This item presented by the indigenious community to their local police officer on the the occasion of his joining the Armed Services in 1942 which resulting in his interment in ChangiUnique personal gift to this ServicemanLacquered wood hand made. Hand grip to rear"CENTRAL AUSTRALIA / 1942" RISING SUN Emblem at centre ("AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH MILITARY FORCES") Pinstriping in silver and red.ww2, shield, central australia, police officer, storey, indigenous gift

This magnetic compass is a good size to fit easily into a person's pocket or personal luggage and is protected from knocks by its wooden case. It could have been used for reference when travelling on land or sea. There is no visible manufacturer's mark, which may mean that it was not of high monetary value. Leith is a district of Edinburgh in the country of Scotland, the U.K. It was once the Port of Edinburgh and many migrant ships departed from here bound for the Australian colony. It had a busy shipbuilding industry, with wet and dry docks. It appears from the inscription on the case "Chas Gray, LEITH, 1839" that this pocket compass once belonged to Charles M. Gray (Chas is a common abbreviation for the name Charles). The inscription coincides with the name, place and date that the Western Victorian pioneer Charles M. Gray left Scotland and arrived in Australia. Charles Gray was born in Anstruther, Scotland, in 1818. His family was connected with the Royal Marines, which may have created his nautical instruments such as this pocket compass. Charles Gray arrived in Hobson's Bay on 15 June 1839 on the ship “Midlothian”. That same ship had departed from Leith, Scotland on February 15th 1839. Did Charles Gray acquire the pocket compass in Leith, perhaps as a gift or a souvenir of his motherland? Charles Gray was an early squatter and went on to become a very successful settler as a sheep pastoralist in the Western District of what is now Victoria (originally the colony of New South Wales). He and his wife had a large property called “Nareeb Nareeb”, Green Hill Creek District (now Glenthompson), Victoria, from 1840-1886. He was also a local Councillor and Justice of the Peace, and had an interest in the local indigenous people; he named his property after their tribe. Charles returned to England in 1890 and died there in 1905. Charles Gray had written an account in 1890 of his life at Nareeb Nareeb, called Western Victoria in the Forties: "REMINISCENCES OF A PIONEER The Western District in the 1840's By Charles Gray" , a valuable historical reference to colonial Victoria. His book was published by the Hamilton Spectator in 1932. Charles Gray's photograph is one of 713 historical photographs of early Victorian settlers, created as a montage by Thomas Foster Chuck in 1872. The State Library of Victoria holds the framed montage titled “The Explorers and Early Colonists of Victoria”. To qualify for inclusion on this montage the Settlers must have arrived in Victoria before 1843. Charles Gray's photograph is number 349! The pocket compass is associated with Charles Gray, one of the early squatters and settlers in Western Victoria, possibly given to him as a parting gift on his emigration to Van Diemans land in 1839. The item is very significant as it's connection with one of Victoria's early pioneers is well provenanced by the inscriptions on the wooden case. Pocket compass, brass, set into a square wooden case with hinged lid and small hook catch. Compass is marked with 360 degrees and compass points and has two pointers; one to show magnetic north and one to set the direction of travel. Hinges are triangular and inset into the wood. The lid has an attached brass plaque with the inscription "Chas Gray, Leith, 1839" (It likely belonged to Charles Gray, Leith, UK, who migrated to Port Philip Australia in 1839 and became a successful pastoralist.) “Chas Gray / LEITH / 1839” engraved on brass plaque on lid.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, magnetic compass, pocket compass, charles m. gray, chas gray, migrrant from leith 1839, charles gray anstruther, scottland, ship midlothian 1839, squatter western victoria, settler western victoria, hobson's bay port phillip australia, charles gray nareeb nareeb - green hill creek district, western victoria in the forties: reminiscences of a pioneer by charles m. gray 1890, leith edinburgh u.k., western victoria in the forties: reminiscences of a pioneer - montage by thomas foster chuck 1872, charles gray, reminiscences of a pioneer, the western district in the 1840's, compass, scientific instrument, nautical instrument, direction, directional compass, navigation

Wycliffe translates the Bible for people around the world. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p171 The peace and beauty of Australia’s Wycliffe Centre reflects what it aims to bring to thousands of people around the world. Kangaroos calmly feed, accompanied by bird song, near the mud-brick buildings set amongst Kangaroo Ground’s rolling hills. On 11 hectares off Graham Road, the centre aims to transform people’s lives by giving groups around the world, with no written language, help with literacy and Bible translation into their own tongue. Associate Director, Harley Beck, says reading the Bible (probably history’s most influential collection of books), in one’s own language, provides a strong moral basis, helping people withstand exploitation and escape poverty. One of Wycliffe’s field partners, SIL (formerly Summer Institute of Linguistics) Papua New Guinea, has won two UNESCO awards, and SIL branches in many other countries have won international and national awards. The translators are modern heroes. They undertake hardships, forsaking for years, sometimes decades, a salary and the soft western lifestyle, to face loneliness and primitive conditions that most of us would not even contemplate. No staff is paid a salary. An example is the first Australian Director and former International President, David Cummings, who for 50 years has depended on donations from supporters and churches. Students of all ages at the EQUIP Training School on the site come from all walks of life. They train in linguistics and learn how to communicate in a way that is sensitive to other cultures. Spiritual resilience is encouraged, enabling people to persist until the job in the field is done, which takes on average ten to 15 years. Courses range from a few weeks to a year. The Wycliffe concept was born in the 1920s when American missionary, Cameron Townsend, found a Spanish Bible was inadequate to evangelise the Cakchiquel people of Guatemala. When a Cakchiquel man challenged: ‘If your God is so great, why doesn’t he speak my language?’ Townsend decided to translate the Bible into all languages! He founded a linguistics training school in 1934, naming it after 14th century theologian John Wycliffe, the first to translate the Bible into English. The first Wycliffe Bible was completed in 1951 in the Mexican San Miguel Mixtec language. In May 2007 after 30 years of work, Wycliffe Australia, with other organisations, completed the first Bible for indigenous people in the Kriol* language, for about 30,000 people in northern Australia. Wycliffe Australia began in 1954 in the Keswick Bookshop basement, Collins Street, Melbourne. As the organisation grew, its quarters became so cramped that Director Cummings at times interviewed potential recruits in his car! The development of the Kangaroo Ground property is a story of faith and generosity. In 1967 Cummings proposed moving to a larger property despite having no funds. Within a month Wycliffe received a $20,000 donation and a gift of land towards a national centre. An earlier owner of the Kangaroo Ground property, Mrs Elsie Graham, would have been delighted, as she had wanted her land to be used for ‘God’s service’. Mud-brick architect and Christian, Alistair Knox, offered to design the centre at no charge. Despite a drought, straw was donated to make bricks. Many volunteers helped with the building, including church youth groups who made mud-bricks. Volunteers planted thousands of native plants, watered by recycled water from the site’s dam. Building began in 1968 and in 1983 the South Pacific SIL School (now EQUIP Training) followed. Wycliffe, the world’s largest linguistic organisation, and other organisations, have translated the Scriptures into more than 2000 languages. But another 2000 languages still lack any portion of the Bible. However translations are now completed more quickly, because of new computer programs and as education spreads, more speakers of the local language can assist. Despite the growth of secularisation, Beck says support for Wycliffe Australia, which has offices in all states and the ACT, is stronger than ever. * Kriol is a Pidgin language, which has become a speech community’s prime language.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, graham road, kangaroo ground, wycliffe centre

When Bartja's best friend Mayila plans to leave the forest they live in to visit the ocean, Bartja wants to find her the perfect parting gift. With some advice from Uncle Ambrose and the forest animals, Bartja creates a gift that Mayila will treasure. Bartja and Mayila written by Sue Atkinson (Yorta Yorta) and illustrated by Annette Sax (Taungurung). This is the first book in the YSS series, giving young children insight into Indigenous Victorian culture. The Yarn Strong Sista series is supported by background notes and ideas for related activities.

Tonight would be a very special night for Yurri, it is her birthday. At midnight each of Yurri's friends arrive with a basket. Inside each basket is a gift for Yurri. Each illustrated basket has been made by women who live in Victoria and are passionate about the revival of basket coiling! Yurri's Birthday written by Sue Atkinson (Yorta Yorta) and illustrated by Annette Sax (Taungurung). This is the third book in the YSS series, giving young children insight into Indigenous Victorian culture. The Yarn Strong Sista series is supported by background notes and ideas for related activities.Illustrations, mapsyorta yorta, barmah forest, basket weaving, educational activities, language list