne and Portland, via Warrnambool. The vessel was then owned in October 1885 by the renamed company, Belfast & Koroit Steam Navigation Co., until March 1896 when its ownership moved to W Howard Smith & Sons Ltd. This Melbourne company used the ship to service most ports around Australia. Captain F. Chapman took over from Captain Jones and served on the SS Dawn from 1898 until 1900 when he took command of the SS Casino. On September 4th 1880, the three masted clipper ship, "Eric the Red" struck Otway Reef, near Cape Otway. The S. S. Dawn, under the command of Captain Jones, was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from "Eric the Red". Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Four men (three crew and one passenger) died. A week after the shipwreck, the Australian Government had also conveyed its thanks to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn - “Captain Griffith Jones, S.S. Dawn, The Hon. Mr Clark desires that the thanks of the Government should be conveyed to you for the prompt, persevering and seamanlike qualities displayed by you, your officers and crew in saving the number of lives you did on the occasion referred to. The Hon. The Commissioner has also been pleased to award you a souvenir in commemoration of the occasion, and a sum of 65 pounds to be awarded to your officers and crew according to annexed scale. I am, &c, W Collins Rees, for and in the absence of the Chief Harbour Master.” The Awards are as follows: - Crew of DAWN'S lifeboat-Chief Officer, Mr G. Peat, 15 pounds; boat's crew-G. Sterge, A.B., 5 pounds; T. Hammond, A.B., 5 pounds; J. Black, A.B., 5 pounds; H. Edwards, A.B., 5 pounds. Dinghy's Crew-Second Officer, Mr Christie, 10 pounds; boat's crew -F. Lafer, A.B., 5 pounds; W. Johnstone, A.B., 5 pounds; Mr Lear, provedore, 5 pounds; Mr Dove, purser, 5 pounds. Captain Jones receives a piece of plate. (from “Wreck of the ship Eric the Red” by Jack Loney). Medals of Bravery were awarded to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn by the President of the United States, through the Consul-general (Mr Oliver M. Spencer), in July 1881 “ … in recognition of their humane efforts in rescuing the 23 survivors of the American built wooden sailing ship, the Eric the Red, on 4th September 1880.” The men were also presented with substantial monetary rewards and gifts. The city of Warrnambool’s care of the survivors was also mentioned by the President at the presentation, saying that “the city hosted and supported the crew ‘most graciously’. The Medal of Bravery awarded to Nelson Johnson is in the collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village in Warrnambool. Prior to 1882, and the arrival of the S. S. Casino, the "Dawn" was the only steamer to be able to navigate up the Moyne River at Port Fairy and unload at the wharf. The other regular steamers had to anchor in the bay instead. In February 1891 (as reported in The Age newspaper) the "Dawn" became the first vessel to berth alongside the newly completed Warrnambool Breakwater. The occasion was celebrated with a number of prominent townspeople assembling on board to "participate of a glass of wine". In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling it to Howard Smith. It took over the Melbourne to Warrnambool run in 1906 when the S. S. Flinders was sold. The S. S. Dawn was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". The third ship depicted in the photograph was thought to be the S. S. Coorong but there was a question mark next to its name. The photograph was thought to have been taken in 1885 and it's possible the S.S. Coorong was working in Clarence River, N. S. W. by this time. The steamer "Coorong" was built in 1862 by J. G. Lawrie of Glasgow. It was an "iron screw" steamer of 304 tons. It had many owners including Joseph Darwent of Adelaide (1863 - 1871), McMeckan Blackwood and Company, Melbourne (1871 - 1877), Mount Gambier Steamship Company Ltd. (1877 - 1881). William Whineham, Port Adelaide (1882), John See and Company, Sydney (1884 - 1892) and the North Coast Steam Navigation Company Ltd, Sydney (1892 - 1910). In 1911 it was hulked in Sydney Harbour and in 1921 it was being used as a coal hulk at Sydney. It had been originally imported into South Australia for the Port Augusta trade (primarily transporting goods needed by the early settlers) however the owners recognized that it had too much space for that purpose, so it was moved to work on the Adelaide to Melbourne line. Its passenger accommodation was enlarged and it enjoyed a "first class reputation" and by 1874 had made 313 voyages between Melbourne and Adelaide. Its captains included Captain McLean, Captain Ashton and Captain Dowell. In 1867, when 25 miles west of Cape Otway, while travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne, it came across the crew of the schooner "Black Watch" who had abandoned ship after it began quickly taking on water. The crew (six men) were able to get away in a small boat with a compass, chart and few candles. They were "excessively cold from exposure to the weather" when the S. S. Coorong picked them up. In 1877 the Coorong ran aground when entering the Outer Harbour at Adelaide (but was not damaged) and in 1882 it was stranded (for a short time) near Curdies Inlet (Victoria) with some slight damage to its bottom plates. Note - A ship with the same name "Coorong" (a coal carrying barque) was often on the Newcastle / Wollongong to Adelaide route also stopped several times in Warrnambool in the mid 1880's. The photograph has the label "Chuck Photos" printed on the front. Thomas Foster Chuck (born 1826 in London) was a photographer and entrepreneur who arrived in Victoria in 1861. The following year he produced and toured a "Grand Moving Diarama" of dramatic painted scenes from the Burke and Wills expedition. By 1866 he had established a photography studio in Daylesford and later he returned to Melbourne where he opened a studio in the Royal Arcade. In 1874 a collection of Chuck's photographs won a gold medal at the Annual International Exhibition in London. Throughout the 1870's he took over 700 individual photographs of prominent citizens for his historical photographic montage titled "Historical Pictures of the Explorers and Early Colonists of Victoria" which is now in the collection of the National Library of Australia. By 1888 he had sold his Melbourne studio and had established a studio in Ballarat (with his son Thomas Henry Chuck). In 1886 they produced an album titled "Warrnambool and District 1886, Western Hotel - J. Fox proprietor" containing over sixty large photographs of local coastal scenes and seascapes, for the use of patrons of the Western Hotel. This photo (of the three steamers in Lady Bay) was taken at this time and is in the album. Thomas Chuck died on December 7th, 1898, in Albert Park, Melbourne and his son Thomas Henry continued to operate the photography studio in Ballarat into the 1920's.This photograph is a significant record of several of the well-known coastal traders (S. S. Julia Percy, S. S. Dawn and possibly S. S. Coorong) that sailed along the southwest coast of Victoria for many years - transporting goods and passengers between Melbourne and Warrnambool in the 1880's. They are also significant in the role they played in the history of Warrnambool and the other coastal ports they visited as well as being examples of the dangers and hazards associated with navigating the waters along the southern coast of Australia. It is also a good example of a photograph taken by a well-known and significant photographer of that era.Black and white photograph of three steam ships anchored in Lady Bay, Warrnambool. They each have a funnel and two masts and are side on to the beach. A small rowboat with a crew can be seen on the far right. The words "CHUCK-PHOTO" are on the bottom left of the photograph. On the back of the photograph is the name and telephone number of the donor (handwritten in black ball point pen) and the names of the three steamships and date written in uppercase letters in dark blue ink. There is a four-figure number stamped in the centre of the back.Front - "CHUCK-PHOTO" Back - Name of donor and telephone number "6944" "JULIA PERCY, DAWN & KOORONG(?) IN LADY BAY 1885"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, fred trewartha, s. s. julia percy, s. s. dawn, s. s. nelson, s. s. casino, leeuwin, steamer, steamship, coastal trader, warrnambool steam packet company, captain chapman, victorian steam navigation board, western steam navigation company, melbourne steamship company, william howard smith and sons, portland and belfast steam navigation company, w howard smith and sons ltd, eric the red, captain jones, medal of bravery, rescue, moyne river, warrnambool breakwater, lady bay, s. s. coorong, mount gambier steamship company, black watch, thomas foster chuck, chuck photos, chuck photography

The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built many ships that had wheels with the same decorative, starburst pattern on them as this particular wheel segment, including the Eric the Red. The wheel was manufactured by their local Bath foundry, Geo. Moulton & Co. and sold to the Sewall yard for $100, according to the construction accounts of the vessel. Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) - about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Segment of a ship's wheel, or helm, from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red. The wheel part is an arc shape from the outer rim of the wheel and is made up of three layers of timber. The centre layer is a dark, dense timber and is wider than the two outer layers, which are less dense and lighter in colour. The wheel segment has a vertically symmetrical, decorative copper plate inlaid on the front. The plate has a starburst pattern; six stars decorate it, each at a point where there is a metal fitting going through the three layers of timber to the rear side of the wheel. On the rear each of the six fittings has an individual copper star around it. The edges of the helm are rounded and bevelled, polished to a shine in a dark stain. Around each of the stars, front and back, the wood is a lighter colour, as though the metal in that area being polished frequently. The length of the segment suggests that it has probably come from a wheel or helm that had ten spokes. (Ref: F.H.M.M. 16th March 1994, 239.6.610.3.7. Artefact Reg No ER/1.)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ship's-wheel, eric-the-red, helm, shei's wheel, ship's steering wheel

This wooden sword is said to “possibly be the only remaining part of the figurehead from the sailing ship Eric the Red.” It was previously part of the collection of the old Warrnambool Museum and the entry in its inventory says “Wooden sword, portion of the figurehead, held by “Eric the Red” at the bow.” A large part of the ship’s hull was found on the rocks and a figurehead may have been attached or washed up on the shore. The shipping records for E. & A. Sewall, the builders, owners and managers of Eric the Red, are now preserved in the Maine Maritime Museum. There is no photograph on record of Eric the Red but photographs of other ships built around that time by the same company show that these did not have figureheads, and there is no record found of a figurehead for Eric the Red being ordered or paid for. Further research is being carried out. The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built Eric the Red, a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) - about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse. (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA)This carved wooden sword, recovered from the Eric the Red, is possibly the only portion of the figurehead recovered after the wreck. There are spirals carved from the base of the handle to the top of the sword. The hilt of the sword is a lion’s head holding its tail in its mouth, the tail forming the handle. The blade of the sword has engraved patterns on it. Tiny particles of gold leaf and dark blue paint fragments can be seen between the carving marks. There are remnants of yellowish-orange and crimson paint on the handle. At some time after the sword was salvaged the name of the ship was hand painted on the blade in black paint. The tip of the sword has broken or split and the remaining part is charcoal in appearance. On both the tip and the base of the handle are parts made where the sword could have been joined onto the figurehead There is a white coating over some areas of the sword, similar to white lead putty used in traditional shipbuilding. The words “ERIC the RED” have been hand painted on the blade of the sword in black paint sometime after it was salvaged.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, sword, wooden sword, eric the red, carved sword, figurehead, snake head on sword

The wooden door was salvaged from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red, which was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. Eric the Red was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871, having had a 1,580 tons register. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - from America for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. On 4th September 1880 the Eric the Red approached Cape Otway with a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. He ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats. The mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Captain Jones sent out two life boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Z. Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod and samples of wood. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Door from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. The wooden singular rectangular door includes three insert panel sections. The top section is square shaped and is missing its panel or glass. The centre timber panel is about a third of the height of the top panel and the bottom timber panel is approximately equal in height to the total height of the two upper panels. The door fastenings include both a metal door latch and traditional door bolt. They are both attached to the front right hand side of the door. The bolt is just below the top panel, and the door latch is in approximately the centre of that side. The door latch has a round mark where a handle could have been attached. The wood of the door has scraping marks in a semi-circle around the door latch where the latch has swung around on its one remaining fastening and grazed the surface. There is a metal hinge at the top section of the door on the opposite side to the latch. The painted surface has been scraped back to expose the wood. The door is shorter than the average height of a person. On the reverse of the door there are lines on the panels, just inside their edges, is what appears to be pencil. The door is not aligned straight but is skew to centre.warrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, eric the red, jaques allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne exhibition 1880, cape otway, otway reef, victorian shipwreck, bass strait, eric-the-red, door

This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Triangular shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn

This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Oblong shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn

This medal for bravery, for rescue of the crew from the shipwreck “Eric the Red” on 4th September 1880, was awarded to one of the crew of the steamer S.S. Dawn by the President of the United States in July 1881. The medal is engraved with the name “Nelson Johnson” (the anglicised version of his Swedish name Neils Frederick Yohnson). It was donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in 2013 by Nelson’s granddaughter. Nelson had migrated from Sweden to Sydney in 1879. The next year in 1880, aged 24, he was a seaman on the steamship Dawn and involved in the rescue of the survivors of the Eric the Red. Nelson Johnson was a crew member of the S.S. Dawn and was one of the rescue team in the dinghy in the early morning of September 4th 1880. Medals were awarded to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn by the President of the United States, through the Consul-general (Mr Oliver M. Spencer), in July 1881 “ … in recognition of their humane efforts in rescuing the 23 survivors of the American built wooden sailing ship, the Eric the Red, on 4th September 1880.” The men were also presented with substantial monetary rewards and gifts. The city of Warrnambool’s care of the survivors was also mentioned by the President at the presentation, saying that “the city hosted and supported the crew ‘most graciously’. Previously, a week after the shipwreck, the Australian Government had also conveyed its thanks to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn “Captain Griffith Jones, S.S. Dawn, The Hon. Mr Clark desires that the thanks of the Government should be conveyed to you for the prompt, persevering and seamanlike qualities displayed by you, your officers and crew in saving the number of lives you did on the occasion referred to. The hon. The Commissioner has also been pleased to award you a souvenir in commemoration of the occasion, and a sum of 65 pounds to be awarded to your officers and crew according to annexed scale. I am, &c, W Collins Rees, for and in the absence of the Chief Harbour Master.” The Awards are as follows: - Crew of DAWN'S lifeboat-Chief Officer, Mr G. Peat, 15 pounds; boat's crew-G. Sterge, A.B., 5 pounds; T. Hammond, A.B., 5 pounds; J. Black, A.B., 5 pounds; H. Edwards, A.B., 5 pounds. Dinghy's Crew-Second Officer, Mr Christie, 10 pounds; boat's crew -F. Lafer, A.B., 5 pounds; W. Johnstone, A.B., 5 pounds; Mr Lear, provedore, 5 pounds; Mr Dove, purser, 5 pounds. Captain Jones receives a piece of plate. (from “Wreck of the ship Eric the Red” by Jack Loney) The medal’s history, according to the Editor of ‘E-Sylum’ (the newsletter of The Numismatic Bibliomania Society “… appears to be an example of an 1880 State Department medal, catalogued as LS-3 (page 322 of R. W. Julian's book, Medals of the United States Mint: The First Century 1792-1892). The reverse is mostly blank for engraving, surrounded by a thin wreath. It was designed by George Morgan, chief engraver for the Philadelphia Mint, and struck in gold, silver and bronze. The one pictured here (in The Standard newspaper, 2nd July 2013) appears to be silver.” The following is an account of the events which led to the awarding of this medal. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three-masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson, who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first-class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and a hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30 am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However, he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, southwest of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its riggings, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually, the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30 am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time, they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, and its sailing time was different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey, she was commanded by Captain Jones and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight, the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much-needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship nor its cargo was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steamship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay, the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally, those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation, Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated onto Point Franklin. Some of the vessels' yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of f locating wreckage about 10 miles off land, southeast of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and flycatchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with a chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, samples of wood and this medal awarded for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and teapots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that was awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is similarly inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high-quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and shed around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7-foot-long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at shipbuilding in Apollo Bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children, the father of the medal’s donor being the youngest. They lived in 13 Tichbourne Place, South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn". The medal for bravery is associated with the ship the “The Eric the Red which is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) This medal was awarded to Nelson Johnson by the U.S. President for bravery in the rescue of the Eric the Red crew. The obverse of the round, solid silver medal has an inscription around the rim. In the centre of the medal is the head of Liberty to the left, hair in a bun, with a sprig of leaves in the top left of a band around her head. There is a 6-pointed star below the portrait, between the start and end of the inscription. There are two raised areas on the rim, horizontally opposite each other, from the edge to just below the lettering and coinciding with the holes drilled in the edge. Slightly right of the top is a round indentation in the rim. The reverse has a wreath of leaves as a border, joined at the bottom by a ribbon bow. In the centre of the medal is an inscription, decorated with 3-pronged design and dots. The edge is plain with 2 small, rough and uneven holes horizontally opposite to each other, as though they had been used for mounting the medal at some stage. The medal has a matte finish on both sides and is slightly pitted and scratched.“PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES” around the perimeter of the obverse of the medal. “TO / Nelson Johnson, / seaman of the British, / str “Dawn”, for bravery, / at risk of life, / in / rescuing the crew of / the American Ship / “Eric the Red.” “M” on obverse, truncation of the portraitwarrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, eric the red, zaccheus allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne exhibition, cape otway, otway reef, victorian shipwreck, medal, nelson johnson, neils frederick yohnson, s.s. dawn, george morgan, hero